The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A spoiled brat girl lives in India. Cholera breaks out and her parents die and the servants leave. She was initially forgotten. When finally found, she goes with foster parents before being shipped back to relatives in England. There she needs to finally learn to do some things for herself (like getting dressed.) She explores the gardens and learns of some dark history. She finds a secret garden. She also meets up with a cripple boy. They become friends and he turns out to just be a hypochondriac. They find joy in the secret garden and things cme forward to a happy ending.

Some Principles of Maritime Strategy

Some Principles of Maritime Strategy by Julian Corbett

Naval warfare is distinct from land battles. On land, you can aim to take and control certain swaths of land. In the seas, there is little "controlling" open seas. Instead, the goal is to use a navy to defend key areas and support land warfare. Spreading the navy too wide can be a recipe for disaster. Chasing after the enemy may occasionally succeed, but this may be more due to accident. 

Having a greater dependence on maritime trade does not make one more vulnerable to naval attack. By the contrary, that can make an attack on ship as less critical. Offense also poses advantages over defence.

This book was written over 100 years ago. Naval warfare was changing. Wireless contact made attacks by privateers and pirates less beneficial. The use of convoys was also fading. Japan had already introduced itself to the world stage. World War I had yet to start. It was an interesting time shortly before the dawn of the air age. Despite the technological innovations, maritime transport is still important today and there are many 100-year old concepts that still apply.

The Father Brown Mysteries, Volume 1

The Father Brown Mysteries, Volume 1 by G.K. Chesterton 

This collection of 8 father brown books from the library is split into two at the library. Most of the stories come from the first Father Brown book, but a couple come from later books. Father Brown is a Catholic priest who uses logic and knowledge of human behavior to solve mysteries. In most of the cases, he uncovers details about the cases based on how the suspects acts. He will also use insights of "tricks" of human behavior to help debunk suppositions of supernatural. For instance, in "The Invisible Man", he debunks the supposition that "nobody" was there, to point out that the postman had passed by - and had the opportunity to remove the body. The stories are short and the radio productions are well done.

The stories included:

• The Blue Cross
• The Secret Garden
• The Queer Feet
• The Arrow of Heaven
• The Three Tools of Death
• The Flying Stars
• The Point of a Pin
• The Invisible Man

Peter Pan

I found Peter Pan much darker than the Disney creation. The story centers around Wendy. She is knowledgeable about the steps that people go through in their lives. However, she still has enough imagination left to join Peter Pan in a journey out to Neverland. Peter Pan lives a life with constant death and mayhem.

I found myself a little lost with the story. How did it earn such a big place in popular culture and spawn multiple movies?