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James’s Year In Books

James’s 2025 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 · 417 ratings · 76 reviews · 47 distinct works • Similar authors

	October Mourning: A Novel of the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic 3.76 avg rating — 91 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 really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 48 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 4.02 avg rating — 46 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
	Secrets of the C&O Canal: Little-Known Stories & Hidden History Along the Potomac River really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 20 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
	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
	Looking Back: True Stories of Mountain Maryland 4.25 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 2009 — 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

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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)

4.03 avg rating — 105 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

Twelve Months (The Dresden Files, #18)

by Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author)

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Jun 18, 2026 07:24AM

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Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel

by Jonathan Maberry (Goodreads Author)

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May 07, 2026 04:28AM

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Nash Falls (Walter Nash, #1)

by David Baldacci (Goodreads Author)

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Apr 14, 2026 01:59PM

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James Rada Jr. is currently reading Twelve Months (The Dresden Files, #18) by Jim Butcher (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. is currently reading The Friend of the Family by Dean Koontz (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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May 07, 2026 04:28AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Rada Jr. finished reading Nobody’s Fool (Detective Sami Kierce #2) by Harlan Coben (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. is currently reading Nobody’s Fool (Detective Sami Kierce #2) by Harlan Coben (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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Apr 14, 2026 01:59PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Nash Falls by David Baldacci. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Nash Falls by David Baldacci <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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James Rada Jr. finished reading The Miner's Myth (A Mountaineer Mystery Book 3) by Russell W. Johnson	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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