The Band That Played On by Steve Turner

"The Band That Played On" is a non-fiction book about the eight musicians who nobly continued playing as the Titanic sank in 1912. This book takes you deeper than just the fact that eight musicians gave up their lives with dignity-you learn more about who they were before the Titanic, and perhaps who they had hoped to become.

The research that was done for this book is, to me, incredible. I loved hearing about how the Titanic's band members were chosen-the story before the story. Although this book was a little slow going for my taste, I did enjoy all of the history that covered every page. The photographs were amazing and scattered everywhere throughout the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love for history. Steve Turner did a great job painting a clearer and more accurate picture of what exactly those eight courageous men did on April 15, 1912.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The First Escape by G. P. Taylor

The First Escape (the first book in the DG the Dopple Ganger Chronicles) by G. P. Taylor is about three orphans/abandoned children at Isambard Dunstan's School for Wayward Children. Just by the name of that school, you know they're going to try to escape a place like that. Sadie and Saskia Dopple are twins there who wreak havoc and chaos together - until Saskia is adopted by a wealthy woman and Sadie is left at the school. Former thief Erik was abandoned by his father at the all girls' school, but he stays there as a janitor and sits in the back of the classrooms. Sadie and Erik join forces to escape and plan to find Saskia. Will they succeed?

I like this book a lot. It's part book and part comic book and I was surprised how well it flowed all together. I loved it, and I usually don't like comic books. The characters in this book were very amusing. They always had tricks up their sleeves and made me giggle. The art work was awesome - eye candy to a generation used to television. My thirteen-year-old brother ooh-ed over the cover and said he would diffidently read this when I was finished with it. I think a lot of middle school aged kids would love this book (ages 10+). All in all, a great book!

I received a complimentary copy of the book for review purposes from Tyndale House.

Attack at the Arena by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker

Attack at the Arena picks up where Voyage with the Vikings left off. Cousins Patrick and Beth now have to retrieve a Roman monk's missing silver cup from Rome before the new moon. The Imagination Station takes them on a new adventure that includes barely escaping being eaten by a tiger, wearing weird Roman costumes, and getting caught by soldiers. They also learn how dangerous it was for Christians back then - they could be killed just for sport!

I liked this book a lot. It is a quick and easy read for younger children (ages 7 and up/Grade Level 2.3) and it reminds me a lot of Magic Tree house, except with Christian principles. The story was exciting and I think it would definitely appeal to kids. I loved the artwork! So cute! It is also a great historical read and a great question starter for young kids about suffering for your faith like the apostles and Paul did.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner

“We understand what we want to understand.”

Leaving a life of privilege to strike out on her own, Lauren Durough breaks with convention and her family’s expectations by choosing a state college over Stanford and earning her own income over accepting her ample monthly allowance. She takes a part-time job from 83-year-old librarian Abigail Boyles, who asks Lauren to transcribe the journal entries of her ancestor Mercy Hayworth, a victim of the Salem witch trials.

Almost immediately, Lauren finds herself drawn to this girl who lived and died four centuries ago. As the fervor around the witch accusations increases, Mercy becomes trapped in the worldview of the day, unable to fight the overwhelming influence of snap judgments and superstition, and Lauren realizes that the secrets of Mercy’s story extend beyond the pages of her diary, living on in the mysterious, embittered Abigail.

The strength of her affinity with Mercy forces Lauren to take a startling new look at her own life, including her relationships with Abigail, her college roommate, and a young man named Raul. But on the way to the truth, will Lauren find herself playing the helpless defendant or the misguided judge? Can she break free from her own perceptions and see who she really is?

I. Loved. This. Book. It was awesome. I'm a big fan of Meissner's book Blue Heart Blessed, but I didn't realize it was the same author until I got the book. I was hesitant to read this book. I usually stick with young adult and steer away from romances because I don't want to read about people making out (you'd be surprised at what's in some Christian fiction). But Meissner had just enough romance to make it sweet, no gagging. I immediately wanted to give this to my younger sister to read because she and I both adore The Witch of Blackbird Pond and this book reminded me of it sooooo much. But she's a little younger and I'd put the age range on this book teens to adults.

Lauren was an interesting character. I didn't like and yet I loved her all at the same time. She made some stupid choices, but her character still stayed real and likable. Mercy was awesome. I didn't think that I would like the diary entries but they were the best part! Especially when she wrote about John Peter. *swoon*

All-in-all, I really, really, really liked this book. The characters were awesome, the story was gripping, and I was close to tears several times. Y'all. I never cry when I read books. This one's a keeper.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Voyage with the Vikings by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker

"Voyage with the Vikings" is a book about two cousins who go on a mysterious and exciting adventure in the Imagination Station, which is a sort of time machine. They travel to Greenland to find a Sunstone for someone in need of help. Along the way, they meet rough vikings, some of which are mean, but they also make an unlikely friend. But they have to make it back to the ship before time runs out, or they may never get back home! Can they do it?

I liked the book. It was exciting, but not too scary, and at the end it left you wanting more! It encourages kids to stand up for their faith in God, and to do the right thing. I thought it was a very good book for younge readers, and I would recommend it to any child from first through third grade.

This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers for my copy to review.

The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers

“I only know one man who might be able to tell me where I come from, and that man is a liar and a fraud.”

As far back as he can remember, the orphan Grady has tramped from village to village in the company of a huckster named Floyd. With his adolescent accomplice, Floyd perpetrates a variety of hoaxes and flimflams on the good citizens of the Corenwald frontier, such as the Ugliest Boy in the World act.

It’s a hard way to make a living, made harder by the memory of fatter times when audiences thronged to see young Grady perform as “The Wild Man of the Feechiefen Swamp.” But what can they do? Nobody believes in feechies anymore.

When Floyd stages an elaborate plot to revive Corenwalders’ belief in the mythical swamp-dwellers known as the feechiefolk, he overshoots the mark. Floyd’s Great Feechie Scare becomes widespread panic. Eager audiences become angry mobs, and in the ensuing chaos, the Charlatan’s Boy discovers the truth that has evaded him all his life—and will change his path forever.

This was a very interesting book. I had heard great reviews about it, but I wasn't sure what to expect when I cracked it open.

I have a read a lot of books, but never a book like this one.

Rogers takes you inside Grady's head, his writing style is very unique. It made me think of Gilbert Morris' Barney Buck series (just the writing style - all country like). The words in this book were my favorite. I'd laugh and read them out loud. Words/sentences/chapter titles like "feechiefolks", "In which we commence terrorizing the populace", "goozle", "gumption", etc.

And the plot was actually pretty good, the characters were quirky and felt almost real, and the feechies...Any book with feechies in it HAS to be good.

I'd never read a book about shows on the road (besides circuses) and charlatans, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed reading about it. It was interesting seeing Grady's point of view in the story - you usually never see it from an entertainers point of view.

I recommend this book to any who is interested in feechies, the world's most beautiful eighty-two-year-old woman, Pete's Dragon (and who DOESN'T love that movie?), alligators, or cowboys.

Find the book on:

• Amazon

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Holy Bible, ICB

This is the Holy Bible, for younge girls. It has a dictionary in the back, which could be very helpful for younge readers. It also had a section in the back of God's promises. I think that's great because children need to know what God says, and He does have many wonderful promises for them that they may not know about otherwise. There were "Memory Verses for Life" that I thought were really nice, because it can help encourage kids to memorize scripture, and gives them an idea of what verses they might like to memorize. I loved the translation, International Children's Bible (ICB). It was so easy to understand! It made the Bible seem more storylike and kept Biblical truths at the same time.

I think that this is honestly a great Bible. It's simple, and the Preface helped assure me that it was translated accurately. The design of the Bible is cute and girly, and the 3D designs on the front seem durable, like the rest of the Bible. I thought the print was easy to read, and wasn't too small, especially considering the size of the Bible. I would recomend this Bible translation to anyone with a child, and this Bible to anyone with a little girl.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Show Us Your Singles - Anne of Avonlea in Tennessee, Sweet Sixteen

Rachel is the redheaded beauty "Anne of Avonlea in Tennessee", 16 years old.

(The beautiful one on the left!)

She's been my best friend for nine years and she has a heart of gold. She loves God and kids. Her dream is to adopt lots of kids and give them a home someday in the future. She likes reading, camping, laughing, Dr. Pepper, and she especially loves her family.

(She's so darn cute!!!!)

She wants to get to know a young, Christian guy who puts God first, is great with kids, and has a funny personality.

(Rachel, her brother, cousin, and sister.)

Leave a comment if you would like to get to know her better! Or email me at parisakins@gmail.com.

MY CELLULAR DEVICE

Unlike Paris, who's cell phone's name is Cecil (she's says that's Cecil is a girl name, but most people she talks to disagree. What do you think?), my cell phone does not have a name. I don't have anything against naming electronics (I'm sure you've read about Paris' PINK laptop named Patrick), but its just kind of.......well, for lack of a better or more suitable word....its just WEIRD. My cell phone does not have a name. It does not need a name. Its a cell phone. When I'm searching the house looking for it, I don't say "Where's Susan?!" Or James. Or Mr. Prickleworth. Its just "my cell phone." Or "my phone." Or, my most favorite of all "Where's my CELLULAR DEVICE?!?!?!!!!" Haha, isn't that fun to say? You should say it out loud, right now. Cellular device. Wasn't that great? Now imagine getting to yell that throughout the house. Its a whole new level of fun. AND it really is a cellular device. So its not just a weird name-its what my phone is: my cellular device.
But really, I think its kind of funny to name your cell phone, so its ok:)

I think my cell phone is alive. It can breath!!!
Well, not all of the time-but it does. I don't always keep my phone with me like some people do. Its usually sitting in my room or on the kitchen table. And because of this, I don't always hear it when it rings so I keep the volume turned up all the way. Then when it starts to ring, I scramble up the stairs to get to it so I can answer the phone, but sometimes I don't make it in time. I bought I ringtone from iTunes that I really like, its "Beautiful, Beautiful" by Franchesca Battistellie (I know I spelled that name COMPLETELY wrong, and I'm sorry). When my phone rings,thats the song that blares through the speakers. And right before it happens my cellular device starts to vibrate, and I KNOW that I can hear my phone inhale a deep breath before it sings at the top of its lungs. I know it. I meant to tell Paris about this, but never had a chance. The other day, after my phone had finished singing out my ringtone, and as I was thinking about how funny it was that it could breath, Paris is like, "Your phone takes a big breath before the ringtone goes off!" And I'm like, "I know! I thought the same thing!!" And I'm very happy, because I'm not the only one to think that, and not being alone is a very good feeling.

~Madi

Memories

Memories. We all have them. But - for me at least - memories are mostly connected with sight. With things I can see, like Christmas trees, beach buckets, and pictures. But I love those rare moments where my memories are connected with my other senses as well, like sound, smell, taste, and feel.

But maybe they aren't that rare. I think that lots of times I just notice them subconsciously. As I was taking some towels out of the dryer today, I held them against my face and inhaled. I paused. Hhhmmm, that smells familiar. I inhaled again, and thought of my great grandmother's house. Of nice elderly people. I smiled at the memories those towels brought, even though it wasn't of a specific time, those towels smelt familiar.
My cousin was visiting once, and she had brought some perfume with her. When I smelled it, it imediately reminded me of a toy I had had in pre-school. Weird. But it did, and it brings back great memories and feelings of when I was a little kid.

A couple summers ago, my favorite CD to listen to was BarlowGirl. I listened to it 24/7. One song in particular I loved, and once kept it on repeat for the entire night. (Yeah, I didn't sleep very well that night, but its still a good song:) The next summer, I dug the CD out from one of my drawers and listened to it. I came to that one song, and paused to listen. It made me kind of sad, thinking about the year that had gone by, and all of the change that had taken place. I thought about stuff that I used to think about when I had listened to the song before.

Memories.

When I eat snow, like I did today, the familiar taste reminds me of all the other times I've done it in my life. Sometimes certain fabrics I feel remind me of stuffed animals I used to have, and of being seven-years-old. I love memories. But sometimes they make me sad.

One day, I'll have things that remind me of my life now. Of when I was fourteen. And I'll think about how long ago that was, and how much time has passed and things have changed.

One day.


~Madi