The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III - Jens Müller

If you've ever seen the movie, The Great Escape, you might be under the impression most of the escapees of the March 1944 prison break from Stalag Luft III were American and Australian. The event did actually happen, but it wasn't how Hollywood portrayed it - shocking, I know! After reading the book, it's understandable that Jens hated the movie.

Jens was one of three total men that successfully got away of the more than seventy that made the attempt to get away from the camp. Everyone else was recaptured. As punishment, fifty of those recaptured were shot. It was a very extensive plan and a very sad outcome.

This particular memoir is unique in that it tells the story of a very small group of men. Jens was a Norwegian pilot who escaped with another pilot, Per Bergsland, and hid aboard a ship to Sweden. The third man, Bram van der Stok, a Dutch pilot, was able to make it to Spain with the help of the French resistance.

The book was initially released in 1946 under the Norwegian title Tre kom Tilbake (Three Came Back). I really enjoyed the writing style, and Jens had a real talent in that respect. I've read a few WWII autobiographies, and this is one of the better ones. The writing style combined with the clear storytelling made for an easy read and a Good Book!

Stronger - Brian "Head" Welch

This book is a 40-day devotional led by a former member of the band Korn. Welch was into a bunch of unhealthy things while he was in the band, and one day he found Jesus and started a new life. It hasn't been all sunshine and roses, and this book takes a day by day journey through some of those events.

The writing is very conversational and easy to read. If you imagine what talking to a member of a rock band would be like, that's what you're reading. By that, I mean it's not like talking to a dictionary or some fancy professor. It's like talking to a real person. The Scriptures used are a mix of different versions, and I've never really been a fan of that. Personal preference.

I appreciate Welch's ability to be honest about himself and his shortcomings. If only all of us were so transparent. Welch also came out with an autobiography, so if you're looking for a complete picture of his experiences, that might be the place to go. There were also drawings sprinkled throughout the book. Some made sense with the text, and others were a mystery to me. This one gets a Good Book! review, but it's not going to be for everyone. 

A Bookshop in Berlin - Françoise Frenkel

This book was initially published in 1946 under the title No Place to Lay One's Head (in French). It quietly disappeared after that until it was discovered in an attic in 2010. 

The author was from Poland and opened up a bookstore in Berlin. She really enjoyed her time there, but WWII destroyed that dream and changed the course of her life. She was able to leave Germany, but she wasn't safe in France, either. This is the memoir of her journey to Switzerland.

The writing was good in this memoir, but it ends abruptly once she gets over that border. There's no mention of if she reunites with her family, what happens to her or anything like that. The introduction has a lot more information about her. 

The author went through more of a hide and seek/psychological type of experience. If you're on the lookout for certain types of memoirs from survivors from that time period, it's something to keep in mind. What I really found interesting was how little the bookshop had to do with anything. The original title is more appropriate for the content for sure. I liked this one, and it was interesting to get a different perspective. Good Book!

The Sign of the Twisted Candles (Nancy Drew #9) - Carolyn Keene

Nancy Drew needs no introduction! But I will say my daughter picked this one and #10 up thrifting one day, and I'm in charge of reading them now.

Asa Sidney is an old man celebrating his 100th birthday. The people running his inn are stealing from him, and their foster child is suffering from ill treatment. But Nancy is on the case to uncover the secrets of the inn and help shield the old man from the greedy people around him.

This Nancy Drew was a bit sadder than some of the others. My old dude passed on, but at least they never suspected murder. I think if it was a Hardy Boys, that would definitely have been on the table. I never understood the spat between the girls. It seemed petty and weird. Carol was overly fragile and kept fainting all over the place.

Once my old man left, I didn't like this one as much. They were finding his treasure, but what good did it do him? Making the thieves pay didn't help him anymore, and any secrets regarding the girl were useless to him. I mean, hooray for Nancy solving the mystery and putting her life on the line by climbing a ladder, but I was Team Asa. Sorry Nancy. I wanted more twisted candles!

Sea of Swords (Paths of Darkness #3) - R. A. Salvatore

This is wrapping up the trilogy.

Wulfgar is going to decide whether he wants to reunite with his friends and find Aegis-fang the warhammer. Drizzt and friends are seeking him by trying to locate the pirate Sheila Kree and her winter hiding spot. What the group doesn't realize is that there's an elf that is tracking Drizzt and will do anything to fight him.

This book was interesting in that it made me think it wasn't going to get everything wrapped up by the end. I kept getting closer to the end and thinking there was too much left and not enough time to resolve everything. But the end came, and everything got wrapped up. There are things I can see explored in the future, and we'll see what the next series brings. As usual, good writing, good character progression, fun story. Good Book!

The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes - Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr

This was another book my daughter wanted me to read. It was unusual, since it takes "stray" sentences from Sherlock stories and turns them into full events. There are twelve stories in the book, with half being written by both authors, and the other six being written solely by Doyle. Adrian is Arthur Conan Doyle's son.

Each story was easy to read, and you could've told me they were written by Arthur, and I would've believed you. They were clever and fit into the world of Sherlock Holmes really well.

Adrian himself was a bit of a character. He was a race car driver, big game hunter and writer. He was even granted his own coat of arms! From the sounds of it, he was interested in keeping his father's image intact after Arthur's death, so it's no wonder he was interested in expanding Sherlock's lore.

If you like Sherlock, I think these are worth checking out. You can read one of them if you have some time, and they aren't connected. I appreciated that they added the reference to the original sentence at the end, so I knew what inspired the story. Great imagination! Good Book!

Vagabond (manga series) - Takehiko Inoue

Full disclosure - I did not make it through this entire series. I only read through volume 11 out of 37. The manga itself is based off the novel "Musashi" by Eiji Yoshikawa. The theme of the manga is a fictionalized account of the life of Miyamoto Musashi, a Japanese swordsman. Coincidentally, I started reading this around the time one of my favorite bands, Sabaton, released the song The Duelist, which is about Musashi. Pretty cool!

So I pretty much already said what this was about. In the first 11 volumes, I saw Takezo (his original name) go around fighting people. He meets up with warriors and also people from his past. But for me, this manga dragged a bit too much. There were a lot of panels where nothing really happened, and in general, I wasn't as interested in the story as I thought I was going to be.

I wouldn't say this was boring. The pace was just too slow and didn't appeal to me personally. I'll move on to something else.