Thursday, March 3, 2011

Non-fiction: Curiosities of the Civil War



From the back:

You'll discover:

  • The first setting president to be exposed to enemy fire.
  • What badgers, pigeons, and bear cubs had in common during the war.
  • Which of Stonewall Jackson's limbs received its own proper burial.
  • The turtle-shaped ship designed to douse its opponents with boiling water.
  • Which Confederate general was responsible for introducing camels to the Southwest.

My review:

The first thing I must admit is the Civil War has never been one of my favorite times in history. However, this book intrigued me from the moment I read the title. From the title I imagined it would be interesting stories about the war. I was correct, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Curiosities of the Civil War. The book is full of human interest stories about the Civil War.

There were plenty of times I was laughing as I was reading the book. The chapters I enjoyed the most were “Famous – Or Soon to Be.” This chapter read like a who's who in the Civil War. It was fascinating to read the rest of the story behind these people. Another chapter, I enjoyed was “The Names were Changed,” which was people who had changed their names. Many of these were foreign born soldiers who sought to Anglicanize their names.


I would recommend Curiosities of the Civil War to anyone who enjoys history or is a Civil War buff.


**Disclaimer**

I received this book free of charge from BookSneeze, in exchange for my honest opinion. Views expressed are mine, and I am receiving no compensation, nor was I required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations.


Monday, February 7, 2011

Figure Skating: The Thril of Victory: Part Two



In case you are wondering, the photo is of French skater, Florent Amodio who recently won the European Championship. He won the title on the strength of his short program, so that is the program I am going to link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLR9tjqAr2E

This is either Italian or Spanish television, no subtitles this time.

The silver medalist was another French skater, Brian Joubert, who actually won the freeskate. Joubert is trying new music this year, Beethoven.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXOvsH5bkwk

The bronze medalist was Thomas Verner of the Czech Republic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHw-9qh5JVU


Now, on to U.S. Nationals. The favorites coming in, Jeremy Abbott and Adam Rippon are better covered on the agony of defeat side, so I will write about them later. There were several very good stories to come out of U.S. Nationals though.

With the veterans faltering, the next generation of skaters really stepped up. The first one (shown on NBC) was Richard Dornbush, who is the current Jr. Grand Prix champion. His program was my favorite of the ones shown on NBC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fNyIvU_rdM

(Also, if you watch the video, you will hear that Adam Rippon skated an outstanding program, his freeskate was outstanding. However his short program was not)

The next skater, I wish to highlight is Ross Miner. I was quite surprised by how much I liked this program. I had watched a video of it from a summer competition, and had not liked the program at all. But in late January, I loved it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRlYRHPinWw


Familiar music, huh? :)


The night belonged to one of the veterans though, Ryan Bradley. Last year, he was fourth at Nationals, therefore missing out on the Olympics, and had decided not to compete anymore. After a twitter campaign from his fans, he decided to compete at Nationals. I'm posting both his short programs and free skates.

SP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSgRw_HZXvw&feature=fvst

FS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLR0kIoHxis

The skate of the night though, didn't come from a medalist, or a well know skater. It was from a 16 year old, competing in his first senior nationals. Enjoy the freeskate of Jason Brown, and I think his is a name you should remember in the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFVz7WJgkK0
















Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Figure Skating: The Thrill of Victory Part One

This past weekend, for me, was spent watching figure skating. Saturday was an especially full day, as both the European Championships and the U.S. National Championships were occurring at the same time.

I will begin with the Ladies Free Skate at Europeans. This year, the Europeans were held in Bern Switzerland, and I wish to highlight one skater, Switzerland's Sarah Meier. If you watched the 2002 Olympics and the 2006 Olympics, you likely have watched her before. She did not compete in Vancouver, due to injury. This was to be her last competition. The was the final skater to take the ice, and delivered a very emotional performance. Since I'm posting a link, I'm sure you can figure out what happened.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfWrARyEOOw

The video is from Finnish TV, and there are English subtitles. Just click the cc at the bottom to bring them up.

Saturday night was the Ladies Free Skate at the U.S. Nationals. No skater has one more than one championship since Michelle Kwan. On Saturday night, there were three ladies with the chance to break that, Alissa Cziny, Rachael Flatt, and Mirai Nagasu.

I will post links to all three short programs.

Rachael Flatt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87Ib6INSEzY
Alissa Czisny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McGIK4AlG2o
Mirai Nagasu: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3ODzdB4_6E


Free skates:
Alissa Czisny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfBkr9ioSCE
Rachael Flatt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b53RWYRUvg8&feature=related
Mirai Nagasu: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulektq3x-WI&feature=related

I plan to post more on the men's , etc. later.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Figure Skating: Patrick Chan




When I started the blog, I called myself an obsessed figure skating fan. I would be remiss if I didn't post this video here.

Last weekend was the Canadian National Championships. This week is the U.S. Nationals and the European Championships. Needless to say, this is one of my favorite times of the year.

I've been a fan of quite a few Canadian male skaters. I became a figure skating fan because of Kurt Browning. I enjoyed watching both Elvis Stojko and Jeffrey Buttle. The first time I saw Patrick Chan, at the World Championships in 2009, I saw a lot of potential with him. I think he really has reached a new level with this free skate from the 2011 Canadian nationals.

I would honestly rank it as one of the top five skating programs I've ever watched. It's just sublime. Enjoy!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Books I am anxiously awaiting in 2011

Since I made a list of my top ten books of 2010, I thought I would share a list of the books I look forward to read in 2011.

All links and dates are from Christianbook.com

January:

Lady in the Mist
by Laurie Alice Eakes


February:

Bathsheba by Jill Eileen Smith
Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews
Save the Date by Jenny Jones
A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck


March:

A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell
Lie Down in Green Pastures by Debbie Viguie
Against the Wind by Bodie and Brock Thoene
Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs


April:

The Judgment by Beverly Lewis
To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer
A Great Catch by Lorna Seilstad
Hidden Affections by Delia Parr

May:

Martha by Dianna Wallis Taylor
Megan's Hero by Sharon Gillenwater
An Unlikely Suitor by Nancy Moser
Chasing Sunsets by Eva Marie Everson
The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden


July:

Out of Control by Mary Connealy
Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin
The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz

Friday, December 31, 2010

Top Ten Books of 2010

For several years, I have complied a top ten list of books I've read in 2010. This year the list is, in no particular order:

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz
Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers
Nightshade by Ronie Kendig
An Eye for an Eye by Irene Hannon
The Gathering Storm by Bodie Thoene
A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman
The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen
Fatal Judgment by Irene Hannon
Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren
The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund


Honorable Mention:

A Tailor Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer
Head in the Clouds by Karen Witemeyer
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
Heist Society by Ally Carter
The Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Last Doughboy of World War I

As today is Veteran's Day/Armistice Day I thought this would be a good article to share. In many ways, World War I, is a forgotten war. I found this man's story to be quite interesting. He's definitely lived a very full life!




The Last Doughboy of World War I