Twelve Years a Slave

This is one of those stories that has been described beautifully by others, highlighting its strength and power quite simply as coming from its unique perspective, and the fact it was written by a not only intelligent, but educated man, born free in United States of America, and yet, ending up a slave, in the United States South.

Whether you were captivated by the movie, or simply want to learn more about a time when America was torn apart in innumerable ways, this first hand account may well be worth your time and attention.

From the Twelve Years a Slave (Phoenix Classics) Description:

Born a free man in New York State in 1808, Solomon Northup was kidnapped in Washington, DC, in 1841. He spent the next 12 harrowing years of his life as a slave on a Louisiana cotton plantation. During this time he was frequently abused and often afraid for his life. After regaining his freedom in 1853, Northup decided to publish this gripping autobiographical account of his captivity.

As an educated man, Northup was able to present an exceptionally detailed and accurate description of slave life and plantation society. Indeed, this book is probably the fullest, most realistic picture of the “peculiar institution” during the three decades before the Civil War. Moreover, Northup tells his story both from the viewpoint of an outsider, who had experienced 30 years of freedom and dignity in the United States before his capture, and as a slave, reduced to total bondage and submission. Very few personal accounts of American slavery were written by slaves with a similar history.

Published in 1853, Northup’s book found a ready audience and almost immediately became a bestseller. Aside from its vivid depiction of the detention, transportation, and sale of slaves, Twelve Years a Slave is admired for its classic accounts of cotton and sugar production, its uncannily precise recall of people, times, and places, and the compelling details that re-create the daily routine of slaves in the Gulf South.

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Copies of Twelve Years a Slave have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

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Black Beauty

A story with depth, Black Beauty has long been a favorite of children.  Not only is it about treating people with kindness, sympathy and respect, Black Beauty hits on the more obvious theme of Animal Welfare.

While Anna Sewell may only be known for Black Beauty, written in 1877, it is among the top selling children’s books of all time, having reached as high as number 10 on the list, and proven to be a story that has touched the hearts of generations.

Copies of Black Beauty have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

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Sign Language

Books can take us to far off places — or teach us something invaluable, in this case a language.  American Sign Language can make it simpler and easier for us to communicate with people in our community, and it can be something fun for adults and children to discover together.

This books shows the American Sign Language Alphabet, which allows for things like the spelling out of a person’s name.  It also includes a link to printable pages — adding to the usefulness of this ebook.

Copies of the American Sign Language Alphabet have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

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War of the Worlds – and fake news in 1938

If you are looking for a prime example of Fake News, according to the UK’s Telegraph, you need look no further than the story of America’s response to Orson Welles Radio Broadcast of his War of the Worlds Radio Show in 1938.

It is commonly accepted fact that most of America tuned in to the broadcast late, perhaps only 30 seconds late, but regardless of how late, it was just late enough to have missed the warning he carefully put before his broadcast to let listeners know this was a creative work based on the writing of H.G. Wells.

There are those who, to this day, believe Orson Welles, and those working with him, wanted to show just how creative they were, perhaps how powerful their medium, and their words were.  So is it possible they wanted to panic people?  Or at the very least worry them?  Smithsonian Magazine has an interesting article written after reviewing some of the rewrites of the radio drama, in which they recount scenes that were removed… reminding readers that the original work takes place not all in one evening, or in real time as the radio drama portrayed, but over the course of time… something that would have been easier to discern as a drama being played out for entertainment, as opposed to a newscast, or collection of “man on the street” interviews being broadcast in real time.

Whether or not Orson Welles radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds created one of the first incidents of Fake News, it certainly cemented a place in history for the work of H.G. Wells.

Copies of The War of the Worlds have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

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Treasure Island

Some days a tale of adventure is just the escapist reading that calls out to a reader… and Treasure Island is a classic in the eyes of multiple generations.  Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was a Scottish born Author who did not just write about grand adventures and far off travels, but took to the seas himself, traveling to, living in, and ultimately dying in Samoa.

Copies of Treasure Island have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

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Father Brown

Contains both Chesterton’s Innocence of Father Brown and The Wisdom of Father Brown

There are a lot of wonderful mystery, crime solving, and procedural shows airing on Television these days.  Among them is Father Brown, a BBC show airing in the United States on PBS.  Based on the stories written by Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936), Father Brown stands apart from many sleuths in that his primary concern is the soul’s of all involved in each case he encounters.

Justice matters, but putting someone in prison is not Father Brown’s primary goal or concern.

If this sounds reminiscent of a more recent Television sleuth, Father Dowling, it may intrigue some to read this nugget from Ralph McInerny’s Obituary in the Telegraph:

McInerny fashioned Dowling as a spiritual heir to GK Chesterton’s Father Brown, compassionate but not entirely worldly. “His secular interest in crime,” noted one critic, “is merely a mask for his deeper concern for the spiritual welfare of the victims and criminals involved.”

Copies of BRITISH MURDER MYSTERIES – Boxed Set: 350+ Stories have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

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Confucius

It seems that, for many, prefacing an expression with “Confucius says” means it will be witty, wise, clever, and not only worth hearing, but worth reflecting on.  As a result, some jokingly preface their own safe words with “Confucius says” in an attempt to add weight to them, or as a humorous way to get their friends to listen.

If you look beyond the joke however, you see a deeper meaning and truth — that a man who lived over 2000 years ago is still considered witty, and wise.  That the lessons he sought to teach are still considered with reflecting on and learning from.

Whether or not you are a follower of what Westerners have dubbed Confucianism, it seems remarkable that pearls of wisdom from 2000 years ago have not only persisted, but remained relevant for so many generations.

Confucius: A Life From Beginning to End is an Hourly History read seeking to give a little background information and context on who Confucius was, reminding the reader he was a real man, noting his goal was to make the world around him a better place, and his words of wisdom were designed to help his students do so.

Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi: Selected Passages from the Chinese Philosophers in The Path features passages not only from Confucius, but two of his students as well as other Chinese Philosophers.  If you are looking for something to think about, you may just find it here.

Copies of Confucius: A Life From Beginning to End & Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi: Selected Passages from the Chinese Philosophers in The Path have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

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Sherlock Holmes

It’s been nearly two months since we posted about Sherlock Holmes… and almost all the books are available for free at the moment (and the Sherlock Holmes Collection is free at time of posting) which made it feel like a good time to re-post about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s infamous detective.

There are a few addresses that everyone seems to know… 221B Baker Street being near the top of the list.  And given the caliber of the chief resident of that abode, is it any wonder?

Per Amazon, Here you will find the Sherlock Holmes novels and stories in the chronological order of their original publication:

– A Study in Scarlet
– The Sign of Four 
– The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 
– The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes 
– The Hound of the Baskervilles
– The Return of Sherlock Holmes 
– The Valley of Fear 
– His Last Blow
– The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes

Most of the titles are available individually, for free, at the time of this posting, as is the collection shown above.

Additionally, copies of Sherlock Holmes: The Collection have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

 

In the Year 2889

Try to imagine our world 2000 years from now… imagine how people will be living, and the technology they will be using.  Then ponder, for just a moment, how many of those inventions might truly come to pass.

Jules Verne lived from 1828 to 1905, and in 1889 he (or possibly his son) not only tried to imagine life in 2889, but put pen to paper, and shared their thoughts in this short story.

“The discovery of nutritive air is still in the future,”

In some portions of the story you can feel the author bound by the ideas of their time — it was the period when novels came out a chapter a time in newspapers before being gathered together and bound as the books we now know.  Yet there are other places where he foresees the DVR, a version of Skype, all conveyed in the language and writing style of the 1880s, a juxtaposition that oddly serves to remind the reader that this was written by someone living in an age before computers and televisions, and yet able to imagine, and dream, of such concepts being not only invented, but used in daily life.

So take a moment, perhaps before you read this, or maybe after, and imagine life 2000 years from now.  What do you think might be invented?  What do you take for granted that you simply see remaining, in some form or another, a part of daily life?

Copies of In the Year of 2889 will be added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

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The Prince, the Pauper and Pudd’nhead Wilson

Two of Mark Twain‘s stories that are equally entertaining and thought provoking are “Pudd’nhead Wilson” and “The Prince and the Pauper.”  While the circumstances are very different, each story involves dreams of how the other half lives… and in the case of the Prince the Pauper an opportunity arises in which two switch places and instead of merely dreaming, they experience the trials and travails of what they always supposed was an idyllic existence.

Where the Prince and the Pauper hinges on the experiences of the boys, and the world is seen more from their perspective, it is in Pudd’nhead Wilson that we get a stronger view of a parent’s dreams for their child, and the lengths to which they will go to try and help their child attain every advantage in life.

Copies of Mark Twain’s The Complete Novels will be added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

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The Legend of Eternal Life

One day, without any reason whatsoever, the thought of death and sickness came to him. The idea of falling ill or dying made him very wretched.”I should like to live,” he said to himself, “till I am five or six hundred years old at least, free from all sickness. The ordinary span of a man’s life is very short.”

He wondered whether it were possible, by living simply and frugally henceforth, to prolong his life as long as he wished.

This is a short, poignant story about a man who seeks Eternal Life, thinking that in being free from fear of death he will be free to live the life of his dreams, the life in which he attains all his dreams.  There are many stories that tread the line between “be careful what you wish for” and “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”, and in this story Sentaro can only imagine that there is life on the other side of that proverbial fence, Eternal Life, and because he can merely imagine it, instead of seeing it, not only is it greener… it is everything.

This is a wonderful story about appreciating our lives, the value of our days and what each day contains.

Copies of The Legend of Eternal Life have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

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Not Your Disney Character

A lot of wonderful animated, and live action for that matter, movies have been made featuring characters and stories “as old as time,” yet when we go in search of the books they come from a different tale is found.

Pinocchio is just one of many characters who has transitioned from the page to the screen, and in the process his story changed and evolved, with key aspects, like the ever changing length of his nose, and his origin as a piece of wood, remaining the same.

So, for those of us who have not gone back to the well, and encountered Pinocchio as he was originally presented by Carlo Collodi, here is his story.

Copies of Pinocchio have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

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A Little Nostalgia 

There are times when we look back on how things were, and we chuckle and wonder how we ever lived that way — and other times we look back with that bit of nostalgic wonder and perhaps a bit of longing.  Either way, remembering how things were can give us a bit of perspective on how things are now, but it can also be a great way to escape the every day reality we are currently living with.

There is an entire generation that grew up not just after Leave it to Beaver went off Television, but after its constant re-runs tapered down to a more modest showing.  The kids of today are being raised by parents who probably grew up knowing Leave it to Beaver, and the Happy Hollisters are of the Cleaver’s generation.  Though where Ward Cleaver only had to deal with minor events in the lives of Wally and the Beav, the Hollister kids seem to get into more adventurous dealings, with solving mysteries and doing a bit of Scooby-Doo-esque amateur sleuthing.

Copies of The Happy Hollisters, Volume 1 have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

 

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Dunkirk

A recent movie release has brought a historical event back into the limelight — Dunkirk.  To some this aspect of World War II may be a new revelation, to others it may be a fascinating piece of the story of World War II they are delighted to see getting some big screen attention.  Either way, for many, as they leave the theater, there may be a desire to either know more, or experience more.  Thankfully, we have BOOKS.

The brief blurb for Dunkrik: The Story the Movie Left Out, gives a solid feel for what you can expect from this 26 page eBook — This book gives a succinct account of the events that led up to the evacuation of Dunkirk. It gives the reader a thorough understanding of the military situation at the time without having to wade through a thousand pages.  For some, this primer on the situation the World was in as the movie picks up may be something you want to read before heading to theater.

If you came out of the theater wanting more Dunkirk, more World War II fiction… simply… more… perhaps consider Dave Dawson at Dunkirk.  I recommend it in part because it was written by an author who served as an Aviator in World War I.  From what I can tell his goal was to write adventure books for young readers, so expect something aimed at school kids, with some over the top elements, and keep in mind it was written in 1941, so this is not “historical fiction” but fiction written at the time of World War II.

Copies of Dunkirk: The Story The Movie Left Out have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September Free eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

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Orphans of Katrina: Inside the World’s Biggest Animal Rescue.

There is, quite genuinely, no limit to the amazing things books can do, and places they can take us.  Here is a book that truly allows the reader to time travel, transporting us back in time to 2005, and Hurricane Katrina.

With Hurricane Harvey, and it’s recent headline making landfall in Texas and Louisiana, it can be heartening to remind ourselves that we have been here, done this before.  It is never easy, and time and again there are stories that open our eyes and our hearts, perhaps as never before… but the amazing thing each time is how the communities rally together, the people across the country help one another, and stories come out of survival – or people finding reason to smile, and rejoice at having made it through the storm.

Orphans of Katrina: Inside the World’s Biggest Animal Rescue is a sad book, with photos of a Katrina ravaged city, and featuring the first hand account of a rescuer who openly admits that for the folks doing that job “Our Hearts Were Broken a Hundred Times A Day.”  That being said, it is full of simple, raw and honest advice that would make such missions after a natural disaster… easier simply is not the word, but more manageable.  Recommendations like the importance and value of a collar and microchip… a microchip that is kept up to date with current contact information.  Unlike a child, a pet can not be asked what their parent’s phone number is, or if they know what direction they last saw their loved one going in.

Page 83, the end of Chapter 19, Orphans of Katrina: Inside the World’s Biggest Animal Rescue

If you are a pet owner, who lives in an area at risk for any kind of event that might lead to evacuation… you may find some very useful advice in here!  I am not sure what I was expecting when I first glanced at this book… I admittedly had the most recent hurricane on the brain, and when it came up in the search engine it felt timely.  But seeing a section pointing out how important simply leaving accessible fresh water for your pet should you evacuate with out them, instead of relying on their access to the toilet or bathtub with a dripping faucet, as public water may become contaminated left me with a fresh appreciation for the great many details I have never considered.

Copies of Operation Katrina: Inside the World’s Biggest Animal Rescue have been added to the CheerUp.Fun September eBook Library.  The first 100 people to sign up should receive a free copy added to their Kindle Library.  To sign up, click this link, and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  Once you have joined the CheerUp.Fun September eBook Library, as recommended books are selected and shared during the month, they will be added to your Kindle Library.

You can change your settings / leave the Library at any time through your Amazon account.  You will find books under the Manage Content / Devices Option, on your Content Tab, and the settings tab has a section for "Change your Whispercast Membership".  Next to Organization Cheerup.Fun are options to change device or opt-out.

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H.P. Lovecraft

There are some authors people reference often, allude to when you least expect it, or sometimes simply assume you have read because if you like science-fiction than often, these days, the assumption is you often like either fantasy, or horror, or both, also.  H.P. Lovecraft is an author that comes to mind in that category.  (Ray Bradbury as well, in the eyes of many.)

Admittedly, I was intrigued by the intro to H.P. Lovecraft’s wikipedia entry which begins:

{he} was an American author who achieved posthumous fame through his influential works of horror fiction. He was virtually unknown and published only in pulp magazines before he died in poverty, but he is now regarded as one of the most significant 20th-century authors in his genre.

Given how many modern readers of genre fiction take for granted a familiarity with Lovecraft, or writing inspired by his works, it seems rather remarkable that he died in poverty, and was virtually unknown during his lifetime.

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Copies of H.P. Lovecraft’s Complete Fiction have been added to the CheerUp.Fun August eBook Club The first 100 people to join should automatically receive a copy.  For more information on how to join the CheerUp.Fun August 2017 eBook Club Click Here.

Some days, you just want to browse

There are days when you have a particular book you are in the mood for, and other days when you want to browse the stacks, wander the aisles, and see what book matches your mood.

For some that may feel a little harder to do in this digital age.  And in some respects it is, we do no always have a genre we are leaning towards, or an author who we know we wish to spend a bit of time with — so figuring out the right search terms at our favorite online vendor can be a challenge.

With the increasing popularity of eBooks, more and more classics, and public domain books, are becoming easily accessible… prompting me to occasionally search quite simply on classics, or by one of the publishers I’ve realized releases classics to see what they are currently offering, and if any of it might be free.

If you are in the mood for a “Classic” some publisher you might want to check are:  Dream Classics, Amazon Classics and Wisehouse Classics.  Classic Historical Fiction and Classic Literary Fiction.

If you are looking for a Classic Story, but perhaps a more relaxed and easier reading experience, Xist Classics appears to be a publisher that is working to make some of the “old greats” accessible to those in school… they describe themselves in one of the book blurbs saying “Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher. Xist Publishing creates books for the touchscreen generation and is dedicated to helping everyone develop a lifetime love of reading, no matter what form it takes.”

In a perfect universe, CheerUp.Fun could recommend a book you are in the mood for every day of the year, but for those days when your mood strays in a different direction that our recommendation du jour, perhaps some of these search ideas will lend a hand in helping you find the just right book to help you relax, and enjoy some time with the written word.

Curious Kids?

We have been finding a lot of books on Kindle that, for lack of a better expression, are bound to appeal to the curious kids out there.  Short books, little more than a pamphlet by adult standards, but a quick night time read to small kids, that focus on a single topic, perhaps two, and give the highlights of information and hopefully interesting facts and tempting tidbits for curious minds.

If you are interested join here to jump start your Curious Kids Library and follow the prompts at the Amazon page.  It should result in the first hundred folks to sign up having several hundred children’s books being downloaded into their Kindle library, free of charge, courtesy of the CheerUp.Fun Curious Kids Library.

https://whispercast.amazon.com/join/0iSPzKYgQYki2OAKacfDNGXXXAgAz6Ak

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Aesop’s Fables

Fables have long been a staple of childhood, perhaps because in addition to being entertaining they contain a moral we will carry with us into adulthood.  Often, whether or not we even realize we have incorporated that lesson into our lives, we find ourselves reminding others of the tale of the Tortoise and the Hare, or the Goose with the Golden Eggs.

Per Amazon:  Aesop’s Fables is a collection of stories credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE

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Copies of Aesop’s Fables have been added to the CheerUp.Fun August eBook Club The first 100 people to join should automatically receive a copy.  For more information on how to join the CheerUp.Fun August 2017 eBook Club Click Here.

Of Plymouth Plantation

In school we learned about the Mayflower, it’s passengers and their journey… and the Mayflower Compact… and ultimately their arrival at Plymouth.  Of Plymouth Plantation was originally written as a journal, by William Bradford, a Plymouth Colony resident who served as the Colony Governor for nearly thirty years.

Of Plymouth Plantation is a chance to travel back in time… not to imagine what life was like for those first settlers who came to a new world, but rather to catch a glimpse of how one man felt it was to experience the trials and travails of creating a new life, in a land previously only imagined.

Of Plymouth Plantation is the story of the first settlers from The Mayflower and how they were able to survive and flourish in a hostile land despite incredible odds. Enduring starvation, plague, internal and external conflicts, natural disasters and countless other calamities, about a hundred of those first arrivals lived long enough to establish the foundational foothold that would grow into modern America. This is their story, originally penned as a journal during 1630-1651 by William Bradford, who was Plymouth Colony Governor five times for a period of nearly thirty years.

Charles F. Richardson stated that this work was a “forerunner of literature” and that Bradford was “a story-teller of considerable power.” Moses Coit Tyler called him “The father of American history.”

This new 2017 edition of Of Plymouth Plantation is presented in modern prose.

Copies of William Bradford Of Plymouth Plantation have been added to the CheerUp.Fun August eBook Club The first 100 people to join should automatically receive a copy.  For more information on how to join the CheerUp.Fun August 2017 eBook Club Click Here.

Mayflower

For anyone looking to refresh their memory on the story of the Mayflower, this book (Mayflower: A History From Beginning to End by Hourly History) may be worth the hour it takes to read.

As one Amazon reviewers notes, the authors do not stick 100 percent to the history we were taught in school, but they do give a nice recap of the religious situation in England, and Europe, that led to the Pilgrims choosing to set out for a new country, a reminder that the New World was not actually their first attempt in leaving England, and perhaps most importantly, they spend a moment on the simple reminder that Pilgrim and Puritan are not interchangeable words, but do in fact have separate meanings, referring to different groups.

One of the interesting thoughts conveyed in the book is that some of the founding principles and ideals that the United States of America has since taken to heart, and been built upon, were not necessarily intended to be set as precedents with the intent that a nation would look back to them as guiding principles.  The Pilgrims were seeking a place they could live, free from Religious persecution… but did they realize they would be setting an example of Religious tolerance for all who followed them to the New World’s shores?  The Mayflower Compact was drafted and signed because the Mayflower did not land where it had expected to… because the contract they had traveled on did not seem to apply to the land on which they were about to settle.  Were they, in setting pen to paper in the manner they did, purposely setting an example of Democratic governing?

Whether you just want to take a moment to reflect on the journey of some of the first immigrants to the United States, or are seeking to brush up on a little US History before your children hit this topic in school, this quick read hits the high points of the Mayflower’s journey, the reason the Pilgrim’s took it, and touches on the hardships they faced upon arrival.

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