 What’s the deal with the black & white saddle shoes?  Click here for the story of our farm in Greene County, Iowa. Here's looking at life at Simple Serenity Farm  Carla’s sister & brother-in-law Chris and Tony Woods, of Des Moines, were at the farm on Sunday, August 22, helping Carla do the lawn mowing and other yard work that we’ve struggled to keep up with lately, with all our medical appointments. The Woodses brought along their 18-month-old granddaughter Ari, who was a delight watching all the action from the porch with Chuck, catching up on her reading and then getting a moment on the lawn tractor seat! Click here for larger format Earlier photos in this series Iowa Hall of Pride netINS, Inc. Butler House on Grand B&B Sam's Barber Shop Douglas T. Bates III, Attorney KMA Radio's ''Chuck & Don Show'' Barack Obama story & coloring book The Monks of New Melleray Abbey RELATED LINKS About Offenburger.com Biographies Want to Reprint? Want Updates? ARCHIVES Chuck Offenburger's columns Christie Vilsack's columns Carla Offenburger's columns Carla's book reviews Jared Strong's columns Guest Columns The Simple Serenity Farm columns Farm Photos, 2006 - 2008 Our Iowa News Digest Along Our Way 
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What's Carla Reading?
“Skies Over Sweetwater,” by Julia Moberg (2008) Sometimes it’s just plain fun to pick up a book randomly off the bookstore shelf and take it home to read. And that’s exactly what I did with “Skies Over Sweetwater.” Julia Moberg writes about the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program during World War II in this “historic fiction” story. Her character Bernadette Thompson travels to Sweetwater, Texas, to be part of the Air Force pilot training. Bernadette, called “Byrd” by all of her friends and family, is fulfilling a life-long dream. She is also trying to erase the pain she carries with her of a plane accident she was involved in as a child with her father, also a pilot. Byrd grew up in small town Iowa (which is never named, by the way), but it included a cornfield runway. And she spent time at the Iowa State Fair. At 18, in 1944, Byrd sort of runs away to Sweetwater, Texas – knowing her mother and sister would disapprove. It is here that she joins up with other young women wanting to fly. Moberg takes quite a bit from the real-life historic significance of Sweetwater during WWII. It indeed was home to the “Avenger Field” training grounds for Women Airforce Service Pilots. Jacqueline Cochran, a well-known and respected female pilot (right up there with Amelia Earhart), was the director, along with many Air Force pilot instructors. Young women were trained there to fly missions within the United States so that more male pilots could serve our country overseas. Byrd gets exactly what she is looking for in Sweetwater – and more. She meets young women like herself from all over the U.S. This alone makes for quite a dynamic story. There are “Cornilia the rich girl, Sadie the college girl, and Opal the city girl.” Byrd is “the poor Iowa farm girl.” First and foremost, they all want to be pilots – and many have been flying for sometime. This fact does not make the training any easier, as their instructor is not keen on female pilots. There is little room for error, in or out of the many aircraft that they are learning to fly. You can imagine the drama when six young women in their late teens and early 20s are thrown into a barracks-living situation. And the competition is fierce to remain in the program – where the instructor prides himself in failing out girls as quickly as they arrive. There are several love stories in between the pages, and tragedy as well. Overall the story is about the flying success of young women in a very male-dominated environment. I loved it, of course. The book is a short one, at a mere 148 pages. But it quickly becomes a page turner, as it is filled with drama and suspense. Learning more about the WASP program was also fascinating. I enjoyed every minute of the time I spent with Byrd, and I think anyone who wants to understand one more aspect of what women were doing behind the scenes in the United States as part of the WWII war effort, will enjoy it as well. - Carla Offenburger Now reading“A Cure for Dreams,” by Kaye Gibbons (1991) Also, this summer I’m trying to read all of the John Grisham books. I’ve got a long way to go, and won’t be reviewing them here, but it seemed like a fun goal. I know they are captivating and quick reads – good summer time reading. Most recently, I finished “The Brethren” (2005). Oh, and I’m also really into the Stephenie Meyer series about a modernday vampire romance. The first in her series was “Twilight” and the second one, which I’m reading now, is “New Moon.” Meyer is being touted as possibly the next J.K. Rowling. And her books are dubbed “young adult reader.” They are nearly as long as the Harry Potter books (500 or more pages) and are wonderful “can’t-put-it-down” type books. Most recently reviewed “Making a Difference: 182 ˝ Ways to Change the World,” by Deborah Naybor (2003). This is a perfect book to give as a gift, or to get for yourself and keep as a checklist of things anyone can do to make the world a better place. And it’s a perfect size, too. At just 4-by-3 inches, it’s a thin easy book to put in your purse and/or briefcase and pull out when you just happen to be sitting around thinking, “How can I change the world?” You can do some of the things just as quickly, too. “Growing Up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl,” by Carol Bodensteiner (2008). What a nice, quiet read this book is. It was what you’d expect from an Iowa farm girl. “Boomsday,” by Christopher Buckley (2007). It’s indeed a crooked political world that Buckley creates – and one that would be even funnier, if occasionally, I didn’t find myself saying, “Wait a minute, this sounds a bit too close to reality, or at least plausible.” “The Firm,” by John Grisham (1991). “The Firm” did all it needed to do that I will most likely pick up Grisham again, when I need a quick thriller in which I can easily forget my real life and get lost in the fast pace of any Grisham novel. “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life,” by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, and Steven L. Hopp (2007). I savored it. Every paragraph, every page. Comment to you readers Dear reader, what are you reading this summer? You can write me with comments on my reviews or your own thoughts on books at carla@Offenburger.com.
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