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Austin’s Year In Books

Austin’s 2025 Year in Books

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Austin Gisriel

Goodreads Author

Born

in Takoma Park, MD, The United States

Website

http://www.austingisriel.com

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AustinGisriel

Genre

Sports, Historical Fiction, Spirituality

Member Since

June 2012

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No matter what topic I may tackle, I often come back to the theme of connection, whether it’s on a personal or on a Universal level. It is fascinating to me that these connections can develop—or dissolve—in a moment.

This fascination partly explains my interest in World War II, especially my interest in the home front, when every day could be a “momentous” one for the entire nation, while at the same time, the next telegram could bring momentous news to a single loved one back home. My interest in the war grew further when I reached that age when I could picture my parents when they were young. It is one thing to read history, and another to feel what those kids—my parents—must have felt as they were asked to put their lives on hold in order No matter what topic I may tackle, I often come back to the theme of connection, whether it’s on a personal or on a Universal level. It is fascinating to me that these connections can develop—or dissolve—in a moment.

This fascination partly explains my interest in World War II, especially my interest in the home front, when every day could be a “momentous” one for the entire nation, while at the same time, the next telegram could bring momentous news to a single loved one back home. My interest in the war grew further when I reached that age when I could picture my parents when they were young. It is one thing to read history, and another to feel what those kids—my parents—must have felt as they were asked to put their lives on hold in order to save the world. The Secret of Their Midnight Tears series was born from those two thoughts.

Time Is A Pool, a 10-story collection of flash fiction focuses on moments that can change a life, even if it’s in a humorous vein such as “How No Pants Johnson Gets His Nickname.” Other characters who appear include a charlatan minister who is presented with the opportunity to perform a miracle, and “Benny,” whom we know better as Death.

My passion has always been baseball, perhaps because it is truly a game of inches, which is another way of saying, if the batter had swung 1/100th of a second earlier or later, then perhaps the game and the season and maybe an entire career might have turned out differently. I’ve written about a team, the New Market Rebels of the Valley Baseball League, and a person, Boots Poffenberger, who for a time was baseball’s most colorful character. I’ve written a few baseball short stories, and I’ve also written about why baseball is such a powerful passion for so many people. As the title perhaps implies, Fathers, Sons, & Holy Ghosts: Baseball as a Spiritual Experience, examines the connections to which baseball leads.

Regardless of the subject, I truly enjoy “talking” to readers, although I suppose it’s more accurate in this day and age to say “messaging” with readers. After all, books are really a conversation, just one in which the author goes first and does a great deal of talking initially, but only initially. I hope that anyone who reads my books or simply comes across this author page will feel free to join the conversation.

If you’re a baseball fan, please visit my Baseball Books page where you will find instructions on downloading Their Glorious Summer, the story of two collegiate summer league teams battling for the Valley Baseball League championship even as the Major League ballplayers were on strike in 1981. The download is free because I would like you to give my writing a try.

If you are interested in fiction, please visit my Fiction page to find instructions for downloading “The Bedford Girl.” This is also a free download. Someone had to be the first ashore on D-Day and the famous “Bedford Boys” from Bedford, Virginia happened was that company. Very few survived. Typically, this got me to thinking about what would it have been like for a Bedford girl back home once she received the terrible news?

Please visit my blog where you can read more about me if you like. Let the conversation begin!

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Austin Gisriel’s books

Average rating: 4.22 · 91 ratings · 19 reviews · 18 distinct works • Similar authors

	Fathers, Sons, & Holy Ghosts: Baseball as a Spiritual Experience 4.24 avg rating — 17 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Their Glorious Summer 3.58 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 2011 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Safe at Home: A Season in the Valley 4.36 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2010 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ground Crew Confidential by Austin Gisriel (Goodreads Author), David Fisher (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator), Gary Caruso (Foreword) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 11 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Secret of Their Midnight Tears 4.50 avg rating — 8 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Boots Poffenberger: Hurler, Hero, Hell-Raiser 4.86 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Boys We Knew (The Secret of Their Midnight Tears Book 2) 4.25 avg rating — 8 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Time Is A Pool it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	I'll Remember You All (The Secret of Their Midnight Tears Book 3) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	3 Tales From the Grand Old Game it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2011 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Austin Gisriel's Blog

Reflecting on New Year’s Eve

It is New Year’s Eve as I write this, and that is always a day of reflection whether you want to reflect or not. We’ve now pretty much run out of time to accomplish whatever is incomplete—or not even begun—on our to-do list for 2024.

Birthdays often spark reflection, too, but such reflection is usually limited to the birthday-ee, family, and perhaps a few friends. Our entire society, indeed, the en

Austin is Currently Reading

Austin Gisriel is currently reading

Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance

by Carla Kaplan

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Jan 04, 2026 12:30PM

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Austin Gisriel rated a book really liked it Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor by Mark Harmon	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Fills in details about what was going on in Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Good research and straightforward, but the multiple characters make this somewhat tough to follow. The authors also switch to the present tense for no real reason an ...more
Jan 04, 2026 05:17PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Austin Gisriel is on page 29 of 544 of Miss Anne in Harlem Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance by Carla Kaplan progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 04, 2026 12:30PM · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Miss Anne in Harlem by Carla Kaplan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Miss Anne in Harlem by Carla Kaplan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Austin Gisriel rated a book really liked it Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor by Mark Harmon	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Fills in details about what was going on in Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Good research and straightforward, but the multiple characters make this somewhat tough to follow. The authors also switch to the present tense for no real reason an ...more
Jan 04, 2026 12:30PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Austin Gisriel is currently reading Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance by Carla Kaplan	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 04, 2026 12:30PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Miss Anne in Harlem by Carla Kaplan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Miss Anne in Harlem by Carla Kaplan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Austin Gisriel rated a book really liked it Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor by Mark Harmon	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Fills in details about what was going on in Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Good research and straightforward, but the multiple characters make this somewhat tough to follow. The authors also switch to the present tense for no real reason an ...more
Jan 01, 2026 06:21PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Austin Gisriel and 50 other people liked Bess's review of Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor: "I learned about a piece history regarding World War II that I had limited knowledge about; Japan’s espionage behind and planning for the attack on Pearl Harbor. This is clearly well researched but the writing style is hard to follow and there are too" Read more of this review »
Jan 01, 2026 06:20PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Austin Gisriel rated a book really liked it Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor by Mark Harmon	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Fills in details about what was going on in Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Good research and straightforward, but the multiple characters make this somewhat tough to follow. The authors also switch to the present tense for no real reason an ...more
Jan 01, 2026 11:08AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Austin Gisriel rated a book it was amazing The pony express; a romance, 1925 [Leather Bound] by Henry James Forman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Pony Express is a novelization of a 1925 Paramount production. It is actually and good pulp Western read. Henry James Forman's uses an educated vocabulary and includes sentences such as, "Her exquisite coloring, her confusion and her youth stirre ...more
Dec 13, 2025 06:34AM · like · see review
Austin Gisriel rated a book it was amazing Mark Twain by Ron Chernow	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I first read Huck Finn when I was 10 years old and have been a fan ever since, reading his works and other biographies. I highly recommend this book, which even at 1,200 pages reads effortlessly and smoothly. (My wife kept remarking what progress I w ...more
Sep 11, 2025 11:03AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mark Twain by Ron Chernow. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mark Twain by Ron Chernow <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Austin Gisriel rated a book it was amazing Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Ron Chernow's work is not only a first-rate biography, but also a first-rate read. As much as I've read about George Washington, I have never come across anything that is such a complete portrait of George Washington the human being. Chernow is full ...more
Jul 13, 2025 07:51AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Washington by Ron Chernow. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Washington by Ron Chernow <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Austin’s Quotes

“[A]ll of life, as we know it, moves in little, unavailing circles. More justly than to anything else, it can be likened to the game of baseball. Crack! we hit the ball, and away we go. If we earn a run (in life we call it success) we get back to the home plate and sit upon a bench. If we are thrown out, we walk back to the home plate -- and sit upon a bench.”
― O. Henry

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Austin’s Year In Books

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