BookTrib's Bites: Four Diverse Reads

(NewsUSA) - Second Term by J.M. Adams

A lame duck president's desperate power grab threatens democracy in the United States— can a former intelligence operative and single mother prevent catastrophe? 

September 2012. Cora Walker, a DIA defense operative, learns of a terrorist plot in Benghazi and rushes to a secret installation to stop it. When her superiors ignore her warnings, she mounts an attempt to thwart the attack. Her team barely repels the large force of invaders.

Sixteen years later, as press secretary for the Speaker and a single mom, Cora struggles to balance her job and home life. Then, the lame duck president suspends habeas corpus and begins arresting members of Congress in a desperate attempt to retain power. An explosive finale exposes what can really happen to democracy when political extremism reaches new heights. Perfect for fans of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor. Purchase at https://bit.ly/42o7j8T.

Faded Genes by Patrick Girondi

The latest work from the unconventional author Patrick Girondi. A 47-year-old Pittsburgh insurance man and his busted night club singing friend go to Italy in hope of finding a bone marrow donor. Danny’s life was mundanely ordinary. His weekdays ended watching all-star wrestling with his mother, and his weekends were spent in bars with Patg, a broken-down crooner, and Kevin, a drunk.

Then Danny is diagnosed with a flash leukemia. There are no transplant matches and little hope. His mother confesses that to avoid deportation, his biological father had taken off for Italy before he was born. Papà has no idea that he has a son. Danny heads off for southern Italy with Patg. Patg’s Italian is worse than his voice. It all makes for a compelling situation in which cultural lines are drawn and broken.  Purchase at https://bit.ly/44jAyKz.

Rain Dodging by Susan Godwin

Scholar Susan Godwin is hooked when she comes across the captivating story of Mary of Modena—a seventeenth-century Italian princess who was only fourteen when coerced into marriage with the future king of England, James II, yet went on to cultivate a court full of women writers in an age when female authorship was rare. How did Mary achieve such a feat?

 Rain Dodging is Susan’s creative nonfiction account of the years-long search upon which this question—and her own unquenchable curiosity—launched her. Godwin travels through both space and time, solo adventuring through Britain in pursuit of truth and, in a spicy parallel arc, chronicling her own cluttered but resilient feminist path. Join Susan in this irreverent and illuminating journey—a fascinating account of the late Stuart monarchy, the progression of feminist history, and the unexpected connection between the two. Purchase at bit.ly/3POo7SU.

Moonshot by James Philip Arbuckle and Kane Carpenter

A book that breaks away from typical business books and presents a unique dual perspective on each topic, focusing on three key areas: human capital and culture, marketing for growth, and operations. As such, each chapter is broken down into two perspectives: James’s and Kane’s. The commentary has a candid and entertaining quality, peppered with pop culture references for a touch of edutainment. On other occasions, the views are more analytical and insight-driven.

The authors are two people who are completely different in almost every way, shape, and form, but when it comes to business, they think very much alike. They’ve been a powerful combination for the companies they’ve built and for the clients they’ve advised, acting more as growth hackers than traditional management consultants. Purchase at https://www.amazon.com/Moonshot-Hypersonic-Strategies-Marketing-Operations/dp/B0CKWT9LFN/