12 Titanic Lessons for Christians

 I have to admit that the reason I first chose this book to read was due to the title and cover page. A picture of the sinking Titanic with crosses in the distant fog were on the cover which caught my attention and the title hooked me. I had to know how the author would use the Titanic to teach Christian values to readers. After reading the book, I have to say that he did manage to do it, although some of the ideas are a bit too preachy for my taste. The author sets the book up into twelve lessons, each starting with the historical information in the lesson and then a section about how it pertains to Christian values and beliefs. It ends with some scripture that coincides with the lesson. The author often adds other “modern day parallels”, as he calls them. The historical aspect of this book was very interesting because I’ve always had an interest in the Titanic and the author seems to have done his homework. I also often enjoyed the scripture and Christian lesson and could see how he brought them together. This book is great for someone who enjoys history as well as religion. There are a few very minor editing problems but nothing that interfered with the book. I read it on my ereader and the format worked very well. Overall it was definitely a different type of book to read as well as interesting.

Lessons in English Grammar

                I love this book! In a time when the letter “u” is used instead of the word “you” and most teenagers couldn’t write a proper paragraph if their lives depended on it, Lessons in English Grammar is a book much needed. The author takes basic grammar lessons and divides them into fifteen lessons that incudes practice questions with an answer key at the back of the book. At the end of each lesson is a check-up of the lesson with more practice questions of what was covered in the previous chapter. I would love to see this book used in schools and the practice questions used with students. I had fun doing them as I read the book and learned quite a few things that I had forgotten since my school years. The only problem I had with the book was that I had it on my ereader and going back and forth with the answer key in the back was a bit annoying. Other than that the editing and formatting are well done and the cover is a perfect representation of what the book contains.

The East

The East is a part fiction/part autobiographical novel about the author’s own experiences as a young boy growing up in Germany in World War II. Throughout the book is the tragic love story of Wolfgang and Helga, young lovers who try to grow up during this tumultuous time. I found this book fascinating as the author wove his own true story with the fictional aspects. I’ve always wondered how the Germans felt about the horrors of WWII and just how much they knew about what actually went on that wasn’t wartime propaganda. Mr. Schroeder gives various perspectives as he writes about the Kaffeeklatsch girls, a group of women in his town who get together once per week for coffee and company. Each was affected in their own way by the war. At first, as I read the book, I found Mr. Schroeder to be very pro-German but as the book moved along I found out that he was only giving the feelings of the people at that time and he wrote of how things changed as the war progressed. It was truly fascinating to read about civilians in Germany before and during the war as well as the tough times after. He also wrote of the PTSD experienced by the soldiers. I read the book on my ereader and the formatting and editing were perfect. The cover of the book is of a school picture that the author talks about in the book and it gives a good look at the carefree days before the war. This is a book well worth reading!

Showdown at Shinagawa

         Showdown at Shinagawa is a really fun book to read written by film maker Bill Zarchy as he travelled the world trying to communicate and work in many different cultures. I love reading about different cultures so this book was absolutely perfect for me. Each story is presented as if you’re sitting in Mr. Zarchy’s living room and he’s regaling you with everything that has happened during his visits. Each story starts with a few pictures which, unfortunately on my ereader, were too small for me to enjoy a whole lot. Then the author lets loose with all of the fun, insanity and hilarity that probably didn’t seem all that great at the time. The differences in the food seems to be a common thread as is the fact that Mr. Zarchy is far taller than any of people on the Asian continent. He also tells some tales about famous people, one guy a bit prickly and one very hospitable. A pleasant surprise were some of the links provided that led to the actual films that Mr. Zarchy helped make. The book is well formatted and edited for an ereader (except for the small photos which may have just been due to my ereader) and the cover tempted me to buy and delve into this wonderfully fun book. I would love to see a second volume if the author has more stories to tell.