More Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas - Ace Collins

More Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas
Every year my church puts on a live nativity. It doesn't matter what the weather is. Usually it's thirty below (C) when it happens. This year we were blessed with moderate temperatures. However hot chocolate and apple cider were still served inside the church and there was the annual creche display.


This year they had a hundred of them. While chatting with a friend at this event the subject of Christmas carols came up and my friend said, “I've always wondered what “I Saw Three Ships” had to do with Christmas.”
This book explains that one as well as others. It's a mix of classics such as “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night”, and “Ave Maria”, as well as more contemporary songs such as “Christmas Shoes”, “Thank God for Kids”, and “Merry Christmas Darling”.

For the classic carols the author was kind enough to include the words. The others due to copy write could not be printed. Each story is interesting and sometimes tells us heartbreaking tales. “Caroling, Caroling” is a very old song that began as a way for small children to get something to eat. Some of the newer songs, tells the story of how one man decided that as part of his Christmas card greetings he would send a new Christmas carol, a tradition that his son carried on and then died young before he saw his work become popular.

Quite a few of these songs I had never heard and I thought I was pretty familiar with Christmas songs. Because this is the second book in the series many of the most famous are not covered, most likely because they appeared in the first volume.

As for “I Saw Three Ships” the author in this one case makes some guesses based on history. He suggests that it was written by someone who knew little of Bethlehem (it was written before the Bible was translated into English and people relied on priests to tell them what was in it), and lived in a sea faring town where everyone relied on the sea. Therefore a ship sailing to Bethlehem seemed feasible to someone who had
no concept of where Bethlehem was or any world outside his own.

A total of thirty-two songs are explained in this lovely little book. A nice read at Christmas for those who love Christmas music. The author does like to make a Christian connection to each song, even to thr secular songs such as "Santa Claus is Coming To Town."

I just wish this were my book, but I borrowed it from a friend. I could easily use it for research.

Ace Collins has written more than sixty books in two and a hal;f decades. Not only does he write the "Behind the Best Loved' series but he has also written biographies of singers and novels. Quite an impressive list. I hope to read more books from him. I like a writer who's diversified. For more on Ace Collins and his books you can go to http://acecollins.com/ You'll find his bio, books and blog.

Books by Ace Collins

Books I Read in 2011

In 2011 I made a goal to read fifty books in that year. It's about a book a week. I suspected that I wouldn't come close to the goal. I used to read several books a week but that was before kids and computers. My reading had gone way downhill and often I was lucky to get a book read a month.

So I kept track and I was pleased to see that I had read thirty seven books last year. Thirteen off my goal but really not too bad considering.

So what did I read. That was more interesting than how many. I read nine classic or literary books. Two of those were for my English class, "The Handmaids Tale" by Margaret Atwood, and "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison. I enjoyed them both but was frustrated with the lack of discussion especially in the case of the Atwood novel. Now as I read the bible I can see even clearer how Atwood came to her conclusions and wrote this haunting tale that was not so far off reality. Among that list of nine it included "Catcher In the Rye" a book that I felt was hugely overrated. Mr. Chips, a lovely book about a lovely man. Good Morning Miss Dove, another lovely book. Secret Daughter because I was involved briefly in a book club. The "Mansion" by Henry Van Dyke because President Monson recommended it and "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" because my daughter brought it home and I had heard about it from my son who had watched the movie.

My daughter, a twelve year old, was very influential in my book choices last year. I liked reading what she read. It was a connection. I read fourteen juvenile novels, five of them were because my daughter was reading them. Two of them were from J.K. Rowlings and neither were a Harry Potter novel. I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and used them for essays illustrating Marxism and Psycho-Analysis. Three of those books were from LDS writers, one of which was assigned to me to review.

Speaking of reviews, I read four books specifically for review purposes where the authors sent me copies. Two of these were historical, one was juvenile fiction, and one was a sort of fantasy about what happens when we die.

I read six biography/memoir books which sent me to Italy, had me on a race to keep ahead of the police, let me in one of the most powerful women in the world, sent me back in time to the war era a couple of times, one with a family that adopted kids of different races and the other to an island off Seattle not far from where I grew up, and into the background of the funniest woman in show biz.

The big surprise for me was that I read only one mystery and it wasn't so much a mystery as espionage. Old lady espionage.

The one book I read which I wish I hadn't had to was about literary theory. Talk about brutal, but it was a requirement so it went on my list. I can never get my life back on that one.

There were only a couple of inspirational novels which was another surprise.

I have several books started for this year and they are all different. I'm setting a goal for fifty books again this year, and don't have school so it will be interesting to see if I can do it.

Overall not a bad year in reading.

Books Read in 2011
Fiction


Literary

The Handmaid's Tale – Margaret Atwood
The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
Catcher In the Rye – J.D. Salinger
Secret Daughter – Shilpi Somaya Gowan
Bab: A Sub-Deb – Mary Roberts Rinehart
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne
Goodbye Mr Chips and Other Stories – James Hilton
Good Morning Miss Dove – Frances Gray Patton
The Mansion – Henry Van Dyke

Historical Fiction

The Assassination of Governor Boggs – Rod Miller

Mystery

Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha – Dorothy Gilman

Christian Fiction

A Bride Most Begrudging – Dianne Gist
Sleight of Hand – Deanne Blackhurst (LDS Author)
All That Was Promised – Vickie Hall (LDS Author)

Youth Novels

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator – Roald Dahl
Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them – J.K. Rowling
The Tales of Beedle the Bard – J.K. Rowling
The Dragonfly Pool – Eva Ibbotson
Dear Canada: Home Child – Jean Little
Dear Canada: Arabella Daughter of a Loyalist – Janet Lunn
Jimmy Fincher: The Tower of Air – James Dashner (LDS Author)
Jimmy Fincher: War With the Black Curtain – James Dashner (LDS Author)
The Key of Kilenya – Andrea Pearson (LDS Author)
Witch and Wizard – James Patterson
Witch and Wizard 2: The Gift – James Patterson
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – Ann Brashares
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place – E.L. Konigsburg

Non-Fiction

Christian Inspirational

Wonka Mania – Kris Rasmussun

LDS Inspriational

Time Out for Women: Live, Love and Learn - Various

Biography/Memoir

Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
Catch Me If You Can – Frank Abagnale
Oprah – Kitty Kelly
The Family Nobody Wanted – Helen Doss
One More Time: A Memoir – Carol Burnett
Onions in the Stew – Betty MacDonald

Scholastic

Literary Theory - Terry Eagleton
Traitors and Turncoats – Ian Crofton

Virtual Blog Tour Review: The Assassination of Govenor Boggs by Rod Miller

The Assassination of Governor Boggs by Rod Miller

On May 6 1842 a bullet ripped through the window of Lilburn Boggs parlour window severely injuring him to the point where he was announced dead. He survived it and recovered but was sure that the shooter was Porter Rockwell, a known bodyguard for Joseph Smith, the prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Boggs had a reputation for persecuting the Mormons and upholding those that did, eventually leading to his extermination order of all Mormons. It was no wonder, after the massacre of Hauns Mill and the Saints being forced to leave behind all their property and goods and travel in the winter, that suspicion would fall upon the Mormons.

In this novel, Boggs' son hires detective Calvin Pogue to track down the gunman twenty five years after the incident, and after the death of his father.  Although the statute of limitations has run out and Rockwell was declared not guilty in a court of law, Bill Boggs is convinced he did it. He's looking for proof now just so the family can know.

We follow Pogue's progress as he makes his way back to where it all began and follows the trail to Salt Lake City where he eventually interviews Porter Rockwell.

I found the book to be well balanced. It was neither pro-Mormon nor anti-Mormon and the detective himself had no feelings one way or the other. He was interested in the truth.

It was also well written and had nice touches, such as Porter Rockwell's recollections interspersed with the detectives interviews, the constant ache in Pogue's injured leg that needed to be readjusted all the time, and his lookout for all things horsey to send back to his daughter Emily Elizabeth in Chicago. The author was good about giving our detective a background, although I found it surprising that he would relay his personal background to his client. That was the one thing that seemed off to me and I wonder if the information could have been given another way. Usually I like characters telling each other things, but in this instance it seemed out of place. However, the personal problems in his family life gave the detective another layer as he struggles with his own personal decisions while he tries to track down the truth. Like all good fictional detectives this guy has his idiosyncrasies and imperfections.

This is not a mystery. There's no tada moment where the detective reveals all. Nor is this a suspense thriller. No wagon chases or shootouts here. What it is, is a thoughtful look at an event in history that has never been solved.

I was frustrated by one thing. Although several characters expressed resentment towards the Mormons, the reasons why the resentment started weren't explained or why they felt justified in their persecution. Certainly after the Danites came into existence they would have had concern, but the Danites were formed because of the persecution. I was waiting for a character to express why his hatred for the Mormons existed.

Over all a good solid historical novel that doesn't make either side look like angels.

To visit the book's website and read more reviews of this book go to The Assassination of Governor Boggs.

Books by Rod Miller

Traitors and Turncoats - Ian Crofton

Traitors and Turncoats by Ian Crofton

Just what is a traitor? Well I guess it depends on whose side you are on. One persons or country's traitor may be another's hero.

Crofton focuses in on twenty-one people who have been labled traitors in one form or another. Yet although there are some who are definate traitors, others would not be considered so.

The usual ones we think of as traitors are here...Judas, Benedict Arnold, Guy Fawkes and the controversial and legendary Mata Hari, but there are others that could hardly be called traitors.


Anne Boleyn was beheaded for having affairs with men (including her brother) other than Henry VIII, a crime considered treason if a queen did it although not if a king did and one that Crofton begins the chapter pointing out that Princess Diana admitted to. However there was actually no proof and most believe she was innocent of the crime. However Henry used it as a way to get rid of his marriage so he could marry his mistress Jane Seymour.

Lady Jane Grey could hardly be considered a traitor by any stretch of the imagination. She was an innocent fifteen year old who was used as a figurehead by those who did not wish to have Henry VIII daughter Mary to ascend to the throne. For nine days, Lady Jane was Queen and her reign ended by her beheading. She never wanted the role but was forced into it.

Sophie Scholl might very well fall into the hero category. A German girl during the Nazi regime, she, her brother and her friends spread literature denouncing the new regime. She was found guilty of treason against her country and along with her brother and friends was guillotined. It might be argued that she committed treason against the reigning government, but actually she spoke out for her fellow Germans.

Perhaps I focus in on those wrongly labled traitor because of my own family history. My paternal grandfather and great-grandfather were executed for being traitors against the Soviet government. They were later proclaimed innocent.

However I am not accusing Crofton of wrongly lableing others. More than likely he included them to show the different views  of traitorism. He isn't afraid of expressing an opinion in this easy readable and non-scholary book. I use this as a compliment. It's part of this books charm that while he makes the reading enjoyable occasionally you will see his opinions sneak in.

Perhaps a traitor can be catagorized as someone who makes an allegience to a person, country or belief and yet works for the opposite of what he proclaims. Not all the people in this book fall into that category. For instance Rose O'Neal Greenhow, an advocate for the South in the American Civil War never actually hid her alliances or bigoted viewpoints and worked for the south as a spy. Although most find her despicable she isn't really a traitor to the cause that she sided with.

Crofton shows us how Benedict Arnold, a name that like Judas has become synonymous with the word traitor, came to the decisions he made and how at the same time that he is spat upon as a traitor, he rightfully earned the lable hero before his disillusionment that led to his traitorism.

And perhaps that is the type that hurts most of all. Those who are revered and then let us down. Judas was an apostle of Jesus. He was one of the few chosen and he became one of the most hated men in history.

We love these stories. Star Wars tells us the same tale. That of Anikin Skywalker, a chosen one who become the trecherous Darth Vader.

Our own history of the earth begins with the traitorous Lucifer who turns into Satan.

And even on a more personal note, when our own family betrays us it is often the most painful experience we will ever have.

A great non-fiction title. If you like history, you'll enjoy this one.

Books by Ian Crofton

Bab: a Sub-Deb by Mary Roberts Rinehart

This book was a contemporary novel written in 1917.

It doesn't read like it was written in 1917, for Bab could have been a girl of anytime. While I read it I had to remind myself that this is a book of another time, because I could easily imagine Bab living now.

It just goes to show that even if times change we basically don't.

Bab by the way is hilarious and yes, all those spelling errors in the book are not a product of bad editing or writing. They are supposed to be there because this is a girls diary, spelling mistakes and all.

I will say, Bab is consistent with her spelling. Such as the way she refers to her Familey.

More importantly are the scrapes Bab gets herself into. In the opening of the book she tells us how she feels being a sub-debutant which in her world is equal to being invisible. She can't become a debutant and have boys pay attention to her until her older sister gets married. So, she creates an imaginary boyfriend which might normally not go very far, but for Bab it does. I think that TV shows have borrowed some of their plots from Bab's escapades.

In a second story, Bab becomes infatuated with a celebrity. I swear Bab was Lucy before Lucy was.

In a third story Bab is given a thousand dollar a year allowance for clothes and other necessities (even now I think that's a lot). Giving Bab money is not really a good idea and she ends up with a secret car and a plot to capture a thief.

In the last story the world is at war so Bab creates a local girls group to support the troops which somehow leads her to suspect the house servants of being spies.

It's a funny book and the most interesting is how fresh and honest it comes across. And Bab is honest about her self-delusions. She honestly has no idea how she gets into these predicaments. It just happens.

I'm always happy to discover a new favorite author, even if the author has been around for a hundred years. I plan to read more of her books.

You can find free Kindle editions of her books at Amazon.

Books by Mary Roberts Rinehart

Virtual Blog Tour: The Key of Kilenya by Andrea Pearson

The Key to Kilenya – Andrea Pearson


When Jacob through some strange magical force suddenly finds himself in a strange land surrounded by strange people and given the quest to obtain the magic key of Kilenya, his first reaction is to head home because he's got a basketball tryout which according to him he's been training for years for and how is he going to become a basketball hero if he doesn't even make the high school team?

As it turns out he's expected to be an even bigger hero, so reluctantly he embarks on his journey to get the key back. He sets out with a Makalo, and two Minyas and meets along the way Lorkans, Dusts and a crazed cloud guy.

I enjoyed the book. Pearson has created a world full of monsters and magic and she doesn't make it particularily easy for our protagonist. There's also a double story in here that I enjoyed and intrigued me. We get to follow a little bit of Prince Dmitri journeys while we go along the journey with Jacob.

This story is well written and it shows what a good editor can do to help a talented writer. There were a couple of puzzling places that I think could have been fixed, but they were minor.

The one problem I had with the book was the plot part where the Minyas could journey back and forth with messages and at one point Jacob is shrunk and brought back. Why couldn't they have just shrunken Jacob or that matter any one of the Makalos at the beginning of the journey and sent them with the Minyas? Why have Jacob have to walk the whole way? I'm sure there's an answer that I may have missed.

The story in this book doesn't really have an ending. There are too many ends to tie up and it's obviously the first in a series. There's too many things that Jacob has to still do and too many mysteries still to be solved to leave us there. So I'm hoping that Pearson is able to complete the series. Some things at the end when there's a lot of explanation I think could have waited for the next book since there's undoubtedly a next book. It was like the author was trying to wrap things up all at once even knowing that she couldn't. For instance, any explanation about Jacobs magical powers could have been left out and just allow us to discover them with Jacob.

Overall a nice read for any age and I'm looking forward to reading the next book from this series. Not only am I hoping for more of Jacob, but I would love to read a prequel of Prince Dmitri.

To purchase the book click on The Key of Kilenya

And to read more about this book and the author go to Andrea Pearsons blog. Not only will you find information about the book but you can read other reviews there.

Virtual Blog Tour: All That Was Promised by Vickie Hall

All That Was Promised by Vickie Hall


From the back of the book:

An encounter with a Mormon missionary and his unusual message of a “restored gospel” leaves Richard Kenyen, a young Methodist minister, questioning his life's work when he cannot deny a growing testimony of this peculiar American religion. But Richard soon finds himself struggling to recoginze the promiesed blessings of the gospel when violent persecution shakes the fledgling Church in Wales.

This is Vickie Hall's debut novel about the church in the 1840's and she has created some interesting characters. Probably for me the most interesting and layered is that of Meredith, a young bar maid who has survived by any means possible – Hall eludes to prostitution without going into detail – who is hired by John Morgan to infiltrate the Welsh Saints, become one of them, and then relate back to him personal details to enable him to persecute the Saints. It is unclear what John Morgan's motivation is, since he appears to be a man who would do things for his own benefit and there isn't any apparent reason why the Saints persecution is for his benefit. He just hates Mormons.

There is also the story of Richard's brother Robert, a successful business man, and his horrible wife Abigail who tortures their daughter Amelia. No, I'm not talking thumb screws and racks. She uses mostly psychological torture with a little violence thrown in.

At the heart of the story is Richard and his wife Leah. For Richard becoming a member means also abandoning his career, his livelihood, and his flock, a decision that can't be an easy one.

To be honest, I had trouble with the writing style of the book. I think it lacks a good editor. There are too many point of view changes within scenes, too many cliches, and the author gets in the way too much. Often Hall will show us a scene and then instead of allowing the reader to feel what is going on, she steps in and explains things. Hall needs to trust her readers more. This type of writing might work if the author creates a narrative character – such as in the Lemony Snicket books – or writes from a first person perspective, but she does niether. Instead she gives us an omnipresent viewpoint which works if you're presenting a scene the way you would watch a movie, but if you choose to do that you can't explain what just happened. You can't tell the reader what everyone is feeling. There is so much telling going on in this book when showing would have been far more effective.

The other problem I had was that the characters tended to be one-dimensional. In the book blurb it states that Richard finds himself struggling to recognize the promised blessings. In fact it seems that Richard doesn't struggle at all. His faith is unwavering as are everyone else's other than one couple. In this book Mormons are good and non-Mormons are bad. All Mormons forgive easily, all non-Mormons don't. It makes life easier when everyone is wearing black or white hats and you can tell them apart, but life is filled with gray. No one is all good or all bad. In fact in the case of Abigail she is almost a cartoon and you expect her to show up in a black dress and a witches hat screeching “I'll get you my pretty.”

Which brings us back to Meredith, the character in this book that does fall in the gray area. I liked how Hall allowed us to see how far Meredith had sunk. She shows us to a certain point without going beyond decency that she does have more than just a business relationship with John Morgan. In this respect she does trust her readers to understand what is going on without painting the picture in detail and without telling us. She shows us a little and lets us fill in the rest. I would have liked to have gotten into Merediths head more and seen more of a struggle, not just with her choices but with her own forgiveness and obtaining the foregiveness of others.

If you're looking for a book that supports LDS beliefs and gives a little history then this might be the one for you. There is violence here, but that is because its a part of history. The LDS church has a violent past, most not of it's own fault, and the fact cannot be glossed over.


It was interesting to get a peek into Wales. We were treated to some Welsh superstition (Leah's mother is another interesting character who firmly believes in the superstitions), some Welsh food, and a few Welsh sayings. If the author writes another book set in Wales I would love to have her incorporate more of the culture into the book for it is the Wales aspect that sets it apart from other books of the early Saints conversion.
 
By the way, the cover of this book is beautiful. I know that may not be important, but it is to writers. This cover has a unique overlay on top of the gorgeous artwork that makes the book unique.
 
To know more about Vickie Hall go to her website. There are links to her blog, Welsh recipes, and more information about the book.
 
To read more reviews of this book go to Tristi Pinkstons site. There are lists in the side bar of all blog tours and the addresses where you can read more reviews.
 
And to purchase the book: