10. The Winged Tales, by Vladislav Krapivin. This is actually two stories, possibly connected (the connection, if it is there, is a bit ambiguous). I read a translation of these stories (originally written in Russian). The English translation is a bit rough in spots but the stories themselves are enjoyable and highly imaginative. The first story, The Pilot for Special Missions, involves a young boy Alyoshka, who winds up going on a fantastic adventure to retrieve a lost model ship for a girl he admires. The tale combines adventure with fairy tale (several fairy tales are mentioned) as Alyoshka seeks to find the model- and find out more about himself and his own destiny. The ending surprised me, but I thought it appropriate. My overwhelming thought while reading this was that I could so easily see an animation artist (Hayao Miyasaki comes to mind) doing an animation based on this story. From the woman with the hat collection to the young pilot on special missions, this just begs for a movie. The second one is The Magic Carpet, where two friends discover that a carpet given to them by the one boy's aunt can actually fly. Along with two friends, who join them on occasion, the two go on flights around town, where they discover an old house, fix a clocktower and face other dangers. Again, this story doesn't end the way I think it would, but I liked that. I like a good surprise.
Currently reading: Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut (almost done).
