imyourmausoleum's reviews
1740 reviews

Trails of Death: The True Story of National Forest Serial Killer Gary Hilton by Fred Rosen

informative medium-paced

3.0

 Gary Michael Hilton was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1946. Hilton claimed to have a rough, traumatic childhood; however details are scare and hard to prove. He served in the Army as a paratrooper but faced an honorable discharge in 1967 following a schizophrenic episode. He had some minor offenses on his criminal record before being captured for multiple murders: drug offenses and drunk driving. Hilton worked a series of odd jobs, before finding employment with John Tabor. That relationship came to an end after repeated threats, acts of violence, laziness, and asking for money beyond what he earned. Hilton began targeting hikers in attempts to gain access to their ATM cards. He killed John and Irene Bryant, Cheryl Dunlap, and Meredith Emerson. He is also suspected in the murders of Patrice Endres, Jason Knapp, Michael Louis, Rossana Milani, and Judy Smith-all found in National Parks. Eventually, Hilton's former employer, John Tabor, was able to identify him for police.

This case was featured on a Dateline episode, which prompted me to get this book. It was also featured on Wild Crime: Blood Mountain on Hulu. This book was full on information about this person and this case. I have only read one other book by this author, so I wasn't sure if this would be equally well done as some of the other crime writers I have read. It was well researched and factually written-without the sensationalism of some other true crime books. Decent read. 

A Skating Life: My Story by Deborah Amelon, Dorothy Hamill

informative medium-paced

3.0

 Dorothy Hamill was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1956. She began ice skating at age 8, quickly developing a love for the sport and showing talent for it. Her parents spent an extraordinary amount of money on her training, as she had to travel away from home for periods of time to train. She won the novice ladies' title at the U.S. Championships at the age of 12. Hamill eventually became the United States Champion from 1974 to 1976. She won silver medals in both the 1974 and 1975 World Championships, before winning the gold in 1976. She was part of the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics team, where she won gold in the Ladies Single. Hamill went on to skate in Ice Capades and Broadway on Ice, despite physical injuries and illnesses.

I love figure skating, and recall fond memories watching skating with my Mom. I have seen Hamill skate a few times on television in special programs, and have always enjoyed her commentary and her mentorship to other skaters. As someone who struggles with mental health issues, it is nice to see someone that was able to work on their mental health and achieve wonderful things be a source of encouragement and advice to other people with similar struggles. Though this is an older book, I enjoyed it. 

The Purple Diaries: Mary Astor and the Most Sensational Hollywood Scandal of the 1930s by Joseph Egan

informative medium-paced

3.0

 Mary Astor, born Lucille Vasconcellos Langhanke in 1906, was an actress from 1921 to 1964. Her most notable role was in The Maltese Falcon.  She had an affair with playwright George S. Kaufman and was branded an adulterous wife by her former husband, Franklyn Thorpe, during a custody fight over their daughter. The lawyers made many references to the diaries of Astor, who eventually admitted that they existed. Thorpe had removed pages and added content; thus, the diaries were deemed inadmissible in court. There were morality clauses, which caused concern for her career, but she was able to bounce back and continue working.

If you are into old Hollywood Gossip, this is a book for you. This book gave me some ill feelings. It was immoral for HER to have an affair or salacious relationship, but you can rest assured that the men who did the same thing weren't even blinked at. I don't like that. I do not like that people drag celebrities' personal business out in the news and speculate on it. I used to be super into TMZ and reading the gossip magazines at the grocery counter, but now I find it to be gross and I feel a bit ashamed of doing that. These are people, and, beyond that, these are children who have to read the nonsense that people write and say about them and their family members. It's just weird, the focus on celebrities' sex lives. At any rate, the book was interesting. I did enjoy learning about Astor, because I am not very familiar with film stars from this era and learning about her career was neat. 

Obsessed by M. William Phelps

informative slow-paced

3.0

 Sheila Davalloo was born on May 11, 1969 in Iran. She came to the United States with her family in the 1970s. She became a pharmaceutical researcher. She married her first husband, but that marriage ended in divorce when her husband discovered her affair with Paul Christos, who would become her second husband. The saying "you lose them how you get them" certainly applies in this case, as Paul had a love interest on the side. I will not spoil the book by getting into all that happened for anyone interested in reading this book, but I will say that Sheila was snatched by police for attempted murder and murder. M. William Phelps is a decent crime author, so the book was on par with my expectation. 

Lucky 666: The Impossible Mission That Changed the War in the Pacific by Bob Drury, Tom Clavin

informative slow-paced

3.0

 

Old 666 was a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress heavy bomber, serial number 41-2666, assigned to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) 19th and 43rd Bombardment Groups in 1942–1943. This aircraft was piloted by Jay Zeamer and his hand-picked crew. This crew flew several mapping missions, including a very scary one that this book covers. This was such an ordeal for this crew. If you are into aviation history or war history, this book would be of great interest to you. If you are further interested in this crew, there is a display for Zeamer and his "Eager Beavers" at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

 

My Sweet Angel: The True Story of Lacey Spears, the Seemingly Perfect Mother Who Murdered Her Son in Cold Blood by John Glatt

informative medium-paced

3.0

 Lacey Spears was born and raised in Decatur, Alabama. Spears became pregnant, lying to the father and telling him the child was not his. She named her son Garnett-Paul Thompson Spears. She was active on social media and in the community talking about the health issues her child faced. Spears moved her and her child to Florida and then to New York, where he would ultimately die in the hospital on January 23, 2014. Investigation into the death would find that Spears was the mitigating factor in his death. This was a Munchausen case, so if you are interested in that, this may be a good book for you. I personally like John Glatt books and find them to be well written and well researched. This provided plenty of details about the case. If you are a fan of the ID channel, this case was featured on Web Of Lies. 

Northern Dancer: The Legendary Horse That Inspired a Nation by Kevin Chong

informative medium-paced

3.0

Northern Dancer was a bay Thoroughbred racehorse. The horse was foaled on May 27, 1961, by Nearctic, out of Natalma. Native Dancer was owned by Windfields Farm. This horse would go on to become the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He won the Preakness Stakes, but came in third in the Belmont Stakes, the Triple Crown eluding him. He won the Bluegrass Stakes, Flamingo Stakes, and the Florida Derby, among other notable races. He was retired to stud in 1965, producing some exceptional offspring: Nijinsky, Storm Bird, and White Star Line to name a few.

I love horses and horse racing. I enjoyed learning about the life and career of one of the most well-known sires. I really liked this book.

Mao's Great Famine: The History Of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-62 by Frank Dikötter

informative slow-paced

3.0

 The Great Chinese Famine occurred between 1959 and 1961. The Great Leap Forward policies of collectivization and people's communes were direct contributing factors to this, making this a manmade disaster. On top of all the poor political and economic decisions, natural disasters also contributed to this famine. The Yellow River produced catastrophic flooding in 1958, affecting crop yields. There were also periods of drought. A complete death toll is unknown, but estimates range from 15-55 million deaths due to starvation and illnesses related to malnutrition and starvation.


This book was required reading for my Modern China class. I read most of it during the class but finally got around to reading the last few chapters. Famine is something that people do not often think about in the year 2025, though it is quite possible that it can happen at any point anywhere. It is something to seriously consider. Climate change and exceedingly poor choices by government officials can create conditions that cause widespread devastation. I thought this book was very informative and thought provoking. I hated the class, but this was a good book recommendation from it. 

Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes by Barnaby Phillips

informative medium-paced

3.0

The Benin Bronzes are a group of several thousand metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, in what is now Edo State, Nigeria. The plaques depict the history of the kingdom. Most of the plaques and other objects were taken by British forces during the Benin Expedition of 1897. Following the expedition, artifacts were transported to many museums in Europe, with a large display being held at the British Museum. Since gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria has sought the return of the bronzes on several occasions, with some being audaciously SOLD back to them. I hope to see more agreements worked out in the future that do not include people having to buy back their stolen art.

This book is currently available to listen to on Audible plus. It can be completed in one working day, as that is how long it took me to complete it. The physical copy is around 400 pages for those of you who would prefer a book to hold in your hand. I thought this book was really interesting. It is pretty common knowledge that Britian was very imperialistic and took things that did not belong to them. It is nice to see some objects being repatriated to their respective countries or other loan agreements being reached. It is sad to think about the loss of people's culture and history over the centuries, despite some people being able to view them in a museum setting. I enjoyed learning more about these bronzes and the people that created them.

Inglorious Royal Marriages: A Demi-Millennium of Unholy Mismatrimony by Leslie Carroll

informative medium-paced

3.0

I have a whole set of books from this author that I got during an Audible sale. I am really looking forward to reading the rest. This particular book covers a host of royal marriages and all of the drama and scandal that occurred within the bonds of matrimony. Some of these stories I was already aware of, but this was still an entertaining book that was decently researched.