Here are two more books about some of the lesser known events of WWII.

Much like those who worked at Bletchley Place (May 10, 2015), or were the Ghost Soldiers (August 1, 2015), the Navajo Code Talkers were not to ever speak of what they did, either. At least not until 1968. Although given a 'white' name, and punished for speaking his native language, Chester Nez (and many other Navajo) signed up to serve in WWII. Needing a code the Japanese couldn't break, they are given the task of coming up with something in Navajo. Part biography, part memoir, Code Talker: the First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII, by Chester Nez with Judith Schiess Avila tells how that was done. Then, since they were so few, and the code worked so well, the Code Talkers went from battle to battle with little or no R&R in between. This is one of those non-fiction books that read likes fiction and I was up reading far into the night.

After serving in WWI a young man went to then colonial Burma to work for the British teak company. He was fascinated by elephants and seemed to have a special connection with them, and one in particular. This is an amazing story ... heroic and tragic and truly epic. Elephant Company: the Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II, by Vicki Constantine Croke starts with the harvest of teak trees and continues on to the use of the elephants behind enemy lines (after the Japanese invade Burma), and the delivery of refugees to a safe location. Across a steep mountain. Wow!

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Lame as it is, the trail here seems to be 'favorites'. :-)

Autumn is in the air, my favorite season!

From the title of this book I expected it to be filled with nice pictures. What is here is so much more! extraordinary leaves (yes, both in lower case) with photographs by Stephen Green-Armytage, text by Dennis Schrader. The photographs are divided into sections such as color, pattern, texture and so on. Leaves of all sizes, in all seasons, with a readable (as in not too scientific) text. A nice find. :-)

Leaves In Myth, Magic & Medicine, by Alice Thoms Vitale is one of those books that is perfect for browsing. It's in alphabetical order so it's easy to find and read about a leaf of interest. I enjoyed the entry on the flowering dogwood. Seems the flowers aren't really flowers, and the name may (or may not) come from the leaves being used to wash a mangy dog!

Pizza is a favorite food!

It started out as food for the poor and can now be found as a gourmet item on food shows. There are purists, those that think it's lost it's origins what with all the strange toppings, and those that feel that the change is fine. Find out why 'mama' or 'papa' is good to have in the name. Do you prefer a local pizzeria, or one from a chain? A nice little history of a simple food that became a world wide phenomenon. There's even a recipe for pizza for dogs! Read all about it in Pizza: a Global History, by Carol Helstosky.

Musicals are a favorite entertainment!

Throughout history musicals have reflected what is going on in society. Our Musicals, Ourselves: a Social History of the American Musical Theatre, by John Bush Jones is a detailed look at just that. There were the Follies, to offer a break from tough times, Oklahoma! and South Pacific which dealt with social issues. Some pushed the limits and caused controversy (think Hair). More recently musicals are more spectacle than story (Cats, Starlight Express). The author really did his homework on this book and while I appreciate that, I will suggest that readers be sure this is a topic you are really interested in because I found it a bit like reading a text book. Publication date was 2003, so it contains musicals up to then.

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Today is Johnny Appleseed day, and since amazing apples are grown in Washington State I felt I could not let it pass without doing (or rather, reading) something!

Johnny Appleseed is an American folk hero, but, he was also a real person, so what is fact and what is fiction? The Real Johnny Appleseed, by Laurie Lawlor is nicely researched biography for younger readers that answers such questions.

Steven Kellog blends both fact and fiction in his book Johnny Appleseed: a Tall Tale Retold and Reillustrated. He explains a bit on how he did this at the back. Wonderful illustrations, of course. :-)

While a fictional story of his life, The Sun, the Rain, and the Appleseed: a Novel of Johnny Appleseed's Life by Lynda Durrant, was based on fact. It was thought that John Chapman had some sort of mental issue and this allowed the author to delve into that aspect of his character. We used to sing a grace about Johnny Appleseed that included the main title of this book. :-)

For a more local, and (somewhat) more recent look at the apple industry try Washington Apple Country with photographs by John Marshall and essays by Rick Steigmeyer. I learned about grafting, and non-toxic pest control. There is a golf course on what was once an apple orchard and there is a sort of 'island' shaped like an apple for one hole. (There's a sand trap, too). President Bush (the first one) played there. When the trees are in blossom, laundry might be hung to dry in the orchard to give the clothes, sheets, and towels a wonderful scent! This is a nice celebration of apples in Washington.

Sheila Connolly writes a mystery series set in an apple orchard. Meg Grey has lost her job and returned to help run the family farm. Start with One Bad Apple.

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More books about the night this time. What a wonderful trail this has been. :-)

Take a global (and beyond) night time trip in Good Night, World with words by Willa Perlman and pictures by Carolyn Fisher as a child bids 'bonne nuit' and goes to sleep. Wonderfully rendered.

I have mixed feelings about Once Upon a Northern Night, by Jean E. Pendziwol and pictures by Isabelle Arsenault ... it's a beautiful book with beautiful pictures. It's called a lullaby in the blurb ... all sorts of wonderful things happen ... and yet .... the child is asleep and doesn't see any of it! ;-) (Still, I guess that is the point of a lullaby, isn't it).

Follow a little boy as he investigates the forest with his flashlight in, well, Flashlight, by Lizi Boyd. Clever illustrations show what he sees and doesn't see. Keep an eye on the raccoon!

This. Is. An. Incredible. Book! Read it, look at it, even if you don't have kids. Goodnight World: Animals of the Native Northwest (be sure to include the subtitle as there is another with a similar title (see above)). Yes, it is a board book, but what a board book! All the artwork is by First Nations and Native artists, their names are listed on the back. What a treasure!

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Tomorrow is the first day of autumn but I'm posting these books today in case I don't get to my computer tomorrow. :-)

We've come to the last of the season books with clever text by Steven Schnur and those wonderful hand colored linoleum cuts from Leslie Evans. Celebrate the autumnal solstice with Autumn: an Alphabet Acrostic.

Take a quick, cross country tour in Autumn Across America, by Seymour Simon. A bit brief, but some nice photographs.

Autumn mornings are often foggy, but it usually burns off fairly quickly. What happens when it doesn't? And lasts and lasts? Hide and Seek Fog, by Alvin Tresselt and illustrated by Roger Duvoisin shows what sort of magic might happen.

Get out and take a 'shuffle walk' through the leaves, it's great fun!

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LOL had me LOL! Okay, a bit of an explanation here! In the past LOL meant 'Little Old Lady' and now it is also short for 'Laughing Out Loud' so when I came across Little Old Lady Recipes: Comfort Food and Kitchen Table Wisdom, by Meg Favreau with photographs by Michael Reali, I just couldn't resist making that connection. ;-) Great old 'standards' of the kitchen, with advice from grandmother as well (it will make more sense to those of us of that 'certain age' I think)! Don't miss the introduction, it's a hoot.

Ever wonder what happened to some of the toys, foods, games and so on from your childhood? Actually, I was not thinking anything like this when I cam across Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s & 80s, by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper and Brain Bellmont. I am a bit older than the age group here, but nevertheless, plucked this book of the shelf and found it to be a fun read! Find out which are gone for good, are still around, or have returned in an updated version.

When did vintage come to mean 1978??

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It's Talk Like a Pirate Day today!

I found two pirate-y ABC books! Shiver Me Letters: a Pirate ABC, written by June Sobel and illustrated by Henry Cole is full of fun, silly pictures to go with the rhymes for each letter.

The illustrations (by Gris Grimly) are a bit more detailed and a bit more scary in The Dangerous Alphabet, by Neil Gaiman. See if you can spot the (intentional) error! The rhymes are clever and witty, be sure to read them out loud.

And, also today, the new season of Doctor Who begins. That seemed like a good reason to post these titles:

Who is the Doctor: the Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who the New Series, by Graeme Burk and Robert Smith? (the ? is a part of the name) (really!) is a book that covers Doctor Who from the reboot forward (to the Tenth Doctor). This was a most enjoyable read as each of the episodes is discussed in depth ... what the authors liked, or didn't like, what made them roll their eyes, and always a bit of fun trivia.

Since Doctor Who is still airing, any book is going to be out of date by the time it's published. Still, The Who's Who of Doctor Who: a Whovian Guide to Friends, Foes, Villains, Monsters, and Companions to the Good Doctor, by Cameron K. McEwan (creator of Blogtor Who) with illustrations by Andrew Skilleter did include a bit on the War Doctor and the 12th Doctor. There is a nice bio and picture for each entry.

It's been decades since I read any philosophy, and then it was just one part of the class I was taking. Recently however, Char shared a book with me that she had really enjoyed. It was all about the show Breaking Bad. Since I have never seen the show, it was making no sense at all to me, but, in the front of the book we found many other titles in the series Popular Culture and Philosophy. There were books on Star Trek, Transformers, South Park and more ... including one in particular that looked interesting to me .... Doctor Who and Philosophy: Bigger on the Inside, edited by Courtland Lewis and Paula Smithka.

From the First Doctor to the Eleventh (just a little bit) there are essays on things like time travel (is it possible?); ethics in a universe filled with diverse life forms, the Companions and so on, that made this is an interesting read. Since a lot of authors made contributions some of entries are better than others. Even as 'new to Who' as I am I enjoyed most of them! (And, since there was no test, I could skip or skim the ones I didn't enjoy). ;-)

Other books about Doctor Who may be found in the January 31 and March 12, 2015 posts, and the April 13, 2015 post.

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Here we go again, more books from past trails. :-)

I've posted books about travels on horseback in past blogs: Tschiffely's Ride (8/30/14), Last of the Saddle Tramps and Ride the Rising Winds (June 2, 2015) but those rides were from times past. For a more recent journey on the domestic quadruped there's Connemara Mollie: an Irish Journey on Horseback and Dingle Peggy: Further Travels in Ireland on Horseback by Hilary Bradt. The author had always wanted to ride across Ireland and in 1984 that dream finally came true. She likes to travel 'on a whim' and without a definite plan, which makes her journeys all the more interesting. Nice descriptions of the country side, and a bit of history, too. :-)

I have great admiration for the wife of Cameron MacDonald, author of The Endangered Species Road Trip: a Summer's Wort of Dingy Motels, Poison Oak, Ravenous Insects, and the Rarest Species in North America. She agreed to go on this trip, using her maternity leave time, to follow her husband on his quest to see a certain number of endangered species, in their natural habitat, before the next school term started. They had two children, under two at the time! Lots of natural history included with the family adventure, a nice read. :-)

Another from the Images of America series: Route 66 in California, by Glen Duncan and the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation. While this only covers a small section of Route 66, it's full of wonderful pictures. Look for ostrich carts, and a young Dean Martin with a young Ronald Reagan. There are families on road trips, and intersections with familiar names that look much different than they do today. ;-)

Then a hop, skip, and a jump to books about words:

Who knew publishing a dictionary could be so difficult! In The Story of Ain't: America, It's Language, and the Most Controversial Dictionary Every Published, by David Skinner explains why. Language is always changing ... how do you keep up, should you? What about proper use, is it still necessary (and if so, when and where)? What about words from other languages that have become common? Slang? While I did find this to be a bit dry, and even a bit of a slog in spots, I did enjoy bits and pieces of this book.

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I will be doing other books about Washington State in the future, I'm sure, but decided I did not want to wait with E is for Evergreen: a Washington Alphabet, written by Marie and Roland Smith and illustrated by Linda Holt Ayriss. I've said it before, and undoubtedly will say so again, but this is an amazing series! I love the combination of beautiful illustrations, clever verse, and further details. This time there is a quiz of Washington facts at the end. This one had a wonderful 'Washington' feel.

I know there are folks who collect alphabet books. I sure hope they all have seen this series!

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I recently came across an old favorite, and that sparked a theme of 'night' books. I found several that looked good so there may be a few posts! :-) I have loved Bears In the Night, by Stan and Jan Berenstain since it first came out. Follow the cubs as they sneak out of bed for an adventure.

I picked up Polar Bear Night, by Lauren Thompson, pictures by Stephen Savage, because it fit this theme, but it turned into one of those quiet, charming picture books. The soft, simple illustrations and gentle text blend perfectly. So much to like! Stars, crescent moon, the northern lights. It's a book to read over and over.

The Night Worker, by Kate Banks and pictures by Georg Hallensleben is another title that fit this trail. Alex has to go to bed about the time his Dad heads out to work. What does he do all night when most people are asleep? One night Alex gets to go along.

It's part of a series ... it looks like there might be one for every state ...it's Good Night Washington State, by Adam Gamble and Mark Jasper, with illustrations by Cooper Kelly. A nice board book, so good for very young readers. I enjoyed it, but the eastern part of the state got short shrift, only Spokane and apple orchards were mentioned.

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Again with the dogs!

Dogs and humans have been companions for centuries, and yet, there seems to be little mention of them in history books. In The Pawprints of History: Dogs and the Course of Human Events, author Stanley Coren works to correct this exclusion. Some of the stories are from oral histories, but most have the paperwork to back them up. Dogs were companions to the rich and the poor, the royal and the common man. Some provided comfort in the tough times, others changed the course of history. (If not for a dog there might not have been a President Lincoln). This was a most interesting book but a word of warning: there are also some brutal and cruel events which were hard to read.

For more stories and pictures of mutts, give Just Mutts: a Tribute to the Rogues of Dogdom, text by Steve Smith and Gene Hill a try. Just a fun read about dogs and their humans.

The Little Big Book Dogs, edited by Alice Wong and Lena Tabori has a little bit of just about everything doggy ... pictures, stories, and poetry. There are recipes for tasty treats, games to play with your dog, training tips and more. You'll laugh, you'll cry, perhaps you'll even bake! :-)

Pets, and how we view and treat them has certainly changed over the years. Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs, by David Grimm is the history of that change. From not even being considered property (which meant if they were stolen or killed the owner could do nothing) to (taken to the extreme) it might be possible for one dog to sue another, this was a thought-provoking read. The author certainly covers the extremes here. Fair warning though, it was a tough read in many places.

If you're looking for a nice, rather quick read try All Dogs Go to Kevin: Everything Three Dogs Taught Me (That I Didn't Learn in Veterinary School), by Dr. Jessica Vogelsong. Follow the author through her childhood, vet school, motherhood and beyond and discover just what she learns from her dogs (and the reason for the title). Thanks to Chicken Tender for the loan of this book. :-)

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When dusting my shelves this weekend I came across these three favorites:

From Starlog magazine comes Space Art, compiled and written by Ron Miller. This is an excellent collection of artwork from (what are now) the old masters: Bonestell, McCall and so on. (There's even one by Norman Rockwell)! I'm amazed by the imagination of the artists on how a faraway planet might look.

Ladyhawke, by Joan D. Vinge, was made into one of my favorite movies. There's one scene, however, that did not make it onto film ... one where Isabeau and that beautiful horse, Goliath, are practicing dressage in the moonlight.

Within a very short period of time I saw Cliff Robertson as both JFK (PT-109), and as Charly from the book Flowers for Algernon. What a contrast of characters! I'd read the book earlier, but went back to read it again as I then had that image of the character in my head. An excellent read with an ending you know is coming and want to stop.

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I was recently asked, by someone who knows my predilection for staying home, if there were any books for the armchair tourist. That sent me on a search. :-) Most were about stay at home parents, or working from home, but I did find a few.

Seasoned travelers tell of a bad experience or two in I Really Should Have Stayed Home: Worst Journeys From Harare to Eternity, edited by Roger Rapoport and Bob Drews. From faraway places to a bad trip on Puget Sound, this was a book that convinced me all the more to just stay home. (Okay, so it wouldn't take much) (!) I particularly enjoyed the different writing styles of each contributor.

Classical Destinations: an Armchair Guide to Classical Music is the companion to a PBS show (which I missed). I played various CDs as I read, though, and that helped set the scene for me. Great pictures, of course, with good mini-biographies of the composers, and even a page about hotels, restaurants, and shops for those who really do want to travel.

Traveling in Place: a History of Armchair Travel, by Bernd Stiegler and translated by Peter Filkins was .... an interesting read ... a bit dry, but interesting. I liked the idea that any reader is an arm chair traveler since books will take us to far away places, distant times, or even into the future. One contributor, a man under house arrest, describes the things in his room. Another asked if RV's are a way of cheating? Yes, you are on the road, but you are, in a way, still at home. It also includes a tour 'within' using Asimov's Fantastic Voyage. This book made me think what I'd write about on a tour of my surroundings. It would be a most peculiar journey! :-)

Thanks to Constant Reader for the inspiration for this 'trail'. :-)

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September 3 is Skyscraper Day. What two inventions made skyscrapers possible? How high can they go? How do they keep these tall buildings from swaying so much people get seasick?

I love kid's books, so many have such nice pictures! Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building, by Deborah Hopkinson and James E. Ransome is full of facts that are woven into this simple story, and then a nice explanation at the end of where the name 'Sky boys' came from. Nice pictures, too! :-)

Stewart: the Skyscraper Falcon, by Linda Birman reminded me of when Stewart was making the nightly news. He and his mate, Bell were the falcons who had the nest on a skyscraper in Seattle. Illustrated with photographs.

For everything about a skyscraper ... history, construction from the foundation to the skin, elevators, plumbing, concerns about weather, wind ... it's here! The Heights: Anatomy of a Skyscraper, by Kate Ascher was one of those books that unexpectedly caught my interest. Who know plumbing could be so interesting?! ;-) Be sure to read all the bits of trivia in the index.

For a simpler look at what goes in to building a skyscraper try Skyscraper: From the Ground Up, by Susan E. Goodman and Michael J. Doolittle. I liked the comments from those who do the work (such as a piece of plywood can turn into a sail in the high wind) or learning that extra weight is added to a work belt when it's windy.

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It seems fitting to continue on my rain trail today.

In this day of electronic gadgets and all the games available on line and so forth I have no idea if any kid would even consider some of the ideas in Joey Green's Rainy Day Magic: 443 Simple Projects to Do With Kids Using Brand-Name Products You've Already Got Around the House, but I sure thought some of them sounded like fun! I loved all the possibilities for making instruments, and laughed over 'marshmallow golf' (using Jet Puffed marshmallows, remember those??) You can do batik, and make bread, or costumes ... if nothing else, this might just be fun for the nostalgia of it all.

Music, a bit of local history, old photos .... there's much to enjoy in The Rainy Day Song Book: Traditional and Contemporary Songs of the Northwest, collected and edited by Linda Allen. Usually when I 'read' a music book like this I'm sitting at the piano but this time I was lazy and stayed in my recliner with my cup of tea. It was still good! :-)

This is a book to read out loud. Even if you live alone. The Rain Train, by Elena de Roo and Brian Lovelock is all about a ride through the rain at night. Beautiful pictures and descriptive (!) text.

I'm including It Never Rains in Antarctica and Other Freaky Facts About Climate, Land, and Nature, by Barbara Seuling and illustrated by Ryan Haugen mostly because of the title. It's one of those fun kid's books with a lot of information given in short entries.

A few short stories about rain come to mind, too: The Long Rain, by Ray Bradbury. It's found in R is for Rocket, at least on my shelf. It has been raining, steadily and heavily. The hope is to reach a Sun Dome. Can unceasing rain make you crazy? Did they find a working Sun Dome or is it an illusion? Classic Bradbury! All Summer in a Day, also by Bradbury, is not an any of the collections on my shelf. It takes place on Venus, where the sun comes out for one hour every seven years. A new student, from Earth, remembers what sun is like and tries to describe it to the others. They don't believe her, make fun of her, and lock her in a closet. The sun does come out, it is as she described it, but only when it starts to rain again to they remember where she is. I remember such a feeling of helplessness when I read this.

For other books about rain, check back to October 25, 2014 and June 27, 2015.

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