Sagittarius Rising
By Cecil Lewis
Penguin Classic. $16
As part of the centennial anniversary of the First World War, Penguin Books has reissued this aviation memoir of a young man who flew for the British Army’s Royal Flying Corps.
Cecil Lewis was just 17 years old when he lied his way into the flying corps in 1915. The aircraft were rather primitive and the pilot causality rate was quite high so not a lot of questions were asked when an able-bodied young man volunteered to undergo the training and take to the skies.
Defying the odds, a pilot’s life expectancy was about three weeks of combat flying, Lewis not only survived three operational tours but he did it all. He flew observation sorties for ground artillery, flew into enemy territory on reconnaissance missions, protected English cities from German bombers and even engaged the infamous Red Baron.
Lewis also was a flight instructor and after the war he went to China to help get the fledgling Chinese air corps off the ground.
With a literary flair uncommon in this type of war memoir, Lewis not only shares the daily life of a World War I pilot but he also fills the reader in on what was happening when the men were not in the air.
This is a story that has gotten lost in the accounts of more recent conflicts and that’s a shame because this book is more than just a personal history. It also provides some insights into the mindset of the generation that was asked to fight this costly conflict.
Cecil Lewis wasn’t a famous ace but he had the experiences and the ability to capture on paper what most writers ignored – the life of the everyday military pilot.
The Scraps Book: Notes From a Colorful Life
By Lois Ehlert
Beach Lane. $17.99
A writer and illustrator of dozens of children’s picture books, Lois Ehlert uses a picture book format to explain to the reader how she finds inspiration and creates one of her signature books.
You are invited to step into the artist’s studio and her life as well to follow the creative process that has produced a number of award winning books.
The ideas are a little fragmented but the art holds the book together and you’ll quickly see how this artist/writer finds inspiration, usually in nature, and then translates it into an idea that a picture book can be constructed around.
A collage of idea boards, sketches and photos along with some commentary take you through the steps that ultimately result in a finished product.
This approach is as creative and unusual as Ehlert’s regular books and is a refreshing way at looking at how a picture book, at least for this person, comes together. This book is aimed at a younger audience but probably teenagers and adults will benefit most from reading it. Art teachers will be particularly interested in what Ehlert has to say.
Elizabeth Is Missing
By Emma Healey
Harper. $25.99
Emma Healey’s debut is a compelling and unusual suspense story which centers on a woman who is slipping into dementia. Maud Horsham knows her memory is going but, in the moments when she is fully lucid, she also knows that something has happened to her best friend. Elizabeth hasn’t been at home when Maud calls and the woman’s son claims the elderly woman is fine and he tells Maud not to worry. But she does.
With the police and her daughter convinced Maud is a victim of her disintegrating mental state, the poor woman resorts to leaving notes for herself to remind her what she has discovered, what she needs to know and what must be done to find Elizabeth.
Complicating what is already a difficult situation is the fact that Maud’s sister went missing years ago too and was never found. Are these two disappearances connected and, if so, how? Obviously it would take a woman with all her wits about her to figure out what’s really happening here so Maud is at an extreme disadvantage. But somehow this gutsy English woman, against all odds, will begin to recall snippets of the past and thanks to her enhanced recall, the truth will slowly surface.
What makes this poignant novel so captivating is that this depiction of aging and identity is told from the central character’s point of view. This octogenarian narrates her own story which makes “Elizabeth Is Missing” all the more interesting.
The Abduction
By Jonathan Holt
Harper. $26.99
The second novel in Jonathan Holt’s Carnivia Trilogy which is set in Venice, Italy, “The Abduction” begins with the kidnapping of the teenage daughter of a U.S. military base commander. It is up to Captain Kat Tapo of the Venice Carabinieri and Second Lieutenant Holly Boland of U.S. Intelligence to locate the missing girl.
The two women will need the assistance of reclusive hacker Daniele Barbo, the creator of website Carnivia.com , if they hope to find the abducted girl alive.
Money is not the kidnappers’ motivation but, rather, they demand the closing of all U.S. military bases in Italy. As streamed video of the 16-year-old girl’s plight and torture appears on the internet, the search becomes more frantic as does the investigators’ conviction that Italy’s wartime past also plays a role in the situation. As the skeletons begin to emerge from that closet it appears more than one life is at jeopardy here.
Jonathan Holt’s approach to fiction is to create a credible storyline which has more than just a shard or two of truth to it, add a setting readers can relate to and has a rich past history and then develop the plot using realistic and interesting characters. The formula has worked well as you’ll discover when you read this riveting international thriller.
Boundaries: A Love Story
By Christine Mason
Robertson Publishing. $26.95
Scotts Valley writer Christine Zilius Mason moves this romance from coast to coast as a young woman falls in love with her cousin. Meeting when she is just a teenager in the early 1980s, Kaia and Mark discover their initial attraction grows into something far more complex as they get older.
Not only will they will have to make some difficult decisions but some intriguing family secrets about their pasts will also emerge in this unforgettable love story.
A talented author, Mason sets the hook early in this remarkable book and once she has you on the line she’ll hold you there until you’ve finished this tale of forbidden love. This is perfect summer reading!