It’s a long weekend over here, I was a little late in realising that, but totally embraced the idea of a mid-winter storm and a fabulous book… and of course we are deep in baked apple season…
And I know there are so many things to get done… but sometimes it is good for everyone to just take a break… read a book and know that no-one will be stopping by, since are talking “Cape of Storms”!!! So lazy weekend and tomorrow I will do all those niggly little weekend chores that I normally do on Sunday evening…
Meanwhile I am reading this book:
A Higher Call by Adam Makos with Larry Alexander Published by Penguin Books South Africa… When I received this book for review, Hood #1 grabbed it and read it in a sitting and it went straight up into his list of “best books ever…” I read the first chapter and it was okay but I wasn’t gripped, I needed to know more. So I googled the names of the two main characters: Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler, don’t do this if you don’t want to know the outcome of the book… but you can read about the events in the book here. This book had a slow start, a young boy in a loving and inventive family, learning to fly. Three chapters in and I was totally and absolutely hooked. I know nothing about fighter jets, and precious little about actual combat… but I found myself caught up in the lives of Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler, both unlikely warriors and if they hadn’t been a war they would never have found themselves in the midst of it all. World War II really crept up on them and before they new it, even on the far sides of the world they found them sucked into the system.
This is not a book that leaves you hungering after war, the reality of tragedy after tragedy and the despair that they are in it for the duration leaves you feeling somewhat haunted. But if you enjoy reading biographies then this is, just as the cover says an incredible read. The author, through countless interviews, has managed to bring their story, not just facts and events on the internet, to life. I find myself gasping at the hardship these men endured, the difficulties they experienced… and the heroism. These young men, and they were really young, were called upon to make decisions and perform tasks that no-one should be asked to perform. They lived in a state of fear and terror for so long that would in our day be called grounds for quitting. But there was no talk of giving up, perseverance was not just expected, it was the norm, embraced in fact. And bravery beyond bravery. If you want to get into the hearts and minds of true war heroes and meet the people behind the facade of the flying machines of World War II then this is a great read. Better than great… I really enjoyed reading this book so much. Be warned, this is definitely not a dipper… you will want to read just one more chapter, and another and another. I am with Hood #1, this book flies up onto my list of top biographies I have read.
I was given this book for review purposes by Penguin Books South Africa, I wasn’t paid for this review and the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Here are some lovely links from this week:
- How incredible is Under the Sycamore’s Trailer Tour… I think I need a summer vacation right about now!!!
- Alisa Burke’s Little Lucy has the most adorable style…
- I cannot resist this adorable circus suitcase, on Handmade Charlotte, it reminds me of one the gang made to celebrate Alexander Calder’s birthday.
- I just really enjoyed this read: My Summer Reading List (and why I quit the blogging madness) by Shalom Mama.
- If you are looking for a good long read then dive in here, a giant collection of reasons, some of them I hadn’t even thought of: “I can’t Homeschool Because… “
- David Murray of Head Heart Hand wrote for kids this week… about obedience, my (ho hum) a little indifferent to that one – they have perhaps heard it before!!! But this post on Discipline: Waste or Profit is a post they really appreciated!!!
- Our garden is in a state of abandonment, I had a rhythm and routine going, but for the longest time it has been neglected… I am dreaming of gutting back into it and here is just some pure loveliness, this sent me into a spin of garden inspiration… The Prouty Garden on Wildflowers Photography.
- A Blast From the Past: And here are a couple of links to posts, this week, from previous years: The Father’s Day Special…
.
And the se7en + 1th link:
That’s us… Hope your weekend is a fabulous one and we are so looking forward to another week of blogging with you all…
I love your website! I particularly love your book reviews, as a former English teacher I have an ‘addiction’ to books. I tried Sonlight this past year but do not feel I utilized it fully. If I stay with it next year I will have a 4/5th grader and 9th grader so two different cores I am guessing. Do you supplement the grammar and writing? I do not live near anyone who uses this program and am feeling a bit lost and am tempted to just use what my daughter did when she was those grades but the boys are different creatures and nothing seems to fit right now. Ugh thanks for letting me whine here and keep up the geat work!
Hi Shiela, Those are good questions… Let me think a little bit about it and I will write a post in July… about the things that work and the things that don’t… and what we fix and what we discard!!! Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you are having a great week!!!
MMMMMMMMM, those apples!