Memorial Day Books

I just read this book to my class today. They loved it!! A little boy is going to a Memorial Day parade and finds out that there will be a surprise there. We go through the parade and he thinks that each parade event is the surprise, the thrown candy, the firetrucks, the band etc. only to find out that seeing his grandfather (a war veteran) in the parade. The mother gives a great explanation of the holiday. The book shows veterans in wheel chairs and uniforms. Great illustrations. This is also a great multicultural read.

It's tough to teach young kids about the reason we celebrate Memorial Day. The subject is one they may have trouble grasping amid barbeque parties and parades. This book sums it up perfectly and makes a wonderful lesson for young children. The various fun things Marco gets to experience lead up to the real surprise when he finds his abuelo among the honored veterans in the parade. Children will be able to identify with Marco as he watches the parade, and the excitement building to the surprise will keep them interested throughout the story.

This is a wonderful, sweet book. It is the story of a little boy who goes to a Memorial Day Parade with his mom. She tells him that there is a "big surprise." As each event in the parade unfolds, from the marching bands to the free candy, he asks if that was the surprise. Each time, his mother tells him that the surprise is even more special. At the end of the parade, people stand and begin to clap. The little boys wonders why, then spys his beloved grandfather, a veteran, being pushed in his wheelchair at the front of the group. The sense of expectation builds with each page and the illustrations are very bright and cheerful. My children loved this book. What a wonderful way to introduce children to the Memorial Day holiday and the people who are at its heart!

This is hands down the best book about Memorial Day for younger children. I have a 6 and 5 yo and they got so much out of this book. The wording was so much better than the ones I found at the local library. It discusses the Civil War a lot so you can use it again when that topic is introduced. I homeschool and I found this to be an excellent source of info!

The History of Memorial Day is so often overlooked, untaught, misunderstood. This book does an A+ job of teaching our children the history and the meaning of the day. I wish there were more like this. ... Buy. Read. Pass it on to others. Give as a gift. Let us not forget the true meaning of Memorial Day.

This father and son team has produced for all generations a fitting and touching tribute to those who have lost their lives while serving in the armed forces of our nation. This is history with a personal, stirring touch. The delicate subject is handled with the utmost reverance and grace. The reader stands, as it were, in hushed solemnity at the funerals themselves. There is so much not-to-be lost history to be gleaned as well. Particularly outstanding is the way the Fletchers interlace so powerfully yet so tenderly the powerful threads of Christianity at its pristine best.

Thanks so much for a most eloquent tribute to our fallen.

I have followed with interest as Robert A. Fletcher (illustrator) has put together a splendid arrangement of paintings to honor our veterans in America's Wars. It honors those unnamed thousands who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country with a nice write-up and beautiful paintings showing U.S. military funerals from centuries ago until recently.

An interesting tidbit is that Robert A. Fletcher is in fact a Korean War veteran. So, by buying some great art and acquiring a great conversation starter for your coffee table, you are also supporting a veteran by your purchase.

Thank you to our veterans for your service to our country!

this book is a must-read for any botanist or scientist. insightful.

If, during a quiet moment, sometimes the memory of that love from long ago enters your thoughts and suddenly you begin once again to reflect on where you are and where you would like to be....if only...then you will enjoy and connect with this book.

This may be my favorite Rapp novel. I like the threads and how they weave together. I read this one the quickest of all Flynn's books, so that is a very strong endorsement.

Another great segment in the Vince Flynn series. Well worth the time to read.

This is my first Flynn book and I'm hooked. Couldn't put down this book from page one. Rapp is my kind of take-charge guy. What a hero! Too bad we don't have more CIA guys like him. Mitch doesn't put up with political garbage. He knows how to take care of the enemy and has the stomach for it in order to save the lives of Americans. If you like spy fiction, but this is better, you will love this book and author. I'm not going to tell you what happens for it will spoil it for you. But if you like action and "get the bad guy" you will love this book.

This was much more enjoyable than the last book. It had much less of his wife in it, and that suited me fine. She always seemed to simply be nagging him, and why would that be something I want to read in a political thriller? Speaking of thriller, this book has so many great scenes leading up to a totally unexpected conclusion. Mitch is becoming quite the rebel and his character is really growing. He has some Jack Bauer in him, so don't be shocked that if the names were switched out, this could pass as a 24: declassified book... except that it was much better than those usually have been in recent times.

I am looking forward to the next book. As I said in the first sentence, his was a huge improvement from the last one.

This book was memorable to me for how well the author, Vince Flynn, described a military attack on a terrorist camp. Also it was memorable for how well Flynn described how a terrorist cell could plan and carry out a nuclear attack on the United States.

The author uses Mitch Rapp, CIA operative, to carry us chapter by chapter through what I can only describe as one of the best suspense thrillers that I have ever read, or seen on TV or in the movies. I was sweating during the attack on the terrorist's camp and up to the last chapter I was on the edge of my seat.

This story is of our war against terrorism that we are waging today and after you read it, I believe you will had made a decision on how it should be fought. The author has a talent for painting images in my mind and writing short chapters to blend one event smoothly into the next.

Excellent is the only word that comes to mind to describe Vince Flynn's ability to tell a story like this of government with all it's complex agencies and levels of bureaucracies in a way that makes the people within seem real and creates a suspense thriller with events that really hit home and is so memorable.

After reading this I'm sure that you will feel as I do that we can only hope that there are real Mitch Rapps out there.

Dry Wells, Nevada is a withering one horse town where there is little else to do but drink and fight.

But that's about to change.

Mick Callahan was a successful psychiatrist with a promising future in the City of Angels but when the stresses of the limelight finally caught up with him, Mick finds himself unemployed and bordering on the desperate.

Being out of work, Mick jumps at the opportunity to return to Dry Wells to make a quick buck filling in for an old friend and radio personality, Loner McDowell. Back in his hometown, Mick is quick to realize that one can never be completely free from one's past.

Upon his return, a dapperly dressed man is found murdered in an alley, killed mobster style and the coincidence is not lost on the longtime lawman, Sheriff Bass who had many memories of the juvenile Callahan return, suddenly too fresh in his mind.

Before long Mick finds himself at the heart of a web of deception and murder, torn between the prospect of salvaging his career and the moral dilemma of helping root out a ruthless killer or killers before another life is lost...

Even if that life is Mick's own.

Memorial Day is a fantastic mystery colorfully written and fun to read. Harry Shannon creates a perfect environment in Dry Wells as the backdrop for an ever changing murder mystery rounded out nicely with a slew of possibilities as to the identity of the killer(s) for the reader to consider. Every turn the story takes confounds the seemingly straight forward way in which the reader decides who the guilty party is, but does so without disrupting the simplicity of the ultimate outcome.

Harry does a bang up job with Memorial Day and has a true knack for creating characters we can all identify with in one way or another and making subject matter somehow personal. So whether you love a good mystery or thriller, curl up on the couch with Memorial Day and enjoy the fireworks from the comfort of your own living room!

Over the past few years, I've read Harry Shannon's short stories, both in the horror and crime fiction genres, published in various e-zines. For a few venues, we've been table-of-contents mates. Memorial Day, the debut Mick Callahan mystery, then was a genuine treat to read.

For starters, I cite its originality in the narrator/protagonist. Mick is an ex-boozer, ex-TV personality, and head shrink who has a deeper vein of compassion and generosity than he seems ready to admit. But he's not really the reluctant or ambivalent hero. He's smart enough not to take himself, just his investigative work, too seriously.

This yarn is set in the fictitious town of Dry Wells, Nevada (population: 278). As the novel's title implies, it's the Memorial Day weekend. Mick is filling in temporarily on the local radio station, doing his call-in help program. A troubled girl phones in, saying she's in trouble and fears for her life. Dubbing her "Ophelia", Mick can't extract more information from her.

After the radio show on the way back to his motel room, Mick stumbles on a grisly murder in a dark alley. The sheriff is on the scene and makes Mick promise to keep the murder quiet over the weekend -- a most strange request. Thus, the novel's intriguing premise is set up.

Mick's AA sponsor is Hal Solomon, a wealthy, retired businessman who happens to be in London. They communicate via phone and email to discuss the investigation in Dry Wells. Mick's unusual sidekick Hal earns a second mark for originality.

I found much to enjoy in this novel. The prose is energetic and sharp. The desert setting is crisp and vivid. The dialogue between the characters is seamless and natural. Memorial Day has echoes of James Crumley and James Lee Burke, but it remains as an original.

Memorial Day is an excellent mystery. Mick Callahan is a wonderfully flawed hero but he isn't so flawed that we have to spend pages upon pages wallowing in his angst. This is a tight book without any chaff. The bad guys were very well done; I detested every one of them.

If you like Harry Bosch and Dave Robicheaux then you will like Mick Callahan.

This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys mysteries. Its main character, Mick Callahan, is the best of Clint Eastwood and Dr. Phil rolled into one. You don't know if he's gonna shrink the people he meets or just haul off and beat 'em up. Great fun! I liked it enough to buy Eye of the Burning Man too.

I heard about this book while reading the reviews of another book and thought I'd give it a try. I was not dissappointed. The book started out a little slow for me, but quickly picked up speed. In fact, it was almost impossible for me to put the book down while reading the last 100 pages. The story itself was interesting and somewhat unnerving. Mick Callahan is a great character. Extremely flawed but very likable. Hopefully, we will find out more about him in future books.

I have logged 30,000 miles at sea. Capsized lets you live what all of us sailors keep tucked in the back of our minds, survival at sea. I have talked with Jim on occasions, for advice on survival. To hear him tell of the capsized boat, slowly filling with chilling sea water, with four men trapped below. The water stopped at chin level, in the black of night. My God my spine shivered. Jim and Steve, thank you for the interesting, yet educational read. Minnesota welcomes you. AKA DOCTOR.

I am extremely impressed with every word and description from Mr. Callahan and enjoyed this book immensly; I cannot rate it high enough. His story and message truly comes alive as I become apart of the despair and continuous struggles these men experience. I am there with them, soaking it all in from hidden eyes. Mr. Callahan's writing is supurb; I cannot put this book down. When I am finished I rush to search for more books he has written as this author has become one of my favorites; I thurst for him as a capsized victom myself with no water. Give me more! Most of all, thank you.

The previous reviews all rate and describe the story accurately - an excellent tale of survival at sea. To add to this now:

On return, the survivors were doubted because of their apparent good health. Perhaps this is why the book focuses so much on food - they had a good cook with them and learned to dine relatively well. The story is from the cook's viewpoint too. If you have some culinary leanings, you may get more from the book than you expect.

New Zealander's will also identify with aspects of the story - Picton, Cook Strait, Great Barrier etc.

I guarantee you will be fatigued after reading this gripping account of a 119 day drift in the roaring 40's off the coast of New Zealand. Due to some freaky currents, the four men aboard actually ended up making a circle to the north and then back to the west towards New Zealand. While on board, they projected that they'd be heading toward South America and it is scary to note there just ain't anything between the two places. This is a very well done account of the day to day life and how little by little the four men come together at least enough to learn how to subsist off the sea. They were very lucky in that they had lots of food on board to start because it took them a while to learn how to catch fish. You'll never look at fish guts the same way -- they used EVERY part of the fish. The author does a good job showing the shifting friendships and loyalties -- not surprising considering the small space they shared for 4 months. This is more than the typical survival book in that the author follows up with one of the survivor's fight with cancer almost immediately when he returned. Thus, the end of the book is bittersweet with one of the men dying after he made many key personal realizations about himself and his life. An excellent adventure read with some insights into friendship as well.

I am sure most people have a nagging thought when they board water craft; that the possibility of sinking could occur. After that thought comes to mind, we attempt to push it to the back, unwilling to contemplate the horrible scenario. Unfortunately, for these 4 men, the possibility becomes reality. Even more frightening, this book is a true story. What occurs is a never ending nightmare and a struggle for survival beyond imagination. Four men board a trimaran for a pleasure cruise, encounter a gale that inverts the craft. They must use all of their physical and mental resources to cope with the challenges before them. At first, they hope for a timely rescue, but as days turn into weeks, they realize that they have been literally given up for dead. The book delves into the men's minds and lives while detailing their heroic attempts to save themselves. They feel all the emotions of desperate souls and face situations that no man should have to consider. This is a gripping account of a terrible accident on the high seas. One will conclude this book with one thought, "hope this never happens to me."

This book is comforting and gives you some hope when you read it every day.