MWSA Member

Title: Barbados Bound
Author: Linda Collison
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewer: Betsy Beard.

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1611792290

Portsmouth, England,1760. Patricia Kelley, the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy Barbadian sugarcane planter, falls from her imagined place in the world when her absent father unexpectedly dies. Raised in a Wiltshire boarding school sixteen-year-old Patricia embarks on a desperate crossing on a merchantman bound for Barbados, where she was born, in a brash attempt to claim an unlikely inheritance. Aboard a merchantman under contract with the British Navy to deliver gunpowder to the West Indian forts, young Patricia finds herself pulled between two worlds -- and two identities -- as she charts her own course for survival in the war-torn 18th century.

Title: The Trail Cook Chronicles
Author: David Michaelson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewer: Lee Boyland

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0984842284

Trail Cook Chronicles begins where Trail Cook left off; at Fort Union, New Mexico, the last outpost of soldiers assigned to protect settlers and travelers from attack by hostile Apache and Comanche Indians on the Santa Fe Trail. Able Piddington has become a legend in his own time. His skill with a cookpot and his pugilistic abilities have made him a famous man throughout the region at the tender age of twenty-five. With his faithful companion Kristen and a scruffy tag along snake-hunting dog named Gopher, the three of them honor Able's promise to escort a friendly band of Apache to the Mescalero Apache Reservation before the snows of winter in 1875. The half wolf, half dog, amazes the Apache warriors with his ability to sniff out rattlesnakes and kill them for his supper. Once free of their commitment to the apache, Kristen, Able, and Gopher set out through uncharted territory to seek out further adventure where they can find it. Towns with reputations like Tombstones, Mesila, Tucson, and Yuma provide all the excitement either of them might want. How they make their way and where their journey takes them are The Trail Cook Chronicles.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: The Renegades
Author: Tom Young
Genre: Mystery
Reviewer: Joyce M. Gilmour

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0399158464

A catastrophic earthquake ravages Afghanistan, and American troops rush to deliver aid. In his new role as an adviser to the Afghan Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Parson faces one of the biggest challenges of his career, aided by his interpreter, Sergeant Major Sophia Gold. The devastation facing them is like nothing they've ever seen--and it's about to get worse. A Taliban splinter group, Black Crescent, is conducting its own campaign--shooting medical workers, downing helicopters, slaughtering anyone who dares to accept aid. With the U.S. drawing down and coalition forces spread thin, it's up to Parson, Gold, and Parson's Afghan aircrews to strike back. But they're short of supplies, men, experience, and information--and the terrorists seem to be nowhere...and everywhere.

Title: Soft Cap Chronicles
Author: J.E. Buck Ballow
Genre: History
Reviewer: Lee Boyland

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0741468018

The oral history of a unique unit in the Korean War, where they were known by many names but the enemy simply referred to them as the dreaded Soft Caps.

Title: Miss You To Pieces
Author: Donna M. Purkey
Genre: Childrens
Reviewer: Jim Greenwald

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 1470158035

Riley’s dad is in the Navy and deploys for 6 months. To help Riley count the days, his mom introduces a unique puzzle project in which he also finds comfort, strength, and encouragement. Children experiencing a temporary separation from a loved one will identify with Riley’s story and will learn that while we are challenged, we also grow and become stronger. We build ourselves as Riley builds his puzzle, and we stay connected to our loved ones as Riley’s family, and his puzzle pieces, stay connected. The puzzle project can be easily adapted for any family experiencing a temporary separation. The book includes tips for creating your own puzzle project!