AVAILABLE BOOKS
Silence: A Novel
Patricia Baum Salgado
Audio Summary
Burned Over!
A. J. Otjen
Audio Summary
Available formats: Audiobook, eBook, Paperback
Hadron's Run
Billionaire inventor Michel Bouchon shocked the world with the Everwake pill, a revolutionary supplement that eliminated the need for sleep.
Now facing a terminal illness, he resurfaces with another impossible claim: a cure for all diseases, the Ouroboros.
But access to this miracle cure is controlled through a global lottery, with only ten winners, "The Chosen," granted a chance at immortality.
As the world erupts in a frenzy of lottery fever, cynical detective Charlie Weaver remains skeptical. Haunted by personal tragedy and battling his own debilitating illness, he dismisses the Ouroboros as another one of Bouchon's grandiose schemes. But fate intervenes, making Charlie an unlikely participant in a high-stakes game where life, death, and unimaginable wealth collide.
Meanwhile, a shadowy cabal driven by greed and envy plots to steal the secrets of the Ouroboros. Leading the charge is the ruthless Yan Huen, the world's second-wealthiest man, who enlists the services of Devlin Archer, a cunning and amoral spy, to infiltrate Bouchon's inner circle.
As the lottery unfolds, a diverse cast of winners emerges, each with their own motivations and secrets: a desperate mother fighting to save her ailing father, a ruthless warlord seeking to secure his legacy, and a social media mogul determined to cheat death. But their dreams of a disease-free future are threatened as a series of suspicious events plague The Chosen, exposing them to unimaginable danger and revealing the true cost of immortality.
Hidden away in a secret location, the winners finally come face-to-face with the enigmatic Michel Bouchon, who unveils the astounding truth behind the Ouroboros - a revolutionary technology capable of manipulating time itself. But this knowledge comes at a steep price. To protect the cure from falling into the wrong hands, The Chosen must sever all ties with their former lives, embarking on a one-way journey to a future forever beyond their reach.
Genres
- Sci Fi
- Time Travel
Approx. 79,000 Words (286 pages)
Reading Time = Approx. 5-7 hours
Audiobook = 7 hrs, 21 mins.
Library ThingBig Money: Who is in Control?
Synopsis
In a world where wealth and power have become increasingly concentrated, a small group of elite financial cabals pull the strings behind the scenes, pursuing their own self-serving agendas at the expense of the greater public good. When the Sentinel Institute, a maverick think tank, begins unraveling the complex web of corruption underlying major global events, they quickly find themselves in the crosshairs of these shadowy vested interests.
Led by the brilliant but kidnapped Sarah Schillerman, the New Sentinels must go underground and embark on a perilous quest to expose the alarming reach of the wealthy cartels. From derailing crucial infrastructure projects to manufacturing international crises, no tactic is off-limits for the cabals seeking to tighten their grip on power and influence. With hired mercenaries and corporate assassins closing in, the Sentinels take their fight public through a daring nationwide tour.
As they gather explosive evidence of money laundering, political manipulation, and downright treason, the stakes continue rising dramatically. Even the fate of the nation's leadership falls into the New Sentinels' lap during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Can this ragtag group of truth-seekers stand up to the Goliath force of organized capitalism? Or will the sinister machinations of the wealthy elite prevail, burying the truth and ensuring their stranglehold over the world's populace? The battle lines are drawn for an epic showdown over the control of money and power itself.
Leatherneck: Molding Recruit Maggots into U.S. Marines in the 1950s
Synopsis
The U.S. Marine Corps is very proud of its history, tradition, and heritage.
Every Marine is taught to be proud from the beginning of boot camp and this pride continues until they reach the gates of heaven. In Marine Corps recruit training, recruits are transformed into the world's most elite fighting force through 13 weeks of rigorous training. Recruits will acquire the knowledge, discipline, teamwork, and fitness level required of a Marine through physical training, classroom instruction, and combat skills.
The author recounts how, in the 1950s, judges would give gang members a choice: join the Marines or go to jail. The impact of boot camp on the few gang members in our platoon demonstrated that those judges understood the transformative power of military discipline. In fact, the Marine Drill Instructors likely did more to turn gang members into productive citizens than a roomful of social workers ever could.
Of all the military services, Marines hold a special place in the public conscience. This is reflected in the fact that when our nation is faced with a challenge or threat, the public response usually is “Send in the Marines,” or when they are sent in, the usual response is, “The Marines have landed, and the situation is well in hand.” In commenting on the Marines, President Reagan said, “Some people wonder all their lives if they have made a difference in the world. Marines don’t have that problem.” May it always remain so.
In the addendum of this book, the author presents an extensive analysis of the all-volunteer Military Force, its beginning, its performance, its major problems, and its overall serious negative effects on the nation’s society, culture, core values, and its questionable capability to deter and/or destroy our potential enemies today. Semper Fi.
About the Author
Darrell Ahrens is a former US Marine, Air Force fighter pilot and operations staff officer, high school teacher, and pastor. He holds degrees from Chapman University, Boston University, and Fuller Theological Seminary. His previously published titles include The Abundant Life: Practical Theology for Abundant Living, Ungodly, Unamerican, and Unhinged: The New Radicalized Democratic Party, Turn and Burn: A Fighter Pilot’s Memories and Confessions, and Divine Love / Divine Intolerance.
The Old Secret at Hotel Oregon
Debbie Noble Black
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Teen, Tween
Target Age: Middle-Grade (Ages 10 & up)
Page Count: 219 (45,000 words)
In this stand-alone second book in the Sara and the Ghost Clothes middle-grade historical fantasy series, ten-year-old Sara has been trying to stay under the radar at her new school in order to fit in.
Then, her name is pulled out of the hat to represent her class in a winner-take-all, high-stakes competition for a trip to Disneyland for the entire class. A family member must compete with her. She reluctantly has to ask her older brother Daniel who seems to despise her.
She has no choice but to agree to his terms. However, there are no guarantees he’ll even show up, or that he’ll resist using the competition to mortify her by revealing her secret belief in magic.
She’s not yet ready to make public that she’s discovered a talking Civil War coat named Silas who has become her friend and mentor. Silas has powerful magic buttons that can conjure up the ghosts of clothes eager to tell Sara the true stories of the real historical people who wore them. Sara is entranced. She loves history—and hopes maybe someday her own magic buttons will have enough power to talk with more historical ghost clothes. But for now, their magic is still weak and unreliable.
Daniel thinks all this magic stuff is ridiculous and he constantly ridicules her. The danger is that he will revel in exposing her secret just to get the laughs.
Two weeks before the competition, while on a family trip to the historic Hotel Oregon, Sara’s uneasy relationship with Daniel is challenged when she discovers twelve ghost children trapped between our world and the other side by a witch’s curse and a solar eclipse. The only way to save them is to find a missing 100-year-old painting which is the ghost children’s escape portal. She must test her own magic and sleuthing skills, and she only has until the end of the eclipse, or the ghost kids will be trapped in oblivion forever. But she can’t do it alone. She needs the help of the other ghost clothes she’s met and, unfortunately, she also needs her brother’s help.
Daniel surprises her with his willingness to help her fabricate a replacement painting, just in time to open the portal. Will his cooperation continue for the competition in two weeks?
First, he’s late for the competition and they’re nearly disqualified. Then, it’s his answer to the final question that will determine whether they win at her expense and humiliation or lose because he has protected her.
Family loyalty triumphs. Even though Daniel throws the contest and they lose, Sara feels like she’s just won something.
Then Silas stuns Daniel by speaking to him and expressing gratitude for his kindness toward Sara—revealing that he, Silas, is indeed a magical, talking coat and that magic is real.
Brothers will always be brothers—but Sara knows she’ll forever be able to count on hers. Especially now that he, too, believes.