2015 November Reading Challenge

[Elizabeth]

November is Aviation History Month. So your reading challenge is to read a book that has an airplane in it. It can be the main reason for the book, like "The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough, or it can be completely tangential to the plot, like in "Summer Secrets" by Jane Green, where the main character flies from London to Nantucket. Pilots, astronauts, how airplanes work, as long as it has something to do with airplanes or flight will count. Have fun!

[Debbie]

Cool! I'm reading a book in which the author is flying all over the world investigating various ecological studies -- The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert.

[Becky]

I'm going to need some suggestions for this one--fiction preferred please! (My suggestion is Code Name Verity.)

[Elizabeth]

Becky wrote: "I'm going to need some suggestions for this one--fiction preferred please!"

Hey Becky,

Here's a list of flying fiction from Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

[Allen]

Lucky for me my book club is reading The Martian by Andy Weir this month.

[Debbie]

Allen wrote: "Lucky for me my book club is reading The Martian by Andy Weir this month."

I'm still waiting for my copy from the library. But soon, soon.

[Becky]

Thank you!

Elizabeth wrote: "Becky wrote: "I'm going to need some suggestions for this one--fiction preferred please!"

Hey Becky,

Here's a list of flying fiction from Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/......"

[Debbie]

I have finished The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert. Kolbert flew to locations around the world looking at various fauna that had become extinct or highly endangered.

[Elizabeth]

Debbie wrote: "I have finished The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert. Kolbert flew to locations around the..."

Debbie, that sounds fascinating.

[Linda]

I am going to read The Aviator's Wife. It is on my list of books to read and gives me a reason to actually read it.

[Carolyn]

too bad I read the Martian already, I will have to find something else.

[Debbie]

I read There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale by Sean Astin. Sean played Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson's marvelous Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Can you tell I loved the movies? For filming in New Zealand and for film promotions following the filming Sean flew all around the world. Do I recommend the book? Not unless you are a HUGE fan of Sean Astin. If you would like to read my review, you can find it at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Heidi]

I read Michael Vey #4 Jade Dragon. They fly a few times in that book. Loved it!

[Elizabeth]

Ooh, more books to put on my reading list! Debbie, I totally read There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale, and I wish I hadn't. He came across as a jerk in his own autobiography. Wish I'd skipped it.

[Tiffinie]

I'm going to read The martian and The aviators wife. Read unbroken in October should have waited it would have been perfect for this month's challenge.

[Debbie]

Elizabeth wrote: "Ooh, more books to put on my reading list! Debbie, I totally read There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale, and I wish I hadn't. He came across as a jerk in his own autobiography. Wish I'd skipped it."

If you are a HUGE fan of Sean Astin, after reading this book, you won't be anymore. It reminds me of a saying of my sister "Open mouth, insert body."

[Elizabeth]

Tiffinie! It would have been perfect. Such a great book.
Debbie, so, so true!

[Carolyn]

My "currently reading list" needed some balancing out, so I started "As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride". So far, it specifically mentioned that Rob Reiner flew to Berlin to talk to Cary Elwes about being in the movie. I assume there will probably be a few more airplane flights involved, so I decided that it fits the challenge.

[Jenny]

I am reading The Dog Who Could Fly: The Incredible True Story of a WWII Airman and the Four-Legged Hero Who Flew At His Side, and I'm also going to read Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot.

[Elizabeth]

Carolyn, it definitely fits the challenge. Jenny, the dog book sounds interesting. Let me know if you like it!

[Debbie]

I've read The Renegades of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. One of the sub-plots involves finding the artifacts at the original colonization site, including the landing craft, of the people from Earth who originally colonized Pern. So, while no one flies on any mechanical device, they are the progeny of those who did.

[Becky]

Jenny, the dog book sounds so good. I might look at that too.

Jenny wrote: "I am reading The Dog Who Could Fly: The Incredible True Story of a WWII Airman and the Four-Legged Hero Who Flew At His Side, and I'm also going to read [book:Mercedes and the Choco..."

[Jenny]

I am listening to it on CD and I am only about 1/3 of the way through, but so far it is quite good. I will report back when I finish. I kind of stumbled upon it...I checked out a book from my to read list that dealt with flying and made it through the first couple of chapters but wasn't appreciating the foul language already quite rampant. So I returned it to the library and looked up to see if there were any books about the candy bomber and checked out a picture book about that and then just looked at the books on CD in the nonfiction section to see if I could find something about flying...and saw this one. But so far, so good. :)

[Jackie]

I finished a book called "A House in the Sky". A memoir, which I normally shy away from, about Amanda Lindhout, and her harrowing kidnapping in Samolia. Amanda wanted to see the world, so she would work waitressing jobs to earn money to backpack all over the world. She flew in planes to get there, so I am counting this, as lame as that may be. I gave the book 4 stars, but be warned, there are some really horrific things that happen in this book.
Lesson learned from this book: I WILL NEVER FLY INTO A COUNTRY THAT IS AT WAR WITH ITSELF AND OTHERS, AND THAT BLAMES AMERICA FOR ALL IT'S TROUBLES!!!

[Debbie]

Jackie wrote: "I finished a book called "A House in the Sky". A memoir, which I normally shy away from, about Amanda Lindhout, and her harrowing kidnapping in Samolia. Amanda wanted to see the world, so she would..."

You aren't the only one who claimed a book because the author took a plane to get where they were going. That was one of the allowances of the challenge. So don't feel it's lame.

[Elizabeth]

Jenny, picture books totally count! Which one was it? Ooh, when you report back about your non-fiction BCD, let me know how the reader is. Sometimes the reader can make/break the story, you know?

Jackie, OH MY GOSH. That sounds HORRIFYING. I probably won't pick that one up. But it definitely counts. And I agree with Debbie, don't say it's lame. I figured this would be a SLIGHTLY more difficult challenge. So, as long as it mentions flight, which yours does, it counts.

[Jackie]

Elizabeth wrote: "Jenny, picture books totally count! Which one was it? Ooh, when you report back about your non-fiction BCD, let me know how the reader is. Sometimes the reader can make/break the story, you know?

..."

Fifteen months of really horrible things. Being kidnapped and held for ransom is bad enough, but once she broke "the rules", there was no mercy from this group of evil men, who claim religion is the basis of all they do.
Thank you, and Debbie, for the kind words. :)

[Donna]

Jenny wrote: "I am reading The Dog Who Could Fly: The Incredible True Story of a WWII Airman and the Four-Legged Hero Who Flew At His Side"


I read The Dog Who Could Fly: The Incredible True Story of a WWII Airman and the Four-Legged Hero Who Flew At His Side last year and I really enjoyed it. It was such a great story about a dog and his human.

[Audrey]

I loved The Martian. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption was pretty good. I felt like The Dog Who Could Fly: The Incredible True Story of a WWII Airman and the Four-Legged Hero Who Flew At His Side was heavy on anthropomorphism, but if you love dogs, you probably won't mind. Earthbound starts after a plane crash; that was pretty good. And Crashers was a pretty good thriller about a psycho who crashes planes.

[Allen]

I finished The Martian by Andy Weir. Definitely a five on the Goodreads scale. Everyone in our book club really liked it.

[Debbie]

Allen wrote: "I finished The Martian by Andy Weir. Definitely a five on the Goodreads scale. Everyone in our book club really liked it."

I'm currently listening to the audiobook. I may finish it before the end of the month and I may not. It is REALLY good so far.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Nothing with an airplane yet this month, but I did read Deeper than the Grave, in which a helicopter saves the day. ;)

[Jenny]

I read The Dog Who Could Fly: The Incredible True Story of a WWII Airman and the Four-Legged Hero Who Flew At His Side. Well, actually I listened to it on CD. I liked it quite a bit. The narrator was Derek Perkins and he did a pretty good job. One funny thing about listening. At one point, they are talking about a military leader and the trouble he is causing for Antis, the dog. He keeps referring to him as what sounds to me an agitant. I think that fits...he certainly stirs up lots of trouble. But after a bit, I realize it is almost certainly "adjutant" which is a military word that I have read many times but never known quite how to pronounce. Either word fits but adjutant makes more sense in the context. Anyway, I ended up quite enjoying the story.

I also read the picture book Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot which was lovely.

[Elizabeth]

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "Nothing with an airplane yet this month, but I did read Deeper than the Grave, in which a helicopter saves the day. ;)"

Totally counts. Helicopters count.

[Elizabeth]

Jenny wrote: "...At one point, they are talking about a military leader and the trouble he is causing for Antis, the dog. He keeps referring to him as what sounds to me an agitant. I think that fits...he certainly stirs up lots of trouble. But after a bit, I realize it is almost certainly "adjutant" which is a military word that I have read many times but never known quite how to pronounce."

This happens to me ALL the time. I read a word and i THINK I know how it's pronounced, then I go to say it and it sounds SO WRONG. Or someone will correct me. For example: Hermione. I pronounced it Her-MY-Own until the movie came out. So... yeah. Happens all the time.

[Debbie]

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "Nothing with an airplane yet this month, but I did read Deeper than the Grave, in which a helicopter saves the day. ;)"

That would count. The challenge is aviation, not airplanes. Helicopters are part of aviation as are rockets and drones. Unless the drones are bees.

[Debbie]

Elizabeth wrote: "Jenny wrote: "...At one point, they are talking about a military leader and the trouble he is causing for Antis, the dog. He keeps referring to him as what sounds to me an agitant. I think that fit..."

That never happens to me. It's the others who pronounce it wrong. Signed, Sheldon Cooper.

[Tiffinie]

I finished The Martian by Andy Weir loved it! just staring the Aviators wife today.

[Sara]

I read The Martian too and loved it as well. So funny!

[Debbie]

Sara wrote: "I read The Martian too and loved it as well. So funny!"

I can just see Matt Damon as Mark. The humor is so like what Damon shows in interviews. I loved the part where removing a plastic sheathing involved using a highly specialized tool (hammer) and another time doing complex reconstruction design (duct tape).

And the comments about the '70s TV shows!

[Alyson]

I read "It's Tough to Lose Your Balloon" to my kiddos. The author said he got the idea when he talked his daughter out of a lost-balloon meltdown by telling her that Grandma would see it from an airplane and it would make her smile...he turned that into the first scene of the book. It wasn't as cute as I wanted it to be, but it wasn't bad, either.

[Becky]

I finished The Dog Who Could Fly: The Incredible True Story of a WWII Airman and the Four-Legged Hero Who Flew At His Side. Thanks so much for the recommendation, Jenny, I loved it! Such good story telling and I love dogs, so very much enjoyed it. Also read, Snapper, which was about birds, which was a stretch for flying, pilots, etc. :)

[Elizabeth]

Sara is our prize drawing winner for November’s reading challenge. She read The Martian by Andy Weir.

[Elizabeth]

Sara, normally I email someone when they win, but it won't let me email you, probably because you're an author. Can you try emailing me, so I can tell you how to pick up your prize.

Thanks!

[Debbie]

Way to go Sara! I'm over 90% done with The Martian and now looking forward to seeing the film. I loved the humor in spite of the scary situation. Yes, I know it's not real! (Family joke) I loved where he talked about the Space Pirate. I won't say more because I don't want to use spoiler tags.

[Jackie]

Congrats, Sara!

[Sara]

Yay! Thank you!
I haven't seen The Martian film yet, but I've heard good things about it and am looking forward to seeing it.