When Harry Met Minnie by Martha Teichner

 

Martha Teichner has a very distinct way of telling stories.  If you ever watched the show CBS Sunday Morning, Ms. Teichner's distinct voice alone makes you sit up and take notice. Personally, I think she could talk about anything and I would listen.  

In her personal and moving story, she tells of the circumstances that are "coincidences" that lead her to meeting her friend Carol and her dog, Harry.  We all know that these types of "coincidences" are anything but.  Carol, unfortunately is dying of cancer, a victim of the toxic air around her apartment post 9/11.  Harry himself has a lot of health problems and Carol is very worried that when she passes, Harry won't have anywhere to go.  However, due to a chance meeting with Carol's friend, Stephen, a plan is set in motion for Ms. Teichner and her dog Minnie to meet Carol and Harry. 

What continues is a story of friendship not only between Minnie and Harry, but the friendship between Carol and Ms. Teichner.  The battle Carol faces is not surprising in it's sadness, nobody deserves to go through that kind of illness, but it seems even more poignant that it's another casualty of 9/11 years after the fact.

I am a huge animal lover.  I have my own dog and have lost 3 in the last 11 years. I can't imagine having to worry about my dog's future due to being sick.  I'm sure Carol was heartbroken when she thought about it, but then Ms. Teichner came along and eased Carol's mind about Harry.  If you are an animal person, you will enjoy this story.  I would have liked a little MORE about Harry and Minnie, if possible. There were a few stories and information that I felt weren't exactly relevant, but still interesting.  The story is a good one and you might need tissues.   It's not all sunshine and rainbows, obviously, but a bittersweet tale of friends all the way around. 

Here's a video of Ms. Teichner talking about her story.  It's really no spoilers, just another view into this tale. 

Olive Bright, Pigeoneer by Stephanie Graves

 

Olive Bright wants to serve her country against the Germans during the war. She wants to contribute like her late mother, Serena did.  Serena was a nurse and Olive admires her and misses her greatly.  Olive's family owns a pigeon coop and have trained their flock to be exceptional racers and homing birds. Olive's father wants nothing more than the National Pigeon Service (NPS) to come calling and request the Bright pigeons to serve in the war. 

Another opportunity arises for the pigeons to be used, but only Olive knows about it and cannot tell her father about it.  All Olive knows is that she's thrilled to finally feel useful.  Olive sets about her work with pride.  While life in her village is hard enough during wartime, everyone knows each other and tries their best to help one another.  However, someone in the village, Ms. Verity, Husselbee is not so popular, being known as the neighborhood busybody and also known for not being so pleasant.  Without giving too much away, Ms. Husslebee ends up being a murder victim.  On top of everything else Olive is involved in, she ends up being an amateur sleuth and quickly learns not everyone is who they seem. 

I enjoyed this book because I ended up looking more into the history of the pigeons used during the war.  I was absolutely amazed at the accomplishments of these birds.  The author also give a short history at the end of the book which I enjoyed reading. I also enjoyed seeing the progression of Olive's journey, as well as the mystery woven in throughout. 

I thought the writing was done very smartly and felt at times I was transported back to the times when I first started reading longer books as a youth.  I would have given the book more stars except there was one thing I didn't like.  I thought there was almost TOO much description and not enough dialogue.  Because of this, it took me longer than usual to finish.   hear this book is the start of a series and I am not dismissing it just because of those two things.  I think the author did a really good job in relaying information about the war and the pigeons and also with bringing Olive to life. I wish her the best with the rest of the series and am interested in where Olive will go.