Berlin Diary by William L.Shirer

This non-fiction book is without a doubt a GREAT READ! This basically covers the build up of Nazi Germany and you get the perspective and views from inside the country. What I liked about this book, as it covers not only the historical context and content, but it’s basically from a personal point of view and describes the day to day life people had to live under. You get to see both the he right and wrong assumptions of someone who is living the period without the benefit of hindsight. I found the book very refreshing and a stark reminder of how this could come to be, even in our times.

With the election of Donald Trump, I found this book very relevant, and I certainly hope in this case history will not repeat itself, however its certainly a wake up to call to be on guard. I hope the American system can withstand the likes of Trump, and regardless of whether his intentions are the same or simply the actions of a psychotic egomaniac, the sad part is the outcome could be the same.

Below is a summary of the book by Wiki.
 
Berlin Diary (1934–1941) is a first-hand account of the rise of Nazi Germany and its road to war, as witnessed by the American journalist William L. Shirer. He was a radio reporter for CBS, covered Germany for several years until the Nazi press censors made it impossible for him to report objectively to his listeners in the United States; feeling increasingly uncomfortable, he left the country. The identities of many of Shirer's German sources were disguised to protect these people from retaliation by the German secret police, the Gestapo. The contents of this book provided much of the material for his landmark book The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.
 
In 1947, End of a Berlin Diary continued and finished the story of the Third Reich, from July 20, 1944, to the Nuremberg Trials.

As a side note, Donal Trump has banned Syrians from the USA, I wonder how much the American economy would have suffered had he prevented STEVE JOBS from entering the USA, yes he was a Syrian!

Now when I came across this new item, it peaked my interest. This man was evicted from a U-Haul Storage facility. Now I do get there are rules, and you maybe can’t have everyone doing that, but there was one thing that stuck me as kind of odd.
 
You cant live like that because of Government regulations rules and policies etc. Yes you got that right. So it seems that being “green” is in, it seems well its not so in. Here is a guy who managed to reduce his carbon imprint, in a very creative way, and in a way he was comfortable with, and this is not a good thing?
 
I get there are rules and regulations, first as he was such a unique exception, they maybe could have left him alone, however, why not on the other hand give this man kudos? Why not say he has done something that might indeed be a solution for some? Imagine reducing your cost of living and carbon imprint and being happy and content about it.

So it just struck me odd, that we are against big corporations and pipelines supplying us all of our needs, that we demand! ( or else why supply them ) and here is a guy that solved an issue ( at least partially) on the consumption side.
 
I know is more complex that I have set out here, but at least this is something to think about, n’est pas?

Tiny home included a double-bed, big screen TV, love seat and a kitchen area with running water
By Mike Laanela, CBC News Posted: Jan 13, 2017 2:51 PM PT Last Updated: Jan 13, 2017 2:51 PM PT

U-Haul has procedures in place to detect anyone attempting to break the law and live in a storage locker/unit," company spokesman Jeff Lockridge told CBC News.
 
His amenities included a double bed, big screen TV, love seat, hot plate, and toaster oven. He also shows how he ran power to the unit from a nearby plug and picked up phone service with an extra antenna. He also rigged up running water.
In a matching post on the social media site Reddit, the man details how he made the small space livable — at a cost of about $100 for hardware. The cost of renting the locker was $205 a month, including insurance.
"Staff knew about my power and charged me $5 a month for it.... so I didn't need to keep unplugging the power," he said.
He used the washroom in the building and showered at a local gym and claims staff at the facility let him live there as long as he kept a low profile.
"I had 24-hour access, I was allowed to be there at any time for as long as I wanted. The only rule I broke was sleeping there," he said.

Now many know Jeffrey Deaver, a No 1 best selling author, famous for his Lincoln Rhyme series of books. Having read many of his books, I was browsing a bookshop and came across one of his called “The October List”. I knew one can’t go wrong with a novel by him.
 
So, I was in for a few surprises, and not quite sure pleasant ones. He wrote the book backwards! That’s correct backwards. The book starts at Chapter 36 and so you at least have no doubt you will getting 36 chapters worth of novel. However I certainly couldn’t see how this was going work, and was a little skeptical after the first few, or shall I say the last few chapters. But come on its Jeffery Deaver here, have faith I told myself.

So onwards I marched, reading a newer chapter by newer chapter, and slowly, like any addictive drug I became hooked. This is a Mystery Thriller that with each earlier newer chapter gets better and better.
 
What is also interesting, is at the beginning of each chapter is a photo, something you don’t always see in novels these days, and explained at the end, end of the book, where I might add is the table of contents, yes at the end of the book. This book was after all written backwards.
 
Its about a woman Gabriella, whose was leading a normal life, and a kidnapper takes her daughter and not only demands an impossible ransom, but demands she find a list she knows nothing about in twenty four hours.
 
Definitely a great read!!!