"One Christmas in Washington"

I am fascinated by the relations between the United States and England in the World War 2 era. More specifically the give and take between Churchill and Roosevelt. This work studied the meetings that took place in Washington Christmas 1941 in which the allied strategy was initially laid out, the nuts and bolts of how the war was going to be conducted.

There was a great deal of distrust on both sides when the meetings started. The British needed help to fight Germany and feared the United States would focus all it's efforts on defeating Japan. The author points out this view may have been justified because of the public sentiment following Pearl Harbor. For this reason Churchill thought it important to meet with Roosevelt and insure that the agreement reached at Argentina would be honored. The Chiefs of staff distrusted the British and wanted to defeat Japan first, following popular public sentiment. The first lady felt Churchill would run right over the President but the author points out all of the fears were not realized.

The book covers the events of the meetings and does a good job showing the difficulties the meetings went through. Roosevelt kept no written records so the main sources were Churchill's notes and writings, Hopkins notes and other aides and generals. The list of sources is indeed long and includes many countries. The research is well done and it is a good source for a beginning study of Allied relations in the second world war.

Authors: David Bercuson & Holger Herwig

Meeting Franklin Roosevelt was like opening your first bottle of champagne; knowing him was like drinking it.

Winston Churchill
English, Statesman Quotes
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Do Something. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn't, do something else.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
1882-1945, Thirty-second President of the USA
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"Winter in Madrid" by C.J. Sansom

Winter in Madrid
I found this book by accident. I was not sure what to expect but decided to give it a try. I found a compelling story set in 1939-40 Madrid after the Spanish Civil War. England is blockading Spain and using the sale of essentials to Spain to keep them from joining the axis in the war. It is part suspense, spy and romance. The story is focused around three central characters with very different views of the world and with those views come very different ideologies. The central character is Harry Brett who is injured at Dunkirk and had lived a life of privilege before the war.

He is recruited by the British secret service to spy on a former class mate in Spain. The English want to find out if the story of a possible gold find is true and if so how large is the find. The English believe Harry's former classmate may be the key to finding out this information. The story reveals an inner struggle he faces as he deals with the guilt of spying on a former friend but more so the struggle of how he views the world and human nature. The friend he is asked to spy on is Sandy Forsyth the son of a bishop. Sandy has nothing to do with his family and is only concerned with making a profit. He became and is involved with a Red Cross nurse named Barbara Claire who after the supposed death of her lover Bernie falls into despair. Sandy helps Barbara recover and the live together and every one thinks they are married but they are not.

Barbara then learns that Bernie is not dead but instead is a prisoner in a secret camp for enemies of the state. As she goes about setting up an escape for Bernie she becomes distant from Sandy and when she learns of Sandy's dark side she is driven further away.

Harry mistakenly identifies a man he should not know that leads to the mans eventual death and Harry downfall as a spy. He meets a local senorita when her brother is injured while spying on him. It is this friendship that leads to his re-evaluation of the world. In a twist of fate Harry and Sophie get Barbara to let them help with Bernie's escape from the prison. The day of the escape comes and just when they are about to get away the trap is revealed and Sophie is killed in the trap is sprung. Harry, Barbara and Bernie manage to escape and return to the embassy where yet more deceptions are revealed.

The three are quickly spirited back to England and we see Barbara and Harry seven years later. Barbara is continuing her efforts to help refugees but Harry is broken and refuses to fight any more.

This is a compelling look at the world through different eyes and shows human nature as it is, flawed yet beautiful. The setting also reveals the great difficulties faced by the Spanish after the civil war and is a very dark and bleak picture. The story grabs you and is interesting.

"Devil May Cry" (Audio Book)

My review of "Devil May Cry" by Sherrilyn Kenyon read by Holter Graham. This is my first exposure to the Dark Hunter series proper. It is the eleventh book in the series, at least I believe it is, and it is the story of Sin a fallen Sumerian god, whose powers were stolen.

The Goddess Artemis the major villain in the stories had her daughter steal Sins powers and give them to here. When Sin begins collecting artifacts from his past Artemis is convinced Sin wants to kill her. She pleads with Ash do something about him, yet she refuses to release Ash to handle the problem. Taking matters into her own hands she has Kat, her daughter, go after Sin to eliminate him.

Kat finds Sin in New York instead of Las Vegas and that is just the beginning of the mysteries surrounding Sin. Kat witnesses Sin dispatching three creatures that had attacked a human female and then watches as Sin burned the bodies. She is horrified as Sin decapitated the female and then burns her body, then he is gone and Kat loses track of him. While trying to locate Sin the following day she spots a strange man and follows him into an ambush. Sin rescues her from the attack and then takes her prisoner. Sins thinks he has captured the most hated person Artemis.

As the story unfolds Kat learns of her mother's deception about Sin and Sin learns Kat's part in his lost powers. The two united to save the world from the demon hoard about to be loosed on it.
A typical romance in that you have you conflict and resolution. The story is a fun ride and keeps you guessing. Although not the genre I generally read of listen to it is a fun diversion. Check it out.

"The Book of Fate" by Brad Meltzer

A review of the audio book "The Book of Fate" read by Scott Brick. This is my first exposure to Meltzer and I found the story easy to follow and enjoyable. Brick as the reader does a very good job of drawing you into the story.

A young presidential aide is disfigured in a failed assassination attempt on the president or so it seemed. One of the presidents oldest friends is killed instead and Wes, the central character, is hit by a ricochet in the face and permanently scared. The president retains Wes's services after losing the election. During a trip to Asia Wes makes a startling discovery the man he thought was killed is actually alive.

The story is a roller coaster ride of deception and black male in the highest circles. Wes along with his college buddy and room mate set out to find the truth and along the way Wes gains his independence and finds out he is more than a victim. He sticks to his convictions but learns things are not always what they appear to be. In the end what was feared to be true was not but still the carnage along the way is incredible.

Meltzer keeps you guessing along the way and he pulls the different elements of the story together for an exciting tale of suspense, friendship, betrayal, and love. I highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed.

"From A Buick 8" by Stephen King (Audio Book)

Stephen King is back to his own unique view of the creepy in his novel "From A Buick 8". The Penn Highway patrol impounds a car that the owner leaves at a filling station after the owner disappears. The officers on the seen notice the car is just not right, small details that are not like they should be. They have car return to the post and placed in shed B and then one of the officers disappears. The troop keeps the car from public view and tries to learn what exactly the object that looks like a car is.

The story begins with the death of a Pennsylvania state trooper killed by a drunk driver. Looking for closure his son begins hanging around the barracks doing odd jobs. While cleaning the windows on the shed in back he discovers the car. He ask about it and is told the story of the car and all of the strange happenings involving the car. He witnesses a light quake and the car draws him in much as it did his father. Well the boy goes to college but ends up dropping out and becoming a trooper like his father. He is there to witness the death of the car after nearly losing his life to it just a few years earlier.

The audio book is read by James Rebhorn, Bruce Davison, Becky Ann Baker, Peter Gerety, Fred Sanders, and Stephen Tobolowsky. It is a fascinating tale and the different voice lend color to the story. It will capitvate you and have you wondering why are these people doing this. A revealing look at people facing evil and showing courage in their fear. Listening time is approximately 13 and a half hours and while not one of King's best it is still a good story and I recommend at least listening to it.

"Forever Odd" by Dean Koontz

In this second installment of the Odd series the characters are back. Ozzie very large writer with his cat Chester, Chief Wyatt and of course the ghost of Elvis. We are introduced to a crippled youth that is Odd's friend, Danny who we soon learn is abducted. The story once again takes place in Pico Mundo and things are once again out of control.

The story starts with Odd being drawn to Danny's home in the middle of the night by his "gift". Odd discovers Danny's step father has been murdered and that Danny is missing. A mysterious man tazers Odd in the kitchen and gets away before Odd can contact Chief Wyatt. The prime suspect is Danny's birth father who has spent time in prison. Odd attempts to locate Danny but loses the trail that night.

The next morning Odd once again tries to pickup the trail and he is successful. The trail will take Odd into the city's storm system which has more questions than answers about really goes on around Pico Mundo. A mysterious female caller pushes Odd in his search. Odd learns Danny's father is not involved as he is once again in jail else where. The trail leads to an abandoned and badly damaged casino outside of town and Odd decides to rescue Danny instead of waiting for help.

He encounters a beautiful but twisted woman and two men that are helping her. She wants Odd to show her the dead spirits that are lingering at the casino. In the end Odd rescues Danny and the three abductors are killed or disappear. Odd survives but has a very close call to death.

Forever Odd is a very good read and you can develope a sense of the trails and thoughts Odd goes through. I highly recommend the book, especially if you are a Koontz fan and if not give it a try you may find a new author to read.