Books I've Read

Biographical Fiction account of the life of Nathanial Bowditch, the self-taught mathematical genius who improved navigation for sailors.

The Carter family moves to Nebraska. They find a new home in an old house. A house with a mysterious "heiress" living in the attic apartment. Pretty good little mystery, a couple of references to Mercy Hospital in San Diego. A Weekly Reader Children's Book Club edition.

Funny story about gentle folks in Britain trying to sell the family collection of mugs.

A young boy lies about his age and enlists in the air force during World War II. Extremely great story, I learned a lot about the Halifax bomber, flight operations, and the pigeons used for emergency communication. I had to make a list of the seven crew members as I couldn't remember who was which. PET PEEVE: If you are going to include a glossary at the back of the book kindly mention it in the front of the book!!

A teen with albinism runs away and joins a small circus in post-war United States. The author cites Toby Tyler as an influence, in fact says he had to rewrite the story because there was too much Toby in it! The first hundred pages were not all that great, for me, but in the last hundred the story started pulling me in, and it was very moving.

During the first World War Johnny is sent to live with his aunt in Cliffe, a relatively safer place than London. He plays with the toy soldiers his father gave him. His father (a toymaker) carves new ones and sends them from the front. Johnny comes to think that he is controlling the war with his toy soldiers, and fears for his father's safety. A really good book!

John Spencer sails for the West Indies on the Dragon in this last of the series. Great little sea stories all!

Squid, with her daughter, returns to the island where she and her dead brother were raised.

John sails on his father's new ship, but encounters smugglers in the crew!

John is cast ashore when the sailing ship he and his father are on is lured to wreck by evildoers on the shore.

Guidebook to interesting, wierd, and possibly disturbing places in the Golden State.

Firefly, #4. Mal wins a map in a card game. River is the only one who can read the map.

I read the Project Gutenberg EBook edition of this. Good story, depressing ending, though!

I read the Project Gutenberg EBook edition. Good stories! Poor Mr. Wilson!

In which there are twelve chapters/stories. Mostly pretty good, too. I wish I knew in what order these books are supposed to be read!

This is book one, and I'm reading it second. Oh well, good stories, not always sure who is narrating them, though!!

A French mystery story, translated of course, of the rascal Arsène Lupin and his confrontations with a schoolboy who is matching wits with him, trying to solve the great mystery.

Breq, formerly a starship, is on a quest. Good story, will read the sequels. I am still confused about who is male and who is female. Or maybe it doesn't matter.

Imperial Radch #3. Well, the third book. I found some very funny humour, some confusing stuff. Must be my old age. My favorite character was Translator Zeiat.

The second book in the series. I'm still confused by the lack of gender references, but the story is good. Story got a bit dusty at the end.