TITLE: The Flight Girls (audiobook)

NARRATOR: Xe Sands

REVIEW: Dear readers, if you've read any of my reviews over the past couple of years then you already know I'm a huge fan of historical fiction. You should also know I'm a big fan of Noelle Salazar too, so this review will probably come as no surprise to you. I don't know why it's taken me so long to read The Flight Girls, but I'm so glad I did. I believe this is the first historical fiction book I've read with the bombing of Pearl Harbor as a focal point, and Noelle does such an amazing job (as always) describing the horrors from that day and really putting you in the heroine's place so that you can see it and feel it from her perspective. The narrator, Xe Sands, also did an excellent job portraying the heroine, Audrey, and the many other characters in the story. This was my first time listening to her, and I look forward to listening to more of her work. 

So many emotions come to the surface while listening to this book. I laughed. I cried. I swooned. I gasped. The friendships between the women pilots is so endearing, and I loved cheering them on. I clapped over their accomplishments and fumed over the disheartening lack of recognition they endured. My heart ached for them during their times of loss and soared with them through their times of joy. I felt like I knew each one of them by the time the story ended, thanks to Noelle's incredible storytelling. The ending was beautiful and perfect, and I was honestly sad when the story ended. I highly recommend The Flight Girls to everyone. 

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large oven safe enamel deep skillet with a fitted lid, bring the milk, ¼ teaspoon salt or bouillon cube, thyme and sage to a simmer over low heat 5 minutes, until aromatic. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Wipe the skillet. Melt the butter in the skillet then add the leeks, cook 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, 1 minute. Add the cooked turkey, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, black pepper, 1 cup of the chicken broth, peas and carrots, 2 tablespoons parsley and thyme and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add ¼ cup cornstarch to the remaining 1 cup chicken broth and mix well, pour over the turkey and cook, stirring until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Smooth the turkey mixture in the skillet and top with the sliced potatoes starting from the outside, overlapping the potato slices in a spiral until you cover all of the meat. Remove the sage and thyme from the milk and pour over the potatoes, top with Gruyere cheese; cover the skillet tightly with foil or a lid. Bake on the second rack from the top of the oven, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Remove the lid and broil until the cheese is slightly browned and golden, about 3 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley. 

NUTRITION INFO: 1 ¼ cups, Calories: 383 kcal, Carbohydrates: 25 g, Protein: 46 g, Fat: 11 g, Saturated Fat: 6 g, Cholesterol: 107.5 mg, Sodium: 775 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 4 g

(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)