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James’s Year In Books

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James Rada Jr.

Goodreads Author

Born

in Baltimore, MD, The United States

Website

http://www.jamesrada.com

Twitter

jimrada

Genre

History, Historical Fiction, Nonfiction

Member Since

May 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jimrada

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I am a multi-award-winning journalist and copywriter. I have also written a number of books, both fiction and nonfiction and plan to write even more. I work as a freelance writer in Gettysburg, PA, where I live with my wife and sons.

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Combine Editions
James Rada Jr.’s books

Average rating: 4.06 · 404 ratings · 72 reviews · 41 distinct works • Similar authors

	October Mourning: A Novel of the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic 3.74 avg rating — 90 ratings — published 2005 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beyond the Battlefield: Stories from Gettysburg's Rich History 3.98 avg rating — 46 ratings — published 2003 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Canawlers: A Novel of the C&O Canal really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 45 ratings — published 2001 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Rain Man 4.21 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 2002 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Smoldering Betrayal (Black Fire Book 1) 4.57 avg rating — 21 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Strike the Fuse (Black Fire Book 2) 4.48 avg rating — 21 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Complete Canawlers Series: The 5-Book Historical Family Saga on the C&O Canal 4.71 avg rating — 17 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Secrets of the C&O Canal: Little-Known Stories & Hidden History Along the Potomac River 3.95 avg rating — 19 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Logan's Fire 3.42 avg rating — 19 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Secrets of Garrett County: Little-Known Stories & Hidden History of Maryland's Westernmost County 3.64 avg rating — 14 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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James Rada Jr.'s Blog

Early public education in Emmitsburg, Md.

Emmitsburg has always had plenty of schools. Of the 158 one-room schools in Frederick County in 1890 more than 20 were near Emmitsburg. This doesn’t even include the private and parochial schools in the town at the time.

In a 1908 article in the Emmitsburg Chronicle, an old-timer recalled his experiences with some of Emmitsburg’s early schools.

One school was on the former site of Helman’s store whe

Series by James Rada Jr.

Canawlers (3 books)
by

James Rada Jr. (Goodreads Author)

4.01 avg rating — 102 ratings

Black Fire (2 books)
by

James Rada Jr. (Goodreads Author)

4.52 avg rating — 42 ratings

James is Currently Reading

James Rada Jr. is currently reading

Dark Sky (Joe Pickett, #21)

by C.J. Box

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Feb 01, 2026 01:31PM

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A Catoctin Christmas: A Sweet Holiday Friends to Lovers Romance

by Chas Williamson (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 16, 2025 04:35PM

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Murder in the Mountains (Sheriff Elven Hallie, #2)

by Drew Strickland (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 12, 2025 04:15AM

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James Rada Jr. is currently reading Dark Sky (Joe Pickett, #21) by C.J. Box	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 01, 2026 01:31PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dark Sky by C.J. Box. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dark Sky by C.J. Box <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Rada Jr. is currently reading A Catoctin Christmas: A Sweet Holiday Friends to Lovers Romance by Chas Williamson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 16, 2025 04:35PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Catoctin Christmas by Chas Williamson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Catoctin Christmas by Chas Williamson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Rada Jr. is currently reading Murder in the Mountains (Sheriff Elven Hallie, #2) by Drew Strickland (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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James Rada Jr. has read Last Stand at Papago Wells: A Novel by Louis L'Amour	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by James Rada Jr. (?)

“I wish I knew. It’s almost like nature is trying to show us that she’s still more powerful than man. No matter how many of each other we kill in war, nature can still kill more of us. No matter how much we think we know about life, she still can make us look impotent.”
― James Rada Jr., October Mourning: A Novel of the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic

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