The Demon Soul (War of the Ancients #2) - Richard A. Knaak

I finished book 1, The Well of Eternity, and immediately started the next one.

Sargeras is still trying to come into their world, and Krasus, Rhonin and Brox are still in the wrong timeline. Illidan is becoming more unstable, and Neltharion is getting ready to reveal his insanity to the other dragons. More characters know who the time-travelers really are, and it’s not much of a surprise most of the time.

I really appreciate the little hints of what happened in the first book. Since I’m reading them back-to-back, it’s not as much help for me, but I know how frustrating it is to read a series and forget what happened. This book also doesn’t go into pages and pages of “Do you remember this?” It’s a quick reminder here and there, and you’re good.

This one ended on a bit more of a cliffhanger than the other one, and I’m glad I have the last one already loaded on my Kindle. The writing is good, and it gets a Good Book! review. 

Solo Leveling (Webtoon) - Chugong

I picked this one to read out of a list of stories that sounded interesting. 

Sung Jin-woo is chosen by a system to level up and fight monsters. He starts out as the weakest hunter, and he has to hide his sudden skills. But that isn't going to last long.

I only made it about 25% through this before I got a bit bored. Apparently, it started out as a fantasy web novel and later became a webtoon, anime and drama adaptation is in the works. For some reason, I couldn't get into the story.

I read the summary of the plot, and it seems like I didn't get to the interesting parts. I'm not sure why I wasn't getting into this. It has some cute moments of humor, but it just didn't interest me. I don't think it's bad, it just wasn't for me.

Black Storm - Thomas C. Hinkle

When I was at the used book store, I came across this book by accident. I was in the children's section looking for a copy of The Outsiders when I saw this unloved paperback on the shelf. I liked the cover, and the story sounded interesting.

Black Storm is a beautiful horse that won't let anyone ride him. He's terrified of anyone with spurs, and only Joe Bain is able to ride him. The horse has wonderful instincts and is smart. One night, Joe is attacked, and Black Storm is stolen.

I didn't read this book correctly. I did notice that the horse went through a lot on the back cover, but I wasn't prepared to read the author's note and discover the horse was real. After I got about 1/3 of the way through, I was starting to get uncomfortable. I was almost in tears when I decided I couldn't go any farther. 

From there, I skimmed to the part where Joe and Black Storm were reunited. Then, I skipped to the end and was almost going to have to throw the book across the room. But! It was safe at that point, and the paperback is intact. It wouldn't have been so bad if the author wasn't so good at his job. The details about Black Storm's injuries and scars from previous beatings were thorough.

Yeah, if you love horses and don't like reading about them being injured, sad and lonely, I wouldn't recommend this book. One of the things that bothers me most is the book is meant for children. My kids would never have forgiven me if I read this book to them. And I'd have to comfort them while they cried for 1/2 the book. Major pass for me.

Call of the Heart - Barbara Cartland

Still trying to decrease my TBR pile. My paperbacks were in a good place, but then I was at the used book store, and I ended up with five more. In my defense, I got all five for $11!

In this BC, Lalitha is basically Cinderella. She has the evil "stepmother" and stepsister. She has to cook and clean up after them. When Lalitha's vain stepsister, Sophie, decides her relationship future, she sends Lalitha to give a waiting suitor the bad news. His reaction? Shout and force Lalitha to marry him. Perfectly rational behavior, right?

There are some interesting things I got from this book. I learned about William Thomas Stead and the abduction of virgins for sale in other countries. While this did have some impact on the story, I became more interested researching Mr. Stead and his unorthodox ways of getting stories. I will say this story was reminiscent of other things. Not only Cinderella, but I picked up a few similarities with Hazard of Hearts as well. I'm talking about the movie, since I haven't read the book. The main difference is the female in the movie has spirit and a backbone. Lalitha has been beaten into submission too often to do anything of the sort.

This was a pretty good example of what BC made her living on. It was entertaining. You just have to pretend the woman doesn't pause every other word. I just skip the pauses and pretend she can speak like a normal human being. Good Book!

The Well of Eternity (War of the Ancients #1) - Richard A. Knaak

A while back, we purchased a Humble Bundle that had World of Warcraft content. There were comics, manga and novels. I was getting a bit nostalgic about WoW, so I decided to dive into this trilogy.

Krasus is a dragon mage who enlists the help of his friend, Rhonin, to investigate a wrongness in their world. Nozdormu, the Dragon of Time, needs help. When the mages get close to the anomaly, it transports them back in time. It's before the initial invasion of the Burning Legion. A portal is being made to try and bring the Legion into the night elf city, and Krasus and Rhonin have to decide if they want to risk altering the past and possibly destroying the future.

There is a lot going on in this. An orc has also been transported to the past, and he has zero chance of blending in. He doesn't even really have any idea what's happened to him. Familiar names in the world of the night elves had me wracking my brain to remember them. Malfurion Stormrage and his twin, Illidan are young and just learning how to use their powers. Tyrande, the priestess of Elune, has yet to choose who to spend her life with. But with the Legion trying to come through, they don't have tons of time to figure out their love life.

I really enjoyed this book, but I hated the copy I got from Humble Bundle. It was long enough ago that the link no longer worked, so I was stuck with each page of my pdf being landscape with two pages on it. I had to read it on my tablet, which I really don't like doing.

You're definitely meant to keep going with the trilogy. I wouldn't recommend diving into this unless you plan on reading all three. While major elements of the plot are wrapped up, other important elements are left unsettled.

The story was really fun for me. I could see a lot of the characters in my mind as I read about them, but I haven't played in a few years, so I looked up a few to refresh my memory of what they looked like. The night elves are special to me, since my main character was a night elf priest. World of Warcraft was a big part of my life for a long time. I went around healing my warrior husband, and we made friends that we still have to this day. I'm glad the other two books are in a normal format, and I look forward to diving into the next one, The Demon Soul. Good Book! 

Love Lifts the Curse - Barbara Cartland

I’m always in the mood for a Barbara Cartland. They follow a formula, and I can read them in a day.

In this one, Jacoba has to move out of her house after her father and uncle die in a rail accident. She has no money and no idea what to do. Her solicitor finds a position for her with an old man, but it’s actually a young(ish) Earl. His nephew was annoyed with him and decided to play a joke on him by sending him a woman. The Earl has sworn to not have women in his home, and the nephew thinks sending a random woman will be a hilarious joke.

Once Jacoba arrives, she finds out she’s been deceived. The Earl isn’t old, deaf or blind. In fact, he yells at her so loud that his dogs attack her. Once she starts to get better, the Earl is attacked and spends a good chunk of the book unconscious. But guess what? They fall in love!

This is definitely a Barbara Cartland. The woman is dumber than a box of rocks and is incapable of speaking a sentence without pausing every two words. The man and woman are barely together, but they are madly in love! If you know what to expect from these, you’ll be content. For me, they’re nostalgic and hilarious. It’s almost always a Good Book! and this one gets the tag!

The Shadowy Horses - Susanna Kearsley

I was looking up authors who were similar to Barbara Michaels, and this book was listed. I waited for the price to drop, and I was anxious to see how it measured up.

Verity has agreed to go on a dig with her ex-boyfriend, Adrian. She knows nothing else about it, but by his tone, she’s knows it’s something big. She finds out a man is searching for a unicorn. Not a literal unicorn, but it’s a specific Roman encampment that no one’s been able to find. While she’s there, she meets David, and they are the romance element.

While on the dig, the supernatural is also present. Verity hears horses galloping through almost every night, but there aren’t any. Also, there’s a Roman soldier that can be communicated with through a little boy. It shouldn’t be possible to find what they’re looking for, but they get clues that lead them to the truth.

I really liked certain elements of this book, but I’m not sure I loved the way they were used. The horses for example. I may have missed it, but I never understood why they were there. Peter told an Irish tale about horses and the waves, but this group was in Scotland. And then there was the Sentinel. I thought this was a clever in some respects. But I felt like he wasn’t in there enough.

The thing that bothered me the most was the romance. There was nothing specifically wrong with it, but I wasn’t a fan. It ruined the end for me, because I wanted to know what they did about the Sentinel, and instead, I had to read about David and Verity. It was also a bit abrupt for some reason. Not the rescue itself, I guess I’m referring to the wrap-up. Was it a bad book? Not at all. Was it something that made me want to read more? Nah.

Beyond Band of Brothers - Major Dick Winters

If you've seen HBO's Band of Brothers mini-series, you'll know who this man is.

This book is the life of Dick Winters. He covers almost all of his life, and he gives some information that goes beyond what was written in Stephen Ambrose's book about Easy Company.

It took me a while to get through this one, and I'm not sure I can explain why. I think that since I've read a few of the memoirs from this group, and I've seen the show, it was a bit repetitive. I should probably spread out reading them a bit more. Also, I've been spreading myself a bit thin by trying to read too many things at once.

On the flip side of that, I really enjoyed getting this man's particular point of view. He was right in the thick of things for the important battles, and considered a good friend and comrade to many. At the end of the book, he goes over some thoughts on leadership. I'm not really in a position where that would apply to me, but the advice is solid.

Thanks to men like Major Winters and men he fought with, we have examples of what real courage and bravery look like. I'll give it a Good Book! review, but it isn't one of the ones that will stand out in my memory.

A Certain Crossroad - Emilie Loring

I guess I've been living under a rock. Emilie Loring is an American romance author who started writing at the age of 50. She ended up writing 30 books during her lifetime. After her death, her sons took her unfinished material and published 20 more. My semi-sad copy was a purchase at the used book store, and it cost me less than $1! I'd never heard of her.

Judy made a mistake a year ago. She gave Neil an ultimatum, but he didn't bow to her wishes. She knows she was selfish, but when she meets Neil again, his attitude is cold. When Judy is pushed off a tree, it brings the two together again, but the mystery doesn't stop there. Strange things are happening on the water, and not everyone is what they seem.

This book felt very familiar. After I finished it, I decided it's like a romantic Nancy Drew. Almost like a cross over of Nancy with a Barbara Cartland. The great thing is, the heroine isn't a total idiot. She was irritating a couple of times, but overall, she was much stronger and smarter than the average Barbara Cartland heroine.

I really did enjoy this one. It was the third book Loring published (in 1925), and I'm really impressed with the style and story, especially considering when it was written. I will say it definitely follows a template. It was a great diet book, and I wouldn't mind reading more. Good Book!

Reader's Digest Illustrated Story of World War II - Various

This large hardback is part of my childhood. For as long as I can remember, it's been on a bookshelf. When my mother was going to donate it, I put a stop to that. I've been interested in WWII for a while now, so I thought, "why not actually read it?" What I did was to read one article or section (for the longer ones) a day. I didn't always keep to the schedule, but I was fairly consistent. I think that's pretty good for basically a textbook.  

This book covers the whole war, and you can probably find that anywhere. The articles are from various first-hand accounts and research. What I think really sets this book apart from other WWII books is the pictures. It lives up to its illustrated story claim! It has pictures from both the Allies and the Axis. Some of them are pretty famous and others I've never seen before.

I really enjoyed this book. I don't know how hard it is to get a hold of this book, but if you're into WWII history, I recommend it. You can't have mine, though. I'm keeping it! Good Book!

Parasyte (manga series) - Hitoshi Iwaaki

I've got a fair number of manga I've gotten interested in reading lately, and this was one of them.

Shinichi is getting ready to finish school when he is attacked one day by a parasite. It's aiming for his brain but becomes lodged in his arm instead. Others aren't as lucky and are infected. Almost every parasite eats humans, and the bodies they leave behind are gruesome. 

Shinichi and Migi (since he's in the right hand) need each other to survive. Other parasites want to kill Shinichi because he interferes with their plans, and humans are protecting their species. Along the way, Shinichi and Migi get closer, although Migi claims to only care about his survival. Sometimes, he lives up to that statement, and other times it sounds like Shinichi is losing a bit of his humanity.

I really liked the story here. The way the author incorporated the parasites and the way they would fight was really creative and interesting. I'm not going to say a ton about the plot. It's worth a read. The end especially had some profound moments, and I liked it.

I would recommend this manga to people who aren't afraid to question why things happen and the way humans treat things they don't understand. My volumes had Q&A with the author, and I found those super interesting. It's helpful to see where the author is coming from and what inspired him. Good Manga!

Berserk Official Guidebook - Kentaro Miura

This book came on my radar once I'd gotten caught up with the manga. I do have the next volume preordered. I was bummed about the cliffhanger in the last one!

In this book, you'll find character portraits, storylines and sketches. There is also an interview with Kentaro Miura, and it's a pretty decent length. It's got a lot of great information, and you get a real sense of the author's personality and dedication. The character portraits are really nice. They covered almost anyone you can think of, and all the major characters go into some depth. 

I really liked this book, and I think it'll be a good reference if I forget anything in the future. I don't think someone just starting the manga should read this book. It's going to spoil a lot of the genius twists, turns and amazing story that I think should be experienced through the source material. 

The guidebook came out after the release of volume 38, so if you've made it that far, I recommend this book. If not, get caught up ASAP and buy this book! Good Book!

The Seven Dials Mystery (Superintendent Battle #2) - Agatha Christie

I've read the first book in this series, The Secret of Chimneys, and I enjoyed it. I wasn't sure how great Battle was at the end of that one, so I was interested to give him another chance.

A group of friends are visiting the Coote family when a prank goes wrong. One of them is found dead, but it isn't until Lady Eileen, known as Bundle, almost hits another of the friends that there seems to be a pattern. There is a secret society and national secrets mixed up in it, and Bundle is on the case.

And it really is Bundle most of the way through. Battle shows up here and there, but he keeps information to himself for the most part, and we don't get into his mind at all. He pops up at explanation time to clarify some things for Bundle, but it's after she's done all the leg work.

I did like this book. I just don't understand why it has to be a Superintendent Battle book. Yes, Bundle knew him from the first mystery, but other than that, it could have been any police inspector. It's not a big deal, and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. I'm giving it a Good Book! review, but don't expect to see Superintendent Battle flex his mystery-solving muscles.

Dragon Rider - Cornelia Funke

I can't even tell you how long I've had this book. It's a hardback, and it's a bit beat up, so it had to come to me used. Cornelia Funke is probably better known for her Inkheart series, and I read those. They are no longer in my collection, but I remember liking the first one. Also, something I didn't realize is that this book is part of a series. The other two also start with Dragon Rider as the title, but the second one is The Griffin's Feather, and book 3 is The Aurelia Curse.

Firedrake has left his home to find the mythical Rim of Heaven. Humans are approaching the current home of the dragons, and Firedrake isn't content to sit by and watch his home get taken over. On his adventure, he brings his best friend, Sorrel. She's a brownie and a spicy one at that! They run into a human boy, Ben, who helps them on their way. But there's also a humongous enemy after them. Nettlebrand tried to wipe out the dragons once before and was unsuccessful. This time, he's got a man on the inside.

The story was about what I expected. I felt like I wasn't the target audience for sure. It was too tame and seemed like it would be better for younger children. That's not a bad thing, it just wasn't a story that drew me in. I think if my kids were younger we'd have read a chapter a day. It's that kind of book. Also, most of the chapters are short, so it lends itself to reading aloud.

I was a bit let down at the end. I can't really put my finger on what it was that bothered me, but I was glad the book was over. It's on the longer side, so that might've had something to do with it. I thought the writing flowed in a good way. It was just okay to me.

Uzumaki - Junji Ito

I finished this series a few days ago, and I wanted to take some time to process it before writing my review.

A town is being plagued by spirals. They appear everywhere, and the residents become obsessed with them. A young woman and man are the only ones who seem immune at first. I'm not going to say too much about the plot. This isn't one of those manga that have 100+ chapters, so it didn't take long for me to get through it.

I found this one to be interesting. It's in the horror genre, and some of the visuals were enough to make me not want to read this at night. I'm also not interested in seeing this animated. It's not a butterflies and roses ending, but that makes sense with the story.. 

If you're looking for an uplifting story, this isn't the manga for you. I liked it though and will happily give it a Good Book! review. But I won't be hunting for any spirals to stare at anytime soon!

Last Patient of the Night (AJ Docker and Banshee #1) - Gary Gerlacher

I'm a sucker for a book with a dog. and this one had a police dog!

AJ is an emergency room doctor and sees a variety of injuries. Jenny comes in presenting with a fracture consistent with abuse, but she rejects his help. It isn't long before AJ sees her again, but this time she's not alive. With his friend, Tom, and Banshee the police dog, he's going to break laws and put his nose - and life - on the line to find the murderer.

AJ is one of those protagonists that gets under my skin. He's cocky and rude. I don't know why Tom puts up with him. And when Banshee is hurt, it's in defense of AJ. This doctor was super annoying, and I'm not sure why so many women loved him.

SPOILERS: I understand that both of the guys were teasing each other constantly. But Tom was my favorite character. And guess what? He's not in the next book. AJ decides he's done with Houston and heads off to Montana. And the worst part? Tom gifts Banshee to AJ!!! No way that man should have a sweet dog like Banshee. Does AJ care about the dog? Of course, but I still hated that.

Banshee wasn't in a lot of the book, since he got shot protecting AJ. AJ was irritating and stupid. There was absolutely no reason for him to keep some of the information from the police the whole time. Why would he imagine sneaking into the gang's hideout alone was a super idea? And he had plenty of time to think it over. It wasn't a spur of the moment idea.

This one didn't grab me. I wanted more Tom and Banshee, and all I got was a smarmy womanizing doctor. It's a pass for me.

Attack on Titan - Hakime Isayama (manga series)

I started this series a long time ago. I couldn't even tell you exactly when. I'm also going to confess that I stopped before the end. Out of the 139 chapters, I made it to 100.

Eren lives in a city that is surrounded by tall walls. One day, the city is attacked by titans, strange human-shaped creatures that don't need food or water to survive, but they eat humans for fun. Eren and his friends experience loss and decide to join the military. Eren is determined to kill all the titans, but everything is not quite as it seems. Secrets and political intrigue are commonplace, and the mission isn't as cut and dry as it appears.

The storyline is unique, and I was drawn to it. I still think it's a neat story, but I had some issues that just got worse over time. The first problem is that a lot of the people look the same. There are so many characters, it was hard to keep them clear in my mind as it was, but then when some of them are so similar looking, it made it impossible. Next, the story got so complex, I couldn't remember important details. I put the series aside for a while, and when I came back, I couldn't remember which side was responsible for what.

The beginning of the volumes has a little synopsis of who is who, but it still didn't help me at times. I might know who someone is, but what was their role in the overall story? I just couldn't remember. I also tried watching the anime, but I got creeped out by the way the titans moved. They were bad enough in the manga to look at, but watching them move was too much for me.

I don't think this is a bad manga at all. I just realized it wasn't making me excited to keep going. I was tired of trying to keep everyone separate, especially the ones who looked similar. I looked up the rest of the plot, and I'm good.

I can see why this manga has such a following. It's a well thought out world, and the uniqueness of the story stands out. For me, it just got tedious, and it wasn't for me.

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

This is one of the earliest "true crime" books. It's widely considered to be the first, but there are a couple others.

In 1959, the murder of the Clutter family shocks the members of a small farming community in Kansas. The brutality of it is the work of two criminals. One of them heard that Herb Clutter had a safe in his house and plenty of money in it. Dick decides to take that information and bring his friend, Perry, to the Clutter place and "leave no witnesses." The worst part is that the information is bad. Herb didn't have a safe.

The book tells the story from all sides. The killers, the friends of the victims, and general information is all organized to tell the complete story. From the last moments of the Clutters to the capture and outcome of the trial of the perpetrators.

For being such an early example of the genre, this book was really well done. Capote was intrigued by the crime and interviewing people before the criminals were captured. It took him six years to write the book.

One critique I'd like to offer up is the amount of time dedicated to the analysis of the criminals felt excessive. The real part that bothers me about true crime is it feels like the focus is on the killer(s), and people don't remember the victims. Killers don't deserve to have their name remembered - their victims do.

Other than the excessive amount of time spent "analyzing" the murderers, I did enjoy the book. It was interesting, and I couldn't wait to see what happened. I wanted to look it up so many times, but I was able to control myself! If you're interested in true crime, you might be interested in this book. I'm giving it a Good Book! review, but I also want to send out a RIP to Herb, Bonnie, Nancy and Kenyon Clutter.

God, Freedom, and Evil - Alvin Plantinga

I'm going to start off by admitting I didn't finish this book. It was only supposed to be 122 pages, and I made it about 1/3 of the way in before I just couldn't take it anymore.

Apologetics is something I've been interested in off and on for a few years. It's supposed to be a reasoned defense for a religion, and I was looking for "third-party" views into Christianity. This particular book was supposed to deal with the existence of evil and free will. To me, it wasn't doing a great job.

The part I got through was about evil. The saying "If God is omnipotent and truly good, how can there be evil?" or something along those lines. It's something I've struggled with a few times. How did the author deal with it? Semantics. He breaks down why certain phrases don't go together and defines multiple kinds of inconsistency. By the time he was done with that one phrase, he'd basically rewritten it over 20 times. And he still didn't address the main problem. He used the same "there's probably a reason" and "maybe that evil happened because it was needed for a greater good."

What I read of this book was beyond frustrating. "Well, if we say it this way, it combines things that can't go together. What if we say it like this?" That's not the point. This was written in 1974, so maybe it was revolutionary when it came out. But if I can't make it through 122 pages, it is definitely not a book for me.

White Mouse - Nancy Wake

Nancy Wake was one of the names that kept popping up in the WWII resistance books I've read. She's kind of a legend, and when this book went on sale, I was excited to read about her life: in her own words.

Nancy considered France to be like home, so when the war hit, she wanted to help in any way she could. She got involved in the resistance and was separated from her husband. She took risks, held her own and had a sense of humor about most of it.

The writing style was conversational and easy to read. Nancy confronts the past with wit and humility. She tells stories without tons of detail at times, and it's something I've noticed in a lot of wartime autobiographies. When it comes to the sad events that shaped these people, they tend to gloss over their feelings or keep the details to a minimum.

If you're interested in the SOE, I think this is a pretty good book. The way it was written was interesting, and I was never bored. Good Book!

The Man in the Iron Mask (Marvel Illustrated) - Alexandre Dumas and Roy Thomas

This is one of a collection of classics Marvel adapted back in the early 2000s. They were released as an eight-comic series and then released together. Some of the other titles are Moby Dick, The Last of the Mohicans, The Odyssey and The Iliad. My daughter found a copy of a hardback at the bookstore and let me read it.

If you don't know, The Man in the Iron Mask involves the Three Musketeers (there's actually four once D'Artagnan joins them. It's later in their careers. In fact, most of them have moved on from serving the king. Only D'Artagnan remains. When one of the musketeers discovers there's a twin for the king, he sets in motion a scheme that can only be labeled as treason.

I had some trouble keeping a few of the people apart, but they use their names a lot, so that helped. The art style was really nice, and it told the story it needed to. I'm not sure how close it is to the original story, because sadly, I haven't read it. 

I really enjoyed this one, and it makes me curious about The Odyssey and The Iliad. The other titles don't really catch my eye, but anything that makes the classics more palatable for people is good in my book. For example, I love EPIC: The Musical for it's wonderful, and at times beautiful, interpretation of The Odyssey. Every time I listen, I hear something new. For something a little more fun, I recommend Wishbone. It's a children's show from the mid 1990s that is probably one of the best things ever recorded. How can you not appreciate the classics when a Jack Russell Terrier is dressed up in costume to play it out for you!?

When it comes to this particular graphic novel (that's what I'm going to call it - I'm not 100% sure it's correct, but whatever), I will gladly give it a Good Book! review. The others I'm watching digitally in the hopes of reading them one day on my tablet.

Lost and Found (September Day #1) - Amy Shojai

This book ended up on my radar because it involved a dog.

Shadow is the pup that's tasked with watching over Steven, an autistic boy who runs away from home. September is his aunt, and she answers the call when her sister reports the disappearance on September's radio show. After that, September is whirled into a situation where people are dying, and she has to try and find a thumb drive with information that could jeopardize many families' hopes of a cure for their autistic children. The problem, though, is the treatment is experimental and dangerous. 

I hated all the human characters in this book. Teddy was tolerable for a while, but then he was ignoring Shadow at a time when it was important to pay attention. I mean, how can you watch/listen to an animal struggle to the point of hurting themselves? September had to be the worst though. She was stuck in the past, and she acted like it bugged her, but then she wouldn't ask for or accept help. There were numerous times when she had the chance to safely talk to the police, but she refused. She's responsible for so many deaths, but I'm sure she'll get over it.

The writing wasn't terrible, but there were a couple places where I could tell the wording was off. It was more a grammar issue than a spelling one, and spell check doesn't catch those! I don't know why September's past was written the way it was. It made me feel like I'd skipped reading a book in the series that was vital to read before this one. She also gave some mixed signals. One minute she's mourning her husband and her part (?) in his death, and the next she's calling him a jerk. The loss of her dog also made her rude to Shadow at times, and that isn't right. I'm not talking about distancing herself, she would physically push Shadow away sometimes.

I don't really understand why so many people got killed. I get that Lizzie is crazy, but did she really get that upset at Wilma for praying to God? If April lost the thumb drive, who cares? And why would you put such sensitive information on something like that anyway? Overall, I'm done with this series. The dog was written at times like he was stupid, but I think that might just be because he's a puppy. I hope so anyway. As for the characters in the book, Shadow deserved better people!

One Nation, Under Gods - Peter Manseau

I wanted to get an outside view of the history of different religions in America. After some research, I kept an eye on this book until it went on sale.

This book dedicates each chapter to a different religion and how it appeared and thrived (or not) in America. Some of the religions included are Buddhist, spiritualism (hippies), Latter Day Saints and others.

I found this book to be incredibly interesting. I never realized how important it was to the Puritans to maintain their idea of a "city on a hill." They actively tried to keep religions from gaining ground in America, even to the point of restricting what tombstones could look like. This debate still crops up occasionally.

This was a good book, but it's not going to be for everyone. There were times when I wasn't sure I could muster the motivation to read it, but it wasn't the book's fault. The writing was good, and it was well organized. I'm staying on the fence overall, because I'm struggling to write this review. When I like a book, I know what I want to say. With this one, I can only say I learned some interesting things. Also, looking this book up is something of a nightmare without full details. For some reason, a lot of people wanted to name their book, One Nation, Under God or a variation of it.

Red Dragon - Thomas Harris

This book is related to The Silence of the Lambs. Unless you've been living under a rock, you are aware of at least something about Hannibal Lecter. I haven't seen the movie, but I'm familiar with at least a bit about the plot.

In this book, Hannibal plays a minor role. While he's part of the origin story for our hero, Will Graham, his contribution to the overall story isn't near as much as I thought it would be. A killer initially dubbed "The Tooth Fairy" is killing families. Will is the best at what he does, but it comes with a price. His mental health takes a backburner when he tracks, and his family drifts away.

The book gives various points of view. The killer's is probably the most interesting. The connection he had to a real painting was a bit unsettling. I looked up the art, and it's not something I want staying in my brain. There's nothing overtly wrong with it. It's just...unsettling.

The writing was above average, but I'm not normally a fan of the horror stories. I don't know if this is labeled as horror, but I would definitely be aware that you're getting some unnatural scenes out of this book. I did find the end to be unexpected, and I liked the story overall, but I am definitely steering clear of The Silence of the Lambs. BUT! If you're into this genre, it's definitely a good one. I'm giving it a Good Book! review because it was a good book. I also couldn't read it at night, so I'll stop here.

Kill Shot (Mitch Rapp #2) - Vince Flynn

This is one of the last Half Price Books I have left. I didn't know anything about the author, and I chose it from the clearance area for $2.

Mitch is taking out people on his hit list when he's set up. Now he's on the run from everyone, including his own handler. He doesn't know who to trust, and he's injured.

This book started and ended well. The problem was the middle. Everyone just kept talking back and forth about what to do next. Mitch was trying to convince his girlfriend he wasn't an unprincipled assassin, and the CIA was trying to decide what to do about Mitch.

I really did enjoy the ending. The middle was such a drag, I kept finding other things to do besides read this book. I would even pick up my nonfiction Kindle book instead of this one. And it's pretty dry!

There are 25 books in this series, but I'm not going anywhere near any more of them. They're just not for me.

Assignment Golden Girl (Sam Durell #32) - Edward S. Aarons

On my final bookstore stop in San Diego, I finally found an old, crusty paperback! Actually, I found two, but when I finally figured out how much they wanted for it, I decided to put the other one back. Paying $11 for an old paperback is crazy. 

Since I had to choose one of the paperbacks, I asked for help picking. This one sounded amazing with the train and the princess. I thought it was going to be cheesy. I was wrong.

Sam is tasked with bringing the prince of Pakuru back to the UN so the leader can ask for assistance from the world. His country is in turmoil with a civil war. Sam has some issues, since the princess is also wanting the "stool." His plane has been destroyed, and the only way out of the country is an old train.

My favorite character was Harvey, the man who repaired the train. The plot was interesting and unique. What really surprised me was how good this book was. It's James Bond-esque, and part of a pretty extensive series. But I've never heard of Sam Durell, and I feel like that's a huge shame. Sam isn't super suave, and he's incredibly no-nonsense. This was well written, and I really liked it.

The real tragedy here is that it's not easy to track these books down. I did a bit of digging, and I couldn't find any of them available, and I didn't see any on Kindle. Going down my rabbit hole, I was also able to find something called the "Black Gat" series. This is a series of noir books written by different authors. They started releasing them in 2015, and one of them is written by Edward S. Aarons.

Anyway, I'd love to track down more of these books. I also plan on looking more into the Black Gat series. It looked like a great way to get exposure to authors I've never read before. Not that I don't have enough to read, but sometimes you just can't help yourself! Good Book!

The Ivy Tree - Mary Stewart

I have four books by this author on my bookshelf. I need to read through them again one day, but they usually have the gothic feel that I like.

Mary Grey is approached by a man who starts yelling at her for leaving eight years ago. Mary tells him she doesn't know what he's talking about. He's finally convinced, and she meets Con, the cousin of the missing woman. Later, Con's sister finds Mary and eventually she's part of a plot to convince an old man his granddaughter has returned. It's part of a bigger scheme to ensure his property ends up with Con, and she'll get part of it to head out and live her life. An unexpected neighbor upsets Mary's plans.

The book felt slow for a very long time. The end was pretty good and almost made up for the rest of the boring parts. I think the thing that really bogged it down was the descriptions. They'd go on for over a page at a time, and a lot of things were described. In great detail.

Overall, I'm on the fence on this book. The plot twist in there was really good, but the overabundance of poetic descriptions was a bit trying. I doubt I'd ever read this again, but I don't regret reading it.

Bloodborne (Volumes 4-6) - Ales Kot, Illustrated by Piotr Kowalski

I realize with the first set of these that I did a separate review for each volume. This time, I'm going to group them together.

Volume 4 is The Veil, Torn Asunder. If it relates to the other two, I couldn't tell. But for certain, The Lady of the Lanterns and The Bleak Dominion are linked. I really don't want to say anything about the plots to these, I hate to spoil things, but I will say that I really enjoyed all three stories.

The artwork was excellent as well. I recognized many of the monsters from the game, and I really love the style of Bloodborne. Especially the clothing for the hunters and their weapons. There's just always been something about Yharnam that appealed to me.

There isn't much more to say. These are all good, and some of the art took my breath away. At times, there's a vile beauty that I saw in those panels. If you're like me, and you love Bloodborne, I think you'll like this. I waited and got it during a sale, but it's definitely worth adding to your collection. Good Set!

Ravenscroft - Dorothy Eden

This paperback is one of the books I found in San Diego. It had a classic look that made me think it might be one of the older gothic romances I love. Usually, they have a woman running from a house/castle on the cover, and while this woman was stationary, it had that vibe.

Bella's father is dead, and she's on the way to London with her sister when they meet Aunt Aggie. The older woman offers to help them out, but she doesn't quite have the sweet intentions she's showing the girls. Guy helps the two women escape, but it looks like it's going to cost his career. To try and avert the downfall, he decides to marry one of the sisters. He initially chooses the gentle, timid Lally, but Bella ends up with the ring on her finger.

The plot of this one was pretty good. It did remind me of the older gothics, so it was nice to finally find one that wasn't a Zebra. Those are super easy to pick out. I think the plot itself was a good tradeoff for dealing with Bella. Her husband called her a shrew, and he's not wrong. That woman would argue and be childish for no reason. She knew Guy didn't love her when they married, but she's determined to "change" him. Don't try to change people. If he grew to love Bella, it needed to be his choice, not because she's throwing herself at him and screeching like a harpy. But, like I said, the plot made up for a lot.

When I was looking for the cover, I saw an alternate that I wish was on my copy. I'm not sure what it's portraying in the book, but it would've been cooler than the cover I have. The book squeaks by with a Good Book! review but not by much. Is it the best gothic ever? Of course not, but it was a nice read, and I enjoyed it.

 

Alternate cover

Forever Forward: K-9 Operations in Vietnam - Michael Lemish

I’m going to be 100% upfront – I didn’t finish this book. I didn’t even get 20% into it. Here’s why:

I’m a dog lover. I am aware of what happened to many of the K-9s at the end of the Vietnam War. It’s extremely sad and heartbreaking. I’m not sure where I got this idea, but I thought this book was going to be more stories of Jim with his dog, Ricky. It’s more of a history of how dogs were used during the war.

In the brief reading I did of this book, I almost cried multiple times. Knowing many dogs starved or died from not given time to adjust to the weather crushed me. In general, I get more upset when dogs are killed than people in movies.

The writing itself wasn’t bad, but this book was definitely not for me. I put it down before it got any worse. The Vietnam War was tragic for everyone involved, both men and dogs. I just couldn’t bring myself to read about it.

Grandeur Preserved - Historic Charleston Foundation

I was particularly interested in this book, because when we were in Charleston, I visited the Nathaniel Russell house. I’m pretty proud of myself for doing that by myself. For one thing, I took quite a trek that day, and normally my husband would explore touristy things with me when we’re at a conference city. After I finished my audio tour, I couldn’t find any books about the house. There were a bunch of random southern books but nothing specific. I asked one of the volunteers, and she recommended this out of print title. I found it for $12, and since I didn’t get my lapel pin (which is what I actually look for at touristy spots), I ordered the book.

The book covers two houses, the Nathaniel Russell house and the Aiken-Rhett house. I saw that one while we were wandering around, but when I researched both, I chose to tour the Russell house. It has a cantilever staircase that looked cool. It was even better in person. The book itself talks about the history of both houses, along with color and black-and-white pictures. I really liked being able to learn more history and catch things I might’ve missed on the tour.

I’m glad I chose the Nathaniel Russell house over the Aiken-Rhett. From the pictures, the Aiken-Rhett house hasn’t been remodeled and is in a pretty rough-looking state. I can appreciate the thought behind keeping the house in a natural state, but I really enjoyed seeing the house that showed more what it looked like in the past. It also helps to see it remodeled and not have to use my imagination. Because, honestly, there is no way I would’ve been able to conjure the sights that were in that house. Also, the Russell house had the staircase. I wasn’t able to walk on it, but I got a great picture of the way it wound up to the third floor.

I really liked this book, but just like the one for Boone Plantation, I’m not sure anyone would be interested in it if you didn’t have any exposure to the site. It gets a Good Book! review from me. 

And if you’re in Charleston, I recommend both the Boone Plantation and the Russell House. The plantation grounds were very cool, but I have to give the edge on house tour to the Russell house. I saw a lot more and had access to a lot more of the house. The plantation tour is only parts of the first floor, but the grounds wagon ride made up for it with the critters we saw. Also, if you’re into gardens, the plantation has great gardens. It’s also worth it to see the Avenue of Oaks. I appreciate the volunteer at the Russell House recommending this book to me. Personally, I don’t think they should’ve let it go out of print. I think it would be an excellent book to have in the gift shop.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie

You can't go wrong with Agatha Christie. What's even better is this book is in the public domain, so I was able to find it on one of my favorite sites: gutenberg.org.

Roger Ackroyd is murdered, and the main suspect is a young man who was considered to be almost like a son to the man. His fiancé finds out Poirot is living nearby and asks for his help. Our narrator is actually a local doctor, Dr. Sheppard. 

Enjoying watching Poirot on TV hurt me on this one. I knew who the killer was from an episode I'd seen a long time ago. I couldn't remember all the details, but I knew a lot of it. 

The writing was excellent - as usual. Even knowing who the killer was and many of the details didn't make reading this book tedious at all. I really liked it, and it's something I've come to expect when reading an Agatha Christie. Good Book!

Dark Souls: The Complete Collection - George Mann, Alan Quah and others

I love Bloodborne, but Dark Souls also appeals to me. I watched the price on this graphic novel for a while and ended up getting it in a "buy 2, get 1 free" sale. In this novel, they collected four comics together in one awesome place: The Breath of Andolus, Winter's Spite, Legends of the Flame and Age of Fire.

The art in this was excellent, and a few times I paused to admire it. In one particular story, the font was a bit difficult to read. Overall, every story was interesting, but The Age of Fire was easily my favorite. I loved all the mini stories and how clever they were.

I liked this novel, but I can't say for sure that I recognized anything from the game. I'm much more familiar with Bloodborne (as I mentioned before), so it's just something I'm putting out there. I appreciated the stories and especially the artwork. Good Book!

The House of the Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne

This is widely considered a classic, and the fact that it's labeled a gothic is what drew me in. I only made it about 1/3 of the way through and decided to throw in the towel.

At that point, nothing had happened. Phoebe had heard a voice, but that's it. Super long paragraphs and irrelevant descriptions made reading this book extremely tedious. I kept looking for other things to do rather than pick this back up. Since I quit early, I might've missed why it was important to describe chickens for three pages.

I looked up the plot online, and the funny thing is I'm sure some of the "good stuff" was coming up. But the writing style was so boring, I just didn't enjoy any of my time with this book.

Boone Hall Plantation - Michelle Adams

Last week, we were in Charleston, South Carolina, for a conference. The amazing thing was my aunts and a couple of my cousins made the trek to hang out with us. It was so much fun, and one of the highlights was when we went to Boone Hall Plantation. Once our tours were over and we were all tuckered out, I still wanted to learn more. They didn't have the usual souvenirs I collect (lapel pins), so I decided to pick up this book.

The book has tons of pictures with little summaries underneath. Do the summaries always match the picture? Not always, but I learned a ton. The pictures are all in black and white, which is understandable considering the time period the book was covering. I wish there were at least a couple of pictures in color, especially of the Avenue of the Oaks. I got some pictures of it while we were there, but it really was pretty. If you ever get a chance to get down that way, check out Boone Hall. The gardens were amazing as well.

I personally enjoyed the book, but I think a lot of that was because of my interest. I wouldn't randomly pick this book up and read it, especially since there aren't color pictures. Unfortunately, I didn't see the price of the book when I picked it up ($24.99), but I chalk it up to supporting the author's efforts and the plantation itself. I'm giving it a Good Book! review, but I'm not recommending it as something that everyone would be interested in.

Code Name November (The November Man #1) - Bill Granger

I can’t remember how exactly this one ended up on my list, but I knew it was a spy thriller. I think there’s even a movie.

Devereaux is sent on a mission to figure out what a specific agent knows. The guy is hoping to get his windfall and disappear, but it’s not meant to be. A relative of the Queen is in danger, and Devereaux’s R Section wants to leverage that to stick it to the CIA and get in good with British Intelligence.

Okay, I think I’m getting old. There was a woman in the book, and of course, they had sex. I really didn’t care for it, and I ended up hating her. She was supposed to be able to handle things going on around her, but she was just whiny and scared the whole time. I kept wanting her to die. There was a character I ended up really liking, but they killed him. I think that made me hate the woman even more, because she really didn’t contribute anything except some smut.

The writing itself was decent. It would just get confusing at times. These moments would always end up being cleared up, but in the moment, it could get frustrating. The other issue was the number of characters and whose side they were on. I felt like I needed a list after a while, but it was too late by that point.

There are more books with Mr. November, but I’m out. I couldn’t really get a good read on Devereaux, and I really ceased to care after a while. And when they killed off my favorite character, that’s never good if I’m considering sticking with a series. It wasn’t a terrible book, I just didn’t enjoy it.

Beyond the Call of Duty - Stephen L. Moore

This is the story of Robert Hayward, the most highly decorated Green Beret. After reading everything he went through, I have to say that he earned every medal he received. He was a Medal of Honor recipient, but it took three tries for the paperwork to get through. The other two times, the award was downgraded. It’s something I don’t understand.

There isn’t much to say about the book itself. It goes through his life and provides pictures to go along with the story. I really appreciated the author getting the story from not only Bob, but friends and family as well. If you want to know what a true hero’s life looks like, you’ll find it in these pages.

The only downside was Bob’s love life. As with a lot of the military men I read about, he had trouble adjusting to being at home, and his marriages suffered because of it. From what I read, this man was in his element when he was on the ground in Vietnam, protecting his fellow troops and making sure everyone made it out alive.

The writing of this book was excellent, and the story was structured in a methodical way. Sometimes these books are all over the place when it comes to organization, and it drives me crazy. This biography was well done, and if you want to read about a Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient, I highly recommend this book. Good Book! 

The Handsome Road (Plantation Trilogy #2) - Gwen Bristow

I worked really hard to acquire this paperback. On a trip to San Diego, I saw it while shopping, but I'd already bought four books. The cover really drew me in, so I specifically walked back to the bookstore the next day and bought it. I didn't really realize it was part of a series, but there's generations between the books, so it didn't matter. Also, this book originally came out in 1938, so the language in it is horribly dated.

Ann and Corrie May live very different lives in Louisiana during the Civil War era. Ann has her every issue taken care of and lives on a plantation, while Corrie May struggles to get by. Both of their lives are going to change once the war hits.

Corrie May drove me nuts. Her use of the n-word was excessive, and while I suppose her view made sense in the moment, she really did not like slaves. In her view, they did jobs for free, and there wasn't any work left for people like her. Corrie May was a selfish, manipulative woman who never learned true compassion. She was focused on how to elevate her position in the world. Everyone else was uppity and didn't deserve her attention. She even made Budge (her poor fiancé who was killed) feel guilty enough to leave his property and join the army. Then she wanted him to quit. There's so many instances where she would do whatever she wanted and basically ignored how it would affect anyone else. She just wanted to stick it to people who didn't live like her.

Ann's portion of the story was much better, and while she started out the Southern Belle, she had a true arc where she was better by the end of it. Corrie May, on the other hand, grovels up to Ann but leaves by chastising her. Corrie May needed a good slap. This is really bad to say, but I was a bit bummed she didn't die at the end. I say that because so many characters die in this book, and some of the deaths were sad. 

Anyway, I just wanted this book to end. I was tempted to quit reading it, but I wanted to find out what happened to Ann. The next book in the series is about descendants of Ann and Corrie May's families, but I'm not going anywhere near it!

The Roman Hat Mystery - Ellery Queen (Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee)

Ellery Queen is the son of an Inspector and our narrator for this novel.

A man is murdered during the performance of a play. His hat is missing, and the Queens have to work hard to find out who did it, and why did the murderer take the hat?

This book was just not interesting for me. The mystery takes place, and then the Inspector takes close to 10% of the book explaining the whole thing to someone. At that point, I could've just read the last part and heard the whole thing in detail.

I wasn't a fan of the characters, the plot was drawn out, and the repetition at the end just sealed my opinion. Not for me. 

Magpie Murders - Anthony Horowitz

I've read one other book by this author, and it was way back in 2018. I wasn't a huge fan of Raven's Gate, but this book was more a murder mystery, and those are my jam. This is a fairly popular book, and there's even a TV series now. My daughter let me borrow her copy, and I was curious to see what all the hype was about.

Susan is an editor whose star author has died. It's labeled a suicide, but Susan isn't so sure. The author had just dropped off the final manuscript of his mystery series. But when Susan goes to read it, the final chapters are missing. It's another anomaly, and she isn't going to leave it alone.

I feel like the setup for the book was interesting. You read the entire manuscript in this book, and then you also read Susan's journey to find out what happened to the author. The thing is, I'm not sure I needed to read the entire manuscript. You're basically trying to solve two mysteries in this book. It was so long, I was just wanting it to end. Details were repeated numerous times, and Susan's mind went in circles. For instance, I read parts of the "suicide note" three times.

This book just wasn't for me. Everything seemed so drawn out, and it was just too long for what it was. My daughter has the second one in the series, Moonflower Murders, but I'm going to pass. It really wasn't my jam...

Fearless - Eric Blehm

Adam Brown is a hero.

That's the short version. This book was made on his request after his death in 2010. So many voices came together to make this book about his life. Some of them passed shortly after Adam. But this book isn't one of those biographies that sugar coats a life and makes it sound like the person was an angel.

Adam struggled with drugs early in life, but he didn't try to hide it. He chose when to tell people, but it was a part of who he was and what he overcame. He also fought against injuries. So many of the things he went through would break most people. But when this man went on his final mission, he had fought through injuries to the point where he had to learn to use one eye and shoot with his nondominant hand.

The man's life sounds like fiction, but he was a real hero. It's the ultimate redemption arc, which is evidenced by the number of people who remember him and the impact he made on their lives. I was in tears for much of the final part of the book. I don't tear up much while reading, so this was rough. The pictures were well chosen, and I commend the author for the work he did. This was definitely a story worth telling, and I think he did justice to the life of Adam Brown. Good Book!

The House in Marsh Road - Laurence Meynell

Last year, I watched the 1960 movie based on this book. It interested me to watch a house be a character, so I wanted to track down the book. I was able to finally find it on Gutenberg.

Jean's husband, Arthur, is a struggling writer. They skirt out on bills, and Jean hates it. One day, she inherits a house and a bit of money. The only problem is that it's in the country, and Arthur is determined to sell it. He's also got some different priorities. He's all about himself basically.

The house has a personality. When they arrive, a chair is waiting in the hallway. Most of the time, small things might happen. A cord gets unplugged or a chair moves. Once Arthur starts to seriously get disgruntled, start an affair and contemplate inheriting the house by deadly means, the house steps up its game.

This book was interesting, but I have to say I was hoping the house would be more involved. I didn't expect it to throw stuff at Arthur's head (although that would've been great), but it just seemed like it took a while for the action to ramp up. I can't really remember the movie that well, but I enjoyed it enough. I liked the end of this book, and it wasn't satisfying because Jean was happy. It was because the house got justice on Arthur and that stupid woman.

I'm staying on the fence with this one. I felt like it dragged a bit too much at times, and I wanted more involvement from the house. It had some serious potential, but it just didn't get there.

Password to Larkspur Lane (Nancy Drew #10) - Carolyn Keene

This was the second Nancy Drew my daughter let me borrow. It also had an old person on the cover, which made me a bit wary after the last one. In case you don't remember, poor Mr. Sidney turned 100 then immediately died in The Sign of the Twisted Candles. It was a bummer Nancy Drew, and I wasn't a fan. 

In this installment, Nancy is on the trail of a few different things. A hurt pigeon, a released convict out for revenge, a missing old woman, a mysterious houseman and a ring of blue fire. There might be some other things in there, but they all relate back to those main issues.

Nancy gets herself into some real danger in this book, and I was here for it. Normally, she's pretty soft on the danger, and I get more tension in a Hardy Boys book, but I feel like Nancy pulled her weight this time. I will say that I never understood why the criminals bothered to destroy Nancy's flower arrangement. That seemed petty and a waste of time.

After the disappointment of Asa Sidney's death in the last book, I was glad to find a spicy, spry old lady ready to fight. This Nancy Drew was more on par with what I was used to, and I liked the little ad at the end for the next one in the series. I did roll my eyes a bit when her dad just bought her a new car out of the blue. I think hers had a dent or something. Oh, the horrors! Anyway, this gets a Good Book! review from me. Long live Mary Eldridge!

The House on Hay Hill - Dorothy Eden

This was one of the gothic-looking books I was so excited to find when I was in San Diego. It had a questionable cover and not much information on the back, but I had high hopes.

A woman inherits a home from her great aunt. She's worried her cousins will resent her, but she's got bigger issues. Someone is pretending to be her and taking her stuff! She suspects one of her cousins might be behind the suspicious events, but she doesn't really want to believe it. Especially because one of them keeps flirting with her - which was pretty weird by the way.

Ok, so the entire book was 220ish pages, and this particular mystery was getting wrapped up around page 80 something. And I was confused. I looked a little closer, and this book had approximately eight stories in it. And I think I had an issue with every one of them.

The first one (the main story) had the cousins. One of the others had a manipulative man who wouldn't leave a woman alone. A couple of them had the "love at first sight so I'm going to stalk that person" kind of tale. Some of them ended without any kind of resolution between the two love interests. One in particular had a woman happily boarding a train to trail after a guy that didn't invite her to follow him. And the final story had a man pining after a woman for 20 years! Yeah, no one changes at all in 20 years...

This book bummed me out. I was so looking forward to a juicy gothic, and this was just nonsense and bad choices. I mean, who thinks it's a good idea to plan on marrying a guy for the sole purpose of getting a house back in the family?

I have another book by this author, so I was scared to pick it up in case it was like this one. I checked it, but it looks like it's just one story. The bad news is the print looks tiny...oh well. I don't have super high hopes for the other book, but I will give it a chance. It's just not super high on my priority list now.

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!