Patton's Prayer by Alex Kershaw

 December 1944.

Bastogne, Belgium.

The Battle of the Bulge. 

"Perhaps God saved me for this effort."

--Gen. George S. Patton

"Drive like hell!" That was Patton's order for the tankers of his 4th Armored Division who had been tasked with reaching Bastogne. ... "Gentlemen," said Patton," this is a hell of a Christmas present, but it was handed to me and I pass it on to you. Tonight, the Third Army turns and attacks north. I would have much preferred to continue our attack to the east as planned, but I am a soldier. I fight where I'm told, and I win where I fight!"

This is a 5-star book of resilience, courage, faith and victory in World War II. Kershaw does an amazing job of relating the key role Patton's Third Army, and Patton himself, played in the Battle of the Bulge. It's an incredibly compelling narrative told with emotion, honesty and urgency. Though well-researched and full of detail, not once does it bog down. It's informative in the best possible way. I read it in two days and came away with a new appreciation for Patton, the men he commanded like Creighton Abrams and his 37th Tank Battalion, the 4th Armored Division, and the 101st Airborne who held Bastogne against all the odds while waiting for reinforcements to come. What a story! I loved it. 

"Just how important was Bastogne?"

"It was as important as the Battle of Gettysburg was to the Civil War." 

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme:  THE FIRST 10 BOOKS I RANDOMLY GRABBED FROM MY SHELVES.

It's an eclectic mix...but then I am an eclectic reader. 

1. Altar of Eden by James Rollins

2. Soulless by Gail Carriger

3. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

4. Highland Fling by Katie Fforde

5. Lost by Sharon Bolton

6. The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

7. Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

8. Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris

9. Wreckers by George Ellis

10. Emily Hudson by Melissa Jones

Bonus book:

The Awkward Age by Henry James

Happy Reading!

Randomness...

 Got this new card game, Zombie Chickens, last month, and it is SO much fun to play. And so easy to learn. During the day, you build up your farm's defenses to then hopefully defeat the zombie chickens that attack each night. There's a collaborative version, a competitive version and even a solo version. I like all three.

A Northern Flicker has been hanging around my backyard all month. They're such captivating birds, and have such plaintive cries.  I hope he sticks around all winter long. 

Some other glad things that have happened lately:

• Had another fun game night with my nephews and nieces; we played a rousing round of the Disney game Villains.
• Got my flu shot.
• A record amount of rain fell in Utah in October...a blessing we very much needed. 
• BYU's football team is on a winning streak. Go cougs!
• I went on a lovely fall hike with my sister.
• Heard from a friend.
• I also went and saw that new movie Springsteen. It's awesome! 
• But my biggest glad thing is all of my blogging friends who bought, downloaded, and read my novella. Your friendship and kindness and support mean the world to me. Thank you!!!

Meet Moose!

 

This Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound was the inspiration for Moose (whose real name is Sigmund), my favorite character in Ghosts of Grayhaven, the novella my sister and I wrote. We hope to write more about Moose in the future, because he's not your ordinary hound. He has supernatural skills. And he's very loyal to both Zeb and Mariah. If you want to read about him, or are looking for a quick story of ghostly suspense to read on Halloween, you can check out our novella at the link above. It's got a warded cemetery, a vengeful ghost, some humor and a little romance. And an amazing dog named Moose. 

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme is a HALLOWEEN FREEBIE.

So, I decided to go with Books with Midnight in the Title because Midnight and Halloween just seem to go together. Have you read any of these? I've read about half of them.

1. The Other Side of Midnight by Simone St. James.

2. Midnight Creed by Alex Kava

3. Midnight Blood by Adam Wright

4. 13 Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman

5. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

6. Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham

7. What Happens After Midnight by K.L. Walther

8. Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber

9. The Midnight Line by Lee Child

10. Mist of Midnight by Sandra Byrd

Happy Reading!

Night Watcher by Daphne Woosoncroft

 

The plot:  Nola Strate is a late-night call-in radio host in Portland, Oregon, whose favorite babysitter was murdered by a serial killer known as the Hiding Man when she was only eight. His masked face has haunted her ever since. Now, twenty years later, a radio caller makes her suspect that the Hiding Man is back. And this time, he's coming for her. 

My thoughts:  This book is tautly plotted and very suspenseful. Nola is a relatable and sympathetic character. (Though I really didn't like her father.) Her creeping suspicion that she's being watched while not knowing by whom, along with her growing sense of unease as she senses the Hiding Man closing in on her is truly unsettling. This novel is well-written, has fast pacing, and keeps you guessing about what's really the truth and who Nola can trust. I liked that about it. It's a compelling psychological thriller.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

The Paranormal Ranger by Stanley Milford Jr.

 "As interesting as the paranormal may be, sometimes there is simply a logical explanation for the phenomena that people encounter. My job as a Navajo Ranger--even as The Paranormal Ranger--wasn't to prove that the paranormal was out there. It was simply to investigate the cases that came my way and do my best to find the truth. ... I truly did try to be like Sherlock Holmes when I investigated these cases, taking nothing for granted and doing my best to solve the puzzle. It was just as satisfying when that puzzle turned out to have a mundane cause as a paranormal one. The important thing was finding the truth."

"While, as an investigator, I would prefer to always have evidence and answers, my experiences with the paranormal have taught me to coexist with mystery when I must." 

This was my nonfiction book for the month of October, and it was an interesting one. Stanley Milford is part Cherokee, Part Irish, and half Navajo. Growing up, he spent every summer in the Navajo Nation with his father and grandparents learning the stories, traditions and beliefs of the Navajo. When he grew up, he became a Navajo Ranger, a law enforcement branch that patrols the vast, remote  regions of the Navajo Nation protecting ruin sites and archaeological artifacts, dealing with fish, game and livestock, and enforcing the laws. But his job also came to include investigating paranormal activity such as Bigfoot and UFO sightings, Skinwalkers, witch curses, and even ghostly hauntings. It was a fascinating look at his many strange encounters over the years as a Navajo Ranger. I enjoyed the way he writes and really appreciated his outlook on life. 

"For me, paranormal investigation is less about what's Out There than what's right here in front of us:  a chance to connect with and help one another and to do our very best to make our world a better, kinder place than it was the day before."

Happy Reading!