Top Dog - Maria Goodavage

I love dogs. I love working dogs. I've been waiting to read this book for a long time, and was excited to get into it.

Lucca is a hero. There's just really no other way to put it. She was deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan searching for weapons and IEDs. The beginning of this book was brutal. You're hooked immediately and have to keep going to find out what happened. I laughed, and I cried. I read it in four days, which is pretty good for me these days.

Major respect to Chris Willingham and Juan "Rod" Rodriguez. These two men were willing to tell their stories (which can be emotional at times). I loved how Chris was aware and sensitive to the needs of the people and animals around him. He learned the wrong way to deal with grief and passed that on to others later on. While Chris is the main handler for Lucca, Rod also was very important to the story. Very important.

I want to acknowledge the research of the author. As I was reading this, I was wondering how she knew so much. I didn't see anything at the beginning, but it was at the end. She did numerous interviews between August 2013 and April 2014 and even stayed with the Willinghams for a bit. She got to know the family, and most importantly, Lucca herself. She also interviewed so many people, even very "minor" characters were consulted.

The pictures are at the very end - after the sources. I could've probably looked at a hundred more pictures and not complained a bit. But I think the author chose a good smattering of pictures to cover Lucca's life and the friends she made along the way. Another great choice. The writing is engaging, and I really enjoyed learning about this hero. Great Book!

I'm going to add some spoilers down below the picture. I don't want to give away what happens in the book, but I really want to acknowledge the other heroes. I realize that probably all the dogs mentioned are gone by now, and they all deserve a lot more recognition than they get, but I am just going to do it this way. Forgive me for any mistakes and know that I appreciate every person and dog mentioned. And also, I have great respect for those who serve - past and present.

RIP to the fallen heroes:

Kory Wiens and Cooper

Max Donahue 

Grief

Posha

Bram

Special mention to those who came back with visible and invisible scars:

Alfred Brenner

Fenji

The Lady of the Lake (The Witcher Saga #7) - Andrzej Sapkowski

I've finally come to the end of the Witcher books that I bought. Again, I'm writing these up for my own reference, so they are including spoilers.

Technically there is another book in the series, but it's a standalone and set before this storyline. I'm keeping an eye on it, so the plan is to get to it eventually.

Spoilers! Seriously, there are so many spoilers...

So we finally get the gang together. It takes quite a while, like 2/3 of the book, but it does happen. In the meantime, we get a lot of war. I mean, a lot. The showdown at the end was a rollercoaster for sure. I hated that we took our friends there just to watch literally all of them die. Except for the main three of course. But yeah, Regis, Cahir, Angouleme and Milva...gone. That bummed me out for sure.

The ending itself also struck me as a bit unexpected. I'm not saying it was bad, just not what I thought would happen. After being saved by the unicorn, Geralt and Yennefer are taken somewhere, and then Ciri ends up in the Camelot era. Ok, I was fine with this, but at one point the boat is coming, and someone's like, "They have to leave." And the response is, "I know the legend." Well, I don't! I wish there had been a short explanation, but oh well.

Brief note on the games. I've watched the games. Yes, I'm weird, and I've watched my husband play games since we were dating. I just don't have the coordination to play these things without getting frustrated. Anyway, I'm really drawn to the ones with deep storylines and interesting characters. So apparently the games are supposed to be after the books, but that didn't really work for me. The end of the series was such a great way to wrap everything up, I didn't like connecting the two. Then, I heard it was its own universe, and I was okay with that. And don't get me started on Regis coming back. My husband and I went through that for 20 minutes last night. It was an interesting debate!

The series as a whole is something I would recommend to someone who enjoys the setting, characters and has the time to read through them in a reasonable amount of time. There are so many characters and so many things going on that I had some trouble keeping up. I really did like this series, and I hope that I eventually get to read the "last" one, Season of Storms. Good Book! Fun series!

From Calais to Colditz - Philip Pardoe

Philip Pardoe was at the Siege of Calais during the Battle for France. This was in 1940, just before Operation Dynamo at Dunkirk. Unfortunately, Pardoe was captured and spent the rest of the war in different prisoner of war camps.

He doesn't just sit around waiting for the war to end. He's very active in the escape committees and makes it out a couple of times before ending up at the camp in Colditz. It's basically a place where repeat escapees and prominent prisoners are sent.

I really enjoyed this memoir. Pardoe is straightforward about not only what he goes through, but what others around him deal with as well. The mental strain was heartbreaking to read about. He saw some of his good friends break close to the end of the war, and that is so sad. There are a lot of people mentioned in this book I want to learn more about.

This was well written, and the only criticism I would have would be the length of the chapters. I would have liked more sections within the chapters, but I completely understand why the book is structured the way it is. Also, the story ends once he's been liberated and he goes home. There isn't any real follow-up in his own words (there's a bit of his family background written by his son in the beginning), and I always prefer to learn what happened later on. That's a personal preference.

It's unfortunate Pardoe spent so much time as a prisoner, but he kept his character through the whole thing. He was a brave individual, and I believe it's one of the better ones I've read. Good Book!

The Tower of Swallows (The Witcher Saga #6) - Andrzej Sapkowski

Just so you're aware, I'm making these reviews of the Witcher series for myself. They aren't going on Amazon, and I'm adding in spoilers. That's in case there's a gap between reading books, and I need a refresher before picking up the next one. I normally don't include spoilers, so I wanted to add that disclaimer to explain why I'm doing it.

In this next installment of the Witcher, I followed our three heroes around as they tried to find each other. Did any of them succeed? Well...no.

Ciri has a major injury, which leads her to spend most of the book in the company of a hermit. I personally love being a hermit, so I was rooting for him. RIP hermit man. Geralt is also still hunting for Ciri, but he loses hope for a while and fears that she's dead. He forms more of a friendship with Cahir, and I like the relationship between all the members of that group. Yennefer rarely shows up, but she isn't having a great time. She spends some time in Skellig and ends up captured by Vilgefortz.

I liked this one. I'm still riding along on the continuous story. I'm going to pick a shorter autobiography and then get back to the next book, The Lady of the Lake. Good Book!

The Alexander Memoirs, 1940-1945 - Alexander of Tunis

I'm going to preface this by saying that my interest in autobiographies is getting to know the person telling the story. In the introduction, I had a suspicion I wasn't necessarily going to get that kind of book. The son mentioned his father didn't talk about the war much.

This book is more of a technical evaluation of the desert portion of WWII. Starting with Northern Africa, Alexander then goes into detail about the battles in Italy. Complete with maps, he includes which troops were where and what they did.

For me, this was too much detail. Someone who is interested in the strategy and details of battle will find this book more engaging than I did. He does give his thoughts about a few people, but his personal impressions of those years are largely missing. It just wasn't my kind of memoir.

It's OK That You're Not OK - Megan Devine

Grief is a beast. I've been dealing with a sudden loss for over six months, and it's been a struggle. I was recommended this author's website, and I decided to order the book.

Being a Christian is the worst at times. When loss occurs, it is mostly frowned upon to be upset for an extended period of time. You're supposed to be grateful for where your loved one is. Thank God for little things every day. The implication is that I'm doing it wrong even if it isn't said aloud.

This book gave a perspective that paralleled my own. It echoed a lot of the things I've been saying for the past half year. I've mentioned to my husband I don't feel heard. Other people don't just listen. They advise, encourage and tell their stories at a time when I'm screaming to be heard. They mean well, for sure, but it just doesn't land.

I was able to read this book at a time when it meant a lot to me. It's only been recently I've identified the need to be heard. Now I understand it isn't just me. This is a common reaction to what I'm going through.

I do feel there are times when broad brushstrokes are used when it isn't necessarily warranted. The approach to religion in this book is a bit harsh. It isn't necessarily wrong, but as a Christian, I let people vent. I'll tell people it's okay to call a situation garbage when they're in the valley. It's not a popular approach in the religious community, but I want to point out not every Christian is a judgmental person that doesn't listen. I also won't argue I might be a bit rare in that respect.

The way the author addressed the ways grief affects the body was also very interesting. One of the things that has been hard for me has been focusing on writing. I've had a project going for more than two years now, and I haven't been able to do anything with it. I can only write coherently when I write about my grief, and that's just where I'm at now. I've learned that's ok. 

The book isn't just for those in the midst of grief. It also has advice for those who want to support a friend or family member who is grieving. Even if you're reading this as a person grieving, it gives you a place to download the advice if you're having trouble communicating with your support team.

I don't think the book will help everyone. The pain you go through after a loved one dies is as unique as the love you have for them. While this book helped me, I'm not sure I would be bold enough to recommend it. The reader would need to be open to having their pain reflected back at them as they read, and facing that can be extremely trying and difficult. For me, it was what I needed to read when I needed it. What I will say is that it's the best thing I've read since the loss occurred.

Baptism of Fire (The Witcher Saga #5) - Andrzej Sapkowski

So here we are, still searching for Ciri. It's weird to say that in this book, a lot happened, but not much progress was made. Geralt is still searching, but his little band has grown. Regis and Cahir are now involved. In another place, Ciri is hanging out with some new friends. Both Ciri and Geralt are connected to each other through dreams. Yennefer is absent for most of the book, and when I found out why, it was something I wasn't expecting.

I enjoyed this one - no surprise there. I'm just beginning to wonder: Are these three characters ever going to get back together? Good Book!