Book Review: Terror of the Autumn Skies

Besides Waldo Pepper, Rickenbacker, Richthofen and Brown are the only pilot names that come to mind from World War I.  So, learning about America’s very first Ace of Aces, who was also the first aviator to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, was  a great discovery for me as a pilot and a history buff.  Luke’s missions against German observation balloons also revealed aspects of the air war over the trenches I had never known.   (4 of 5 Stars)

Link to Terror of the Autumn Skies on Amazon

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Book Review: Yellow Ribbon (Dev Haskell Mystery, #11)

Not so much a whodunit as a “when-will-it-end” kind of story, I didn’t enjoy this installment as much as I did Last Shot.  Dev is a likeable character, but the running gag about his appearance wore thin after a while, kind of like the plot.  It’s not bad, but with sixteen other books in the series, I would read this one last.  (3 of 5 Stars)

Link to Yellow Ribbon on Amazon

Book Reviews: A Glenn Curtiss Hat Trick

The Curtiss Aviation Book on Amazon.com

Like Orville Wright’s book on aviation, this is flying history directly from one of the guys who made it happen.  Very readable and understandable, even though it was written in 1912, less than 10 years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight, it also presents a prescient view of where the new technology was headed. A must read for any airplane nut like me. (4 of 5 Stars)

Hero of the Air on Amazon

While the Wright Brothers certainly deserve the laurels for being “first in flight,” Glenn Curtiss was one of the real movers and shakers behind taking aviation from an invention to an industry — and all the while fighting the Wright Brother’s war on him over their patents.  A comprehensive and even-handed biography of a sometimes over-looked American pioneer.  (4 of 5 Stars)

Glenn H. Curtiss, Aviation Pioneer on Amazon

After reading a biography of Curtiss, as well as his own thoughts on aviation, seeing his life and his works captured extensively in photographs was the Pièce de résistance.  One of the perks with studying modern history. (5 of 5 Stars)

 

 

 

Book Review: Snatched

A good mystery with plenty of twists, off-beat characters and a comic undertone. It felt, at times, like watching a classic Three Stooges hallway scene with Larry, Moe and Curly popping in and out of doors. More Janet Evanovich than Coen Brothers, but still a fun read. (4 of 5 Stars)

Snatched on Amazon.com

 

 

Book Review: The Sun Also Rises

I cracked open The Sun Also Rises again on a whim, after listening to a podcast about the story behind Hemingway’s writing of the classic. I kinda wish I hadn’t. If this band of un-merry drinkers were Millennials instead of the “Lost Generation,” I’d no doubt find their Facebook pages insufferable. Some stones are meant to be unturned and some old favorites not to be reread. (2 of 5 Stars)

The Sun Also Rises on Amazon.com

 

 

Book Review: Jesse Garon

Great premise for a mystery — searching for Elvis’s twin brother, instead of The King. (Spoiler alert: no 7-Elevens in Kalamazoo, Michigan figure in this story.) I liked the main character, Phil Allman, but, frankly, “Cinderella Story” endings ain’t really a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich for me, but, hey, I’m not a fascist or an antifa. Since there are no half stars, I rounded up.  (4 of 5 Stars)

Jesse Garon on Amazon.com

 

 

Book Review: Being Written, A Novel

As one who barely manages to control or corral the characters I put to page, I was hooked from the moment I read the description of Being Written.  The idea of a minor character subverting an author’s plot line for his own gain was not only intriguing, but made the writer in me curious how Conescu would pull it off.  Well, he did and it was great fun.  While some may not care for the ending, I found it absolutely perfect for the story. (5 of 5 Stars)

Being Written on Amazon.com