Off the Grid by PJ Tracy

Off the Grid by P.J. Tracy, 305 pages

Three months after she literally sailed off into the sunset with former FBI agent John Smith, Grace McBride has carved a new kind of life for herself, one that doesn't involve knee high riding boots. Grace's serene new existence shatters when two men board their boat with guns. Grace is forced to flee back to the States, where Monkeewrench and the Minneapolis PD are trying to figure out why terrorists around the world have called a jihad on John Smith. 

Off the Grid is the sixth novel in the Monkeewrench series.  Having read the books (mostly) as they came out, with years in between, rereading the Monkeewrench novels in such close proximity has drawn attention to PJ. Tracy's fascination with the morally gray. The idea of good people doing terrible things for the "right" reasons adds different facets to the story. Unfortunately, despite the interest that fascination brought to the narrative, this is probably the weakest book in the series. It lumbered and labored but never really got anywhere.

Marauder by Clive Cussler

 

                                                             
                                                           Marauder by Clive Cussler-370 pages

It is up to Juan Cabrillo and the crew of his ship, the Oregon, to stop a terrorist plot to release a deadly chemical weapon across the globe.

While interrupting an attack on a Kuwaiti oil tanker, Juan Cabrillo and his team discover something even more dangerous: a ruthless billionaire's dying wish has allowed a paralyzing chemical to end up in the hands of a terrorist group. When an Oregon crew member falls victim to the poison, Juan Cabrillo will stop at nothing to find an antidote before it is too late. He and his team must connect an ancient mystery with a cunning modern enemy in order to save millions of innocent lives, including their own. 

This is the fifteenth installment in the Oregon Files series.  I have always enjoyed reading Clive Cussler and his many series.  It will be interesting to see the direction they will be taking now that he is gone.

What We Saw: The Events of September 11,2001 in Words, Pictures, & Video by CBS News

What We Saw: The Events of September 11, 2001 in Words, Pictures, & Video by CBS News, 143 pages

This was another incredible book on the attacks on 9/11.  This book contains many black and white photos, along with eyewitness accounts of that day.  The book also contains a timeline of the day and a DVD with host Dan Rather.  The DVD was incredibly edited to include both before and after the events at the World Trade Center.

One Nation: America Remembers September 11, 2001 by Life Books

One Nation: America Remembers September 11, 2001 by Life Books, 190 pages

I know it seems random to pick up a book on 9/11, but after visiting the Memorial in New York, I couldn't help but be so moved to remember the lives lost that day in the horrific terrorist attacks.  This book contains some very moving pictures that eerily bring you back to that day when America changed forever.  This book copyrighted in 2001 has stories of victims and survivors.  It also contains the paths of the crashed airplanes that day.  This was a very moving book!

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas - 280 pages

Gabriel, Lord St. Vincent, has managed to avoid marriage for years.  But then he is found assisting Pandora Ravenel in a compromising position and now they are forced to marry.  The problem is that Pandora has no desire to wed.  She wants to stay independent and manage her blossoming career as a board game designer.

I really enjoyed this book.  While it is the third book in the Ravenels series, it could also be considered a sequel to the third Wallflowers series book -- Devil in Winter.  It was interesting to revisit the old characters as you met new and interesting characters.  The only thing that bothered me is that I have to wait until next spring to read the next book in the series.

The Red Bandanna: A Life, a Choice, a Legacy by Tom Rinaldi

The Red Bandanna: A Life, a Choice, a Legacy by Tom Rinaldi-216 pages

I wanted to read this last September, since it is a true story about a young man who saved others at the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001, but I didn't get around to it until now. It is a touching, heartbreaking story about a 24-year-old named Welles Crowther who worked for a firm that had its office on the 104th floor of 2 World Trade Center, He was also a volunteer firefighter as was his father. Welles' aspiration was to become a firefighter with the FDNY and was posthumously awarded an honorary member a few years after his death saving others on 9/11. The reason the book is called "The Red Bandanna" is that Welles always carried a red bandanna from 8 years old until his death at 24 and two women identified him as the one who saved them (and others) by the red bandanna (and his face). President Obama invited Welles' parents, Jeff and Alison, and one of the two women (Ling Young) who definitively identified Welles to the dedication of the 9/11 Museum and invited Alison to give a brief speech, which she did. President Obama spoke of Welles' story at this dedication ceremony before Alison's brief remarks. It would be gratifying and comforting, yet heartbreaking to lose a family member in this way, especially a child who had yet to marry or really begin adult life. Welles and a few FDNY members perished a mere seventy-three feet or so from safety, but saved many lives. Overall, this met my expectations and more and I was really touched by Welles' heroism. I know he wasn't a "superhero" but he was absolutely a hero and a role model.

Afterschool Charisma, v. 7 by Kumiko Suekane

Afterschool Charisma, v. 7 by Kumiko Suekane - 208 pages

Shiro graduates from St. Klieo's Academy and joins Clone DaVinci in preparation of leading the clones.
I thought the departure of Shiro from St. Kleio's was sudden but it did advance the story line in a way that made sense.