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Cheryl M-M's Book Blog
What can I say? I just love books. Indie/self/trad published…I don't give two monkeys. My reviews are always my subjective and honest opinion. Nothing more and nothing less.
January 18, 2022 by mmcheryl
#BlogTour The Comfort of Monsters by Willa C. Richards
It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Comfort of Monsters by Willa C. Richards.
'Set in Milwaukee against the real-life crimes of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, the searing tale of a missing girl and a family devastated by her disappearance.'
Willa C. Richards is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop where she was a Truman Capote Fellow. Her work has appeared in The Paris Review and she is the recipient of a PEN/Robert J. Dau Prize for Emerging Writers. The Comfort of Monsters is her debut novel.
Willa was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1990. Both her parents are archaeologists and professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has three sisters and a brother. The Comfort of Monsters was inspired by a case her mother worked on as an historic archaeologist. In 2014 she was contacted by a family who, based on a tip-off they received from a psychic, believed their missing daughter was buried in an old cemetery on the Milwaukee County grounds. Willa's mother helped organise the excavation over that summer, and Willa volunteered as a field tech along with a handful of others. No remains were ever found.
Summer 1991 was the summer the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel dubbed 'the deadliest in the history of Milwaukee' as the victims of Jeffrey Dahmer's killing spree were revealed and dominated the headlines. The disappearance of teen Dee McBride is overlooked by an over-worked and broken justice system.
2019 nearly thirty years later, Dee's sister, Peg, is still haunted by Dee's disappearance. Desperate to find answers, the family hire a famous psychic and Peg is plunged back into the past. But exploring the depths of her own memories raises terrifying questions. How much trust can we place in our own recollections?
Thirty years after the disappearance of her sister Dee, Peggy is still invested and obsessed with finding out the truth, and more importantly with finding Dee. The problem is she can't get anyone to listen and no body means no crime.
Set around the real events in Milwaukee and a certain prolific serial killer, who found it easy to prey with such audacity perhaps because his victims were viewed in such a negative way. It's often hard to believe this is fiction, because the facts are woven into the fabric of this tale in such subtle way.
This is clearly an author to watch, an incredibly talented writer. Being able to create a captivating story without a bog standard ending, despite the fact plenty of readers will probably demand a solution – it's not only indicative of said talent, it also sails as close to reality as you can possibly get.
Richards captures the true picture of the devastation a disappearance leaves in its wake, especially when the presumption is a non-voluntary disappearance linked to a possible crime. The people, loved ones, who are left behind become living fatalities of the same crime. It's one thing knowing and dealing with the aftermath. It's quite another to never know and to spend the rest of your life trying to find out what happened, to be able to lay their bones to rest.
It never goes away and it crushes those left behind – the thought of what they went through and that the victim still belongs to the perpetrator because they are the only person who knows what happened. It's all about power and the power of suggestion, and how the imagination is often a bigger weapon against ourselves than the actual truth.
This is definitely going on my favourite reads of the year list. I can't wait to recommend it to people.
Buy The Comfort of Monsters at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Point Blank.
Posted in Blogtour, Point Blank Publishing, Random Things Tours
Tagged Blogtour, literary fiction, Point Blank Publishing, Random Things Tour, The Comfort of Monsters
#BlogTour Bitter Flowers by Gunnar Staalesen
It's my turn on the BlogTour Bitter Flowers by Gunnar Staalesen, translated by Don Bartlett. 'A vintage classic from the award-winning, multi-million bestselling Norwegian author Gunnar Staalesen, available in English for the very first time.'
One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway, in 1947. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over twenty titles, which have been published in twenty-four countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim.
Staalesen has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour); Where Roses Never Die won the 2017 Petrona Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted in 2019. He lives with his wife in Bergen.
Fresh from rehab, PI Varg Veum faces his most complex investigation yet, when a man is found drowned, a young woman disappears, and the case of a missing child is revived. The classic Nordic Noir series continues…
PI Varg Veum has returned to duty following a stint in rehab, but his new composure and resolution are soon threatened when three complex crimes land on his desk.
A man is found dead in an elite swimming pool. A young woman has gone missing. Most chillingly, Veum is asked to investigate the 'Camilla Case': an eight-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of a little girl, who was never found.
As the threads of these three apparently unrelated cases come together, against the backdrop of a series of shocking environmental crimes, Veum faces the most challenging, traumatic investigation of his career.
This book finds Varg just out of rehab and ready to get down to the nitty-gritty of the toxicity of the world of crime and criminals he appears to be surrounded by. The cold case of a missing child, the drowning of a young man and the disappearance of a young woman.
Varg's freshly found stability is shaken, not stirred, by a complex combination of cases. On the surface they are seemingly unrelated until Varg starts drawing the threads together an making connections, where other people see none he starts unraveling a cleverly constructed cloak of silence.
I'm pretty sure I said this about the last Varg Veum book, but this is the best yet. It really hit the nail on the head for me. This psychological thriller is paced meticulously and superbly executed. A random set of circumstances equals an insidious deadly plot.
The author delivers a scathing commentary on the inequality of life, especially when it comes weighing up the worth of a human being and actual monetary profit. That parallel is drawn across multiple thread, whilst connecting a strong set of characters.
Simultaneously it has the Nordic Crime flair Staalesen is known for, and of course the acerbic personality of his character Varg is a delight as always. As always a riveting read.
Buy Bitter Flowers at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. At Orenda Books.
Posted in Blogtour, Nordic Noir, Orenda Books, Random Things Tours
Tagged Bitter Flowers, Blogtour, Gunnar Staalesen, Orenda Books, Psychological Thriller, Random Things Tour, Varg Veum
#Blogtour A Wartime Secret by Helen Yendall
Happy Publication Day to A Wartime Secret by Helen Yendall and it's also a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour.
Helen Yendall: 'I'm a writer and creative writing tutor, based in the Cotswolds . I was Warwick Poet Laureate from 2006-7. I've had dozens of short stories published in a variety of magazines, including Best, Take A Break, The People's Friend and Woman's Weekly. I won The People's Friend serial writing competition in 2015. I am a member of the RNA and I now write female-focussed WW2 novels.' Follow @HelenYendall on Twitter
'Look after Violet!' her mother called, as she was bundled into the back of the car. Then she was gone.
When Maggie's new job takes her from bombed-out London to grand Snowden Hall in the Cotswolds she's apprehensive but determined to do her bit for the war effort. She's also keeping a secret, one she knows would turn opinion against her. Her mother is German: Maggie is related to the enemy.
Then her evacuee sister sends her a worrying letter, missing the code they agreed Violet would use to confirm everything was well, and Maggie's heart sinks. Violet is miles away; how can she get to her in the middle of a war? Worse, her mother, arrested for her nationality, is now missing, and Maggie has no idea where she is.
As a secret project at Snowden Hall risks revealing Maggie's German side, she becomes even more determined to protect her family. Can she find a way to get to her sister? And will she ever find out where her mother has been taken?
Still coming to terms with life without her mother, Maggie is finding it increasingly difficult to deal with her father. He thinks only of himself and not about how his actions and decisions may impact his family. It makes living and surviving in war-torn London so much more difficult than it already is.
When an opportunity presents itself, one her father disapproves of, but gives her the opportunity to find herself and discover friendship, love and conviction – her path becomes one she determines herself from this point forward. Maggie learns valuable lessons about judging a book by its cover, that the grass isn't always greener on the other side, and that small acts of kindness leave large ripples in time.
There's nothing like a war to divide people and make them suspicious of anyone who has even a hint of the enemy about them. Maggie has to hide one side of her parentage, being half-German isn't something you just throw out there into the conversation, when they are perceived as the essence of evil and the reason so many men have lost their lives, both in the Great War and during the ongoing one.
Yendall captures the essence of the time and her characters within said period of time. It's historical fiction with a wink of humour, whilst laying bare the trauma of the war and the indestructible will to survive that was a paramount ingredient of the people in that situation.
It's the kind of read that pulls at the heartstrings, and yet sees the light and joy in the small interactions and gestures. A riveting and enjoyable read.
Buy A Wartime Secret at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : HQ Digital pub date 14 Jan. 2022. Buy at Amazon com. At Harper Collins.
Posted in Blogtour, Historical Fiction, HQ Digital UK, World War II
Tagged Blogtour, Helen Yendall, Historical Fiction, HQ Digital UK, World War 2
#BlogTour Wahala by Nikki May
It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Wahala by Nikki May.
'Nikki's debut novel WAHALA will be published around the world and is due to be turned into a major TV serial for the BBC by Bafta-nominated writer Theresa Ikoko.'
Born in Bristol and raised in Lagos, Nikki May is Nigerian-British. At twenty, she dropped out of medical school, moved to London, and began a career in advertising, going on to run a successful agency. Nikki lives in Dorset with her husband and two standard Schnauzers. Follow @NikkiOMay on Twitter, Visit nikki-may.com
Nikki says: "This is a novel about the power of friendship and the stories we inherit. The inspiration for Wahala came from a long (and loud) lunch with very good friends in a Nigerian restaurant. I wanted to read a book that had people like me in it. The first scene was drafted on the train journey home. The characters became flesh and wouldn't let me go."
Ronke, Simi, Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London. They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English, though they don't all choose to see it like that.
Everyday racism has never held them back, but now in their thirties, they look to the future – Ronke wants a husband (he must be Nigerian); Simi supposedly wants a child (well, her husband does); Boo is frustrated and unfulfilled, caught in a whirl of school runs and lustful dreams. When Isobel, a lethally glamorous friend from their past arrives in town, she is determined to fix their futures for them.
As cracks in their friendship begin to appear, it is soon obvious Isobel is not sorting but wrecking. When she is driven to a terrible act, the women are forced to reckon with a crime in their past that may have just repeated itself.
A darkly comic and bitingly subversive take on love, race and family, Wahala will have you laughing, crying and gasping in horror. Boldly political about class, colorism and cooking, here is a truly inclusive tale that will speak to anyone who has ever cherished friendship, in all its forms.
Ronke, Simi, Boo are long-time friends, and it would seem that they are have an unbreakable bond of friendship, which is cemented through their dual identities in regards to culture and the fact they are all mixed-race. Their experiences of racism have been consistent – systemic, and yet also defined by their surroundings and their individual experiences.
When a unexpected fourth person inserts herself into their group the boundaries of their friendship and loyalties begin to move and crumble. A pretty face and a flashy personality can't hide a venomous snake with vicious intentions for long.
I enjoyed the way this read evolved from the complexity of friendships, the nuances of racism and cultural expectations, into a dark domestic story. Quite unexpected, but it does the job when it comes to keeping readers on their toes. May shows the often extreme balancing act those generations have to deal with when it comes to having to pander to two cultural identities. The family has expectations and society often quite a different set of the same.
I'll be looking forward to more interesting reads by this author.
Buy Wahala at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Doubleday Uk, pub date 6th January 2022 | Hardback | £14.99. Buy at Amazon com.
Posted in Blogtour, Domestic Thriller, Doubleday books UK, Racism, Random Things Tours
Tagged Blogtour, Doubleday Uk, Nikki May, Rancm Things Tour
#BlogTour The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton
It's my turn on the BlogTour The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton.
Meg Waite Clayton is a New York Times bestselling author of six novels, most recently Beautiful Exiles. Her previous novels include the Langum Prize–honored The Race for Paris; The Language of Light, a finalist for the Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction (now the PEN/Bellwether); and The Wednesday Sisters, one of Entertainment Weekly's 25 Essential Best Friend Novels of all time.
She has also written for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Forbes, and public radio, often on the subject of the particular challenges women face. Follow @MegWClayton on Twitter, Visit megwaiteclayton.com
The New York Times bestselling author of The Last Train to London revisits the dark early days of the German occupation in France in this haunting novel—a love story and a tale of high-stakes danger and incomparable courage—about a young American heiress who helps artists hunted by the Nazis escape from war-torn Europe.
Wealthy, beautiful Naneé was born with a spirit of adventure that transcends her Midwestern roots. For her, learning to fly is freedom. When German tanks roll across the border and into Paris, this woman with an adorable dog and a generous heart joins the resistance. Known as the Postmistress because she delivers information to those in hiding, Naneé uses her charms and skill to house the hunted and deliver them to safety.
Inspired by the real life Chicago heiress Mary Jayne Gold, who worked with American journalist Varian Fry to smuggle artists and intellectuals out of France, Meg Waite Clayton has fashioned a sweeping tale of romance and danger, set in a world aflame with personal and political passion. The Postmistress of Paris is the haunting story of an indomitable woman whose strength, bravery, and love is a beacon of hope in a time of terror.
Naneé is woman who loves being one with the air and nature, and yet simultaneously also enjoys the way others embrace and then express the way they perceive life. As the evil ideology of the Nazi regime slowly encroaches upon her life and the lives of those around her, she makes a choice. She becomes part of the solution and part of the resistance.
A story born from an inspirational story leading into and during World War 2. The author takes that inspiration and creates an emotional, caring story around it. It's not just about love, it's about endurance and being willing to go that extra mile under extreme circumstances for the people you love or in this case people who are stuck in the eye of a deadly storm. The courage of individuals sometimes leaves the smallest footprint, but makes the most lasting and important impression.
It's historical fiction with plenty of amusing and endearing moments, whilst giving the historical importance of this period in time due diligence. It also opens the door into less often discussed events during this period, especially in regards to the attitude and position towards the creative arts and their creators.
Buy The Postmistress of Paris at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher :  Harper pub date 30 Nov. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. At Harper Collins.
Posted in Blogtour, Harper Collins UK, Harper360, Historical Fiction, Random Things Tours, War, World War 2
Tagged Blogtour, Harper360, Historical Fiction, Meg Waite Clayton, Random Things Tour
January 9, 2022 by mmcheryl
#BlogTour The Unravelling by Polly Crosby
An absolutely brilliant novel – it should definitely be on some award lists this year! Welcome to the BlogTour for The Unravelling by Polly Crosby.
About the AuthorPolly Crosby lives in Norfolk with her husband and son, and her very loud and much-loved Oriental rescue cat, Dali. The Illustrated Child is her first novel. Her second novel, The Unravelling, is out on 6th January '22. To Find more about Polly's writing, visit pollycrosby.com. Sign up to Polly's newsletter here. Follow @WriterPolly on Twitter
When Tartelin Brown accepts a job with the reclusive Marianne Stourbridge, she finds herself on a wild island with a mysterious history.
Tartelin is tasked with hunting butterflies for Marianne's research. But she quickly uncovers something far more intriguing than the curious creatures that inhabit the landscape. Because the island and Marianne share a remarkable history, and what happened all those years ago has left its scars, and some terrible secrets.
As Tartelin pieces together Marianne's connection to the island, she must confront her own reasons for being there. Can the two women finally face up to the painful memories that bind them so tightly to the past?
Atmospheric and deeply emotional, The Unravelling is the captivating novel from the author of The Illustrated Child.
Marianne is crotchety solitary figure, who is bound to her home in both physical and an emotional way. The memories, experiences and relationships that lack the right kind of closure, which will allow her some peace, are destined to remain grains of dirt under her skin. Irritations that can be dismissed, but never quite forgotten.
She has hired yet another young girl as an assistant to aid her in the accumulation of a variation of species, mainly butterflies, in order to examine and prove a theory she is working on. Tarteline finds herself a little shell-shocked by her new residence and employer. Apparently living without the common comforts of a 21st century home and a wee bit like society over a century ago, is quite the norm on this peculiar and yet beautiful island.
A story told over the span of Marianne's lifetime, we encounter her as the curious child eager to be the apple of her father's eye, the young woman coping with mistakes borne out of hurt pride, and the older woman filled with dreams and regrets. Can young Tarteline, who is still grieving her own loss, begin to understand her remarkable and demanding employer.
I absolutely adored this book. Crosby is an amazing writer with an innate ability to create literary and storytelling magic, as she navigates emotions, nature, memories, trauma and the fragility of human relationships. I can only hope this book is recognised as the gem it is going forward. It will definitely be going on my best reads of '22 list. I can't wait to read whatever she comes up with next.
Buy The Unravelling at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : HQ pub date 6 Jan. 2022. Buy at Amazon com. At Harper Collins.
Posted in Blogtour, Harper Collins UK, HQ, HQ Fiction, Literary Fiction
Tagged Blogtour, Harper Collins, HQ, literary fiction, Polly Crosby, The Unravelling
#Blogtour Demon by Matt Wesolowski
Another intriguing episode by this innovative author – welcome to the BlogTour Demon by Matt Wesolowski.
'Scott King's podcast investigates the 1995 cold case of a demon possession in a rural Yorkshire village, where a 12-year-old boy was murdered in cold blood by two children. Book six in the chilling, award-winning Six Stories series.'
Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. He is an English tutor for young people in care. Matt started his writing career in horror, and his short horror fiction has been published in numerous UK- an US-based anthologies such as Midnight Movie Creature, Selfies from the End of the World, Cold Iron and many more.
His novella, The Black Land, a horror story set on the Northumberland coast, was published in 2013. Matt was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival in 2015. His debut thriller, Six Stories, was a bestseller in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, and a WH Smith Fresh Talent pick, and TV rights were sold to a major Hollywood studio. A prequel, Hydra, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller, Changeling (2019), Beast (2020) And Deity (2021) soon followed suit.
Follow @ConcreteKraken on Twitter, for more on Matt click here: linktr.ee/MattJW
In 1995, the picture-perfect village of Ussalthwaite was the site of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, in a case that shocked the world.
Twelve-year-old Sidney Parsons was savagely murdered by two boys his own age. No reason was ever given for this terrible crime, and the 'Demonic Duo' who killed him were imprisoned until their release in 2002, when they were given new identities and lifetime anonymity.
Elusive online journalist Scott King investigates the lead-up and aftermath of the killing, uncovering dark and fanciful stories of demonic possession, and encountering a village torn apart by this unspeakable act. And, as episodes of his Six Stories podcast begin to air, King himself becomes a target, with dreadful secrets from his own past dredged up and threats escalating to a terrifying level. It becomes clear that whatever drove those two boys to kill is still there, lurking, and the campaign of horror has just begun…
This is the sixth book in the Six Stories series, I also highly recommend the previous books they are great reads. This one has the usual moral conundrum the author tends to play with within the myths, the rumours, the folklore and the cold hard facts.
Given the raw material and factual case this was very likely based on, because a lot of it veers on the factual precipice of the tragic Bulger case and the way the public still demands their pound of flesh from the perpetrators, I can imagine the points of discussion being quite divisive.
If a child commits the unimaginable is it possible for them to create a normal life after serving their time and completing the punishment considered suitable by the judicial system? If their crime is considered evil, do the actions of one moment mean they should be hounded, harassed and persecuted till they are gone too? Clearly many people think so, but this book looks at the crime and perpetrator from a different angle – the result is an intriguing read.
This is the kind of premise that has endless opportunities going forward, that includes any visual on-screen representation. The modern element will appeal to a multitude of readers, and true crime as a premise is always a draw.
The author doesn't rest on the laurels of his trail of success, he is always looking for a way to keep the premise fresh and readers engaged. Going beyond the boundaries of the crime by introducing the limitations of his main character or in this case the implications of a failing judicial system and how the world in general reacts to crime, punishment and justice.
Buy Demon at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Orenda Books pub date 26 Nov. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Orenda Books.
Posted in Blogtour, Crime, Orenda Books, Psychological Thriller, Random Things Tours
Tagged Blogtour, crime, Demon, Matt Wesolowski, Orenda Books, Psychological Thriller, Random Things Tour, Six Stories #6
#Review Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell
Autopsy is book 25 in the Kay Scarpetta series written by Patricia Cornwell, yet another great read by Cornwell.
Patricia Cornwell is recognized as one of the world's top bestselling crime authors with novels translated into thirty-six languages in more than 120 countries. Her novels have won numerous prestigious awards including the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, Macavity, and the French Prix du Roman d'Aventure prize.
Beyond the Scarpetta series, Patricia has written a definitive book about Jack the Ripper and a biography and has created two more fiction series among others. Cornwell, a licensed helicopter pilot and scuba diver, actively researches the cutting-edge forensic technologies that inform her work. She was born in Miami, grew up in Montreat, NC, and now lives and works in Boston.
Follow @1pcornwell on Twitter, Visit patriciacornwell.com
Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has returned to Virginia as the chief medical examiner. Finding herself the new girl in town once again after being away for many years, she's inherited an overbearing secretary and a legacy of neglect and possible corruption.
She and her husband Benton Wesley, now a forensic psychologist with the U.S. Secret Service, have relocated to Old Town Alexandria where she's headquartered five miles from the Pentagon in a post-pandemic world that's been torn by civil and political unrest. Just weeks on the job, she's called to a scene by railroad tracks where a woman's body has been shockingly displayed, her throat cut down to the spine, and as Scarpetta begins to follow the trail, it leads unnervingly close to her own historic neighborhood.
At the same time, a catastrophe occurs in a top secret private laboratory in outer space, and at least two scientists aboard are found dead. Appointed to the highly classified Doomsday Commission that specializes in sensitive national security cases, Scarpetta is summoned to the White House Situation Room and tasked with finding out what happened. But even as she works the first crime scene in space remotely, an apparent serial killer strikes again. And this time, Scarpetta could be in greater danger than ever before.
It wasn't until I read which number this is in the Scarpetta series that I realised just how long I have been reading books by this particular author. I must have missed a few because I was a wee bit surprised by the Marino and Kay's sister coupling. I know his almost obsessive need to protect and to be in Kay's orbit is a main driver, but her sister can be such ego driven being. Surely that counts as dysfunctional.
Is the obsessive close friendship only viewed as a positive, because Kay is unable to take a step back from it, as opposed to an outsider thinking Marino is on the precipice of something screwy in regards to his friend? Is that a book waiting to happen.
Kay has been more or less manipulated into the career move she has made recently. I think the full picture and repercussions of said move will be fodder for this and some books to come. I actually found Scarpetta's lack of response to the negative attitudes, blatant disregard for her position, was infuriating. Where was her outrage instead of just letting certain people just dance on her grave?
I'm not sure whether the last few years have anything to do with it, but it certainly seemed as if there was a lot going on in this book, perhaps to the detriment of the book. The serial killer plot, the White House situation, her professional status and the way her niece is dealing with a personal loss. Many sub-plots pulling in a lot of different directions, then again some of it felt a little like a build-up to a bigger plot.
It's certainly a gripping read, albeit it one that bounces from one goal post to the other. I am hoping in the next book Kay comes back willing to fight with a bit more vigor.
Buy Autopsy at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : HarperCollins pub date 25 Nov. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Harper Collins Uk.
Posted in Crime, Harper Collins UK, Review
Tagged Autopsy, crime, Harper Collins UK, Kay Scarpetta #25, Patricia Cornwell, Review
December 16, 2021 by mmcheryl
#BlogTour The Cumbria and Lake District Coast by Kevin Sene
It's my turn on the BlogTour The Cumbria and Lake District Coast by Kevin Sene.
Kevin Sene is a scientist and writer on water and climate themes. The idea for this guide arose from many enjoyable walks and cycle rides along the Cumbrian coast when living in Kendal and Carlisle and an interest in its history and wildlife. He has also written a book on tidal bores and a travel guide to the Mersey Estuary describing places to visit around its Liverpool, Wirral and Cheshire shores. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and has worked extensively in Europe, Africa and Asia. Follow @meteowriternews on Twitter, Visit meteowriter.com
The coastline of Cumbria stretches for almost two hundred miles from Morecambe Bay to the Solway Firth and passes through the beautiful Lake District National Park. The Cumbria and Lake District Coast provides suggestions for places to visit along the coast, including picturesque harbours, stately homes, museums and seaside resorts. Readers will also discover less well-known sights such as medieval buildings, lighthouses and stone circles. The Lancashire shores of Morecambe Bay and the Scottish shores of the Solway Firth are included too.
For those interested in the history of the coast, there is an introduction to the role of coastal trade through the centuries. Topics include the Roman coastal defences that once extended to Maryport beyond Hadrian's Wall, how mining contributed to the growth of ports such as Barrow, Millom and Workington, and the canals that linked ports at Lancaster, Ulverston and Carlisle to the shore.
For wildlife enthusiasts, the book highlights the many nature reserves that dot the shoreline and the varied habitats that are found, such as sand dunes, lowland raised mires and spectacular sea cliffs. There are also tips on watching waterbirds, for which Morecambe Bay and the Solway Firth are famed, and on where to see seals and tidal bores such as the Arnside Bore.
With stunning colour photographs, The Cumbria and Lake District Coast is a must-read for travellers and local residents alike. It will also be of interest to walkers along the England Coast Path, a fabulous new long-distance trail which is due to be completed shortly.
I think books like this have taken a bit of a hit in the last few decades, especially in the era of the internet. Nowadays if you want information or an image of an area or place you would like to visit, you can just use a search engine. Instant results. I can remember using a popular brand name guide book in the late 80s in New York. It's a completely different experience to hold a book like this in your hands and experience Cumbria and the Lake District.
I also thinks it is the cherry on top of the sundae that the images in the book have been taken by the author himself. The result is authenticity instead of high gloss airbrushed magazine quality. It's the person aligned with time, place and nature, which will resonate with readers who like to discover new places and indeed rediscover the area they live in.
It's fairly easy to forget the natural beauty and historical relevance of our surroundings. The majority of us don't take enough time to appreciate the small things in life. This book gives readers, walkers, explorers and historians the chance to do just that. It's a detailed, riveting homage to Cumbria and the Lake District. I can only there will be many more.
Buy The Cumbria and Lake District Coast by Kevin Sene at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Matador – Troubador Publishing. Buy at Amazon com.
Posted in Blogtour, Matador Books, Non-Fiction, Random Things Tours
Tagged Blogtour, Kevin Sene, Matador Books, Non-Fiction, Random Things Tour, Troubador Publishing
#BlogTour Fall by West Camel
It's my turn on the Blogtour Fall by West Camel.
Born and bred in south London – and not the Somerset village with which he shares a name – West Camel worked as an editor in higher education and business before turning his attention to the arts and publishing. He has worked as a book and arts journalist, and was editor at Dalkey Archive Press, where he edited the Best European Fiction 2015 anthology, before moving to new press Orenda Books just after its launch. He currently combines his work as editorial director at Orenda with editing The Riveter magazine and #RivetingReviews for the European Literature Network.
He has also written several short scripts, which have been produced in London's fringe theatres, and was longlisted for the Old Vic's 12 playwright project. His debut novel, Attend was published in 2018, and was shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize and longlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award. His second novel, Fall will be published in December 2021. Follow @west_camel on Twitter, Visit westcamel.net
Twins Aaron and Clive have been estranged for forty years. Aaron still lives in the empty, crumbling tower block on the riverside in Deptford where they grew up. Clive is a successful property developer, determined to turn the tower into luxury flats.
But Aaron is blocking the plan and their petty squabble becomes something much greater when two ghosts from the past – twins Annette and Christine – appear in the tower. At once, the desolate estate becomes a stage on which the events of one scorching summer are relived – a summer that changed their lives forever.
Evocative, thought-provoking and exquisitely written, Fall is an unforgettable story of friendship and family – of perception, fear and prejudice, the events that punctuate our journeys into adulthood, and the indelible scars they leave…
Aaron is, as far as he is aware, the last man standing in a building complex set for refurbishment and demolishment. He is determined to fight to preserve the family legacy, and equally determined to fight his brother Clive. The only thing they can agree on is what a blast from the past could mean for both o them when old friends start to stir up long forgotten trouble and trauma.
I think this author in particular has told a story – the actual core of the premise – that tends to be dismissed, perhaps because systemic racism is part of our colonial roots and the fabric of societal structures. It has been a part of the way we act and interact for so long that it is the norm.
Camel notes the nuances of racism in a variety of ways. From the stereotypical assumptions about the presence in a predominantly white neighbourhood, to the questioning of ownership as opposed to being renters. Most importantly how easy it is and was to point the finger, and in doing so use the systemic abuse and stereotypes to create a story no one questions. Why don't they question? Yeh the answer is part of a bigger problem in a society that lives to the tune of the ghost of a colonial mother ship. Elitism, privilege and whiteness reign supreme, which leaves an abundance of racially profiled victims in its wake.
Although this is a completely different direction from Attend, which is also worth reading by the way, the author always cements his stories in the depths of human interactions and emotions. I think it's a fascinating social commentary with vivid parallels being drawn throughout with the architecture and surroundings to the characters themselves.
Buy Fall at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. At Orenda Books.
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We are trying to create a multi-functional body biodynamic agricultural with production , educational, recreational , artistic and treatment activities for human and environment welfare.
In our farm from the beginning was put into practice biodynamic agriculture , following the principles that come from afar , but applied in a simple and criticism way. Cultivate the land without the use of chemicals is a lot but it is no longer enough we need a new way of looking at the earth , plants and animals: the principle of care.
From this energy come three new biodynamic wines , a Albana, and two Barbera , which belong to our valleys and that were restored after they were grown and processed by our grandparents.


This polyester bag is perfect for small grain additions or for hopping beer. It is a tube of fabric that is approximately 15cm wide and 75cm long. Both ends are open for easy cleaning and can simply be tied closed while being used. Perfect for grain or hops (suitable for use up to 110 degrees C).


text:
After 40 years, Three Mile Island meltdown looms large
Pets of the Week 1/19/2020
Find a pet who needs a new home at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter. (read more)
75 Years Ago - With more snow in forecast, region still cleaning up from last storm
As work crews throughout the region were still cleaning up from a Jan. 16 snowstorm, the U.S. Weather Office in Scranton was predicting more snow for Jan. 20. (read more)
Then and Now 1/19/2020
Lackawanna and South Valley avenues, Olyphant Photo and research courtesy of Lackawanna Historical Society Circa 1905: Michael Mahon opened the Hotel Mahon to serve residents and visitors in Olyphant in the early 1890s. (read more)
As Scranton schools test for lead in water, state investigators visit district
As the Scranton School District tests for lead in drinking water, state investigators visited multiple schools Friday. (read more)
Area braces for first storm of 2020
Our first winter storm of 2020 could be something like our first winter storm of 2019 — not overly impressive. (read more)
Development plans unknown for South Abington Twp. properties
A month after demolishing an iconic South Abington Twp. building, a local developer said he does not yet have plans for what to do with the Northern Boulevard property. (read more)
Carbondale man crashes car after high-speed chase, claims he's Batman
High on methamphetamine and convinced he was Batman, Gerald Corrigan raced up the McDade Expressway on Thursday morning in a high-speed chase that ended with a violent crash, state police charged. (read more)
Longtime Scranton police lieutenant retires
After roughly four decades of service with the Scranton Police Department, Lt. Martin Crofton is off duty. (read more)
Associated Press / Published: March 28, 2019
MIDDLETOWN — When reporter Michele LeFever Quinn was sent to cover a partial meltdown at Three Mile Island's Unit 2 reactor for WKBO radio, she thought it was minor and contained.
It wasn't until Friday, March 30, 1979 — two days after the partial meltdown that later sent radioactive steam skyward — that she realized its magnitude.
At about 4 a.m. Wednesday, March 28, 1979, a slew of equipment malfunctions at the nuclear power plant offered faulty readings. Control room operators responded with a series of actions that made the situation worse by uncovering the core, which then overheated.
READ MORE: Local coverage of Three Mile Island from 40 years ago
"I'm watching as the newsmen are getting their families out of the area. I'll never forget that feeling I felt from the state Capitol," where she reported from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. that Friday, Quinn said.
Quinn still has her notebook from that day, where she wrote, "This is like the nightmarish plot of a movie I wish would end."
It's been 40 years since the most high-profile nuclear disaster in U.S. history, but its effects on nearby communities and the nuclear industry remain significant. TMI's partial meltdown touched on Cold War-era fears and changed the face of nuclear energy and modern emergency preparation.
No plan: Kevin Molloy was the Dauphin County civil defense/communications director on the day of the accident. Emergency management and preparation just wasn't a priority back then, he said.
"Selling emergency management ... was like trying to sell life insurance or used cars," Molloy said. "Nobody wanted to be bothered with it."
The focus was mostly on civil defense from outside attacks, he said, and since there was no financial support or enforcement, there was little incentive for local municipalities to create emergency plans.
The "exclusion zone" where people would have to evacuate in the event of an emergency at TMI was 2½ miles, but in the days following the accident, Molloy found himself planning for evacuations within a radius of 5, 10 and 20 miles.
About 680,100 people lived within the 20-mile evacuation zone, which encompassed parts of York, Dauphin, Cumberland, Lancaster, Lebanon and Perry counties. About 235,665 people were affected in York County alone.
In Dauphin County, there were 42 local government subdivisions, seven school districts, four major hospitals, more than 20 nursing homes, a juvenile detention center and prison, a chemical plant, farms and an international airport within the zone.
"It got so detailed so quickly," Molloy said, noting that on an hourly basis, he would know how many patients were in a local hospital, what type of patient they were and where in the state they could get a hospital bed or an ambulance.
"The China Syndrome," a movie depicting a nuclear meltdown in California, was released 12 days earlier.
That bit of Cold War-era fiction was a little too close to home for some, as it mentioned "an area the size of Pa. would be rendered permanently uninhabitable," said former York City resident Craig Spector, who was 21 at the time.
"I about fell out of my chair," he said.
A safe energy: Nuclear plants were considered safe, Molloy said, with opposition mostly coming from anti-nuclear groups such as Three Mile Island Alert, which was created two years before the accident and fought against the opening of Unit 2 and reopening of Unit 1.
Years later, some say there was a reason to worry. They point to studies from physicians such as Penn State's Dr. David Goldenburg, who made a connection between latent cancers and released radiation.
But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission points to studies by the Environmental Protection Agency and independent researchers that concluded the average radiation exposure increase beyond the background dose after the accident was less than a chest X-ray.
"It all depends on what study you look at," Molloy said.
More than 100 people have reported ill health effects later in life, which many attribute to their proximity to the accident, on the Three Mile Island Survivors private Facebook group.
Jill Murphy Long, a York County native who is producing a documentary on health problems related to the accident, compiled a map of 162 people who say they were affected near TMI.
"I remember the foul taste," said one of the page's moderators, Christine Laymen, who said she was walking in Rocky Ridge County Park with her 4-year-old daughter at the time.
Long believes TMI's radiation moved far beyond the 5-mile evacuation zone suggested for pregnant women and preschool-aged children, adding that you "can't just draw a concentric circle around radiation and say, 'stay right there.'"
Jim Dupes, 64, who lives in Highspire, Dauphin County, a few miles from Middletown, was the son of a TMI employee. He remembers his father telling him about helicopters measuring radioactivity and that there were no readings until 1,000 feet, before becoming concentrated at 1,500 feet and then dropping off.
Bad info: Misinformation after the accident was rampant, and Molloy said one of the worst examples was a press conference in which a federal official warned that a hydrogen bubble in the reactor might explode, killing an estimated 50,000 people.
He remembers calling the White House in response, saying, "What are you idiots doing down there?" An adviser called him back and said everyone had been told not to make any more public statements, he said.
Spector said he heard a radio commentator saying, "Now is not the time to ask questions, now is the time to obey orders," and remembers thinking, "They'll kill us before they'll tell us the truth."
Several said communication improved once Harold Denton of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission began sharing information, and the first-ever Rumor Control Center was created March 31, 1979, to field community concerns.
More than 250 calls came in within the first eight hours, Molloy said, with questions such as "Is the milk in our area contaminated?" or "Is radioactivity contagious?"
Gene Eisman, 75, was on Gov. Dick Thornburgh's staff and fed observations to the recently created Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"The most important thing (I relayed) was how freaked out people were," he said. "It was chaos."
Panic: Dupes said the day of the accident was hectic at the start because the warning system comprised vehicles driving around with a megaphone advising residents to stay indoors and close their windows.
Everyone was in line at the gas stations, he said, and he had to drive a half hour to find one.
More than 140,000 people evacuated, according to The York Dispatch in 2001, though only 5,000 pregnant women and preschool children had been told to do so.
Plugged into the anti-nuclear movement at the time, Spector remembers it hit him when he tried to organize a protest in Washington, D.C., but no one showed up in York City to make the trip.
"It was like a ghost town ... (I was) practically the only car on Market Street," Spector said.
But many said perception of the accident was much worse in outside communities.
The news relayed the panic, Molloy said, but dispatch records showed there were actually fewer vehicle accidents that week than typically. "Not like people were running in circles and freaking out," he said.
Still, the fear had rippling effects on the local community.
"The economic impact was unreal," Molloy said. Milk from local dairy farmers was dumped, conventions were canceled. The total economic impact had to be in the millions, he said.
A new nuclear: Since the accident, much in nuclear energy has changed.
Exelon Generation — which owns TMI-1 — has made a number of changes to ensure that the mistakes from 1979 didn't happen again. Regulatory oversight of the industry increased considerably after the event.
"The accident that happened in 1979 had a resounding impact on the industry, that's for sure," said David Fein, Exelon's senior vice president of state governmental and regulatory affairs.
"We have all these third-party organizations now ensuring that our culture is the safest and most reliable out there," and Exelon leads the benchmark for safety, said TMI-1 spokesman Dave Marcheskie.
But for some opponents, it's not enough.
Eric Epstein, of nuclear watchdog group Three Mile Island Alert, remains skeptical of federal watchdogs because regulators work in close proximity to industry executives.
He points to numerous problems with aging technology from the 1960s and warns that the Price-Anderson Act protects the U.S. nuclear industry with $12 billion in liability insurance to compensate the public in the event of an accident.
Numerous updates in safety and security have been mandated in the nuclear industry since the accident — especially to address the vulnerability of outside attacks following 9/11 and to improve building fortification after the Fukushima, Japan, accident in 2011.
TMI-1's 8-foot thick concrete walls can resist a jumbo jet, tornadoes, projectiles and missiles, officials said.
But despite more serious global nuclear accidents such as Fukushima and the Chernobyl, Ukraine, explosion in 1986, some say fears of similar occurrences in the U.S. are unfounded.
Chernobyl had a graphite block reactor that had no containment building, said Molloy.
"We're talking apples to oranges," he said.
Molloy also said there were a lot of positives that came out of the TMI accident, such as the advent of modern emergency planning and monitors in school districts that help with information sharing.
"This was, if you will, probably the first major disaster at the time that required emergency planning and got the publicity that it did," he said.
Evolving views: Previous generations protested nuclear plants, but Fein said he's seeing a lot of young people now that support nuclear power because of its environmental benefits.
There are a number of Facebook groups in support of nuclear, including Mothers for Nuclear, Time to Go Nuclear and Generation Atomic.
In Middletown, which is about 3 miles from the plant, residents have mixed opinions.
"People are really uneducated in terms of nuclear power," said Brian Lewis, who runs the Nuclear Bean coffee shop. He's confident in the safety of the plant.
Bob Shoenfelt, 40, says he's sure there will be things people find out about the plant years from now.
"I don't see any three-headed fish," he said, but added that it's scary to live so close. "It's like having the White House in your backyard."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


@mary57 Could you send me on your full name, number, address and date of birth in a PM and I'll check this out for you?
@Bwat If you send me a PM with your full name, number, address and date of birth I'll check this out for you?
@Bwat Just wondering did your atrocious signal issue get sorted? You are not alone in that, people all over Ireland are complaining of the same thing and the staff at 3 always say the same thing...there's nothing wrong...when clearly there is or so many customers all over the country would have no reason to complain.
Did they help you at all or are you still having the same ridiculous problem?
I'm just wondering if I should change network or hold on in the hopes that Three will pull their fingers out of their backsides.


text:
Kabók Lajos, néhol Kabok (Szeged, 1884. szeptember 29. – Budapest, 1945. január 11.) géplakatos, szociáldemokrata politikus, országgyűlési képviselő, szakszervezeti vezető.

Élete
Kabók Ignác és Rózsa Anna gyermeke. Géplakatosként dolgozott, 1906-ban csatlakozott a vasmunkás-mozgalomhoz. 1910. október 23-án Budapesten, a Ferencvárosban házasságot kötött Iványi Rozáliával, Iványi Mihály és Jó Katalin gyermekével. 1918-tól a Vas- és Fémmunkások Központi Szövetségének budapesti titkára volt. A Tanácsköztársaság idején a jobboldali szakszervezeti vezetők közé tartozott. Később az Szociáldemokrata Párt vezetőségi tagjaként bekerült az országgyűlésbe. 1922-ben a tatabányai kerületben kapott mandátumot, 1926-ban és 1931-ben a budapesti déli kerület képviselője. Bár 1935-ben nem nyert mandátumot, 1939-ben negyedszer is megválasztották. 1945 január elején a nyilasok elhurcolták és meggyilkolták.

Jegyzetek

Források

 Holokauszt Emlékközpont
 Kabók Lajos. Petőfi Irodalmi Múzeum (Hozzáférés: 2015. október 9.)

További információk
 Kabók Lajos magyar postabélyegen
 Gulyás Pál: Magyar írók élete és munkái. Bp., Magyar Könyvtárosok és Levéltárosok Egyesülete, 1939-2002. 7. kötettől sajtó alá rend. Viczián János.
 Keresztény magyar közéleti almanach I-II. [3. köt. Erdély. 4. köt. Délvidék.]. Fel. szerk. és kiadó Hortobágyi Jenő. Bp., 1940.
 Magyar politikai lexikon. Szerk. T. Boros László. (Bp., 1929)
 Révai Új Lexikona. Főszerk. Kollega Tarsoly István. Szekszárd, Babits, 1996-.
 Új magyar életrajzi lexikon. Főszerk. Markó László. Bp., Magyar Könyvklub
 K. L. utolsó napjai (Népszava, 1945. júl. 20.).

Országgyűlési képviselők (1922–1926)
Országgyűlési képviselők (1926–1931)
Országgyűlési képviselők (1931–1935)
Országgyűlési képviselők (1939–1944)
Meggyilkolt magyar politikusok
1884-ben született személyek
1945-ben elhunyt személyek
SZDP-tagok
Szegediek

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
rsync es una aplicación libre para sistemas de tipo Unix y Microsoft Windows que ofrece transmisión eficiente de datos incrementales, que opera también con datos comprimidos y cifrados. Mediante una técnica de delta encoding, permite sincronizar archivos y directorios entre dos máquinas de una red o entre dos ubicaciones en una misma máquina, minimizando el volumen de datos transferidos. Una característica importante de rsync no encontrada en la mayoría de programas o protocolos es que la copia toma lugar con sólo una transmisión en cada dirección. rsync puede copiar o mostrar directorios contenidos y copia de archivos, opcionalmente usando compresión y recursión.

Actuando como un daemon de servidor, rsync escucha por defecto el puerto TCP 873, sirviendo archivos en el protocolo nativo rsync o vía un terminal remoto como RSH o SSH. En el último caso, el ejecutable del cliente rsync debe ser instalado en el host local y remoto.

rsync se distribuye bajo la licencia GNU General Public License.

Historia
Los autores originales son Andrew Tridgell y Paul Mackerras. Tridgell usó rsync como el tema de su tesis para su grado de PhD en la Australian National University.

rsync fue anunciado por primera vez el 19 de junio de 1996.

Rsync 3.0 fue lanzado el 1 de marzo de 2008.

Algoritmo
El algoritmo en que se basa rsync fue creado por el programador australiano Andrew Tridgell, permite transmitir eficientemente una estructura (como un archivo) a través de un canal de comunicación cuando el receptor ya tiene una versión diferente de la misma estructura. Su funcionamiento a grandes rasgos es el siguiente:
 El receptor divide su copia del archivo en bloques de tamaño fijo S, no solapados, y calcula dos sumas de verificación (checksum) para cada bloque: el hash MD4, y un 'rolling checksum' más débil. Luego envía estos checksums al emisor. La versión 30 del protocolo (lanzado con rsync versión 3.0.0) ahora utiliza MD5 en lugar de MD4.
 El emisor calcula el rolling checksum para cada posible bloque de tamaño S, solapando bloques. Esto se puede hacer eficientemente gracias a una propiedad del rolling checksum: si el rolling checksum de los bytes n a n+S-1 es R, se puede calcular el checksum de los bytes n+1 a n+S a partir del byte n, el byte n+S y R, sin tener que examinar los bytes intermedios. Entonces, si ya se ha calculado el rolling checksum de los bytes 1 a 25, se puede calcular el rolling checksum de los bytes 2 a 26 de manera separada a partir del checksum anterior, y de los bytes 1 y 26.
 El rolling checksum usado en rsync está basado en el checksum adler-32, de Mark Adler, que es utilizado en zlib y que está basado a su vez en el checksum de Fletcher.
 El emisor compara entonces sus rolling checksums con los enviados por el receptor para determinar si existen coincidencias. Cuando las encuentra, verifica calculando el checksum MD4 para el bloque propio coincidente y comparando con el del bloque del receptor.
 Finalizado el proceso el emisor envía únicamente los bloques para los cuales no se encontró ninguna coincidencia, junto con instrucciones para su ensamblado en la versión del receptor. En la práctica, esto crea un archivo idéntico a la copia del emisor. Sin embargo, es en principio posible que la copia del receptor sea distinta en este punto del emisor: esto puede pasar cuando los dos archivos tienen pedazos diferentes con el mismo hash y rolling checksum. Cabe destacar que las posibilidades de que esto suceda son en la práctica extremadamente remotas. Si las versiones del archivo del emisor y receptor tienen muchas secciones en común, la utilidad necesita transmitir pocos datos para sincronizar los archivos.

Características y aplicaciones
Mientras que el algoritmo rsync forma parte del núcleo de la aplicación rsync y esencialmente optimiza las transferencias entre dos computadoras sobre TCP/IP, la aplicación rsync provee otras funciones que asisten en la transferencia. Estas incluyen compresión y descompresión de los datos bloque por bloque, utilizando zlib al enviar y recibir, y soporte para protocolos de cifrado, tal como SSH, lo que permite transmisión cifrada y eficientemente diferenciada de datos comprimidos usando el algoritmo rsync.

Adicionalmente puede utilizarse una aplicación de tunneling también para crear un túnel cifrado que asegure los datos transmitidos.

Además de archivos, el algoritmo permite copiar directorios, aún recursivamente, así como vínculos, dispositivos, grupos y permisos. No requiere por defecto privilegios de root para su uso.

rsync fue escrito como un reemplazo de rcp y SCP. Una de las primeras aplicaciones de rsync fue la creación de un espejo (mirroring) o copia de respaldo de múltiples clientes Unix dentro de un servidor Unix central, usando rsync/ssh y cuentas estándares de Unix. Habitualmente se ejecuta mediante herramientas de scheduling como cron, para automatizar procesos de sincronización entre múltiples computadoras host y servidores centrales.

Uso de la aplicación Rsync
La invocación más simple de la aplicación a través de línea de órdenes tiene la siguiente forma:

  rsync [OPCIONES]... ORIGEN [ORIGEN]... DESTINO

La simplicidad de la aplicación se puede ver en el siguiente ejemplo (se utilizan opciones largas para facilitar su explicación, pero también se pueden utilizar opciones abreviadas):

  rsync --verbose --compress --rsh=/usr/local/bin/ssh --recursive \
  --times --perms --links --delete --exclude "*bak" --exclude "*~" \
  /www/* webserver:/www

Esta orden ejecuta rsync en modo verboso (muestra mensajes de estado por la salida estándar), con compresión, a través de ssh, en forma recursiva para los subdirectorios, preservando fechas y permisos del archivo origen, incluyendo vínculos, borrando archivos que fueron borrados en el directorio origen, excluyendo backups y archivos temporales (*bak, *~); el origen es el contenido del directorio /www y el destino el directorio /www en el host webserver.

Adicionalmente es necesario configurar uno de los puntos hosts como servidor rsync, ejecutando rsync en modo daemon:

  rsync --daemon

y configurando el archivo /etc/rsyncd.conf.

Una vez configurado un servidor, cualquier máquina con rsync instalado puede sincronizar archivos hacia o desde éste.

Para sincronizar dos carpetas usando las opciones abreviadas:

  rsync -au --delete

En el siguiente ejemplo se sincronizan dos carpetas usando las opciones abreviadas, y la información es enviada a un archivo cuyo nombre es la fecha y hora de la sincronización. Los archivos existentes en la carpeta destino que no existen en la carpeta origen, son borrados al finalizar la transferencia de datos:

  rsync -auv --delete-after /carpetaorigen /carpetadestino>`date +"%d-%b-%Y-%H:%M"`.log

Variantes
Existen otras utilidades basadas en el algoritmo de rsync.

 rdiff, que genera archivos delta con la diferencia entre dos archivos, que puede ser aplicada a uno para convertirlo en el otro en cualquier momento.
 rdiff-backup, que utiliza rdiff para mantener espejos de backup de un directorio a través de una red. Rdiff-backup almacena delta rdiff incrementales, lo que permite recrear el directorio en cualquier punto de backup.

Existen además versiones para otros sistemas operativos, como rsyncX, una versión para Mac OS X que permite transferir forks de recursos, y que en su versión rsyncXCD permite además crear particiones booteables.

Incluso es posible utilizar rsync en Microsoft Windows, a través de Cygwin.

Instalación

rsync debe instalarse en la máquina tanto de origen como de destino.

Interfaces gráficas
 Grsync — Front-end GTK.

 gutback — Wrapper de rsync escrito en Shell.

 JotaSync — Interfaz Java Swing para rsync con planificador integrado.

 luckyBackup — Front-end Qt escrito en C++.

Otras herramientas que usan rsync son rdiff-backup y osync

Como alternativa de cp/mv

rsync se puede usar como una alternativa avanzada para la orden cp o mv, especialmente para copiar archivos más grandes:

 $ rsync -P source destination

La opción -P es la misma que Ic|--partial --progress, que mantiene los archivos parcialmente transferidos y muestra una barra de progreso de la transferencia.

Es posible que desee utilizar la opción -r/--recursive para recoger recursivamente el contenido de los directorios.

Los archivos se pueden copiar localmente como con cp, pero el propósito motivador de rsync es copiar archivos de forma remota, es decir, entre dos servidores diferentes. Las ubicaciones remotas se pueden especificar con una sintaxis de dos puntos entre servidores:

 $ rsync source host:destination

o

 $ rsync host:source destination

Las transferencias de archivos en red utilizan el protocolo SSH de forma predeterminada y host puede ser un nombre de equipo real o un perfil/alias predefinido desde .ssh/config.

Ya sea que transfiera archivos de forma local o remota, rsync primero crea una lista de archivos que contiene información (de manera predeterminada, el tamaño del archivo y la última marca de tiempo de modificación) que luego se utilizará para determinar si el archivo necesita ser construido. Para cada archivo que se construirá, se encuentra una suma de comprobación débil y fuerte para todos los bloques, de modo que cada bloque tenga una longitud de S bytes, que no se superponga y que tenga un desplazamiento que sea divisible por S. Con esta información, se puede construir un archivo grande usando rsync sin tener que transferir todo el archivo. Para obtener una explicación práctica y matemática detallada, remítase a how rsync works y the rsync algorithm, respectivamente.

Para pasar a rsync valores predeterminados rápidamente, se pueden usar algunos alias:

 function cpr() {
  rsync --archive -hh --partial --info=stats1 --info=progress2 --modify-window=1 "$@"
 }

 function mvr() {
  rsync --archive -hh --partial --info=stats1 --info=progress2 --modify-window=1 --remove-source-files "$@"
 }

El uso del término checksum («suma de verificación») no es asimilable al comportamiento de la opción --checksum. La opción --checksum afecta a la heurística del archivo utilizada antes de transferir cualquier archivo. Independientemente de la opción ic|--checksum, siempre se usa una «suma de verificación» (checksum) para la construcción de archivos basada en bloques, que es como rynsc transfiere un archivo.

Lidiar con la barra diagonal

Arch por defecto usa «cp» de GNU. Sin embargo, rsync sigue la convención de BSD para «cp», que da un tratamiento especial a los directorios de origen con una bara diagonal «/». A pesar de que:

 $ rsync -r source destination

crea un directorio «destination/source» con el contenido de «source»;

y la orden:

 $ rsync -r source/ destination

copia todos los archivos presentes en «source/» directamente a «destination», sin subdirectorio intermedio, como si lo hubiera invocado así:

 $ rsync -r source/. destination

Este comportamiento es diferente al de GNU para cp, que trata «source» y «source/» de forma idéntica (pero no «source/.»). Además, algunos intérpretes de órdenes añaden automáticamente la barra inclinada final cuando se completan los nombres de directorios con el tabulador. Debido a estos factores, puede haber cierta tendencia entre los usuarios de rsync nuevos u ocasionales a olvidarse del comportamiento diferente de rsync, y sin darse cuenta provoquen un desastre o incluso sobrescribir archivos importantes al dejar la barra diagonal en la línea de órdenes.

Por lo tanto, puede ser prudente usar un script para eliminar automáticamente las barras diagonales finales antes de invocar rsync:

 #!/bin/zsh
 new_args=();
 for i in "$@"; do
     case $i in /) i=/;; */) i=${i%/};; esac
     new_args+=$i;
 done
 exec rsync "${(@)new_args}"

Este script se puede colocar en algún lugar de la ruta y crear un alias a rsync en el archivo de inicio de shell.

Como herramienta para realizar copias de seguridad

El protocolo rsync puede usarse fácilmente para realizar copias de seguridad, transfiriendo solo los archivos que han cambiado desde la última copia de seguridad. Esta sección describe un script para realizar copias de seguridad programada muy simple que utiliza rsync, el cual generalmente se utiliza para realizar copias a medios extraíbles.

Realizar copia de seguridad automatizada

A modo de ejemplo, el script se creará en el directorio /etc/cron.daily, y se ejecutará diariamente si un demonio cron está instalado y configurado correctamente.

Primero, cree un script que contenga las opciones de órdenes apropiadas:

 /etc/cron.daily/backup

 #!/bin/bash
 rsync -a --delete --quiet /folder/to/backup /location/of/backup

 -a : indica que los archivos deben archivarse, lo que significa que la mayoría de sus características se conservan (no así las ACL, enlaces duros o atributos extendidos como capacidades)

 --delete : significa que los archivos eliminados en origen también serán eliminados en la copia de seguridad

Aquí, /folder/to/backup debe cambiarse por aquello que quiere respaldar (/home, por ejemplo) y /location/of/backup es donde se quiere guardar la copia de seguridad (/media/disk, pongamos por caso).

Por último, el script debe hacerse ejecutable:

 # chmod +x /etc/cron.daily/backup

Realizar copia de seguridad automatizada con SSH

Si realiza una copia de seguridad en un servidor remoto utilizando SSH, utilice este script en su lugar:

/etc/cron.daily/backup

 #!/bin/bash
 rsync -a --delete --quiet -e ssh /folder/to/backup remoteuser@remotehost:/location/of/backup

 -e ssh : le dice a rsync que use SSH
 remoteuser : es el usuario en el servidor remotehost
 -a : agrupa todas estas opciones de -rlptgoD (recursivo, enlaces, permisos, tiempos, grupo, propietario, dispositivos)

Rsync intentará modificar cualquier archivo respaldado previamente en la máquina de destino para que coincida con su estado actual en la máquina de origen, con cada copia de seguridad incremental. Esto significa que al hacer una copia de seguridad de los archivos que son propiedad de root mediante SSH (y al preservar los permisos y las propiedades como con la opción -a), se necesita acceso de root a la máquina de destino. La forma preferida de lograr esto para la automatización es configurar el demonio SSH para permitir que root inicie sesión utilizando una clave pública sin contraseña y ejecutar la orden rsync como root.

Realizar copia de seguridad automatizada con NetworkManager

Este script inicia una copia de seguridad cuando se establece la conexión de red.

Primero, cree un script que contenga las opciones de órdenes apropiadas:

 /etc/NetworkManager/dispatcher.d/backup

 #!/bin/bash

 if [ x"$2" = "xup" ] ; then
        rsync --force --ignore-errors -a --delete --bwlimit=2000 --files-from=files.rsync /folder/to/backup /  location/to/backup
 fi

 -a : agrupa todas estas opciones de -rlptgoD (recursivo, enlaces, permisos, tiempos, grupo, propietario, dispositivos
 --files-from : lee la ruta relativa de /folder/to/backup desde este archivo
 --bwlimit : limita el ancho de banda de E/S; KBytes por segundo

Además, el script debe tener permiso de escritura solo para el root.

Realizar copia de seguridad automatizada con systemd e inotify

 Debido a las limitaciones de inotify y systemd, el monitoreo recursivo del sistema de archivos no es posible. Aunque puede observar un directorio y su contenido, no monitoreará recursivamente los subdirectorios ni observará su contenido; debe especificar explícitamente cada directorio a seguir, incluso si ese directorio es hijo de un directorio que está siendo monitoreado.
 Esta configuración se basa en una instancia de systemd.

En lugar de ejecutar copias de seguridad a intervalos de tiempo según se haya programado, como las implementadas en cron, es posible ejecutar una copia de seguridad cada vez que uno de los archivos de los que está realizando una copia de seguridad cambia. Las unidades systemd.path usan inotify para monitorear el sistema de archivos, y se pueden usar junto con los archivos systemd.service para iniciar cualquier proceso (en este caso su copia de seguridad con rsync) basado en un evento del sistema de archivos.

Primero, debe crearse el archivo systemd.path que monitoreará los archivos que está respaldando:

 ~/.config/systemd/user/backup.path|

 [Unit]
 Description=Comprueba si las rutas que se están copiando actualmente han cambiado

 [Path]
 PathChanged=%h/documents
 PathChanged=%h/music

 [Install]
 WantedBy=default.target

Luego cree un archivo systemd.service que se activará cuando detecte un cambio. De manera predeterminada, se activará un archivo de servicio con el mismo nombre que la unidad de ruta (en este caso, backup.path), salvo por la extensión .service en lugar de .path (en este caso backup.service).

Si se necesita ejecutar múltiples órdenes rsync, se utiliza Type=oneshot. Esto le permite especificar múltiples parámetros ExecStart=, uno para cada orden rsync, que se ejecutará. Alternativamente, puede simplemente escribir un script para realizar todas sus copias de seguridad, al igual que con los scripts de cron.

 ~/.config/systemd/user/backup.service
 [Unit]
 Description=Backs up files

 [Service]
 ExecStart=/usr/bin/rsync %h/./documents %h/./music -CERrltm --delete ubuntu:

Ahora se debe iniciar/activar backup.path como un servicio de systemd normal y comenzará a monitorear los cambios de los archivos e iniciará en consecuencia backup.service.

Realizar copia de seguridad diferencial por semana

Esta es una opción útil de rsync, que consiste en realizar una copia de seguridad completa (en cada ejecución) y mantener una copia de seguridad diferencial solo de los archivos modificados en un directorio separado para cada día de la semana.

Primero, se crea un script que contenga las opciones de órdenes apropiadas:

 /etc/cron.daily/backup
 #!/bin/bash

 DAY=$(date +%A)

 if [ -e /location/to/backup/incr/$DAY ] ; then
   rm -fr /location/to/backup/incr/$DAY
 fi

 rsync -a --delete --quiet --inplace --backup --backup-dir=/location/to/backup/incr/$DAY /folder/to/backup/ /location/to/backup/full/

 --inplace : implica la actualización  --partial de los archivos de destino en el lugar

Realizar copia de seguridad basada en instantáneas

La misma idea se puede utilizar para mantener un árbol de instantáneas de sus archivos. En otras palabras, un directorio con copias de los archivos ordenadas por fecha. Las copias se realizan mediante enlaces, lo que significa que solo los archivos que cambiaron ocuparán espacio. En términos generales, esta es la idea detrás de TimeMachine de Apple.

Este script básico es fácil de implementar y crea instantáneas incrementales rápidas utilizando la opción --link-dest para enlazar archivos sin cambios:

 /usr/local/bin/snapbackup.sh

 #!/bin/bash

 # Script básico de copia de seguridad con rsync de estilo de instantáneas
 # Config
 OPT="-aPh"
 LINK="--link-dest=/snapshots/username/last/"
 SRC="/home/username/files/"
 SNAP="/snapshots/username/"
 LAST="/snapshots/username/last"
 date=`date "+%Y-%b-%d:_%T"`

 # Ejecutar rsync para crear una instantánea
 rsync $OPT $LINK $SRC ${SNAP}$date

 # Eliminar la instantánea anterior del enlace simbólico
 rm -f $LAST

 # Crear un nuevo enlace simbólico a la última instantánea
 ln -s ${SNAP}$date $LAST

Debe existir un enlace simbólico a una copia de seguridad completa como destino para --link-dest. Si se elimina la instantánea más reciente, será necesario volver a crear el enlace simbólico para que apunte a la instantánea más reciente. Si --link-dest no encuentra un enlace simbólico que funcione, rsync procederá a copiar todos los archivos de origen en lugar de solo los cambios.

Una versión más sofisticada mantiene una copia de seguridad completa actualizada $SNAP/latest y, en caso de que un cierto número de archivos haya cambiado desde la última copia de seguridad completa, crea una instantánea $SNAP/$DATETAG de la copia de seguridad completa actual utilizando cp -al para vincular archivos sin cambios:

 /usr/local/bin/rsnapshot.sh
 #!/bin/bash

 ## mi propio procedimiento de copia de seguridad
 ## estilo instantánea basado en rsync
 ## (cc) marcio rps AT gmail.com

 # config vars

 SRC="/home/username/files/" #no olvidar la barra diagonal final
 SNAP="/snapshots/username"
 OPTS="-rltgoi --delay-updates --delete --chmod=a-w"
 MINCHANGES=20

 # ejecutar este proceso con prioridad baja

 ionice -c 3 -p $$
 renice +12  -p $$

 # sincronizar

 rsync $OPTS $SRC $SNAP/latest >> $SNAP/rsync.log

 # compruebar si ha cambiado lo suficiente y si es así
 # hacer una copia enlazada denominada por fecha

 COUNT=$( wc -l $SNAP/rsync.log|cut -d" " -f1 )
 if [ $COUNT -gt $MINCHANGES ] ; then
        DATETAG=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
        if [ ! -e $SNAP/$DATETAG ] ; then
                cp -al $SNAP/latest $SNAP/$DATETAG
                chmod u+w $SNAP/$DATETAG
                mv $SNAP/rsync.log $SNAP/$DATETAG
                chmod u-w $SNAP/$DATETAG
        fi
 fi

Realizar copia de seguridad completa del sistema

Esta sección trata sobre el uso de rsync para transferir una copia de todo el árbol /, excluyendo algunas carpetas seleccionadas. Se considera que este enfoque es mejor que clonar un disco con dd dado que ello  utilizar un tamaño diferente, una tabla de partición y un sistema de archivos, y mejor que copiar con cp -a también, porque permite un mayor control sobre los permisos de archivos, atributos, Access Control Lists y extended attributes.

rsync funcionará incluso mientras el sistema se está ejecutando, pero los archivos modificados durante la transferencia pueden o no transferirse, lo que puede causar un comportamiento inesperado de algunos programas que usan los archivos transferidos.

Este enfoque funciona bien para migrar una instalación existente a un nuevo disco duro o SSD.

La siguiente orden debe ejecutarse como root para asegurarse de que rsync pueda acceder a todos los archivos del sistema y preservar su propiedad:

 # rsync -aAXv --exclude={"/dev/*","/proc/*","/sys/*","/tmp/*","/run/*","/mnt/*","/media/*","/lost+found"} / /path/to/backup/folder

Al utilizar el conjunto de opciones -aAX, los archivos se transfieren en modo de comprimido, lo que garantiza que los enlaces simbólicos, los dispositivos, los permisos, las propiedades, los tiempos de modificación, los ACL y los atributos extendidos se conserven, suponiendo que el file system|sistema de archivos de destino dé soporte a esta función.

La opción --exclude hace que se excluyan los archivos que coinciden con los patrones dados. Se excluye el contenido de /dev, /proc, /sys, /tmp y /run en la orden anterior, porque se rellenan en el arranque, aunque las carpetas no se crean por sí mismas. /lost+found es específico del sistema de archivos. La orden anterior depende de la expansión de llaves disponible tanto en las shells bash como zsh. Cuando se utiliza un shell diferente, los patrones --exclude deben repetirse manualmente. Citar los patrones de exclusión evitará la expansión por la shell, lo cual es necesario, por ejemplo, cuando se realiza una copia de seguridad mediante SSH. Al terminar las rutas excluidas con * se garantiza que dichos directorios se creen si aún no existen.

 Si se planea hacer una copia de seguridad de su sistema en otro lugar que no sea /mnt o /media, hay que agregarlo a la lista de patrones de exclusión para evitar un bucle infinito.
 Si hay montajes de enlace en el sistema, también deben excluirse para que el contenido asociado al enlace se copie solo una vez.
 Si utiliza un swap file, también debe excluirse.
 Se debería considerar si desea hacer una copia de seguridad de la carpeta /home/. Si contiene sus datos, podría ser considerablemente más grande que el sistema. De lo contrario, considere excluir subdirectorios sin importancia como /home/*/.thumbnails/*, /home/*/.cache/mozilla/*, ic|/home/*/.cache/chromium/* y /home/*/.local/share/Trash/*, dependiendo del software instalado en el sistema. Si GVFS está instalado, /home/*/.gvfs debe excluirse para evitar errores de rsync.

Es posible que desee incluir opciones rsync adicionales, como las siguientes.

 Si se usan muchos enlaces duros (por ejemplo, si está usando Flatpak), convendría agregar la opción -H, que está desactivada por defecto debido a su gasto de memoria. Sin embargo, no debería ser un problema en la mayoría de los ordenadores modernos. Muchos enlaces duros residen en el directorio /usr/.
 Es posible que desee agregar la opción --delete de rsync si está ejecutando esto varias veces en la misma carpeta de respaldo. En este caso, asegúrese de que la ruta de origen no termine con /*, o esta opción solo tendrá efecto en los archivos dentro de los subdirectorios del directorio de origen, pero no tendrá ningún efecto en los archivos que residen directamente dentro del directorio de origen.
 Si utiliza archivos dispersos, como discos virtuales, imágenes Docker y similares, debe agregar la opción -S.
 La opción --numeric-ids desactivará la asignación de nombres de usuarios y grupos; en su lugar, se transferirán las identificaciones numéricas de grupo y de usuario. Esto es útil cuando se realiza una copia de seguridad mediante SSH o cuando se utiliza un sistema live para hacer una copia de seguridad de un disco con sistema diferente.
 Al elegir la opción --info=progress2 en lugar de -v se mostrará la información general del progreso y la velocidad de transferencia, en lugar de la lista de archivos que se están transfiriendo.

Restaurar una copia de seguridad

Para restaurar una copia de seguridad, debe usarse la misma orden de rsync que se ejecutó, pero con el origen y el destino invertidos.

Clonar el sistema de archivos

rsync proporciona una forma de hacer una copia de todos los datos en un sistema de archivos al tiempo que conserva la mayor cantidad de información posible, incluidos los metadatos del sistema de archivos. Es un procedimiento de clonación de datos en un nivel de sistema de archivos donde los sistemas de archivos de origen y de destino no necesitan ser del mismo tipo. Se puede utilizar para realizar copias de seguridad, migrar sistemas de archivos o recuperar datos.

El modo archive de rsync está cerca de ser apto para el trabajo, pero no realiza una copia de seguridad de los metadatos especiales del sistema de archivos, como listas de control de acceso, atributos extendidos o propiedades de archivos dispersos. Para una clonación exitosa a nivel del sistema de archivos, se deben proporcionar algunas opciones adicionales:

 rsync -qaHAXS DIRECTORIO_ORIGEN DIRECTORIO_DESTINO

Y su significado es (de la página de manual):

 -H, --hard-links      preserva los enlaces duros
 -A, --acls            preserva las ACL (implica -p)
 -X, --xattrs          preserva los atributos extendidos
 -S, --sparse          manejar archivos dispersos de manera eficiente

Se usa -x si existen otros sistemas de archivos montados bajo el árbol que desea excluir de la copia.
La copia producida se puede volver a leer y verificar (por ejemplo, después de un intento de recuperación de datos) a nivel del sistema de archivos con la opción recursiva de diff:

 diff -r DIRECTORIO_ORIGEN DIRECTORIO_DESTINO

Demonio rsync

rsync se puede ejecutar como demonio en un servidor que escucha el puerto 873.

Utilización del cliente, por ejemplo listar el contenido del servidor:

 $ rsync rsync://server/share

Transferir archivo del cliente al servidor:

 $ rsync local-file rsync://server/share/

Todos los datos transferidos, incluida la autenticación del usuario, no están cifrados.

Véase también

En inglés
 CVSup
 Unison
 PowerFolder
 Jigdo
 Grsync, Graphical User Interface (GUI) para rsync
 cwRsync

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Sitio web oficial de rsync (en inglés)
 Algoritmo de rsync (en inglés)
 Versión html de página man de rsync (en inglés)
 Using rsync on windows (en inglés)
 Official rdiff-backup site (en inglés)
 rsyncrypto home page (en inglés)
 QtdSync download (en inglés)

Tutoriales
 Tutorial de rsync (en inglés)
 Tutorial sencillo (en inglés)
 Backups con rsync (en castellano)

Ejemplos
 Ejemplos oficiales de rsync (en inglés)
 Un ejemplo práctico corto  (en inglés)
 Unified script for easy rsync & rdiff backup (en inglés)
 rsync – 14 ejemplos prácticos

Fuentes

Software para Unix
Software para Linux
Almacenamiento informático
Software de 1996


text:
https://www.greenwichtime.com/sports/highschool/article/Greenwich-Academy-basketball-team-aiming-to-build-12396804.php
Greenwich Academy basketball team aiming to build on successful season
By David Fierro
Updated 8:55 pm EST, Thursday, November 30, 2017
Last season was one to remember for the Greenwich Academy basketball team, which advanced to the FAA Tournament finals for the first time since 1997 and finished the year with an impressive 19-6 record.
This winter, the Gators are intent on producing more memorable moments.
With forward Kaitlyn Davis beginning her fourth season on the squad and a deep, talented backcourt returning, GA should be primed to build on one of its most successful seasons in program history.
"We are young, but we are going to be good," said Greenwich Academy coach Wes Matthews, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers' 1987 and 1988 NBA championship teams. "They had a taste of what it is like to get to the finals last season and now they are on a mission to do that again and again."
Davis, a junior 6-foot-1, high-scoring forward, who eclipsed the 1,000 career point plateau last season, can effectively play any position.
"Kaitlyn is a perfect basketball player," Matthews said. "She is a junior with a basketball IQ of a college player. She is unselfish to a fault on the court and her ability to work hard is so impressive. She's a gem."
Kaitlyn Davis (4) of Greenwich Academy scores as Millbrook's Riley Croghan, left, defends during the girls high school basketball game between Greenwich Academy and Millbrook School at Greenwich Academy, Conn., Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017. less
Kaitlyn Davis (4) of Greenwich Academy scores as Millbrook's Riley Croghan, left, defends during the girls high school basketball game between Greenwich Academy and Millbrook School at Greenwich Academy, Conn., ... more
Photo: Bob Luckey Jr. / Hearst Connecticut Media
The Gators are captained by Davis' twin sister Olivia and senior forward Casey Gottlieb. Sophomore Francesca Sileo, who turned in a sensational freshman campaign, once again, brings her long-range perimeter shooting to the backcourt.
Greenwich Academy suffered a 45-24 season-opening road loss to Kent School on Wednesday, but Kaitlyn Davis (recovering from an injury), Olivia Davis (school trip) and Sileo (ankle injury) did not play. Kaitlyn Davis practiced Thursday and should be back in action soon. Olivia Davis will be available for the team's next game and Sileo could possibly return next week.
"Once we get everyone back, we are full-steam ahead," Matthews said.
Besides making it to the championship game of the FAA Tournament, where it lost to St. Luke's School, GA also made its first-ever appearance in the NEPSAC Tournament last season.
"I really want to win the FAA before I graduate and return to the NEPSAC Tournament," Gottlieb said. "We want every person to get confident in their ability, so we can play as a team and have very good depth."
AT THE HELM: Matthews is beginning his fourth season as the Gators' coach. He was the University of Wisconsin's second all-time leading scorer, after starring at Harding High School in Bridgeport. He was a point guard for six NBA teams, most notably, the Los Angeles Lakers. GA posted 13 consecutive wins at one point last winter and advanced to the FAA Tournament final by defeating Hopkins School in the quarterfinals and Sacred Heart in the semifinals. The previous season (2016-16), the Gators went 12-6 and made it to the FAA semifinals.
WHO'S GONE?: Shooting guard Brooke Powers and forward Alice Hudson were the graduates from last season's successful squad. Powers was one of the team's top 3-point shooting threats and helped ignite the squad offensively.
WHO'S BACK?: Kaitlyn Davis brings skill and experience at forward. She has been a member of the team since she was an eighth-grader.
"Winning the championship — that is our main goal," Davis said. "We also want to get back to the NEPSAC Tournament. Being a part of this team has been a lot of fun. I've learned a lot from being on this team."
Olivia Davis can play both guard and forward, while Sileo, who made a habit of scoring in double figures last season, has the ability to flourish at both guard positions. Gottlieb brings depth, rebounding and intangibles at forward.
"Francesca can shoot the lights out, Olivia can do a little bit of everything and when I put Kaitlyn inside, she is tough to cover inside," Matthews said. "Casey is our best rebounder and best defender inside on the post-up players."
Some other returning player include sophomore point guard Tyler Gray and freshman forward Marie Brewer, who scored eight points in GA's season-opener.
"Our guards are going to try to set up our bigs and distribute the ball down low," Gray said. "That's where we have a lot of key shooters."
Freshman forward Ashley Telesca is one of the first-year players that should make an impact.
STRENGTHS: Davis is an all-around player, who can take a game over on both ends of the court. She averaged more than 20 points per game a season ago. Sileo, Olivia Davis and Tyler Gray should also contribute heavily in the scoring department, while Gottlieb brings leadership and strong defensive play.
"We're working on our fitness and cardio, so we can outrun all of our opponents," Gottlieb said. "We never want to let a team outhustle us."
Said Kaitlyn Davis: "Right now, our passing and our ability to share the ball is good and we have a few good rebounders here."
QUESTION MARKS: "We just need to work on knowing our rotations on defense, so we can get to the outside shooters," Gray said. "That's what hurt us in our previous game."
"Our defense can be a strong point, we just haven't played a lot together yet," Matthews said.
SHOWDOWNS: Choate Rosemary Hall (Dec. 6), Holy Child (home, Dec. 8), Sacred Heart (away, Dec. 13), Hamden Hall (home, Jan. 24), Rye Country Day (away, Jan. 30), St. Luke's (away, Feb. 9).
dfierro@greenwichtime.com; 203-625-4423