Hunting for Hidden Gold (Hardy Boys #5) - Franklin Dixon

The next Hardy Boys took me to the wilds of Montana to search for gold. A prospector named Jadbury (I'm including his name because I loved it, and he was my favorite character) has his house dislodged by a blizzard, and when the shack falls off a cliff, the boys and their friends are on the scene to save the crusty prospector. They find out he's been to Montana and had his gold stolen by his supposed partner.

The boys are summoned to Montana by their father, and they (eventually) make their way there. After a few run-ins with a gang, they are on the trail of the missing gold. And guess what!? It's the same gold Jadbury was referring to! What are the odds? Spoiler: you're not supposed to ask.

So, when I read the previous book, I was a bit concerned the boys were getting a bit careless. In this book, they are straight ridiculous. These two teenagers run afoul of stranger danger twice in a row! And immediately after getting saved the second time, they get into another stranger's car and comment on how they've learned their lesson. I won't go into the African American portrayal in this book, but it was not good at all.

The Hardy Boys also think they've stepped up their game in the disguise department. How will they ever fool a gang? They decide the best idea is to literally Superman it. By that I mean buy a pair of glasses. I guess they did enhance the outfit by purchasing some large books, but still...Maybe the worst part was that it worked.

I was a bit worried they were going to try and make my man Jadbury a villain, but I needn't have feared. He was safe. I think it's because he stayed in Bayport where the Hardy Boys couldn't continue to "help" him. It's amazing those two were successful at anything in this book and that anyone thought they were smart for the way they went about it. And how do you get trapped in two blizzards?! Learn to pay attention to the weather, guys! This was not a favorite for me, especially since there was no resolution with Jadbury. I wanted to see his reunion with his partner. Oh well...

Beyond the Call of Duty - Isabel George

This book tells the stories of four canine heroes from different eras. For the most part, the stories lead me to other books that are dedicated to the dogs.

First is Smoky from WWII. She's a little Yorkie that meant a great deal to the men around her, especially William Wynne. Wynne later wrote a book called Yorkie Doodle Dandy. The chapter in this particular book was a bit tedious, because there was so much background to the overall war that wasn't really relevant.

Next up is Antis, also from WWII. A Czech soldier takes his dog up into the air. There are two books I found that caught my eye on this one. The first is mentioned in this book, Freedom in the Air by Hamish Ross. Then there's The Dog Who Could Fly by Damien Lewis. I think this was probably my favorite section of the book.

After Antis, I read about Tangye, during the 2000s in Afghanistan. An energetic Labrador, he was important enough that a mission was undertaken by the Nowzad charity to bring him to the UK. The book I feel would pair with this story is by the founder of the charity, Pen Farthing. He's written a few books, but the one I'm referring to is called One Dog at a Time.

Finally, I read about one of the most famous military dogs, Sergeant Stubby from WWI. A lot of books were written about this dog, including one by this author. You can learn a ton about him by reading his obituary from the New York Times. Stubby was a good dog, and while I'm glad they kept his coat, I'm not sure how I feel about displaying his remains. Taxidermy always freaks me out...

Overall, the book is okay. There were some typos here and there, but those didn't bother me much. The writing didn't flow as well as some of the things I've read in the past. The main thing the book accomplished was to make me interested in reading the other books I've mentioned. 

Rather Die Fighting - Frank Blaichman

This book focuses on the important, and often overlooked role, of the Jewish resistance. Frank is not even an adult when the war comes to his town. He ends up in the forest and fighting with others against the Nazis. A key difference is these people went out of their way to make sure they didn't punish the innocent.

This is written in a very easy manner, but it was also incredibly sad. The narrator would mention a person, and most of the time, it was followed up with how they were killed shortly thereafter. The worst were the accidents. On top of that, the people that went through all this don't seem to find peace after the war ends.

I really enjoyed this book. The only criticism I have is the location of the pictures. They include people that haven't been introduced yet, so it was a bit confusing. Other than that, I recommend this book for a different perspective of the Jewish experience during WWII. Good Book!

The Missing Chums (The Hardy Boys #4) - Franklin Dixon

A new year means more public domain Hardy Boys! This one is particularly interesting for a couple of reasons.

First, I loved the recap. "In our first three mysteries..." I can just imagine if they kept this up when we get to book twenty. Half the book would be brief recaps of what the boys already accomplished!

Second, the "chums" are great. Chet and Biff are kidnapped (not why they're great). They are mistaken for the Hardy Boys, but the kidnappers just ignore their pleas. When it comes to escaping, these two aren't the problem.

I hate to say it, but the Hardy Boys actually dropped the ball a bit in this one. First, it took them too long to make the connection that their two friends were missing and the strange ransom note sent to their house. Next, they know their friends are on the island, so why don't they just go straight for help? Instead, they get captured, which is what the kidnappers wanted in the first place. Then they have to escape to do what they should have done in the first place.

Oh well. I did enjoy this one, but not for the Hardy Boys themselves. I was cheering for Chet and Biff! These are always a quick read and fairly entertaining. Good Book!

Berserk - Deluxe Volume 1

This is my first ever manga. I've read comics collections and graphic novels, so I didn't have to make too many adjustments. I just had to get used to doing it all backwards. I chose this particular manga because I am drawn to the Dark Souls universe. Bloodborne is probably my favorite of those video games, and when I found out Berserk was the inspiration for the games, I wanted to check it out.

The deluxe version is very nice, but it's a tome. It's heavy and hard to get in a comfortable position to read. It's also not very good to read in public. There's a parental advisory sticker on the cover, and it earns that sticker on the first page. There is a lot of violence and nudity. A LOT of people are cut in half. If I focus on the story itself, I was interested and wanted to learn more. The cliffhanger at the end was disturbing, and I want to know what happened, but I also don't want to know.

I was invested in the story, but there are two main things that keep it from being five stars for me. Well, I suppose it's one point, but there's two facets to it. To read this whole story, I'd be investing in 14 volumes of Berserk. That's a lot of shelf space. A Kindle version is available, but personally, when it comes to this particular art form, I prefer a physical copy. Also, the really nice, long books aren't cheap. I haven't decided what to do about this series, but the story itself isn't what holds me back. I'm going to give the story itself a Good Book! review, but it's going to take a few days for my back to recover from carrying it around!

The Doom of the Great City - William Delisle Hay

This story is a letter from a man to his family. They've been after him for years to tell his "survivor" story. It's short (52 pages), so I blazed through it last night.

A deadly fog has wiped out London. The survivor (I can't remember his name or maybe he didn't have one) is headed back to check on his mother and sister. He spent the night with friends, and when morning came and London was silent, he had to head into the city.

With it being so short, I was surprised how much of the beginning was dedicated to listing the evils of London. After that, it ramped up a bit when he started his actual tale. This was written in 1880, so having the fog as a destructive force makes a lot of sense. 

I think my main issue with this was the length and calling him a survivor. He wasn't actually in the city, so he didn't technically survive the fog. Anyway, the length...so much potential was lost! It only scratches the surface of the event. The narrator makes his way through the destruction of the city and to his family, but then it ends. I wish there had been more, but I enjoyed about 2/3 of it. Somewhat Good Story?

Escape From Arnhem - Leo Heaps

Heaps was part of the doomed Battle of Arnhem. It was part of the larger Operation Market Garden, which didn't go anywhere close to planned.

Heaps goes through a lot. He is trapped behind enemy lines, gets captured, escapes, and helps the Dutch Underground transport evaders on numerous occasions. The tone is more narrative than internal, but I understand that. This was written a year after the war ended, and the wounds were still fresh. He may not have even had sufficient time to reflect how he felt at that point.

The writing itself is easy to follow, and there isn't any unnecessary flowery descriptions. I appreciated how he gave an update on various people if he knew what happened to them. There isn't any real in-depth intro into his life before the war, and for obvious reasons, his post-war life if a bit of a mystery. Heaps also wrote another book about Arnhem, The Grey Goose of Arnhem, and it looks like that one is focused more on various individuals.

I enjoyed this book. I learned a lot, and that's always a plus. It's on the short side, at a 145 pages, so if you're interested in Arnhem and the Dutch Resistance, this might be a good place to start. Good Book!