Reading Recommendations: A Killing in China Basin, A Ben Raveneau thriller, Kirk RussellWhen a young woman is found strangled in an empty building in China Basin, San Francisco homicide inspector Ben Raveneau, and his ambitious new partner, Elizabeth la Rosa, catch their first case together. La Rosa can hardly wait, but the investigation is never what it seems. The victims identity unknown, a false confession leads nowhere and the case spins unresolved.Meanwhile, the death of cancer-ridden homicide inspector Ted Whitacre raises questions about an old case Whitacre solved years before when he arrested troubled software engineer Cody Stoltz following a love triangle murder. Raveneau pulls the files, re-interviews Stoltz, and sees dark threads reaching from the past to the present.When a second corpse is found with a gunshot wound to the head, the tension ratches up, and Raveneau finds himself in a race against the clock. He's starting to see the pieces, but can he pull them together in time?And, No Higher Honor, A memoir of my years in Washington, Condoleezza RiceFrom one of the world's most admired women, this is former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's compelling story of eight years serving at the highest levels of government. In her position as America's chief diplomat, Rice traveled almost continuously around the globe seeking common ground among sometimes bitter enemies, forging agreements on divisive issues, and compiling a remarkable record of achievement.A native of Birmingham, Alabama, who overcame a racism of the civil rights era to become a brilliant academic and expert on foreign affairs, Rice distinguished herself as an advisor to George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign. Once Bush was elected, she served as his chief advisor on national security issues, a job that entailed harmonizing the relationship between the secretaries of State and defense. It was a role that deepened her bond with the president and ultimately made her one of his closest confidantes.With the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Rice found herself at the center of the administrations intense efforts to keep America Safe. Here Rice describes the event of that harrowing day, and the tumultuous day after. No day was ever the same. Additionally, Rice reveals new details of the debates that led to the war in Afghanistan and then Iraq, and her role in all this.In 2005 Rice was entrusted with even more responsibility when she was charged with helping to shape and carry out the Presidents Foreign policy as secretary of state. Here she reveals the behind the scenes maneuvers that kept the world's relationships with Iran, North Korea, and Libya from collapsing into chaos. She also talked about her role as a crisis manager showing that at any hour, and at a moments notice, she was willing to bring all parties to the bargaining table, anywhere in the world. Trained to perform as a concert pianist-this able ladies memoir, numbering 766 pages, including Index, was fascinating. I couldn't put it down. What a time in our history.And, one of the things I love about doing these reviews is access to our wonderful Library. The Texas shelves are full of stories related to Texas and our part of this great state. I brought home a book called The Way Home, photographs from The Heart of Texas, By June Wan Cleet, Essay by Bryan WoolleyA beautiful coffee table sized book about and around Hamilton, Hico, Fairy, Carlton, Pottsville, Shive, Aleman and other areas showing and telling about people going about their daily lives and capturing the essence of rural life, as well as the essence of the culture, from which most of todays city dwellers sprang.See you at Rylander