By the Light of a DARK MOON

  On rare occasions, at the beginning of a novel, I find myself slightly confused. Most often this happens when too many points of view are introduced far too close together without enough 'story' to hold the character firmly in mind. Stephen King, in his novel "The Stand", introduced lots of character points of view but he gave a solid chapter to introduce each one, allowing the reader to fully identify with the character. Often though, if you stick with the novel, you see the strands pull together for a satisfying if not a wonderful read.  Today's choice, "Dark Moon" by Maggie Tideswell, was one that I was glad I went back to read. When all is said and done, the strands of each character weave together to make a picturesque tapestry of the story.

Triorion: Abomination

Triorion: Abomination

Book II in the Triorion series

Published by L. J. Hachmeister (2012)

www.triorion.com

Available at Amazon

As we learned in Book I, the Alliance, in their efforts to gain military advantage over an invading alien force, put together a program to train children, not only as soldiers, but as tacticians and military thinkers. Three children, taken from Fiora where they worked in the mines, barely staying alive, were an unexpected surprise, more brilliant than even their best adult members, in spite of their peculiar aging process -- this brilliance came from children under 8 years old who looked like young adults..

In Book II we find Jaeia and Jetta well established in the military chain of command (looking more like 23 than the 8 year olds they are), in positions of responsibility but without their brother Jahx, a traumatic loss.

Beirut: An Explosive Thriller

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Beirut: An Explosive Thriller

Alexander McNabb

Publisher:  Alexander McNabb (Creative Space), 2012

ISBN-10: 1477586598
ISBN-13: 978-1477586594

Available at Amazon

Gerald Lynch isn't exactly what you'd expect if your concept of British Intelligence Services bears any resemblance to James Bond. Under a fairly rude and gruff exterior, beats the heart of a true adrenaline junkie, with extremely sharp instincts, more comfortable in a life and death situation than sitting in a meeting with "suits." Rarely does he care a lot what others think of him; he gets the job done and comes back, something many operatives don't get the chance to do. The problem with Lynch, however, is that he's not exactly the subtle type. He drinks, womanizes (that part's a bit of the old Bond), and has no interest in explaining his actions and expects to be able do do whatever is necessary, without micromanagement.

So when he's investigating what looks like a straightforward case of money laundering, and a member of his team is found dead, with a beautifully calligraphed note with the dead man's name on it, Lynch knows there has to be more to it. The note-making is the pattern of a now-dead strongman, ruthless and arrogant, who provided such notes for his "hits," Lynch is pretty sure he knows where to look, but Lynch's top candidate for the crime is politically connected; there are many, many suits between him and the answers, and some of the folks who won't stand up to the politics are inside Lynch's own organization.

Football, A Memoir

Football: A Memoir

by Bernard Mendillo

published by Bernard Mendillo, 2011

ebook ISBN: 978-1-61397-681-4 

Available at Amazon

Most of us have something we look forward to when the work week is done. Some hobby that captures our attention, takes us out of the everyday grind and provides entertainment and activity and just plain fun. For Bernie Mendillo, that was football.

Some sports fans are watchers. They appreciate the game from afar, rooting for their teams, of course, but still somewhat removed from the hard hits, the cold weather and the field dynamics. While Bernie and family were big fans, right there in front of the TV for the big games of their football heroes, they weren't just couch potatoes. The need to play was visceral.

They were so into football that they created their own league,