The 15:17 to Paris by Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Jeffrey E. Stern

The 15:17 to Paris by Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Jeffrey E. Stern
256 pages

"On August 21, 2015, Ayoub El-Khazzani boarded train #9364 in Brussels, bound for Paris. There could be no doubt about his mission: he had an AK-47, a pistol, a box cutter, and enough ammunition to obliterate every passenger on board. Slipping into the bathroom in secret, he armed his weapons. Another major ISIS attack was about to begin.

"Khazzani wasn't expecting Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, and Spencer Stone. Stone was a martial arts enthusiast and airman first class in the US Air Force, Skarlatos was a member of the Oregon National Guard, and all three were fearless. But their decision--to charge the gunman, then overpower him even as he turned first his gun, then his knife, on Stone--depended on a lifetime of loyalty, support, and faith."   --from the publisher

Great story, but the writing doesn't do it justice.  It would have been improved by a straight chronological telling.  The writers weren't skilled enough to make it flow with all the flashbacks and background mixed into the story.

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin -- 337 pages



Most people know that Benedict Arnold was America's first, most notorious traitor, but if he had died at the Battle of Saratoga from his near-fatal injuries, he would have gone down in history as one of our greatest war heroes, reckless, adventurous, and tremendously brave.

What happened that turned Arnold from General Washington's trusted ally into his betrayer?

When I first started this, I didn't realize it was YA Nonfiction. Even so, I felt it detailed and informative. I greatly enjoyed listening to the audiobook.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth  525 pages

One choice can transform you - or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves - and herself - while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable - and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.