The life of Air Vice-Marshal Alan Reed AO is one that could read like a ‘boy’s own adventure’. From humble beginnings as a National Service trainee in Perth in 1952, Alan’s career took him all the way to the rank of Air Vice-Marshal and in command of over 12,000 people within the RAAF Support Command organisation. Along the way Alan flew a wide variety of RAAF aircraft, including the maritime version of the Lincoln, the Canberra bomber, the F-4E Phantom and the F-111. His experiences included fortuitously being removed from a doomed Lincoln flight that crashed into Mt Superbus in South-East Queensland, a 24-day around the world trip in a Canberra formation, and his opportunities to fly both the Phantom and the F-111C in RAAF service. Alan was also privileged to be one of only six RAAF pilots to fly Phantoms on exchange with the USAF during the Vietnam War, where he flew over 100 reconnaissance missions during a 179 temporary duty assignment, receiving the USAF Distinguished Flying Cross. Alan passed away on 24 July 2021, not before he had the chance to reminisce with many of his compatriots at the Air Force’s centenary commemorations on 31 March 2021. This book draws upon the content of Alan’s autobiography, also entitled Invited to a War, and presents the episodes of Alan’s life in the RAAF. It tells the story of a man who dedicated his life to the RAAF and, despite the highs and lows of any service career, never lost his passion for flying.

Its 1942 and the United States is deep into World War II. At home, amid adjustments to the hardships and heartaches of war, Kay Ann Franklin is losing a lonely battle caring for her terminally ill mother and her five-year-old twins, one stricken with polio and the other with chicken pox. Worried and exhausted, she has little left to give her baby daughter and her war-absorbed husband. When a colored girl appears at her back door offering to help, Kay Ann welcomes her but holds slight hope that the tiny, crippled Say can make a difference in their situation. To her surprise, the teenager brings reinforcements for the battle and lightness to their burdens. The family also discovers Says exceptional musical talent and begins to envision more than the girl can grasp. Kay Anns dream of a college education for Say is sidetracked by a brutal attack and malicious opposition from neighbors, friends, and Says preacher. In this historical tale, Kay Ann and an unlikely group of lady warriors embark on an unforgettable journey during the chaos of a world war endeavoring to help an underprivileged teenager achieve more than she ever imagined, and, most importantly, to believe in herself. Wright does an excellent job of re-creating the feel of the homefront during WWII Its an important, engaging story thats been neglected by other authors. Kirkus Tommye Hamilton Wright offers a wise insiders look into small-town life during World War II This well-structured story offers interesting plot threads and well-drawn characters that maintain tension from the first chapter to the last. You Are Cordially Invited to War will interest those who enjoy good fiction set during a pivotal time in American history. Clarion

This instant #1 New York Times bestseller and “modern techno-thriller” (New York Journal of Books) follows Mitch Rapp in a race to prevent Russia’s gravely ill leader from starting a full-scale war with NATO. When Russian president Maxim Krupin discovers that he has inoperable brain cancer, he’s determined to cling to power. His first task is to kill or imprison any of his countrymen who can threaten him. Soon, though, his illness becomes serious enough to require a more dramatic diversion—war with the West. Upon learning of Krupin’s condition, CIA director Irene Kennedy understands that the US is facing an opponent who has nothing to lose. The only way to avoid a confrontation that could leave millions dead is to send Mitch Rapp to Russia under impossibly dangerous orders. With the Kremlin’s entire security apparatus hunting him, he must find and kill a man many have deemed the most powerful in the world. Success means averting a war that could consume all of Europe. But if his mission is discovered, Rapp will plunge Russia and America into a conflict that neither will survive in “a timely, explosive novel that shows yet again why Mitch Rapp is the best hero the thriller genre has to offer” (The Real Book Spy).

Includes portions of the diaries of: Pam Ashford, Christopher Tomlin, Tilly Rice, Eileen Potter, and Maggie Joy Blunt.

A chilling ghost story with a twist: the New York Times bestselling author of The Winter People returns to the woods of Vermont to tell the story of a husband and wife who don't simply move into a haunted house--they build one . . . In a quest for a simpler life, Helen and Nate have abandoned the comforts of suburbia to take up residence on forty-four acres of rural land where they will begin the ultimate, aspirational do-it-yourself project: building the house of their dreams. When they discover that this beautiful property has a dark and violent past, Helen, a former history teacher, becomes consumed by the local legend of Hattie Breckenridge, a woman who lived and died there a century ago. With her passion for artifacts, Helen finds special materials to incorporate into the house--a beam from an old schoolroom, bricks from a mill, a mantel from a farmhouse--objects that draw her deeper into the story of Hattie and her descendants, three generations of Breckenridge women, each of whom died suspiciously. As the building project progresses, the house will become a place of menace and unfinished business: a new home, now haunted, that beckons its owners and their neighbors toward unimaginable danger.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Restart, a story of telling truth from lies -- and finding out what being a hero really means. There are two things Trevor loves more than anything else: playing war-based video games and his great-grandfather Jacob, who is a true-blue, bona fide war hero. At the height of the war, Jacob helped liberate a small French village, and was given a hero's welcome upon his return to America.Now it's decades later, and Jacob wants to retrace the steps he took during the war -- from training to invasion to the village he is said to have saved. Trevor thinks this is the coolest idea ever. But as they get to the village, Trevor discovers there's more to the story than what he's heard his whole life, causing him to wonder about his great-grandfather's heroism, the truth about the battle he fought, and importance of genuine valor.

* Newbery Honor Book * #1 New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award * Forbes 25 Top Historical Fiction Books Of All Time selection * Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of the Year selection * New York Public Library's 100 Books for Reading and Sharing selection An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds set during World War II, from the acclaimed author of Fighting Words, and for fans of Fish in a Tree and Number the Stars. Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him. So begins a new adventure for Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother? This masterful work of historical fiction is equal parts adventure and a moving tale of family and identity—a classic in the making. "Achingly lovely...Nuanced and emotionally acute."—The Wall Street Journal "Unforgettable...unflinching."—Common Sense Media "Touching...Emotionally charged." —Forbes ★ “Brisk and honest...Cause for celebration.” —Kirkus, starred review ★ "Poignant."—Publishers Weekly, starred review ★ "Powerful."—The Horn Book, starred review "Affecting."—Booklist "Emotionally satisfying...[A] page-turner."—BCCB “Exquisitely written...Heart-lifting.” —SLJ "Astounding...This book is remarkable."—Karen Cushman, author The Midwife's Apprentice "Beautifully told."—Patricia MacLachlan, author of Sarah, Plain and Tall "I read this novel in two big gulps."—Gary D. Schmidt, author of Okay for Now "I love Ada's bold heart...Her story's riveting."—Sheila Turnage, author of Three Times Lucky

Winner of the 2019 William E. Colby Award "The book I had been waiting for. I can't recommend it highly enough." —Bill Gates The era of autonomous weapons has arrived. Today around the globe, at least thirty nations have weapons that can search for and destroy enemy targets all on their own. Paul Scharre, a leading expert in next-generation warfare, describes these and other high tech weapons systems—from Israel’s Harpy drone to the American submarine-hunting robot ship Sea Hunter—and examines the legal and ethical issues surrounding their use. “A smart primer to what’s to come in warfare” (Bruce Schneier), Army of None engages military history, global policy, and cutting-edge science to explore the implications of giving weapons the freedom to make life and death decisions. A former soldier himself, Scharre argues that we must embrace technology where it can make war more precise and humane, but when the choice is life or death, there is no replacement for the human heart.

A reader's companion for Tolstoy's epic novel, War and Peace, inspired by the online book club led by Yiyun Li. For the writer Yiyun Li, whenever life has felt uncertain, War and Peace has been the novel she turns to. In March 2020, as the pandemic tightened its grip, Li and A Public Space launched #TolstoyTogether, a War and Peace book club, on Twitter and Instagram, gathering a community (that came to include writers such as Joyce Carol Oates, Garth Greenwell, and Carl Phillips) for 85 days of prompts, conversation, succor, and pleasure. It was an experience shaped not only by the time in which they read but also the slow, consistent rhythm of the reading. And the extraordinary community that gathered for a moment each day to discuss Tolstoy, history, and the role of art in a time like this. Tolstoy Together captures that moment, and offers a guided, communal experience for past and new readers, lovers of Russian literature, and all those looking for what Li identifies as "his level-headedness and clear-sightedness offer[ing] a solidity during a time of duress.

With the pacing of a thriller, this investigative work methodically details the Bush administration's aggressive role in twisting intelligence about alleged weapons of mass destruction in order to fabricate a case for war with Iraq.