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Russell J.T. Dyer

Goodreads Author

Born

in New Orleans, The United States

Website

http://russelljtdyer.com

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Computers & Internet, Historical Fiction

Influences

Greene, Kafka, Calvino, Wodehouse, James, Dostoevsky

Member Since

October 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/russelljtdyer

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Russell J.T. Dyer’s books

Average rating: 3.92 · 106 ratings · 16 reviews · 9 distinct works

	MySQL in a Nutshell 3.68 avg rating — 50 ratings — published 2005 — 20 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
	I Have No Friends 3.91 avg rating — 23 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
	Learning MySQL and MariaDB 4.10 avg rating — 21 ratings — published 2013 — 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
	In Search of Kafka 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2009 — 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
	The Pages of Saint John 4.67 avg rating — 3 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 Loneliness of Lena 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — 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
	MySQL Replication it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2010 — 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
	MySQLクイックリファレンス it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	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
	Одиночество Лины by Russell J.T. Dyer (Goodreads Author), Elena Kartushina (Translator) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	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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Russell is Currently Reading

Russell Dyer is currently reading

The Fall of Mussolini: Italy, the Italians, and the Second World War

by Philip Morgan

bookshelves: currently-reading, other-non-fiction

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Russell Dyer said: " According to this book, Mussolini was removed from power three times -- twice in 1943 and then again in 1945. This book explains the events leading to his removals, presenting these fascinating stories. It's not a quick read -- not for me. Instead, i According to this book, Mussolini was removed from power three times -- twice in 1943 and then again in 1945. This book explains the events leading to his removals, presenting these fascinating stories. It's not a quick read -- not for me. Instead, it's a mixture of commentary and personal accounts which calls for reading in spurts to have time to think about what was read, to discuss with friends to absorb more of it.

Morgan uses excerpts from official documents and letters between officials to give insights of what Italians were doing and feeling from 1943 to 1945 as their country was in disarray. For example, he explains how when the Allied Forces were bombing the major cities in Italy, the government had no plan to minimize damage. There weren't typically air raid sirens, nor bomb shelters constructed or underground facilities reinforced. There weren't squadrons of air raid wardens like in London warning people to turn off lights and use black-out curtains, nor much in the way of emergency medical staff standing by to assist the wounded. All of this was because Mussolini felt he knew best and was minister of almost every thing. He recounts the situation with black market selling of food caused by short-sighted price controls, and about how families hid the young men so they wouldn't be drafted into the army, and how people were suffering and be abused by local Fascist leaders who used the opportunity to settle old grudges.

Morgan uses excerpts from personal diaries and letters between families and friends to give insights of what Italians were doing and feeling. For example, he tells of Italian soldiers who were forced to join German troops in Russia and then abandoned when the Germans retreated, and then how they walked home to Italy, seen staggering over the border from through the Alps and Dolomites, injured, starving, and in tattered clothes trying to get home to their mothers, wives, and children. He provides an excerpt from a letter from a fifteen-year old girl in northern Italy who was raised in Fascism, who tells her mother how proud she is to serve her country in the war effort, but wishes she would be allowed to do more like the boys -- and then accounts how the Italian opposition a few weeks later put her in front of a firing squad and killed her.

The depth of information is overwhelming. It's amazing the Italy survived. It gives background and changes one's view of the people -- and changes one's viewing of the movie, The Bicycle Thieves. The personal stories and accounts, the complicated situations are stunning. Italy in particular is interesting if you want to learn about life during World War II because they fought on both sides -- and were occupied by both sides at the same time. This book is worth reading. It may take quite some time to get through it, but you'll be richer for having read it. ...more "

Aug 03, 2025 03:04AM · see review

Russell Dyer is currently reading

Charlemagne: A Biography

by Derek Wilson (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading, other-non-fiction

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Aug 03, 2025 05:29AM

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Russell’s Recent Updates

Russell Dyer is now friends with Nuria Demir
Dec 12, 2025 03:06PM · like
Russell Dyer rated a book really liked it Anybody's Bike Book by Tom Cuthbertson	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
Aug 11, 2025 06:16AM · 1 like · like
Russell Dyer rated a book liked it Antigone by Sophocles	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
This is an ancient Greek tragedy that was written around 400 b.c.e. by Sophocles. Although written first, it's the sequel to two Oedipus plays. The character Antigone is the heroine of the story, the daughter of Oedipus. The basic plot elements of thi ...more
Aug 11, 2025 05:37AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Antigone by Sophocles. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Antigone by Sophocles <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Russell Dyer rated a book liked it Republic by Plato	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
This is not a novel. It contains no story, per se. It's not a light read, nor is it a fun read. However, it is profoundly fascinating. It's presents thinking at its finest and highest level. I read and studied it in college for a philosophy course, a ...more
Aug 11, 2025 03:28AM · like · see review
Russell Dyer rated a book really liked it Castaways: The Narrative of Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca	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
As a person from New Orleans, I found this narrative particularly interesting. The narrator gives an account as part of a group of explorers in the early 1500s who sought to claim what is now Florida on behalf of the king of Spain. It's the first wri ...more
Aug 11, 2025 02:55AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Castaways by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Castaways by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Russell Dyer rated a book it was amazing Langford's Basic Photography: The guide for serious photographers by Michael Langford	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
First published in 1965, now in its eleventh edition, Michael Langford's book on the basics of photography is the ultimate book for learning well the basic elements of photography. That's not to say it's simple or for beginners. Instead, it's best fo ...more
Aug 10, 2025 05:31AM · like · see review
Russell Dyer made a comment in the group Goodreads Authors/Readers — Catholic Church Story from Vatican II Era topic " My latest novel, The Pages of Saint John is about two boys who were papal pages to Pope John XXIII in the late 1950s and early 60s. Growing up like tw ...more "
Aug 10, 2025 12:51AM
Russell Dyer made a comment in the group Writers' Cafe — Songs that fit the vibe of your book topic " This discussion relates to a difficulty I'm having with one of my books that's already published. I'm astray of the topic, but I think it's close and ...more "
Aug 09, 2025 08:30AM
Russell Dyer joined the group Writers' Cafe
Aug 09, 2025 07:58AM · like
Russell Dyer rated a book really liked it The Epic of Gilgamesh by Anonymous	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
For literature students and the like, this is must reading. Written about four thousand years ago, it's perhaps the oldest and maybe the first story ever written. How can you resist that? It's an elegant story full of imagery and ancient adventures. ...more
Aug 08, 2025 04:52AM · like · see review