Wednesday 27 August 2014

Plague - A Medical Thriller by Victor Methos

What if something new creeped out of the jungle, or hitch hiked along with an eco-tourist, and the world had no idea what it was or how to handle it.

Dr. Samantha Bower of the CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, received such a call. She was sent to Oahu, the largest of the Hawaiian Islands, to identify and contain an outbreak of a previously unidentified pathogen.  Also on site is Duncan Adams of USAMRID, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infection Diseases.  He is used to working with the most dangerous diseases, those categorised as Level 4, and this one is worse, far worse.

While Sam and Duncan are fighting to identify this pathogen, there is another on the island who seems to have another agenda.  Agent William (Billy) Donner aka Robert, appears to be helpful, but has an entirely different history than one might expect from an FBI agent.  What else don't we know about this agent.

As the medical crisis unfolds, we also become aware of the politics of disease control.  Are the people of Hawaii being best served during this outbreak.  As the human toll mounts the risk of the disease spreading beyond the island becomes very real.

I was captivated by this story from the opening pages.  I have been a fan of plague type stories since I read my first books about the black death in Europe.  Whether they be fact or fiction, I can't get enough of this genre.

Over the past decade, there have been many news stories about outbreaks, SARS, Swine Flu and currently, Ebola.  With each ailment, the public has heard stories of victims, the old, the young, the healthy and those with chronic illnesses.  This fictional account is no different.  We read the stories of many people around the globe and are left to wonder whether their illness is related to the deadly one in Hawaii.  If I didn't remind myself that this is fiction, I could have got carried away and linked it with the current Ebola outbreak.

Website for Author Victor Methos

At the time of posting, this ebook is currently free at some online retailers.

Cover image credit to Amazon.com

Saturday 23 August 2014

Evolution by Kelly Carrero

Australian author Kelly Carrero has written a book that I had a hard time putting down.  It was written with a YA audiencei n mind and  includes a genetic twist, romance, family strife and a friend who needs to be rescued. 

Jade Sommers has miraculously survived and accident that should have killed her, yet she leaves the hospital without a scarce.  In fact, she watches the last cut heal right before her eyes.  Needless to say, she is freaked out by this.  Her boyfriend Aiden is a rock, he provides the stability that she needs at this crucial time.

Each time I thought I had a handle on what was going on, Kelly threw in a new twist and I'd be left on the edge of my seat.  As many answers as were supplied, there were new questions and mysteries about  both Jade and Aiden.

Most of the story is focused around Jade and her discovery of her new awareness.  We briefly meet the adults in hers and Aiden's lives, though I suspect that they will play a greater role in future parts of this series.  I am certainly looking forward to more books from author Kelly Carrero.

Evolution Series:
  1.  Evolution  (at time of posting, this ebook is free at some online retailers)
  2.  Tormented
  3. Deception
  4. Vengeance

Thanks to author Kelly Carrero for use of the cover image.


Thursday 14 August 2014

Tangled Thursday - Duos

I may be a bit late today in posting my Zentangle tile, though I did spend a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to approach this challenge from Diane.  She proposed that we choose two tangles that were new to us, and use them and more if wanted on the same tile.

 I choose seven new to me tangles, drew them in my sketch book and then gave it to my daughter.  I asked her to draw lines connecting the ones that I should use together.

So far, I have completed one of these and more will follow through out the weekend.


Checkered Zag & Eye-wa





Welcome to Tangled Thursday.  A few of my local and online friends have joined me in an occasional Zentangle challenge.  We'll take turns choosing a theme  and them post our drawings in about 2 weeks time.  All are welcome to join in the fun.  If you are new to Zentangles, then visit the website for a complete explanation and all sorts of online resources.  I'm also a big fan of TanglePatterns.com.
 

Update: August 15 at 8:03pm.

I finished two additional tiles with combinations chosen by daughter.

Drup and Warped Eggs

Yincut and Kitchener
 I couldn't resist Kitchener since it is a town next to where I live.
I hope that you had a change to try some new to you tangles this past week.  Mister Linky is waiting below for you to add a link to your current Zentangle related post.  

 

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Needlework Tuesday - The Long and Winding Scarf


This is the view that greeted me Monday morning when I opened my front door.  My neighbour is Race Director for the Endurrun International , a seven stage 160 km running race, and yesterday was the second stage, a 16 km time trial.  In that style of race, the runner start one minute apart, slowest runner first and the very fastest runner last.  It's a big chase.  A very dramatic race to watch the end when the runners are catching up with each other.  I have volunteered at this race series for at least the last ten years. It totally fills my week, hence very little stitching of any sort.  I spend the week cooking for both the participants and volunteers.  This year we expect to feed over 100 people each day.


I did manage to fit in a wee bit of time to work on my temperature scarves. This section represents the temperatures for May.  On the left is my scarf for the Waterloo area.  On the right is the mystery location, which I'll reveal once it has been given to the intended recipient.

I hope that you've had a bit more stitching time than me.  Leave me a comment and I'll drop by for a visit, or add a link to your recent needlework post.

Friday 8 August 2014

Free Audiobooks - SYNC Week 13

SYNC for Young Adult Listening: Free Weekly Summer Classics & NovelsAvailable from August 7 – August 13, 2014



LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS by Ben Lesser, Narrated by Jonathan Silverman and Ben Lesser (Remembrance Publishing)

THE SHAWL by Cynthia Ozick, Narrated by Yelena Shmulenson (HighBridge Audio)

These two audiobooks mark the end of the 2014 SYNC program.  Be sure to visit the SYNC homepage and leave a comment.  It is important that those who have downloaded these audiobooks, let SYNC know that you have enjoyed them.

Thanks to SYNC for use of all the images.

Friday 1 August 2014

Free Audiobooks - SYNC Week 12

SYNC for Young Adult Listening: Free Weekly Summer Classics & NovelsAvailable from July 31 – August 6, 2014




DIVIDED WE FALL by Trent Reedy, Narrated by Andrew Eiden (Scholastic Audio)
Available in the US, Canada and the Philippines only.

THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE by Stephen Crane, Narrated by Frank Muller (Recorded Books)

Thanks to SYNC for the use of all images.