Thursday, January 30, 2014

The Lost Baron(book).

This is another book written by Allan French.
It's another great mystery book, and a good read.
Here is a preview.

 Martin, son of Sir Anselm of the Hollow, risks his life more than one time, in this fast-paced mystery of 1200. The good king Richard is dead, and his brother John is king, and will do anything to get money. Suddenly, Baron Eric disappears, and his moody and jealous cousin Basil moves in. His daughter Rosamund and wife can do nothing to stop him, so the castle is in danger. In an unguarded moment of kindness, Basil invites Martin to become a page in the castle. Will Martin take the chance and somehow save the castle and Rosamund? Or will he fall into the hands of a dreadful foe?

It's a really good book.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Photography

Here is a website with some really cute pictures of birds.
 This photographer catches these birds in the most amusing positions.
I hope you enjoy.                              

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

The Red Keep(book).

The Red Keep is another book written by Allen French.
 This is another great book, and if you don't have them, I suggest that you do.
This is fit for all ages.

Here is a section of the book.

The Red Keep stood a half mile away, the square block of its heavy tower dominating the lesser buildings.
Above it hung a pall of smoke, fed by black wreaths that curled upward from the narrow windows. Not far outside the gate a huddle of huts was burning furiously. In all the scene there were no men, unless some few were unseen among a score or more of horses standing grouped close to the drawbridge of the castle.
The horses and the double fire made it very clear that this was a raid, a surprise, a fight as yet unfinished.
Sir Roger shouted "Rescue!" and drew his sword. Conan, in a voice that cracked as he raised it, repeated the word and the action. "Blow trumpet!" cried Sir Roger, to hasten the laggards. "Forward!" From the knoll the horsemen furiously spurred the save their friends.

Hope you enjoy.


Saturday, January 18, 2014

Piano Guys Lord of the Rings

I love this one.
If you've never seen Lord of the Rings you are missing out.
This is the soundtrack done by the piano guys. It's awesome.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Rolf and the Viking Bow(book).

This is a great book written by Allen French.                                                         
It has a wonderful plot and is extremely captivating, and draws you in.
Here is the synopsis.


The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow is a remarkable tale told in the style of an old Norse saga. It is the story of the Soursop family who live right on the western coast of newly Christianized Iceland around 1010 AD. Rolf, the son, is fine in all the ways a father could desire: courageous, agile, thoughtful, loyal and strong. He is also very good with a bow and arrows. His father, Hiarandi, is named the Unlucky because his fortunes have dwindled and he has lost numerous legal battles with his neighbors.
One night, while a storm rages, Hiarandi's wife convinces him to light a beacon fire to help a ship which is foundering off the coast. This is not the normal practice of the time as the coast dwellers have come to rely on the booty from wrecked ships. His actions set off a chain of events which eventually lead to his own demise. The owner of the ship is Hiarandi's brother, Kiartan. Instead of thanking Hiarandi, Kiartan steals from him and leaves him to answer for a crime that Kiartan commits.
At the "Althing" meeting, Hiarandi's covetous neighbor, Einar, charges Hiarandi with the blood debt for Kiartan's crime. Einar wins a lesser judgement against Hiarandi, however, and Hiarandi is sentenced to remain on his own property for one year, that is, not to step off it more than one bow's-shot distance. Just before the year is over, Einar's men convince Hiarandi's only remaining thrall to run away. Hiarandi chases him to within one bow's shot distance but Einar's men are waiting and kill Hiarandi. Rolf, who witnesses the whole incident, kills one of the attackers and wounds several others. Einar claims that Hiarandi stepped out of bow shot distance from his property and so his death was legal. Although his own bow shot falls some feet short of the distance, Rolf insists that someone could be found to shoot the distance and prove his father's innocence. So he travels to seek someone who can shoot better than he. Along the way he wins the loyalty of many influential men and warriors who take up his cause, but none can shoot far enough.
Finally Rolf is outlawed for the death of Einar's man and he and his cousin flee Iceland. Einar gains Hiarandi's property and lives in the house which should have been Rolf's. While at sea, Rolf's ship is captured by Vikings and he and his cousin are taken captive. The Vikings are then defeated and captured by Orkney men. Rolf and his cousin are unlawfully made thralls of the Icelandic foster son of a thane of Orkney. This boy, Grani, lacks all the virtue Rolf possesses yet Rolf is able to teach him many things. They survive a Viking attack together and travel to warn the Earl of Orkney of the Viking invaders, becoming friends along the way. In all this adventure, Rolf acquires the bow from the burial mound of a Viking warrior.
Grani frees Rolf from his thralldom but as they return to Iceland, Grani reveals that his birth father is Einar. In his pride Grani will not ask Rolf forgiveness for all the wrongs he has done him since his capture so they must go to shore as enemies. Their ship crashes off the coast and Rolf rescues Grani bringing him to Einar's house. After escaping capture, Rolf disguises himself as a woman and lives a few months at his mother's dwelling up the hill from Einar and Grani.
At a harvest feast at Einar's house, in a marvelous scene, Rolf arrives disguised as the woman and shoots the Viking bow the distance to where his father fell, thus proving his death unlawful. Einar must forfeit the property and live up the hill at the dwelling where Rolf's mother had been. Rolf sends Einar and Grani trouble after trouble until Grani's pride finally breaks and he begs Rolf's forgiveness. Rolf immediately forgives him and they are restored as neighbors and friends and the unlucky curse on the Soursop line is ended.
Although this adventure is the story of Rolf's steadfast victory over his evil circumstances, it is also the story of the maturation of Grani. He begins as a self-indulged, selfish and wrongfully proud boy and he grows into an honorable man. All along the way he can see that Rolf is in the right, but he cannot bring himself to admit it to Rolf. Finally his will accepts what his heart knew all along. The last chapter of the book is drawn masterfully to this conclusion and is as satisfying as the scene where Rolf's bow shot vindicates his father.
There is much more to the story than this summary can cover. It is full of details of Icelandic and Orkney life and of the legal system to which the people are bound. The fact that it is written entirely, flawlessly as a Norse saga lends it authenticity and makes it a joy to read.


 

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Allen French.

Allen French is a writer whose books are amazingly captivating and extremely well written.

For the next three weeks I will be reviewing some of his books, especially: The story of Rolf and the Viking bow, The red keep, and The Lost Baron.

These three books are very well written and are for all ages.

Allen French (28 November 1870-1946) was a historian and children's book author who did major research on the battles of Lexington and Concord, during the American Revolutionary War. He was a founding member and president of the Thoreau Society.
Born in Boston, French attended Harvard University for his undergraduate education.
Several of his children's books were illustrated by painter Andrew Wyeth.


Here are his books that he wrote.

Fiction

  • Allen French, The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow, Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1924.
  • Allen French, The Red Keep: A story of Burgundy in year 1165, Warsaw, N.D.:Ignatius Press, 1997
  • Allen French, The Lost Baron
  • Allen French, Sir Marrok
  • Allen French, Heroes of Iceland
  • Allen French, The Story of Grettir the Strong
  • Allen French, The Colonials
  • Allen French, The Barrier

Non-Fiction

  • Allen French, The Siege of Boston, New York: The Macmillan Company, 1911.
  • Allen French, First Year of the American Revolution
  • Allen French, General Gage's Informers
  • Allen French, Historic Concord and the Lexington Fight.
  • Allen French, Charles I and the Puritan Upheaval: A Study of the Causes of the Great Migration, Houghton Mifflin, 1955.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a movie based on a book written by Roald Dahl.
It's a neat movie and it's also funny.
Here is the trailer.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

The Hiding Place(book).

 This is a sad yet true autobiography of the life of a young woman, Corrie ten Boom, who went through the terrors of the Holocaust, but by the Lords grace, makes it out alive from the concentration camps to tell her story to thousands.
It's a great read, but some parts are not recommended for younger children.



Corrie Ten Boom grew up in Haarlem, Holland, with two sisters and one brother. The Hiding Place opens in 1937 with the family celebrating the 100th birthday of the family watch shop. Corrie and her sister, Betsie, who are in their 40s and 50s, are both unmarried and live at home with their father, who is a renowned watchmaker. Ten Boom uses the party as a way to share details of the family's life. The first chapter ends with Corrie thinking about her childhood. She says, "Today I know that such memories are the key not to the past, but to the future. I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do" (17). This provides a segue to the next few chapters, which recall Ten Boom's early years.
Although the main action of the book is the family's work and imprisonment during World War II, the first several chapters are also a delight to read. The Ten Boom family lived devout lives, always caring and considering others. Father, especially, is shown to be very wise. Their story is inspirational and interesting, and readers will later see how the memories connect with the family's choices during World War II.
The middle of the book details the family's activities after Holland is invaded by Germany. They slowly become involved in the underground, and soon find themselves at the center of a vast network with countless contacts. Eventually, they take in several Jews and build a hidden room in their house. They know the work is dangerous, and have premonitions of how it might end, but still they carry on.
Eventually the home is raided and Corrie's family is arrested. The rest of the book details their time in prison and in a concentration camp in Germany. They did not all survive, but even at the darkest times, the family kept their faith and hope alive.
For those who are Christians, The Hiding Place is a story that can strengthen one's faith. For those who are not, this is still a piece of history that is worth adding to your library of Holocaust literature.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Your Life in Jelly beans.

This is a great video on how you spend you life.
It's actually scarey how much of our life we actually waist on the internet and TV.
Watch it and pass it on.


Thursday, January 2, 2014

Piano Guys.

Today I am sharing a video that I absolutely love.
This is done by the Piano Guys and it is absolutely
amazing.
I don't think we have ever introduced them on
this blog yet.
The piano guys are a group of musicians(usually
just a cellist and a pianist) who play some amazing
music. It is all clean music and is fit for all ages.
If you want more of the piano guys, click here.
I hope you all enjoy.
I will be posting more of these in the future.