John H Manhold – Page 3

April 16, 2022

Europe by Milk Run

Europe by Milk Run ISBN: 9781954778078 published, copyright and written by Rory Moulton.

Subtitled A solo Travel Experiment from Copenhagen to Barcelona, First published 2020 by EuroExperto. The author has provided this mini-saga of his unusual journey resulting from a decision to prove wrong a casual observation by an acquaintance that traveling Europe “isn’t real travel” anymore. By riding slow trains, using a Eurrail Pass, using Airbnb (a list of low-budget lodging), a vague direction in which he wanted to go and little more than a backpack he made the trip in a measured time frame. (Set by budgetary restrictions dictated by the fact he now was married with a young teen son and other responsibilities, although his main job appeared to be providing, and editing, new material for a rather undefined person who seemingly provided travel material for some source). His decision could be considered unusual since he was several years beyond the usual age for such rambling journeys. However, he makes his decision with much gusto and desire to explore the offbeat neighborhoods with their storied, often risqué activities, ‘different’ foods and their often ‘different’ venders. Almost all activities conducted with newly acquired young and completely involved ‘friends’ he meets on the travels

This introductory material concludes that with “Ample humor and humility”, he shows “that traveling Europe at ground level reveals the Continent’s greatest treasures.”

The trip explores Copenhagen including its lesser known ‘naughty areas’ as well as the better known ones existing in Hamburg. Amsterdam includes dealing with a large number of feral cats; Brussels perhaps slightly more emphasis on the architecture and Paris somewhat similarly with interesting comparison of the Notre-Dame Cathedral with some of the newly designed ‘masterpiece’ architectural structures, as well as Barbes Market in Paris – an enclave of 1^st and 2^nd generation Africans speaking rapid-fire French mixed with African patois and the Museum of Immigration in Paris which depicted the end of Colonialism in its strange history of development. Other notable features were Bayeux as a food-lovers delight, Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Basque country where the native language is Euskara –a language with no real relationship to French, Latin, Spanish or other. There are a few hundred thousand Basques in France but most are in Portugal and the adjoining region of Spain. (An author’s brief discussion discloses the existence of even a couple of thousand in Colorado, USA. Pamplona included an interesting discussion of the difference in gauge between the rails in Spain and the rest of Europe (9 inches wider) and their gradual change as well as many other features of interest besides the San Fermin Festival and ‘Running of the Bulls’. Zaragoza elicited a comment expressing the fact that the city was far more beautiful to visit at night at night– most beautiful to visit at night and that the small town’s Canfranc with unusual rail station offered “A key crossing point and center for spies and espionage” during WWII earning “a new nickname Casablanca in the Pyrenees.” Description of Barcelona, an Epilogue and notes about the author terminate the book.

Discussion: A well- and often charmingly-described presentation of many little known facts and features of some of Europe’s cities, towns, and countryside. Highly recommended.

5* Highly recommended

April 9, 2022

Big Stone Gap & Beyond

Big Stone Gap & Beyond: A Novel assumed published, copyright and written by John M. Vermillion.

The narration is provided by someone who has lived a millennium and fortunately the book’s opening contains a list and short explanation of the individual’s interrelationship to the large number of characters included in the story. Basically it is about the coal industry and those involved, largely from the minors’ level. It is split into three tales, the last following the life of Felix Forthright Fox a person of far advanced intellect who is bored with traditional school work, does not do well and is resentful with having to complete tasks he does not like. His forte is facing a problem, recognizing the core and developing an answer that will work. As an adult he progresses rapidly into a power within the coal industry, and as he grows older and matures, moves into other areas of endeavor compatible with this growth and change.

Discussion: This is the first of this author’s books this reviewer has read. He appears to be very well received, is a West Point Graduate with appropriate service and additionally has obtained three Master’s degrees. His characters are interesting, generate empathy, and the story’s pace is good. One particularly interesting feature is his ability to blend the story teller’s thoughts/beliefs into the thought patterns he provides through the characters. Thus, a most interesting and enjoyable read that supplies more usually unknown facts about a subject of particular importance at this particular time in history.

5* Interesting & enjoyable; particularly important at this time in history.

March 31, 2022

Mosquito Junction

MOSQUITO JUNCTION Memories ISBN: 9781648039911 Westwood Books Publishing, LLC. Copyright and written by Robert S. Saito.

This is a memoir of a Japanese man from California who spent time as one of the members of an internee family during that fiasco in the US during WWII. From this beginning, it proceeds through a rambling life spent largely as an enlisted sailor after some schooling including attendance at a California junior college with assignments for the rest of his enlisted life mostly as a lifer second class petty officer and rising eventually to an E-6 grade enlisted man. Included are many changes in area of service (including many of which this reviewer did not even know existed, although spending tours of duty during WWII [4/44 – 3/46] and the Korean War [7/50 – 2/55]). His duty stations were somewhat removed from the ‘ordinary’ including a start in Mosquito Harbor and time in part of the Aleutian Island chain that is the last such U.S, Naval Base before the Russia owned territory. His duty assignments also included Viet Nam – First. Sea Bee Base Camp Faulkner which was past China Beach and check point Charlie along the Bon Son River. Second starting at Camp Campbell in Hue Phu Bai near the city of Hue. Beyond recounting some of the less often reported details of these duty stations and activities, he sets forth extensive and frequently unusual detailed description of much of the rest of the world he travelled during intermittent leave and retirement travels experienced with Naida, his Mexican-American wife of fifty years. Now at 84 years he sums up the story in the simple and straightforward words: “This is my memoir of the many people I have met and places I have been: “The people are ordinary hard working devoted to duty military men and women from all walks of life from many countries I have visited.”

Discussion: This perhaps, is one of the most fascinating memoirs this reviewer has read. It is written in simple unadorned English in a rambling style frequently missing connecting words in a sentence but most enjoyably understood. It also provides an introduction to unusual explanations of types of previously unthought-of (by most non-Asians) fish preparations, and provides extensive descriptions of places seldom so thoroughly covered by other individuals in describing places and/or activities of interest. This is a book that is highly recommended.

5* Rambling, unusual memoir simply written by 84 year old retired sailor. Highly recommended

March 19, 2022March 19, 2022

All We Have to Believe In

All We Have to Believe in ISBN: 9781957013039 Hybrid Global Publishing published copyright and written by Jeffrey J. Lousteau.

The story opens in May 1919 in San Francisco with a parade followed by celebration in the rose garden of the Parthenon for the soldiers just returned from Europe with termination of WWI and selected family members. The book describes the WW1 horrors, the men who participated and the many levels of suffering they encountered, the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, the ‘mockery’ of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, the Great Depression, the government’s attempt at legislating the curtailment of personal consumption of alcohol termed Prohibition, the racial hatred, and more. All has been encapsulated in a family and their acquaintances in a time when wide spread unrest existed. The protagonist is Edward Dooley, a young Irish immigrant who enlists in the army directly from high school, and participates in heavy combat, returns suffering from a degree of what today finally has been determined PTSD, maries a loving and understanding woman with whom he has three children. But, to include a more complete overview of the era, he has been placed in the position of the son of immigrant parents upon whom his family becomes heavily dependent.

Discussion: The author has set forth a history of the 1900’s by employing a main character fully representing the average American man who was involved totally in the activities of the chaotic century making the errors made by most members of the generations struggling through with tenacity of purpose to survive. Generally speaking, it is a depressing story that in attempting to ‘cover-all-bases’, often becomes entrapped in unnecessary details. However, if the reader can accept these oversites, he/she will discover a quite extensive knowledge of the era told plainly and setting forth the main protagonist as an individual of strong character indoctrinated with the strong morality and work ethic existent within the generation as well as the other firmly established beliefs that appear to have been included in the members of those generations so as often being referred to as The Great Generation.

* 5* history of an era; -2 lengthy discussions; depressing but recommended.

March 9, 2022

Who’s Killing All My Old Girlfriends

Who’s Killing All My Old Girlfriends ISBN: 9798402869110 published, copyright and written by Jon Spoelstra.

Sub-titled Old Guys Murder Mystery #1, the author has set forth a most unusual story of an elderly gentleman who encounters a serious set of problems by deciding to ‘look up’ former loves of his life. Charlie North, a former news reporter for a Chicago newspaper, now in his early seventies, widower of a happy 41 year marriage and a highly successful Blog writer, had been thinking about fate as the cause of one’s selection of marriage partner, and decided to find three of his ‘almost’ partner selection. Regrettably, each of the three are murdered with his visitation marking him immediately as a ‘person of interest’ by the police in each of the cities.

Discussion: First impression is an interesting plot presented in a charmingly laid-back manner that at once is amusing, yet irritatingly rambling, redundant and repetitive with jokes included that are plentiful but mostly old, many references and examples of aging presented which are painfully correct but will be read and remembered. This reader for one, could not stop reading. The book does not even end per se. At its conclusion the next book in sequence is begun and, even if you don’t want to, the reader discovers that he seems to have acquired an addiction to want to see where the next venture is heading. A fascinating experience.

5* Unusual, charmingly dichotomous admixture of seemingly almost addictive proportions.

March 4, 2022March 9, 2022

The Rise of the American Navy

The Rise of the American Navy: Published, copyright, and written by John Williams Ptolemy.

This author has contributed numerous books and articles to help the person with similar interests gain knowledge of this fascinating subject. Subtitled Maritime Battles through the First 100 Years, he again has added a sizeable number of not particularly well-known activities by several individuals and has provided a large number of footnotes from whence his supportive data have come.

Discussion: Simply stated, the author has proceeded to write another volume to add individual, lesser known facts about this section of the country’s history. The book contains a certain amount of redundancy and repetition that, if removed by thoughtful editing, would greatly enhance one’s pleasure in reading.

4* 5* addition of interesting material; -1 as explained.

February 22, 2022

Cameleon: The Poacher’s Enemy

Chameleon: The Poacher’s Enemy: ISBN: 9781801284127, published, copyright and written by Brandon Kimbrough.

The author has written this story to heighten awareness of the high level of illegal poaching imposed upon the beautiful animals of the world and inspire people to aid in saving them from their rapidly approaching extinction. Reviewing this completed apparently first volume in an anticipated series will require a somewhat difficult procedure to do justice to his goal as well as his manner of presentation.

Plot: To accomplish his goal, he has chosen a young, seemingly oversensitive boy raised in a loving and supportive extended family including a Veterinarian father, doting mother, grandparents and siblings and subjecting him to a heart-rending experience at a very young age. Ben’s first discovery that all ‘bad’ activities cannot be overcome and conquered by ‘good’, and certainly not by immediate direct action when he was reprimanded for fighting with another grade school child “because he had hurt a friend, the groundskeeper’s dog”. His loving and understanding father attempted to enlighten the child with perhaps a modicum of success and life went on in a somewhat curtailed manner. Somewhat later, the father arranged to take Ben and the family on an African Safari where they were able to witness these magnificent animals living in all their glory. The trip was progressing beautifully until they were observing a male Lion sitting regally surrounded by his pride on the open plain when the animal was struck in the head by a high power rifle round from a distant stand of trees that literally destroyed the magnificent animal’s head. The young boy experienced a traumatic psychological shock of almost inexplicable magnitude hat required extensive treatment. Ultimately he recovered and became a highly understanding and successful Veterinarian, but with a burning hatred for all poachers and especially a gradually developing desire to destroy the particular killer he had witnessed. His post-kill life provides the basic plot of this book- his desire to wreak havoc on all poachers and especially the one who had killed the lion.

Discussion: The author has made an exceedingly good effort to present a case against poachers for the totally uninformed reader and has employed several characters with nicely explained flaws to aid in this endeavor. There are Dylan, a lifelong childhood friend who has provided Ben with much of the social familiarity he exhibits; Jill, his well-positioned, beautifully adept at many functions office manager, Dana Harper, the well-trained investigative journalist with additional talents and Stan with his group of somewhat unusual animal activists. The overall attempt has been a well-worthwhile endeavor that hopefully will increase interest in this important subject. Most regrettably however, from the perspective of what this reviewer hopefully would believe to be the more generally knowledgeable individual, the level of approach would appear to be positioned toward the less knowledgeable and/or young adult. Too many occurrences depend upon chance and facts per se are totally distorted or missing. The description of ‘poaching’ largely, is distorted, jungles really are not that close in appearance as the ‘woods or forests’ he appears to indicate, transport to the United States of animals to be ‘poached’ is not a usual operation, and most ‘poaching’ per se, is done by a different breed of individuals, although financed, no doubt by wealthy individuals. The ‘fight scene’ descriptions are obviously put together by individuals unacquainted with such activity. And as a pertinent aside, Krav Maga, a prominent attack/defense developed I believe in the 1940’s and reportedly used effectively by the Israeli is not a sport that is ‘picked up in one’s spare time’. As with all martial arts, time and constant practice are required to acquire and maintain any level of competence. Also, the shot destroying the lion’s head that Ben witnessed as a child, probably was a ‘miss’. A prize of the type described would not be one to destroy, rather a trophy to be retained. Thus a killing shot but non-destructive of tissue would have been more likely.

In Summary: Chameleon is a book that provides many interesting features, especially of the effects life’s vicissitudes will force upon one’s psyche, and ‘en toto’, an interesting indoctrination for the uninformed on animal ‘poaching’. As such, it is a well-worthwhile read. It is hoped that the author will acquire more familiarity with some of the other subject matter he discusses.

5* important message for the uninformed; – 2* or more for oyhers.

February 18, 2022

Fifty States

50 STATES A collection of Short Stories, published by Copyright, Ink, and copyright and written by Richard R. Becker.

The author has set forth a series of fifty short stories, each taking place in a different state of the United States on a different date. Each is unique, many on the dark side and all of different length and level of ability to generate carrying a projected interest in advancing thoughts beyond the material presented.

Discussion: The author has provided a highly ‘thought producing’ series of independent stories. They are well-written by a man who understands how to generate an interesting plot that a reader can ponder and dwell upon, and as such, are most thoroughly enjoyable for the many reasons short story readers follow their work. A number of the stories would make longer, complete stories most interesting as well and, according to statements by the author, are exactly the future he has in mind for many of these individual ‘samples’. Thus, it would appear to be well worthwhile for the interested reader to look for these proposed releases.

5* with an additional eye to the future.

February 11, 2022February 12, 2022

The Authors Institute Method

The Author Institute Method The quick and Easy Way to Become an Author by Jason Schenker Founder of the Author Institute ISBN: 9781946197 87 (Paperback) 795 (Hardcover) 757 (EBook)

The book opens with a Preface, presenting the fact that the author established The Author Institute Method “to teach you how to quickly and easily write a book and become an author”; because “Everyone wants to have written a book, but no one actually writes a book”. “Becoming an author sounds awesome. But it also sounds hard.” He claims it is not that difficult and is why he created the Author Institute Method because he now has decided to share his secrets in this book so others also can “reap the rewards” quickly. An Introduction in more detail explains why he wrote this book and chapters ensue explaining how it will help “you write your own non-fiction book in under 30 days” and build your leadership and visibility as a professional speaker and consultant. To accomplish his goal, he has reduced the presentation into an Overview, The Format, The Value and Looking Ahead and briefly describes his approach in each. He emphasizes establishing a team for proceeding it the selection of a title, cover, format, production and ultimate production as well as eventual marketing and distribution. The team also can be most helpful in aiding determination of your target audience. He also explains the advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing, and how a book can make the best Business Card. But again he emphasizes first you must identify the audience you wish to reach, establish reasonable goals and establish your team to aid the writing and selection of an attractive cover, title and format and ultimate production, and eventually for marketing and distribution. He also explains that a lot of people don’t read more than the first part of what is written, so you have to get that material into the very first to be read and points out why cover and title also are so important. Also an admonishment that people seldom read a book in one sitting so summaries of what has been presented, often are necessary. Also touched upon are Audiobooks and a reminder that you don’t make most of your money from book sales, but from the recognition your name generates through lectures, consultation, etc. You know more than anyone else about your subject – act like it.

He summarizes with attention directly to “The Author Institute training program” which “has 7 online courses in the program as well as “The Vault” which includes templates, checklists, and other documents I have personally used to write dozens of books.” Other help beyond that can be obtained online. The book concludes with End Notes and About the Author.

Discussion: The author is an accepted authority in the field of finance and as the author of several successful books on the subject, is eminently qualified to present a book of this nature. As such an individual, he has indeed assembled a rather complete overview of the requirements – all of the minutia as well as the highs and lows of the subject. The only caveats this reviewer* would suggest is a cautionary note really with respect to publishing a successful book of the type he is describing in the time he sets forth. Such a feat is possible, and especially for the purposes he indicates. However, it would seem that a ‘newbie’ might require a little more time than 30 days to move through the steps Jason lists. I always told my students that writing books is a ‘crap-shoot’ and becoming a successful author, no matter what your goal, better include a tremendous amount of desire to reach that pinnacle, or you would need to settle for accomplishing only ‘writing a book’. *(author of several textbooks, an anthology in four languages, a memoir and several award-winning novels, as well as time spent providing a university level course in writing and marketing.)

5* Recommended; but important caveat included.