Military Dogs of World War II - Susan Bulanda

This book collects stories and describes the important jobs dogs served during the second world war. Some were taken overseas and used as mine detectors. Others were on patrol, alerting the men when an enemy was nearby. Some dogs were taken in as strays and adopted as mascots. Family pets alerted rescue teams to buried humans. Larger dogs were used to pull sleds of munitions or injured men. This is only some of the jobs I read about. Dogs were used by many countries during the war. 

The book tells the story of the famous and the unknown in the genre. It doesn't do it in great depth, which is okay. There are tons of pictures. I couldn't get enough of those. On the flip side of that, this was a war. Some, I'm sure many, of the faithful friends would never make it home. There are stories of those heroes in this book as well.

I think the most heartbreaking part is the lack of regard for the dog's lives by some countries. I will give one of them credit for changing direction when they realized they were losing too many dogs. Even if it was a numbers thing, they changed the policy. On the other end of that was a different country that just made me angry.

Overall, though, the book is super uplifting and for a dog lover, I could've read these stories forever. On a price level, be aware it's only 126 pages, and there's tons of pictures, so make sure to keep that in mind if that's a consideration for you. I got it when it was on sale, so it gets a Good Book! review. I really loved it!

Ash (Asher Benson #1) - Jason Brant

Jason Brant came onto my radar because of his YouTube channel where he watches bad movies with his wife and friends. I didn't know he was an author, but apparently, he has a lot of books out there. Many of them are horror, which isn't my thing, but the summary of this book sounded interesting. It falls into the "diet book" category. It's listed at 215 pages. 

Ash was injured in Iraq, and now he hears the thoughts of the people around him. He uses booze to dull the voices at the end of the day, and his life is a mess. One day, he walks into a bank and stops a robbery. After that, his life takes an interesting turn. Now, he's wrapped up in some strange government group that wants to track down someone with powers stronger than Ash's, and they can't do it without Ash. But they also don't seem to be very good at doing anything when he does find his target.

Ash is kind of a putz. I found it interesting that when he made a link to the target, he didn't have any questions for the man. He didn't really trust the people he was working for, but he decided to antagonize the person who could've answered some of his questions. Later on, I understood the snarkiness and sarcasm, but at least initially, I would've thought Ash would've been at least a little curious.

My favorite character, hands down, was Drew (his girlfriend Melissa sounded like a shrew, and I was upset he still had her at the end - he deserves better!). He didn't put up with any crap from Ash, but he was loyal to the end. It was the kind of friend Ash needed, and he didn't get enough credit. A close second would be Nami. She had a spirit that made me smile a few times.

I liked the plot, even though I found it sad that so many innocent people were dying all over the place. The action scenes are very detailed, which is something I don't see very often, so props for that. I wasn't always 100% sure what exactly was happening, but I got the gist most of the time.

The series has two other books, Madness and Asher's War. I don't know if Drew returns, so I don't think I'll actively look to read these. Ash by himself would probably drive me crazy. Without Drew to balance him out, I'm not sure I would've rated this as high as I am. I did appreciate that it's not longer than it needed to be. The author wasn't trying to hit a page count here, and he just told the story and let the page count fall where it may. Combining that with the plot and my man Drew earns Ash a Good Book! review.

A Kim Jong-Il Production - Paul Fischer

Choi, a South Korean actress, was kidnapped and taken to North Korea. Shin, a filmmaker, was kidnapped later and joined her after going through a much more uncomfortable welcome. He was put into prison where he tried to escape. Eventually, the two were reunited, and they formed a film company.

After eight years, they were able to escape and get away. It took that long to gain the amount of trust and for circumstances to align in such a way they were able to make it to an American Embassy. After that, they were reunited with their family, and they spent some years in the states before making their way back to South Korea.

Unfortunately, their story has undergone a lot of scrutiny. Some people claim they weren't kidnapped at all, and that Shin purposely went to North Korea so he could make films again. Events don't really line up to support that scenario, but people will believe what they want to.

The author has done what he can to portray the facts as they were able to be verified. As with anything like this, there isn't going to be 100% verifiable sources for something like this. Most of the story comes from Choi and Shin, but their stories line up with other events of the time. The author went so far as to use Google maps, visit North Korea and contact any people mentioned by Choi and Shin. If they were unavailable, he tried to get in touch with someone who knew them. I give him credit for that.

I found the book to be interesting. The weird way things worked in North Korea was fascinating and sad at the same time. It was also sad to think of the poor people left behind who were punished when Choi and Shin escaped. Shin's life after leaving North Korea wasn't super amazing, and that's a shame. I'll give it a Good Review!

Gunner and the Dumbo - Dwight W. Follett

When I picked up a few books on Coachwhip.com, I picked this one up as well. It's a children's book from 1945 and tells the tale of Gunner, a Boston Terrier, who is part of a bomber crew in the Pacific. He goes on a mission to bomb battleships when things go wrong on the way back. Gunner is vital to the survival of his crew.

The pictures in this book are adorable. It's probably not for small children, and the labels used aren't appropriate today ( ex. "Jap"). The story was so good, and I loved it. I was a bit bummed to learn it wasn't a true story, because it seemed like it could've really happened.

The book is still available digitally on Coachwhip. It's super cute, and I really liked it. It's short, cute, and Gunner is a real (fictional) hero! Good Book!

The Phantom Coach and Other Stories - Amelia Edwards

This is a set of six stories - The Phantom Coach, An Engineer's Story, A Service of Danger, The Story of Salome, Was it an Illusion? A Parson's Story, and How the Third Floor Knew the Potteries. I wish I could remember how/why this ended up on my list, but it's been on there too long...

They're all pretty short, so I won't go into the details of them here. I will say they're all ghost stories. Some of them are better than others, and my favorites were An Engineer's Story, the Illusion story, and to a lesser degree the Pottery one.

There's not much more to say since they're so short. If you're in the mood for some quick ghost stories, you might enjoy these. I found them a pretty good investment of my time. The whole thing is only a little over 100 pages, so I wouldn't spend oodles of money on it. I somehow had it in a Word document, so I don't even know where it came from. Anyway, wherever this literature came from, it gets a Good Book! review.

White Plague (Joe Rush #1) - James Abel

This paperback was a pick from the HPB run, but it was one of Mom's.

A submarine is struggling after a fire. It's up in the Arctic, and the only icebreaker is a research vessel. Joe is convinced to take his team and investigate the strange illness that has broken out. The Arctic is becoming a contested area since the ice is melting to the point where it can become a thoroughfare, so it's important to get to the submarine before anyone else does.

Once they finally find the sub, the situation is dire...and complex. The illness that has broken out is mysterious, and once they figure out what it is, they fear what it means for not only the members of the submarine, but the crew of the icebreaker as well.

I found this book to be very interesting. It's been a bit since I've read a book in this genre, and I really enjoyed the way this one was put together. I wish Joe and the Major could've cleared the air with the truth, but it didn't matter. The writing style flowed well, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next.

This is the first of a four-book series. The other three are Protocol Zero, Cold Silence and Vector. I wouldn't mind reading more in the future. Good Book!

Helmet for My Pillow - Robert Leckie

I picked this one up a while back. When I purchased Band of Brothers, I got The Pacific as well. We haven't watched it yet, but this book is one of the inspirations that was used for the series.

Leckie was with the 1st Marine Division while they were battling in places like Guadalcanal and Peleliu. Much of the book felt surface level and seemed to be focused on explaining the brig, time on leave and fighting the jungle.

That all changed in the last 10% of the book. When Leckie explained what happened on Peleliu, I felt like he really went in depth of what he went through. He lost a lot of friends and was injured, The epilogue was a peek into his mind as well. 

Overall, the book was okay, but there's something about it that keeps it from pushing over into a good book review. I appreciate Leckie telling his story, it didn't really resonate with me most of the time.

May they rest in peace...

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

Okay, so this is one of those books that theoretically I should have read a long time ago. We've had this really cool version of it since I was a kid. We used to have another classic, but it's gone, and I don't remember what it was. Wuthering Heights is a story that, on the surface, seems like it would be right up my alley. But, I had a sense that it was not a happy ending kind of story. Maybe it was something I heard.

Hindley and Catherine are siblings. Their father brings home an orphan named Heathcliff, and they all grow up together. Catherine and Heathcliff become close, but Catherine marries a neighbor for questionable reasons. Later, Catherine becomes ill, and Heathcliff marries Catherine's sister-in-law because he's a jerk. The next generation becomes playthings for Heathcliff's revenge plans, and it seems that no one can stop him.

This book made me angry. I hated everyone in it, and that doesn't happen very often. Usually there's at least one or two characters that I can at least tolerate to root for. In this, they all sucked. Everyone was either whiny, selfish, spoiled, made numerous bad decisions or turned a blind eye when others did. I kept thinking the best thing that could happen to these people would be for an earthquake to swallow up both estates and be done with them. The end wasn't even really that happy. The "couple" was unevenly matched with one of them still mocking the other. Ugh.

I don't know why people love this book. To each their own. Heathcliff is not a sympathetic character. He reminded me a little of Edward Rochester from Jane Eyre (funnily enough written by Emily's sister Charlotte). The difference is that Rochester had an arc during the book where he underwent a change. Heathcliff just went downhill and stayed there. I was not a fan of this one. Having a character to root for is a must for me, and without that, I just couldn't enjoy it.

Striking Back - Aaron J. Klein

After watching One Day in September, a documentary about the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, I wanted to learn more about the aftermath. I hoped this book would help with that.

The first part of the book went through the tragedy in Munich, and I did learn a few things I didn't pick up from the documentary. Other than that, it was all familiar ground. Also, the documentary itself was mentioned more than once.

Once that part was over, I was into new territory. Israel's response wasn't quite what I expected. A lot of the targets they went after weren't directly related to Munich, which surprised me. Some of them were barely related to terrorism at all. They even had a major mishap when they assassinated an innocent man.

There was also a weird detail that puzzled me. Three of the terrorists from Munich survived and were eventually given back to their people. I thought they would be high on the list of targets, but their fates are murky. The Mossad claim they killed them as part of Mission Wrath of God, but one of them appeared in the documentary One Day in September, one of them may have died of heart failure, and a different group claims to have killed the third. So that's a bit weird.

Overall, this book was interesting. The assassinations were carried out under the claim of prevention and not revenge, but I believe an element of revenge had to be in the minds of some of those involved. When it comes to actions like this, it feels like there aren't any right answers. When the terrorist attacks died down, was it because of the fear of Mossad reprisal? Or was it because the Palestinians realized since their story was finally being told, the carnage was hurting their message? It's a mystery...

Anyway, this book was informative, and I enjoyed it. I learned a lot, and it went in a totally different direction than I was expecting. Good Book!

The Canary Murder Case (Philo Vance #2) - S. S. Van Dine

After I read the first book with Philo Vance, The Benson Murder Case, I wanted to give him a second chance. He irritated me with the way he spoke and his condescending attitude, but I feel like the mystery was enough to make me want to try again.

A woman is murdered in her home. A quartet of suspects muddy the waters of a crime that is too perfect. Vance tries to point out that even though it looks like a robbery, it's a calculated crime, and the killer is smarter than they think.

Vance wasn't near as annoying this time. The mystery had me intrigued, and I had an inkling of where it was going at times, so it wasn't so far out there that I was 100% shocked and amazed. Sprinkled throughout the book are diagrams that I immediately forgot once I turned the page, so they didn't add anything for me.

In all, Vance has 12 books. Since public domain is up to 1929 now, there are still two more books available in this series if I decide to dive into this character more. Next up is The Greene Murder Case followed by The Bishop Murder Case. I have tons of things to read, so I may or may not add these to the list. But you can never have too many books waiting, can you? Good Book!

Master of Evrington - Vanessa Blake

This is one of those classic Gothic romances that I've had on my shelves forever. Not remembering it, I decided to dust it off and give it a read.

Caro(line) is an orphan who is at the mercy of her uncle for her education. She's at the school with her cousin, but she's also teaching. When the cousin decides to elope with a middle-aged actor, Caro Syrup tries to intervene. That puts her in the path of Tony, a man of questionable reputation. The next day, the cousin falls sick, Caro Syrup has been seen with the alleged cad, and all the blame is on the orphan. Tony comes to her rescue, and eventually they fake an engagement to stop the wagging tongues of the neighborhood. Add in the deposed royal siblings from India, and we've got ourselves some tension!

Okay, so this book was weird. It didn't take long to read, since it was only 170ish pages, but the characters were...there. Caro Syrup stood up for herself maybe once, and then she felt bad about it later. She made some stupid decisions and wallowed in self pity. But that's par for the course with these books. Tony is working behind the scenes to get his young ward back in charge of his province, but I cringed a bit when I found out how. They were basically trading a tyrant's rule for Britain. Eep.

And then there's the awkward romance. These two don't spend enough time together on the pages for me to think the care about each other. Sure, Tony spends an hour each day teaching Caro Syrup Hindustani, but it's mentioned in passing, and I'm not sure just talking about two characters spending time together is enough for me to care if they end up together. 

The cousin was okay for a while, but then she developed feelings for Tony when she already knew Caro Syrup was in love with him. And what was up with throwing Jim in there as a deus ex machina? He just pops up and knows where Caro Syrup is being held? How convenient!

I think the main lesson any woman should take away from these books (if you ever read one) is don't be stupid, don't fall in love with someone just because they're nice to you, and definitely don't believe everything people tell you. Cripes!

The Master of Disguise - Antonio J. Mendez

Mendez was a pro in the art of disguise and exfiltration. He was active during the Cold War and was part of the mission that rescued six Americans in Iran in 1979. If you've seen the movie, Argo, then you know the story.

Mendez didn't just make fake passports. Whole legends were made for each subject. Paper trails don't just involve a passport. They had to disguise the person themselves, and they had to make sure every piece of paper would pass the current inspection process by the government they were dealing with at the time. Argo was a particularly involved process, where they created a whole production company and script for a movie. If you've never read/seen anything about it, I highly recommend you look into it. It was pretty cool.

Anyway, parts of this book were a bit slow. The pacing wasn't necessarily different, it just seemed like some of the sections were more interesting than others. Overall, I did like the book. It opened my eyes to something that was a lot more complicated than I imagined. It gets a Good Book! review, but it's not going to be for everyone. I think you're going to need to have a pretty healthy interest in the Cold War and the spycraft of the time.

Legionquest - Scott Lobdell and others

This is a collection of comics that tell the story of Legion...sometimes.

Legion is a character that fascinates me, but the summary for this one threw me off a bit. I didn't even see David Haller until halfway through the book. I'm not sure how the first half was related to the second, but I did enjoy the Legionquest storyline. I saw little details here and there that might justify the earlier comics, but overall, they just didn't seem relevant.

This one will get a Good Book! review from me, but the advertising was a bit suspicious. Poor David...

 

The Flying Death - Samuel Hopkins Adams

I picked this book up after learning this author wrote the short story that inspired the movie, It Happened One Night. I really like that movie, but the story Night Bus wasn't readily available. This book was in the public domain, so I was ready for a mystery. There will be spoilers in this review.

It starts off with a shipwreck. A man is mysteriously murdered, and a juggler comes under suspicion. More deaths follow, and the murderer may not be as straightforward. There's also some romance nonsense in there.

Here come the spoilers:

So I didn't look into this ahead of time, but I thought it was a mystery. Technically, I suppose it is. But as I was reading, it transformed from an engaging mystery to The Giant Claw. From out of nowhere, a Pteranodon is suddenly a character. I was hoping a human explanation would be the eventual explanation, but no. In the end, it really was a prehistoric dinosaur responsible for most of the deaths.

I had a real issue that bothered me. Why was this dinosaur just murdering people? Doesn't it need to eat? It killed a sheep, but it didn't take it to eat or anything. The explanation of where it came from was weird, but I just couldn't get past the whole "why isn't it eating anything?". There were just corpses everywhere.

Anyway, I was bummed with this one. The romances were strange, and the dinosaur murderer was weird. Even when they had a human murderer, he walked on his hands and that looked like bird tracks? Okay, sure. This book was disappointing, and I think it should be left to the dogfishes (a reference to a moment in the book).

A Place of Hiding (Inspector Lynley #12) - Elizabeth George

This was the last paperback I picked up on our trip to Half Price Books. The page count on this one was particularly intimidating. It's almost 800 pages, and I started it over Christmas break. At that time, the kids were here, so progress was slow. The book is also unwieldy, so I can't cozy up with it while I'm winding down for the night, so I wasn't able to blaze through it like I normally do. So, the time it took isn't a reflection on how good the book is.

Guy is headed down to the beach for his morning swim, but he doesn't return. Instead, he's been murdered in a gruesome way. The suspect is American, and she has connections with Deborah. Deborah's husband, Simon, is something of a detective, so when the suspect's brother shows up on their doorstep, they all head off to Guernsey to solve the mystery.

There are a lot of characters and a lot going on. Guy is a multi-layered character, and he's not an angel. The fate of a WWII museum dedicated to those who resisted the occupation of the island becomes important to the case as well as the unusual will of the dead man.

I picked this book up because the summary sounded interesting. When I saw it was listed as an Inspector Lynley, I was confused. The man was barely a side character. Upon further search, it seems that Simon is usually the side character. It's just a coincidence that I picked up one of the few books in the series that didn't have the Inspector as the main character.

Short note about Deborah. Man, she was irritating. She was a poo to Simon. She made some of the weirdest decisions, and then she'd blame him. For instance, she took a side trip before turning over evidence. This was evidence Simon had trusted her to take straight to the police. Instead, she took it to the suspects and all over town. That led to Simon getting reprimanded, which can harm his reputation. Understandably, he's upset. Deborah doesn't understand this. She's all huffy and indignant. And the crap she pulled at the end? Argh!

Okay, putting her aside, I did enjoy the mystery. Little clues were being revealed bit by bit, like an onion. What I'd like to do is read an actual Inspector Lynley. It seems like not only is Simon not the main character in the series, 800 pages isn't usual. The first book is A Great Deliverance, and it looks like it's on sale right now. It's only 430 pages, so I'd like to give it a shot. Hopefully, Deborah is nowhere to be seen. This book was really good, though and gets a Good Book! review.