Good Books, Bad book.

I finally finished The Host, by that damned Stephenie Meyer, she kept me from doing a bunch of things this weekend. I enjoyed it. I think the heroine was a bit too good and too troubled, but it was a good book none-the-less. If you enjoy science fiction, this is a pretty good one, and even then, you might enjoy it, since it takes place on Earth. I had difficulty putting it down.

I am lucky I got my Amazon book order when I did, since it came in yesterday! I was tracking it and it got to our post office at 7:33AM. I immediately went down and got it.

I am pleased to note that the book on Northrop's Flying Wings is up to standards! I have several monographs concerning aircraft.

So, if you are technically minded, or simply interested in airplanes, I heartly recommend it and any of these:

However, I also got another book. As many of you are aware, I enjoy seeing things up close. Hence my love of museums. I also have been known to visit closed down military facilities to get an idea of where they were and what they looked like. I have visited ex-Nike missile battery locations, Titan I sites and an Atlas E silo. I have visited various and sundry military bases in Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and California. I have visited Hanford and the B-reactor. I am aware of the NSA "Listening" post here near Yakima. I am aware of the SAGE system, or Semi-Automated Ground Environment, a Strategic Air Command system that kept track of airborne objects, there was a repeater station near the town of Kititas. These things I know about. I thought, wrongly, as it turns out, that this book might lead me to more places like that.

It is a giant stinking piece of donkey dung. Not worth the $11 I spent to buy it. It has entries for every state. I thought, wow, nice concise entries that might be able to add to my knowledge of Washington State Cold War History...NOPE! There are two entries for Washington State...Hanford and the NSA Listening Post near Yakima. The title Top Secret Tourism would appears to imply that maybe it's something that isn't well known...well, guess what. It SUCKS.

There was nothing about military reservations like the Yakim Firing Center, McChord AFB, Fort Lewis, Bangor Submarine Base, Bremerton, Everett, Fairchild AFB, Larson AFB, Nike, Titan, or Atlas missile bases, nor any one of a dozen other types of lesser known government facilities. What a staggering disappointment!

I plan on writing a scathing book review for Amazon and Alibris and whatever other on-line book store I can think of, simply so others don't waste their money on this guy's book. I am MOST disappointed!

Whatever you do...

DON'T BUY TOP SECRET TOURISM by HARRY HELMS!!!!