From Baghdad with love By: Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman Finished

          I just finished reading the book From Baghdad with love By: Lieutenant Colonel Joy Kopelman and i loved it.  The book always kept me on edge while reading it because of the way that it portrayed the problems that were faced in a way that made the reader want to continue because they wanted to know the outcome of the continuous stream of plots and ideas that were concocted to get Kopelman's dog out of Baghdad.

                                                       Picture of Lava as a puppy in Baghdad

                     Video of the author speaking about the book

                                                    

                                              The book can be found on goodreads here.

                                              An in depth review on the book here.

                                              

                                                   Another interview with the author

                                              

From Baghdad with love By: Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman

         I just started the reading the book From Baghdad with love By: Jay Kopelman a lieutenant Colnel in the united states army.  This is his story on how he smuggled a puppy that he and part of his team found when they were clearing a building in Iraq while fighting in Fallujah.  The story is very sporadic and give the impression that the actual events that happen throughout the course of the book were very random and fast at times, after all it is set in the beginning of the Iraq war.  It is told through the Lieutenant's perspective and it shows how much he cared for the little dog that his team came to call Lava after their companies name, Lava Dogs. As of right now i am really enjoying the story and cant wait to continue as Kopelman slowly works out a way to smuggle his furry little buddie out of the country.

Characterization, 1632 series By: Eric Flint

            

          The 1632 series by Eric Flint is a wonderful show of good writing and multiple examples of characterization throughout.  Probably one the best examples of characterization throughout the series is that of Mike Sterns, a Appalachian mountain coal miner union leader turned president of the U.S.E. (the united states of Europe.  Through the books you see Mike Sterns transform from a virtual hillbilly to a confident military commander and politician.  It is also shown when at first he treats people roughly and doesn't accommodate, after a while he realizes that he has to let other feel like they are in control in order for him to remain in power.

1634 The Baltic War By:Eric Flint

         I recently finished the book 1634 The Baltic War and have come to liking the 1632 series more than ever.  The book ended as I eventually expected but at times there were a few bumps in the rode that i didn't expect.  It was moments like this that really characterized the book and the general attitude of it.  I would also like to mention that the publisher, Baen Books, is and amazing publishing group that puts out a lot of science fiction books that i believe are overlooked a lot of the time because some of them are older.  I would recommend the 1632 ring of fire series. 

1634 The Baltic War By: Eric Flint, David Weber

           Guess what?!?!?! i'm reading another book in the 1632 series!  The series is extremely engaging interesting and funny, throughout the course of the books there are things that happen that would not normally happen in the modern world that spice up the story and can be a good laugh or perplexing moment in the text.  This is all made possible by the setting and plot of the book as well as the series.  The adventure is set in well the 17th century in a world strife with war and conflict and where power hungry monarchs and religious leaders will stop at nothing to gain power for themselves and their realm.  Amid all of this the modern day town of Grantville is sent back in time in a time/space anomaly and they have to create a space for themselves and a world they used to know in a society that is not quite ready yet.  I am extremely enjoying the series and would recommend it to anyone because it covers so many different topics.

1633 By:Eric Flint

Theme so far,

           The theme of 1633 so far is much the same as the first book in the series, The town of Grantville, Pennsylvania, has been transported back in time in some kind of time rift to the 17th century.  Throughout this time period the world is rife with war and disease as well as financial crisis.

The previous book capitalized on the fact that the united states created by the town of Grantville is in eh middle of Germany complicates the story a little bit but Grantville tries to emulate the way the united states that they remember worked and its values.


             The United states created by the town of Grantville turned into a political and economic hot spot. This is shown in many spots throughout the book. "Mike Sterns and his policies had turned Grantville and the country surrounding it into one of the few areas in central Europe which were economically booming and had a growing population. A rapidly growing one in fact." this quote shows that with the current president Mike Sterns and how he has helped the U.S. of the 17th century grow and prosper.




Here is an article on the book's series.