Jason Delgado has penned an excellent book about his experiences growing up in the Bronx, becoming Marine, a sniper, his experiences in Iraq as a sniper, and about becoming an sniper instructor afterwards. While he leaves no doubt about his alpha male status, he does not shy away from describing many personal experiences, even the ones where he feels he has failed.
Where the book really shines is in his telling of his tours in Iraq. From his gung-ho, supremely driven first days there, to his awakening to the horrors of the war and his part in it. The battle scenes were extremely vivid, fast moving, and made you almost feel you were there. And afterwards, you could really feel his pain.
While sometimes I felt uneasy with his macho take on the world, and how the Marine Corp really promotes this sense of invincibility, I am aware that it is a world I will never understand, and cannot fault it for it's success in creating "supermen" like Delgado. Other times, I really felt bad for him, when he had to face up to the fact that the rest of the world (his relationships, for one) did not subscribe to the same outlook.
All in all, an excellent book. I just cannot get over the horrors he faced in Iraq, in battles that we here at home never were even told about. And I thank him for his service.

Giant Squid written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Eric Rohmann is a nonfiction book about (no surprise here) giant squid. This is categorized as a children's picture book but after reading it myself I would say that this would be more appropriate as a middle grade (or advance reader) picture book. It might be good for those curious children in your life who you read aloud to but I don't recommend reading this before bedtime. Note: If you have a phobia of the ocean or deep waters then this will only serve to scare you further. (I'm putting all of these warnings upfront because I went into this one completely blind.) The only thing I knew going into this book was that the artwork on the cover looked intriguing and it looked to be an interesting read. It turns out that pretty much everyone is ignorant about giant squid because they're so elusive. The book is packed with the facts that scientists do know as well as eerily beautiful illustrations of different aspects of squid anatomy. At the back of the book is a detailed drawing of the squid with the different parts labeled as well as additional notes and suggested reading. As I said, this would be really great for children (or adults) who are interested in marine life and want to learn more about a fascinating and mysterious creature. Personally, I think it was written a tad too dramatically which made the imagery and the facts scarier than they would ordinarily seem. If I judged this based on educational merit and artwork alone I'd give it a 10/10 but all combined it's a 7/10 for me.

 

The Shark Whisperer is the first book in the Tristan Hunt and the Sea Guardians series by marine scientist and author Dr. Ellen Prager. Although a work of fiction, the story contains elements of the author’s scientific knowledge and job experience as well as descriptions of fascinating places where she has worked or visited.

 

The story begins with Tristan and his family’s visit to the Sarasota Aquarium in Florida.” As he leans over the shark pool's railing trying to get a better look, he falls into the water. At first Tristan is in shock and afraid of becoming the sharks' next meal, but he soon notices the animals are not trying to attack or hurt him, and are instead playing with him. Tristan feels so at ease that he even swims with the sharks before being abruptly pulled out of the pool. After this experience, Tristan becomes obsessed with sharks.

 

Two weeks later Tristan and other gifted teens attend the Summer Sea Camp at the Florida Keys Sea Park, where teenagers learn about sea life, and learn how to handle sea creatures. Additionally, campers sharpen their newly discovered aquatic skills in among other things, camouflage, underwater night vision, ability to swim in tight spaces, echolocation, and communication with sharks, dolphins, birds, and other sea creatures.

 

A few weeks into the camp session, the administrators receive numerous complaints about fishing practices that threaten the local shark population. A group of older and experienced teens are sent to investigate but they are captured by the perpetrators. Tristan, his friends, the camp administrators, and the sea creatures join forces in a daring life-threatening rescue operation that will change their lives forever. An important scene from the rescue mission is depicted on the book’s cover.

 

The author will take Tristan, his friends, and the reader into an exhilarating, dramatic, and captivating underwater adventure as engaging as a Jules Verne classic but with a sprinkling of the Dr. Dolittle, Harry Potter, X-Men, and Percy Jackson stories.

 

The Shark Whisperer is more than just a great story. It teaches teens about teamwork, discipline, leadership, self esteem, motivation, and the consequences of one's actions, not to mention the importance of protecting our environment. For that reason, I highly recommend this book, not just to its target audience of teens, but also to young adults, families, and youth educators.

I found 'Big Miracle' a fascinating story about how one non-event turned into the event of the Century. 3 whales trapped under the ice in Alaska create a snowball effect on the world, capturing the help and attention of media, Green Peace, Oil companies, the National Guard, the President of the USA, Inuits, the Soviets and more.... 3 Wales trapped under the ice is just the beginning of the story. I give 'Big Miracle' 4 and a half stars.

HUNTED is book 5 in the House of Night series. It is important that you read the others before this one. These novels do not stand alone.

The book order is:

MARKED
BETRAYED
CHOSEN
UNTAMED
HUNTED


HUNTED picks up exactly where UNTAMED leaves off. Zoey and the gang are regrouping in the tunnels that the red fledglings have been calling home after escaping from the House of Night. An ice storm has crippled the city, making any further retreat impossible. Stevie Rae is badly injured and while Zoey, Aphrodite, and Darius try to save her, Damien, Erik, Jack, and the twins try to secure the tunnels.

Zoey’s main concern is stopping Neferet and Kalona from gaining anymore power. They already have the House of Night under lock-down and are taking focus away from Nyx and if Zoey’s visions are correct, things are only going to get worse.

After a near fatal attack, Zoey has to be rushed to the House of Night for proper healing. While there, she reconnects with Stark and gets some valuabe information about the situation of the school.

HUNTED seems like a “bridge” book in the series. The plot advancements must be needed to set up the next book in the series. So, needless to say, there isn’t a lot of new information in this book. However, Zoey does fall victim to her difficult love life again. *smirk*