Book 29: Misty of Chincoteauge, by Margeurite Henry

Finished August 30, 2022

This is a favorite book from my childhood. As with many books, I enjoyed it so much better as an adult. I wept openly in the car as I listened to it, both from the poignant story and from missing the time in my life when I first met the characters in this book. The actor they chose to do the reading did a wonderful job. He sounds like the best grandpa ever, and makes the listener want to settle in against one's granddad to hear a good yarn about a time and place in the past. So glad I went across the channel with the Assateague islanders on Pony Penning Day again, as I did when I was 10.

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Book 40: A Higher Call, by Adam Makos

Finished October 29, 2022 The subtitle of this book is, "The Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II" and the book does not disappoint. Painstakingly recreated by author Adam Makos, this story is lovingly told, introducing new generations to the miraculous story of an American pilot and his German savior. A Higher Call tells the story about Franz Stigler , a German fighter ace of the Luftwaffe who flew a Messerschmitt Bf 109 , and Charlie Brown , a 21-year-old American pilot of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress named 'Ye Old Pub'. Five days before Christmas in 1943, the Ye Old Pub was involve in a bombing mission over Germany. It was a mission that experienced severe casualties, and the Ye Old Pub took on extensive damage. One engine was out. The tail was missing parts which made navigation very difficult. The nose cone was obliterated, which brought the frigid win...

Book 12: Brian's Return, by Gary Paulson

Finished April 16, 2002 I love that feeling of complete integration when I'm listening to a podcast or audiobook and I get so fascinated that I have to pull over and park, and listen with all my being. It's like a feeling of falling in, but pleasantly so. That happened today with a sequel to a book in which it had happened before. The first book, Hatchet , concerned a 13-year-old boy named Brian who must survive in the Canadian Rockies when his small plane crash lands. Hatchet contained several scenes in which I "fell in." The sequel (one of several sequels), Brian's Return , contained a poignant scene in which Brian has an experience reading Shakespeare that changes his life. In the story, Brian's friend had recommended that he take a few -- just a few -- books with him when he went back to his beloved forest. He recommended Shakespeare and told Brian to read slowly and out loud. Feeling a little silly, Brian does one day, as he waits for his clothes to dry...

Book 27: The Great Train Robbery, by Michael Crichton

Finished July 28, 2022 This is a tight, fast-paced book that combines historical narrative and supreme story telling. Somehow, Crichton manages to weave an accurate mystery from a story to which every reader knows the ending. Nevertheless, it's an edge-of-your seat telling of this robbery of gold from a train in 19th Century London. Crichton also paints a vivid picture of life in Victorian England at various socio-economic levels. This is an intriguing, tragic, lively story, told at a pace and in a depth of scene-setting that shows a level of skill few writers achieve.

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