A nice and interesting book that focuses on the military and its various branches, our war history, the symbolism of various components and the peopl A nice and interesting book that focuses on the military and its various branches, our war history, the symbolism of various components and the people who served. As a result it is a true eye-opening read....
100 Veterans Day Trivia is set-up as providing the reader with all the questions first and a set of multiple answers to choose from. The correct answer, though, can only be found in the back while there is no link in the ebook to take you to the answer right away from the question.
Even so the book is informative and thought-provoking thus should be a required read for Veterans Day.
And to any of our vets thank you for your service and sacrifice as well as the same to your families. ...more
At my husband's maternal grandparents' 64th anniversary party, a man was brought up to my FIL on whose KU trivia may interest him. Unfortunately ther At my husband's maternal grandparents' 64th anniversary party, a man was brought up to my FIL on whose KU trivia may interest him. Unfortunately there wasn't any notes taken for the site and so hoping to find this site for help I tackled the web. Unfortunately the site is still unknown at the moment but I did find another that provided a link for a free PDF download of this book.
As is often the case with books that are often more sports-themed, there are others best suited in my house to read them. Unfortunately those better choices are also often the ones who really don't read as well.
Fortunately, though, KU-phoria! is not a heavy nor a long read but rather at the same time an enjoyable one. The author takes a chance to really mix this book up with trivia about the KU campus, with stories of famous people who have contributed to the university or visited, with non-campus history and of course all things KU Jayhawks basketball.
Just as with the subjects of this book being rather hodgepodge, the format of the telling is also rather eclectic. There are informative bits mixed with opinion (rather liberal although not surprising given the city) and personal memories from the author both as a student as well as an employee. Sprinkled throughout are Q&As, captioned photographs, inserts and pearls of wisdom that help to make the randomness into rather a cohesive read.
Will this book age gracefully once several more decades have passed? Probably not but even so it works as a fascinating historical record for lovers of the Jayhawk Nation whose nostalgia just might encourage one to get back out there to campus to look around and make their own memories. ...more
The "green" book of my childhood that was ever-present during my formative years.
50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save the Earth is a book that start The "green" book of my childhood that was ever-present during my formative years.
50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save the Earth is a book that starts off with the bald lie to young readers that they have a voice and that adults must listen to them, which my parents would have just laughed at.
Anyway the book starts off listing all the bad things people are doing to the planet. From there readers are taken into the following format where each section confronts a different problem (guarding our resources, preserving water, protecting animals, etc.) before further breaking down each section into further issues and how children can work to resolve them.
Each of these mini-chapters provides the title of what kids can do before providing the reader with a relatable trivia question. This is followed by a small introduction blurb, a section, a What You Can Do and on some pages a See For Yourself , which is most likely to now provide readers with an outdated address for more information. The last two sections are then dedicated to green activism and eco-experiments to found out the book while occasionally some children were asked for their opinions so they could be tucked virtuously into the book.
Although the info is clear and concise while providing very simple steps it does also make one wonder how much a child reader can truly contribute, especially if living in an apartment where they can't make a wildlife friendly habitat or in a place that uses paper bags instead of groceries.
At the same time I question the author's validity of information since he collects spiders as part of the Insect family.
Otherwise if you are looking for some "green" projects, the book has plenty of choices to choose from if any catch your fancy....more
A very cleaned up and shortened version of Heidi .
Although the book does provide 80 pages instead of the normal 300+, the Dover adaptation does keep A very cleaned up and shortened version of Heidi .
Although the book does provide 80 pages instead of the normal 300+, the Dover adaptation does keep the main points of the story in place. As a result, readers will find this adaptation rather more familiar even though it has been heavily trimmed to make it more comfortable.
At the same time, the book has some black-and-white illustrations that beg readers with an artistic flair to mayhaps add their own colors if they should wish. Furthermore each included illustration has a caption so readers know exactly where it fits in.
The book does make for a great introduction read to the Classics, especially if your little one(s) may not be ready for a much longer read, or as a quick Classical read to readers of all ages who want to enjoy the book but have only limited time at their disposal....more
***Does mention brothels and the Red Light District if you have kids planning on reading this book***
Hidden Places starts off explaining that not all***Does mention brothels and the Red Light District if you have kids planning on reading this book***
Hidden Places starts off explaining that not all the locations are actually "hidden" as most people would understand the concept. Instead the concept embraces places that are inaccessible, places that were overlooked but well-known secrets, those abandoned and/or are part of nature, those covered up by history, those restricted for the peace of the inhabitants or a combination of the above as well as hidden. As such the book's subject can be a bit misleading.
At the same time for those groups whose preferred social isolation, upkeep of tradition and cultures as well as peace is reliant on their inaccessibilty, I find such books like this one to be irreverent. Although it may thrill modern readers and/or travelers to find these little known gems, to learn about lesser known history and be able to pass on information that otherwise may be forgotten, it still is also inviting the modern world to invade for better or worse (although usually for the worse).
Each entry includes the name of the location in a box to the left of the start of the entry's text while reqaders can find information about Where and What in the upper right of the page.
The following body of text provides readers with information about how to get to said location, its history and significance, its traffic now and also how the modern world may be influencing it or how that location is faring in today's modern world. Readers will also find out which of the meanings of hidden apply here.
Readers will find gorgeous illustrations with some full pages and others as full spreads. Most tried to capture the nature of the surrounding areas and as a result I feel like the book would have been better served with real photos instead of with the medium it did even though it fits the thought of armchair traveler.
All in all it was a fairly decent book and with a bunch of newer locations than is normally trotted out for these types of works. As such I would recommend the book for armchair travelers or those who like lesser known history....more
***Content May Not Be Suitable To Sensitive Readers***
A random book that appeared on my reading table. Given its short format I chose to give it a r ***Content May Not Be Suitable To Sensitive Readers***
A random book that appeared on my reading table. Given its short format I chose to give it a read to see what it was about.
First I would just like to point out records show that it wasn't Quantrill's mother who sold his bones but rather a childhood friend and then later the man's wife. The brief story I looked over furthermore doesn't mention whether his mother was privy to or gave permission to the transactions that included only a few of the bones but nor does it say she was a victim of a manipulative man out to get a quick buck.
The same source also gave a pretty good idea of who bought the bones and what happened in their time away from the rest of the body all before the publication of this book so I would argue that this is one solved mystery rather than unsolved even if the story hadn't been fully put together.
Anyway Why Buy Quantrill's Bones is a book that looks into the deed that led to the title of the book, the man whose remains are the subject and his "contributions" to history. Although the book isn't detailed for a full biography, Gail does a great job in providing enough so the reader gets the gist of it in simple reading format that isn't boring.
Instead what I find confusing is her writing and her intentions. She mentions most of the South wanted slavery, which isn't truthful as only the rich could afford slaves. She also stated that the Quantrills didn't want to bury him in their family plot when sources mentioned one of the reason for the retrieval of his remains was to be buried with his family although the city didn't want to.
Secondly, the author points out he was a bully and an animal abuser(signs of a psychopath) when a boy whose rap sheet grew even longer as well as darker when he aged. He made weird dark comments that made other people uncomfortable and/or consider him rather barbaric by others of his own time, he had no cause he stood for, no morals for the most part and cold eyes with a frozen glare.
And yet the author waves this all away and states that it was because of war as well as being on the losing side that he's considered a monster along with his murderous men who strangely enough didn't fit the regimented side of war. The other side - all poor farmers with an envious chip on their shoulders - was just as bad but since they won, they're considered heroes, and that the old boy if he had lived long enough may have turned out to be an upstanding citizen. These thoughts are mind-boggling.
What I think the book teaches is that yes war is a monster but there are also monsters who live among us, well disguised sometimes and sometimes with good reasons for their anger. And yes those monsters can attract others of like kind, especially in chaotic times when the law of the land gives way to high passions and eye-for-an-eye justice.
But what it overlooks is that even with all that said and done, we are still responsible for our own decisions and actions. Quantrill fought on the winning side for a moment but he also switched sides and he killed whether you were armed, unarmed, visiting or even helping him out. And his victims included killing a 24-day old infant while leaving behind many broken families who relied on their men and boys. Furthermore he burned, looted, sold free men into slavery, rustled livestock, tricked and betrayed those who relied on him just to name a few of his most notable accomplishments. As they say live by the sword, you'll die by the sword.
All in all the book will make for a nice starter addition to a history library for non-sensitive children so they can see what it took to be the man who destroyed a city and to get a taste of the bloody events leading up to the Civil War....more
Goddess Power is a combination of mythology and fiction. Each entry is provided with an entry page that inc Not quite sure where this book came from.
Goddess Power is a combination of mythology and fiction. Each entry is provided with an entry page that includes the goddess' name, its pronunciation, a very basic listing of family, her symbols and also her expertise. From there the reader is given a mixed account that provides her origins and some retellings of known mythoi with her.
Given the age of the audience, these stories have largely been cleaned up or had parts skipped that may be questionable although some of it still is implied. As a result I would still recommend the book for probably a somewhat older crowd of children.
At the same time, though, the book has a rather feminist leaning, which in the case of Hera and possibly Athena was nice. Otherwise it was somewhat cringeworthy as well as mocking of a few of the characters. And in the case of Hades, he basically came down to looking like a cruel and sadistic god thus placing Persephone in a rather abusive relationship.
Furthermore the author takes her foundational retellings from a multitude of sources (no Roman portrayals though it is mentioned in the title) thus leading to some confusion such as the common gaffe of listing Apollo and Artemis then later on mentioning the actual Helios, Eos and Selene several times.
Meanwhile the story of Circe being a goddess was new to me and could have easily been replaced with the actual goddess of magic and witchcraft Hecate. Furthermore the ending of that story was again new to me and while it left the stories with a feel-good, l would rather have the actual material.
Finally the book ends with a section of mythological beasts, a small blurb for each and also a glossary that doubled as a pronunciation guide. Not all names mentioned in the book appeared back here but a good majority for the curious.
All in all it was rather decent for a retellings collection and would make for a decent starter for young readers at least until they are ready for the more explicit Classical mythoi....more
Bookish Cats as seen on GR didn't suggest it was a board book & so upon receiving it in said format I was a bit co***Actual Star Rating: 1.5 Stars***
Bookish Cats as seen on GR didn't suggest it was a board book & so upon receiving it in said format I was a bit confused. Although the concept makes sense to introduce children to Classics early on, if the means is a board book than they are too young and this is more selling for adults than anything. Plus with the amount of fake books already plaguing the internet, why would you want to confuse them with these parodies that are inaccessible?
The rest of the book is basically a collection of cat-themed titles and punnish authors along with a made-up cover of cartoonish cats portraying the main character(s) in a very water-downed or dark palette.
Romeow was the only one who seemingly was portrayed in a non-realistic way while Dorothy was reddish as more of a non-realistic color unless they were using it as a stand-in for the ruby slippers. And if that was the case shame on them for using the original book but mixing in a film element.
In the end it was rather decent for what it was as a parody collection but not too creative. A quick skim and you'll be through as quick as it takes to open the book to begin with....more
Given the author is writing from the 13th century and that our ancestors could be creatively naive, theAn excerpt from Marco Polo's original book....
Given the author is writing from the 13th century and that our ancestors could be creatively naive, the book is a combination of fact and fiction with some propaganda/personal opinion thrown in for good measure. As a result readers will often find Polo speaking about idols and the people as idolaters who more or less run around bare as the day to differentiate themselves from us. At the same time, he also ensures to make note of the things they do right that also aren't seen in Europe such as kings following their laws before their people as an example.
The basic tone of the book reads as one guy remembering a collection of narratives that ate stringed together for the book. As a result the topic sometimes changes randomly in whimsical rabbit trails before he brings the story back to point.
All in all it makes for an interesting yet very outdated travel guide that leans more towards fantasy rather than fact. And as such should be enjoyable only as a recreational and fantastical travel read than a modern travel guide for today's travelers....more
***Some material may not be appropriate for young &/or sensitive readers***
This is a brief collection of three Inuit stories giving insight into the ***Some material may not be appropriate for young &/or sensitive readers***
This is a brief collection of three Inuit stories giving insight into the type of cautionary tales that this native people use in their culture. As a result those who may have looked into bits and pieces of Inuit mythoi will definitely understand the first story even if not by the name.
Unfortunately and like many of these native retellings, there is no pronunciation guide for those who may have no inkling of the language. And given the fact Google Translate doesn't translate Inuit it leaves it hard to figure out the right pronunciation on one's own.
The rest of the stories are very bare and brief to fit the page limits, as confirmed in the back of the book. As a result the stories are a bit of an introductory stepping stone that may hopefully encourage interested readers to find fuller retelling with more details.
Readers will find a Foreward discussing the place of knowledge & wisdom in Inuit society as well as the fact that elders aren't forward in their teaching. At the end of the book, readers find a small section that explains what each story means, the wrong in the story and its moral as well as further information on Inuit culture.
Honestly I am much more intrigued by these cultural portions than I am in the stories found in the book.
All in all it is a decent start and explanation for those wanting to get to know more about that culture. ...more
***Warning: Blood, death, graphic scenes of violence***
And finally MrBallen has arrived and he brought the Like Button!
After the bonus story I wasn ***Warning: Blood, death, graphic scenes of violence***
And finally MrBallen has arrived and he brought the Like Button!
After the bonus story I wasn't quite so sure what to expect but after reading this book my faith has been restored.
Strange, Dark & Mysterious takes a collection of nine of his stories, including the one that was his own personal experience, while providing it in a simple, narrative format that lays out the story's main points in a mostly easy-to-follow format although sometimes the story stretched across the whole page and other times was in a descended format.
The selection of the stories was a good sample of his various paranormal stories with some of his better-known ones being combined along with some that weren't as better known or remembered.
Meanwhile the book is illustrated with just the right medium and color palette that doesn't make it too cheerful but also not really somber. At the same time small elements have sometimes been added encouraging the reader to study the page to see what else can be found.
All in all it was a good read and although it doesn't replace the author's videos, it does allow his fans to have a way of accessing him when it may not be appropriate otherwise. ...more
A book that was recommended to me and provided to me on a 15-minute ride. As small as the book appears to be, though, and without a lot of words on i A book that was recommended to me and provided to me on a 15-minute ride. As small as the book appears to be, though, and without a lot of words on its pages, it sure packs a punch.
The book touches on everything cloud or cloud-related thus the reader learns about the 10 types, the history of cloud naming, basic cloud info, the uniqueness of snowflakes, how clouds work including during storms, special clouds & various tornado shapes with their names. There is also a section on rainbows, halos, light shows and some planetary clouds to round out the book.
The information is simple to read and understand with a lot of graphics to help the reader. And the actual illustrations besides are so wonderfully done that they help to capture the beauty of certain cloud showd.
This is one book that should be in every nature & science library just since it may encourage you to keep an eye on the skies above you. ...more
Another of those silly preview coloring books that are offered for free on Kindle in the hopes that you will buy their books.
I'm Not Afraid like mos Another of those silly preview coloring books that are offered for free on Kindle in the hopes that you will buy their books.
I'm Not Afraid like most of these other sample coloring and activity books has a small introductory section in which case the reader is provided with a four-page explanation on how activity books can help young readers/colorers to improve their handwriting as well as tips for furthering the cause if adults would like to pursue that course.
Otherwise the rest of the book is dedicated to providing the reader with a collection of various maze activities to do but all in square format. Furthermore each puzzle has a character that has been provided color while they may or may not be trick-or-treaters as some really don't look like they are in costume although the end result is a giant piece of candy.
Furthermore most of the puzzles seemed very easy thus it doesn't seem like it will provide young children with much to do since of the lack of coloring as well as being any part of a challenge.
All in all this has to be one of the worst activity books I have come across in a while and it is a shame they chose to target Halloween for it....more
Since this book had a much more scary-type cover I was really hoping highly that there would be some decent jokes in this book that weren't recycled Since this book had a much more scary-type cover I was really hoping highly that there would be some decent jokes in this book that weren't recycled from the other Halloween joke books I had in my possession. And up until I came to do this book review, I didn't even really recognize there were actually included two books within this copy.
Anyway as a result I originally thought that this book had only two sections, which technically it does, upon which it focuses its joke materials. As a result even though ghosts and witches do exist as part of that secular holiday, they don't really make the whole of Halloween thus the title is already misleading before even getting to the meat of the book.
And unfortunately the jokes were all recycled material, which I had already previously read in my former books 275+ Halloween Jokes and Halloween Jokes: 101 Funny Jokes. As a result I basically skimmed the rest of the book just to see if there were any jokes that were new and/or that I had forgotten but there wasn't much.
Each section or book does have its own illustrative themes with the former being the much cuter while the second is a hodgepodge of actual Halloween elements.
All in all I am really disappointed at this point with all these non-original joke books....more
This was an interesting book that I received whose characters are part of a missionary family whose goal it is is to help translate the Bible for tho This was an interesting book that I received whose characters are part of a missionary family whose goal it is is to help translate the Bible for those who can't read it.
During the main plot of this particular book, Kate & Mack and the Tower of Babel, readers are introduced to Kate and her adopted brother as well as their pets as Kate struggles with her foreign language homework. Her struggles remind her brother of a Bible story he had heard of recently, which leads to the rest of the story.
What I love about this book is the clear and simple writing as children will be able to easily understand all its messages.
The book also cleverly uses speech balloons for the characters talking and a tablet for providing the reader with the biblical story as well as inclusions of these various languages: Spanish, Tagalong, Chinese, Greek, Arop, Swahili and Thai plus a coded language to provide young readers with a fun activity once you use the website to get the translations if you so wish.
Although the story wasn't too fleshed out it does make important points and for its bringing awareness to both sharing God's Word as well as the work of missionaries I do have to say I deeply recommend this book for young Christian readers....more
This isn't a happy book no ***May Contain Triggers - Parental Loss, Neglect, Alcoholism, Bullying, Foster System, Runaways, Animal Neglect & Abuse***
This isn't a happy book nor one with a really happy ending. Instead it's the type of book that you wish the main character the best of luck in getting out of a cycle where the best in life is holding onto the lifeboat for a moment of respite before getting dragged back down for another round of bad luck. You cheer at the lessons learned while at the same time shaking your head at the perils she puts herself - just avoiding even harder lessons she may be faced with.
Dirt is very easily written but also rather long in some senses. The names of the characters aren't really creative although in some regards they tell you who the person is abstractly while the author also named one character after a famous and probably inspiring author to her but I am not sure how many young readers will pick-up that Easter egg. Otherwise I did find the names a bit silly.
The rest of the book basically is just one shuffling stumble from bad life events, responses in regards to those events & bad decision-making without the guidance of a loving adult. As such the character doesn't only disable herself but also makes herself vulnerable even though doing it for what she considers a good cause.
All in all it was decent but not a book I would recommend to younger readers....more
I ended up with the Young Readers edition and if I had known that I may not have picked up the book. Why? The reason that it is known for being the Y I ended up with the Young Readers edition and if I had known that I may not have picked up the book. Why? The reason that it is known for being the Young Readers edition is that anything sexual and/or violent has been removed from the stories while anything that could be questionable has also been removed thus paring the stories down to a mere shadow of what they used to be if one has been educated with the actual Bible.
Thus the Creation has been removed as well as the story of Abel and Cain. Instead the reader is introduced to Noah who is just finishing his trip but it isn't the ending that is found in the original. Ruth and Esther have been left out as well as most other female stories in the Bible while in the story of David you don't hear about his mishaps of Bathsheba.
Other fictional elements have been added to the stories such as thoughts that they may have experienced, how they responded to the situation and the replacement of important elements such as the sacrifice of Isaac there is an angel instead of the ram caught by the horn. For those who are having problems with biblical reading this is most definitely a bad replacement and I would suggest watching the series over the reading of this particular variation although the Bible is a far more better replacement of both.
Otherwise it is pretty decent when you embrace it just as a fictional retelling and don't give much of a second thought. Although some important elements are used it isn't one that will be a replacement to those raised in the Christian world.
Merged review:
I ended up with the Young Readers edition and if I had known that I may not have picked up the book. Why? The reason that it is known for being the Young Readers edition is that anything sexual and/or violent has been removed from the stories while anything that could be questionable has also been removed thus paring the stories down to a mere shadow of what they used to be if one has been educated with the actual Bible.
Thus the Creation has been removed as well as the story of Abel and Cain. Instead the reader is introduced to Noah who is just finishing his trip but it isn't the ending that is found in the original. Ruth and Esther have been left out as well as most other female stories in the Bible while in the story of David you don't hear about his mishaps of Bathsheba.
Other fictional elements have been added to the stories such as thoughts that they may have experienced, how they responded to the situation and the replacement of important elements such as the sacrifice of Isaac there is an angel instead of the ram caught by the horn. For those who are having problems with biblical reading this is most definitely a bad replacement and I would suggest watching the series over the reading of this particular variation although the Bible is a far more better replacement of both.
Otherwise it is pretty decent when you embrace it just as a fictional retelling and don't give much of a second thought. Although some important elements are used it isn't one that will be a replacement to those raised in the Christian world....more
***The book may not be suitable for sensitive readers***
This was a book that I answered an ad for on FB while I must say that I was impressed to be ***The book may not be suitable for sensitive readers***
This was a book that I answered an ad for on FB while I must say that I was impressed to be offered an actual physical book instead of an ebook as most publishers and authors do nowadays.
The actual book of Olaf and Essex was a lot thicker than I expected and as a result I quickly made a judgment call that it wasn't to be of my YA - Juvenile shelf even though other elements may have suggested otherwise. And surely by the time I reached the end it definitely wasn't suited for the shelf I would have first assigned it to.
Here readers are introduced to a cobbled-together family of lost souls each looking for something while tucked into a story as commonplace as New York but facing an actual witch hunt under the corrupted power of a single prejudiced official. To throw in another kick to an insanely busy story, though, the actions of our so-called villain also start out rather innocuous to all intents and purposes.
As a result of so many different storylines is the reason for the book's bigger size and the fact the book actually doesn't take place over a smaller time range but starts out as such then tackles a much bigger time range. Unfortunately the author already wants me to suspend belief that frogs (which aren't slimy) and snakes just happen to be cavorting around New York in the dead of winter that a futher super-scale exponential leaps-and-bounds development plus survival of a child in same environment is too much.
Parts of the book do feel repetitive since of their similarities to others episodes, other parts seemed added to pad the book and the surprising toll at the end, which I haven't seen in much newer books in a while, all were rather a part of the experience.
What makes this book different, though, is that the book has illustrations for a book of its size and they are rather decent. Furthermore the chapters coming from different points-of-view are preceded with a "bust"of the character who is narrating at the moment, which is rather creative.
The book did keep my attention when I had a moment to read it just to keep the plot going so I can't say all parts were slow and dull.
All in all it was an interesting and creative read but one that since of the author's own overambition just made it much too hard to really enjoy as a much lighter read as a brief preview would certainly suggest.
***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***...more
This book isn't actually totally historical nor nonfiction but instead works as a middle ground in which there is plenty of history combined with leg This book isn't actually totally historical nor nonfiction but instead works as a middle ground in which there is plenty of history combined with legends, folktale and origin sories, some of which have already been debunked. Fortunately the author does imply several times that when things are vague the translation and opinion falls on the modern interpreter. Although I don't agree fully with the sentiment at least Lester is honest.
The author stated at the start that the book was formatted as tourist trivia blurbs that hit his fancy thus the events in the book aren't in chronological order but rather bounce around. An unfortunate aspect of this is that there is a bunch of repetition but no actual way to track it down.
The writing is pretty basic and a lot of the information I have heard about to some degree. The author adds his own jokes and thoughts occasionally as well as suggestions if you are planning to travel to any particular location but not in enough detail to warrant this as a now outdated travel book.
The book ends with a timeline of dates followed by a section on the sovereigns of England. The latter section starts off with the name of the ruler, provides important dates and some writing about them or their contributions, which is probably just repeated from the body of the book itself.
My last note of the book, though, is its inconvenience. Although small the book has a very inflexible spine thus requiring awkward handling to read the words in the crevasse or breaking its spine. Unfortunately with the awkward handling and even with care taken the plastic of the cover has started to peel on the back while bubbling on the front.
All in all it was a decent read on some historical events and the author's take of those same events for those who like such a combined style of read....more
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