The Revolutionary Paul Revere by Joel J. Miller

The Revolutionary Paul Revere by Joel J. Miller outlined the life of one of American History's most well known beings. The book tells the story of a young man following in his father's footsteps who would one day wind up being known by every child who ever took an American History class in school. The book does not go into too much detail regarding his life but does paint the picture of a brave and honorable man who fought for what and who he believed in. Many people do not know the other side of Paul Revere and should. He is not only the man who warned the colonists during the American Revolution; he was a father, husband, politician, silversmith and so much more.

I was not fond of the book; many because I am not the largest American history buff. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to know what happened during the American Revolution and find out what the people who fought for our freedom was really like. It is not a horrible book it is in fact a well written, informative book about an amazing man who helped create the nation we live in today. For anyone who loves history, this is an excellent book for you. I would recommend this book for middle school or high school students especially so they can learn about the sacrifices made for their freedom.

Jane Austen

My attraction to Jane Austen only began about a year ago when this movie came out. Ever since seeing this movie I bought a book, and then a few of the recently released spoofs of Austen, watched the Anne Hathaway movie and even became obsessed with a mini series from the BBC... given it was a hybrid of Jane Austen and Alice in Wonderland. When I saw this book I HAD to read it.

Now, watching the movie about her, I never would have known the role religion held in Austen's life. No movie or simple biography about her has done her justice until now. This book by Peter Leithart was fantastic. You do not have to be an Austen-addict to enjoy it. There are great reference pages in the back which can help those who have never even held an Austen novel to understand who the characters in her novels are.

Jane Austen is not the person many have depicted her as being. Yes she was an author, but she was not a poor servant-type daughter of a man who made no money and needed to sell his daughters into marriage in order to sustain his life. Her books were not based on her. The men that did enter her life were not the drunken, boxing fools as they were depicted. She was an intelligent, independent woman who wrote based on her surroundings and managed to live her life the way she wanted to. She cared for her family but never got to enjoy the fame she would one day obtain because of her writings.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Austen.

** True Austen fans~ I do not recommend the spoofs**

Being a girl I of course have to let you know that this book is the perfect size for a purse so you can bring it anywhere! No big clunky books this time... It fit perfectly in my purse and even in the center console of the car.

Buried Alive

Buried Alive is a book about an American contractor who has his trust in others torn from him when a fellow colleague goes against the American Government and joins forces with a group of Iraqi Terrorists and kidnaps Roy Hallum, the contractor, and others. The book follows the trials and tribulations Roy and the others must go through while being held captive and what they had to go through in order to survive.

I was very excited about reading this book because I thought it was going to be an inside look into what really goes in with the Iraqi people when they kidnap and possibly a better look into what is really going on there. I was disappointed with this book. Although it is a quick read, I found it difficult to start and at times found myself dosing off mid-page. I've read other books about Americans being held captive, and I have found them very interesting. This book just did not do it for me. I found the writing to be a little bland and boring at times. Although it is a fascinating story, especially considering what this man went through, but the way in which it was presented fell flat with me.

The King

Having been made to believe Elvis died of a drug overdose by “ the hands of those around him”, I was very interested in hearing the doctors’ side of the story. In today’s world, you are constantly hearing about a different celebrity overdosing on some drug- be it Heath Ledger or Michael Jackson. The first thing all reporters say is “Who was their doctor? Or How did they get all those pills?” Having just read a book about Marilyn Monroe, I came to find out measures in which many celebrities will use to obtain the drugs they want. It’s not only their main physician anymore; it’s more of a “shopping” method many of these celebrities use to get what they need from whomever will give it to them.
Dr. Nichopoulos does a great job of explaining his position with Elvis- from his many ailments to his family and social circle to his touring life and how it affected him to the pills he prescribed Elvis while under his care. He goes into detail about his relationship with Elvis and the many methods Elvis used to get the drugs he wanted when Dr. Nichopoulos would not prescribe him any. Although no one will really know what happened that night, Dr. Nichopoulos explains their relationship in such a way that you do truly believe he cared for his famous patient. Whether you believe him or not, this book is worth reading, especially for people like me- those who are interested in finding out what happened to celebrities who died way too soon.

The Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister

Having seen this book on the list of possible books to review I was very excited. Being a lector at church, I thought this book would be very helpful for me in understanding the gospel a little better.

I began reading the book and quickly had flashbacks to my Ancient History course in College. I am very interested in history and learning about why certain days are named for certain Saints and what they did and why we celebrate certain holidays the way we did but something about this book made me feel as if a quiz was going to be handed out when I finished and I better take notes! The book reads like a textbook and when it isn't giving you pure, basic information, the author gives you some real life comparisons that really don't help. It took me quite a while to get through this book. I am still interested in all the aspects of the church and the liturgical year but I feel that this book did not help me answer the questions that I had. It is a great reference book for people who want to know what a particular event in the Catholic Year.

The Power of Respect

A lot of people today tend to forget about a little word called RESPECT. Be it for themselves, for those they know or even someone they do not know, people tend to forget that in order to receive respect you must give respect. Deborah Norville writes about the power respect can have on one's life and why it is so important to not only respect yourself but to respect those you encounter everyday. Everyone can point out a person they see during the day who does not respect themselves. Deborah shows why it is so important to respect everyone and everything around you. Just because you may become a high paying executive in a multi-million dollar company, that does not mean that you should not respect the person who sweeps your office every night. Every living thing on this planet deserves the same respect. We all came in this world the same way. No one is better than anyone else. Everyone should read this book because although many have been taught this their whole lives, I think we all need a little reminder every once in a while.

The Tallest of Smalls

In Max Lucado's new children's book, The Tallest of Smalls, a young boy name Ollie wants desperately to fit in with all the other people in the town of Stiltsville. The cool people of the town decide who can and who can not wear the stilts. One day he is finally chosen but soon finds out that it Is not what he expected it to be. When Ollie needs help, he finds that none of the cool people are there to help him. Ollie soon discovers what it is really like to be cool. It isn't until Jesus comes to him that he realizes he is perfect the way he is and that is he loved by those who matter most just the way he is.

More children's books need to be made and read to children with this message. Just because someone is in the cool crowd, it doesn't mean they are a good person. You really have to become a part of that group to find out that popularity does not make a person good. This is a wonderful book for parents to read to their children and keep reading to remind them of what it means to be loved. You are made the way you are and you shouldn't change it to fit in!