Sadly, real life is intervening again and I haven't had much time for reading. I did manage to finish Historical Mysteries, a nonfiction account of real life mysteries which turned out to be a bit dry.
Historical Mysteries by Andrew Lang
2 stars.People can be so cruel even if they may eventually regret their cruelty.
I give it
4 stars!
Nice compilation of classic fantasy short stories that involve dragons in one way or another.
I give it
3 stars.
I had expected just a brief history mainly regarding political atmosphere but it also includes info about economy, population, diet, and other common everyday things that aren't normally mentioned in history.
I give it 4 stars!
Total Books Finished: 6
Total Pages Read: 880
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Yes, the real world has gotten in the way of my reading once again. I have gotten out of the habit of reviewing and blogging since the majority of he books that I read these days are beta/ARC versions and not published yet. I have actually been reading, and have on occasion actually emailed some assorted thoughts and perceptions to myself to turn into a rview at some point, but sadly never found the time to do so - not yet at any rate. But, I visited goodreads one day and saw that a fiend had joined a group for a read-a-thon and thought hey, maybe that is precisely what I need to motivate me to read more than I have been. So I'm going to give this a whirl.
 
| Exodus Lost by S.C. Compton Genres: History, Nonfiction |
You may be thinking, "a historical nonfiction book as a Fun Read Friday? You've got to be joking!" But I'm not. History doesn't have to be dull and boring, that is entirely up to the author and subject matter. The Olmecs were an ancient people that just suddenly appeared in Mexico. There has been no archeological findings of them developing their technology. They arrived with this knowledge and subsequently influenced both the Mayan and Aztec cultures. But where did they come from?
Due to high acidity levels in the soil and the rain forest environment, archeologists don't have much to work with. Human remains and even most ceramics haven't survived these harsh conditions. Compton hypothesizes that this society migrated from Egypt. He goes to great lengths comparing many aspects of Egyptian culture to what is known of the Olmecs. Religion, funerary beliefs, sacrificial traditions, architecture, even clothing is similar and lends credence to his theory. How could two cultures, separated by an ocean be so similar without being related somehow?
Compton points out that the Olmecs sacrificed to a rain god. He ponders as to why a society in a rain forest would offer sacrifices to appease a god that is most traditionally worshiped by desert people who pray for rain. While it is most likely that he is correct with his conclusion that this rain god was "grandfathered" into the Olmec society from their desert dwelling ancestors, another aspect occurred to me. Now I don't profess to be an expert on ancient gods, but it seems to me that an angry rain god has two extreme options to punish his subjects, drought or flood. I ponder if it is likely that while the Olmecs adopted this god from their ancestors they may have wanted to appease him in times of great storms to stop the rain and not that they were praying for rain to come. It has been raining here for three days now, I might be willing to sacrifice a goat in the hopes that the rain would stop.
While the author is describing Egyptian times, he also touches on biblical stories. Truth be told, I'm not a very religious person. I was raised in parochial school and am familiar with various biblical stories but again, I am no expert. However, I find it fascinating when archaeology and historians find proof that the Bible is not just a story but actual history. Compton cites cases of tree circles and polar cap borings that support the story of Joseph's seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, as well as credible explanations and hypotheses of additional biblical stories.
I found this book interesting on so many levels. Those with a Kindle Fire can enjoy the multitude of pictures and drawings in full color. Readers that own an e-reader with a touch screen can easily access the end notes as they are referenced, which I highly suggest. The footnotes contain more than just information that cites the books being referenced but also sometimes contains the exact quote from said book as well as further clarification of the point being made.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with even the remotest interest in ancient history, Egyptian history, or even biblical history.
4 stars!
| Anticipations by H.G. Wells Genre: Nonfiction, History |
I like to shake things up and review at least one book by a featured author that is not within the genre that they are best known for. I thought it would be interesting to read this nonfiction novel that was penned by H.G. Wells. This book was published under several titles: Anticipations of the Reactions of Mechanical and Scientific Progress upon Human Life and Thought, Wells' Social Anticipations, and simply Anticipations. In this book Wells gives us his predictions as to where he sees the world headed by the year 2000. Many reviews that I have read for this book proclaim that many of Wells' prophecies were dead on the mark, while some were almost humorous that he was so far off base.
 
| Harriet Tubman - The Moses of her People by Sarah H. Bradford Genre: Biography, History, Nonfiction |
Today marks the 100th anniversary since the death of Harriet Tubman. Slave birthdays were not celebrated and as far as she could recollect she was born around 1820-21 and passed away on March 10, 1913. Around the age of 13 she received a serious head injury at the hands of her master. Her skull was partially bashed in and would forever give her the appearance of being slow and stupid as well as having other health complications, but she was far from stupid. Harriet was a calculating, brave, and deeply religious woman. Her cunning helped save the lives of hundreds of slaves during a time when anyone - black or white - could be put to death for harboring or assisting slaves to escape to freedom.
 
| Myths of the Modern Man by Jacqueline T. Lynch Genres: Science Fiction, History |
A strange genre combination as science fiction meets history. The earth is dying. John Moore is sent back in time to observe the rebellion of a Celtic tribe against the Romans. It is often stated that we can learn from history to refrain from continuing to make the same mistakes.
While the telling of John's adventure in ancient Celtic times was riveting, I'm still not entirely clear as to what knowledge he was supposed to bring back with him, or how it would help the scientists save the earth from self destruction.
 
| Echoes by Danielle Steel Genres: Romance, History |
Whether it is my daughter saying "I love you mom" that echoes a distant memory of me saying it to my mother, or me telling my girls to eat their vegetables that echoes the same phrase my mother often repeated, many moments in life are not only echoes of the past but will be repeated and echoed in the future.
This story covers the lives of three generations of strong women. Though each have very different lives and circumstances, they show strength and courage in their own ways as they reflect upon the echoes of their past as they encounter them. Beata is a young German woman who meets a handsome French officer while both families vacation in Switzerland during World War I. As if being on opposite sides of the war isn't enough conflict, that is not the issue that the two families find fault with. Beata is Jewish and Antoine is Catholic. They fall in love regardless of such differences and both families disown the young couple when they defy their parents and decide to marry.
After the war, the couple return to Germany. When Hitler comes to power, Beatta is horrified and worries incessantly about her family ... both the family who shunned her, and her own daughters whom Nazis would consider half Jewish.
This is a harrowing tale that echoes the history of war torn Europe, the atrocities that Hitler commited, and the fear and courage possessed by Jews and the brave heroes within the Resistance.
 | Their Last Suppers: Legends of History and Their Final Meals by Andrew Caldwell |
This book sounded a little morbid but I thought it was an interesting concept and had a different approach to history that deserved a try. This book was a lot different than I had expected.
 | Sweet song by Terry Persun June Pick |
Leon was born to slave parents. When he was born, it was obvious to everyone that he was the slave owner's son. He wasn't caramel colored like the other children that the slave owner had spawned with other slave women. He was white.
Leon learned a lesson that many people sadly do not. He had been treated just as badly by black as by white. He had known white who were just as nice as some black. White or black, mean or nice, skin color didn't make a difference to a person's disposition. It was their beliefs that made them who they were, not skin color.
There were several editing errors that detracted from the story but an interesting read none the less. Even today, in an age where we act civilized and pretend like racism is a thing of the past, there are still prejudices. Blacks hate whites. Whites hate blacks. Blacks hate yellows, whites hate reds, greens hate purples, it is neverending and it is sad to see all the hate in the world based on race. I just can't understand why some people can't look past the color and see the principles, morals, and knowledge of their fellow humans.
 | Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens |
While it is usually true that the book is better than the movie, I have found it to be especially true of classic stories. I tend to believe myself to be intimate with the book plot and am always surprised to find that there are many facets that are not as commonly known. The characters are universally recognized, yet reading the original book makes the characters so much more three dimensional, so to speak. There are bits and pieces, entire characters even, that never made it into the movies that intertwine into young Oliver's life that gives so much more to the story.
There are sublots and conspiracies between Fagin and minor characters that doesn't see the light of day in films. The times are described in ways that movie scenery just cannot define. People in authority abused their power and treated their wards irreprehensibly and no one seemed to care.
I had to laugh at the differences in the times. When the orphanage is being inspected, the matron quickly explains that the bottle of gin in the cupboard was to administer to the children when they were ill, implying that she would never personally partake in the drinking of spirits. Alcohol and opium were commonly used for medicinal purposes back in the days of Oliver Twist's childhood.
For those unfamiliar with my monthly picks let me give a quick explanation. At the beginning of every month, I troll through the list of free books on Amazon. I try to avoid books within a series as I get tired of cliffhanger endings, even if I don't actually pay for a book I have invested my time in reading it and I want a REAL ending. I don't have the time or the money to get sucked into a series. I don't just select the top 4 listed in the free section, which would be a LOT less work. I have started attempting to explore other genres instead of always picking one science fiction, one romance, one mystery, one non-fiction. However, some books may fit into several categories, such as the action adventure book I selected this month also fits into the science fiction genre. Basically I just want to remind avid readers that amazon has a plethora of choices of free books. These are the ones that I have selected to read this month, but there are many to choose from. Check out the Amazon free books for yourself.
 action adventure/ science fiction My review |  Historical Fiction My review |  Non-fiction/ Political |  Horror/ Occult My review |
 | Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King Genres: Fantasy, Romantic Suspense |
My latest and last attempt, this month at least, to showcase King's non-horror work. This book is divided into four different parts. Each part is told in the first person narrative from different people's point of view. As the parts weave themselves together to form one continuous story, it becomes apparent that they all seem to revolve around Carol Gerber, though none of the narratives are hers.
 | Hollywood Stories: Short, Entertaining Anecdotes about the Stars and Legends of the Movies! by Stephen Schochet Genres:Nonfiction, History, Humor |
I am so very glad that I signed up for this book tour. This is not a book that I would normally choose for myself. Yet, I enjoyed it immensely.
Imagine Tinseltown in its heyday. When movie stars were glamorous, mysterious, and extremely underpaid by today's standards. With entertaining anecdotes, the author gives his readers a glimpse behind the scenes of many classic movies. From historical tidbits that was the inspiration behind movies, to casting choices that may surprise you.
 | Titanic - What Really Happened? by Samuel West Genres: History, Nonfiction |
I knew that the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic was in April, so I thought that this would be a great book to pick this month. Well, not all free books can be winners, I guess. I had been surprised to find that amazon no longer offered this book, but I suppose I can see why now.
The story started out pretty good, with lots of stats and info for the boat and passengers. The author did a fairly good job of setting the scene and describing the boat, etc. He ended the first chapter with, "Brave attempts were made to stem the flow of the water, by pumping it out. Would it be enough?"
Of course everyone knows what happened to the Titanic, so I doubt it is much of a plot spoiler to reveal that chapter 2 consisted of exactly two words, "It sank". I kid you not. This was followed by two more words, "The End".
I'm not sure what Samuel West was playing at. I would like to give the benefit of doubt that he had truly meant to write a real book for the anniversary but ran out of time, or maybe that his first draft was accidentally published. Either way, I'm glad this book was free though it is doubtful that it was worth what I paid for it.
1 star.
Phileas Fogg was a big fan of Whist, he played it on trains and ships as he made his way around the world in 80 days. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy were known to play this game in Wuthering Heights. I have seen the game referred to in many book and my curiosity was piqued. While the game is mentioned enough in classic stories, I thought it odd for a popular game to have fallen by the wayside over the years. Knowing only that the game involved trump and taking of tricks, I had envisioned characters playing a game similar to pinocle or possibly euchre. My inquiring mind decided to do some research.
Whist originated around the 17th century, though there is no real proof in existence as to the invention of the game. By the early 18th century, the game was not fashionable for gentry folk to play, mainly just the lower classes played it but by the mid-18th century even the upper classes enjoyed the game.
By the early 20th century, Whist evolved into the card game Bridge. I was surprised to find that Whist IS still played today, mostly in Britain though, which could be why this Yank had never heard of it except in classic English books. So if you like to be able to view a book in your minds eye, like I do, and you run across a group of people playing Whist, you can easily imagine them playing and ancestral version of Bridge.
If you are actually interested in more of the history of this game, or even the rules, please visit Wikipedia, which is where I got most of my information.
It is a new month, and I have actually made some decent lead way on reading my previous monthly picks. Not quite caught up yet, but I am getting there. This month I have chosen to download the following freebie books from Amazon:
 Horror My review |  Nonfiction/ Historical My Review |  Mystery/ Thriller My review |  Romantic Suspense My review |
| While I am NOT making this an official pick for April as there is no way I can find time to read a 4 book set, but this find is worth noting. FOUR book set by Scott Nicholson includes: The Harvest, The Vampire Club, Burial to Follow, and Drummer Boy is currently FREE on Amazon. | 
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The Coming Revolution: Signs from America's Past that Signal Our Nation's Future by Dr. Richard G. Lee |
The first portion of the book is an educational review of the history of our founding fathers. The author goes into great detail, annotating specific quotes and sources, of the social outrage against the King of England, and political fervor, that caused the separate colonies to forget their differences and unite to revolt again the tyranny of the King. Dr. Richard Lee argues his theory that today's social, economic, and political breakdown can be attributed to three major causes: the lack of religious spirit, the lack of patriotism taught in schools, and the breakdown of the traditional family unit.
To read my full review, please visit A Goddess of Frugality.
