My Top 10 Books: #8

This is a series of short book reviews of my top ten books. I will post every two days.

Number 8 on my list is written by Jules Verne. Journey to the Center of the Earth

It is a story based in the 19^th century and is written in a way that the main character narrates the story.

The main character is Henry and his Uncle is Professor Hardwigg. They live in Germany in a nice house and they both are scientists.

Professor Hardwigg finds an old document from the 16^th century that was written by Arne Saknussemm, an Icelandic explorer. The Professor says that the two of them won't eat until he figures out what it says. It takes the Professor a whole day to figure it out and even then Henry is the one who figures it out. The document has the directions to the center of the earth inscribed on it!

And thus the journey begins. The Professor makes arrangements to leave in the next few days and Henry must come with him. Henry thinks that this is a ludicrous idea but he is forced to go with his uncle. After collecting all the items needed, they leave for Iceland. Even after having a horrible time at sea, they eventually make it. The Professor says he never wants to ride on a boat again and they continue their journey. Their final goal is to get to the top of Mount Sneffels where the supposed entrance to the center of the earth is. Along the way they stay in stranger's houses and some of them are kind but some of them... not so much. Also along the way they recruit a guide, Hans, who is an Eider-Duck hunter and is a very brawny guy but doesn't talk much. Hans proves to be very useful. Eventually they make it to the top of Sneffels and start their descent into the center of the earth!

This book is a very well written book and keeps you turning the page. Jules Verne's writing style is very unique. If you like reading Science Fiction, or more specifically, adventure, you should take some timeand read it. I mean come on, it's only 250 pages!

Here is the link for the book https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Center-Earth-Jules-Verne/dp/1402743378

My Top 10 Books #9

This is a series of short book reviews of my top ten books. I will post every two days.

The 9^th book on the list is written by C. Coco De Young. A Letter to Miss Roosevelt.

A Letter to Miss Roosevelt is a book based in the Great Depression. The main character, Margo Bandini, lives in a small town in Pennsylvania. As the Depression creeps closer to Margo's neighborhood, she receives a project from school. That project was to write to someone that inspires her, whether famous or not. The next day she finds an article on Eleanor Roosevelt and thinks that writing to her would be perfect! But the next day after coming home from school, the banker is at her house telling them that if they didn't pay him the money they owed by the end of the week he would put the sheriff sale sign in their window. The sheriff sale sign means they have to be out of their house by the end of the week! What will the Bandinis do!

This book is based on a true story that happened in the author's family. It is written very well and as a history person my self, I can tell you this is a great read for history lovers! And it won't take too long to read either. It's only 100 Pages!

Here is the link for the book https://www.amazon.com/Letter-Mrs-Roosevelt-Coco-Young/dp/0440415292   

My Top 10 Books #10

My Top 10 Books is going to be a series of short book reviews on my top 10 favorite books. I will be posting a review every two days.

The number ten book on my list is written by Eloise McGraw. The Seventeenth Swap.

The Seventeenth Swap is a book based in the mid 80's in a small town called Iron Mountain. The main character, Eric Greene, is a kid who lives in a run down apartment complex with his Dad. Every couple of days he watches a boy, Jimmy, in another apartment room while Jimmy's mother is gone at work. Jimmy needs someone to watch him because he's paralyzed and can't walk.

One day while watching Jimmy he sees an ad for red cowboy boots that are on sale for $17.99. Jimmy adores the boots and says he would give anything for them. Right then Eric decides to find a way to buy the boots for Jimmy. But only one problem, where is he going to get $18?

This book is very well written and definitely a good read for realistic fiction lovers. It has you wanting to turn the pages to find out what happens next. And at 150 pages it doesn't take a lot of time to read.

I would most definitely recommend this book. So if you think that this would be a good book for you, click on this link,

https://www.amazon.com/Seventeenth-Swap-Eloise-Mcgraw/dp/0689503989

and order it today! Or just go to your local Library!  

Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt: Steamboat and railroad tycoon

Cornelius Vanderbilt was a 19^th century entrepreneur who made made his riches in producing and sailing steamboats and creating some of the biggest railroad lines. He was born on Staten Island on May 27, 1794 into a poor family who couldn't give him a very good education. But with perseverance and hard work Vanderbilt became one of the most wealthy people in American history. As a boy he worked with his father on a steamboat line and found his interest for ships there. As a teenager he started shipping things on his own steamboat and a few years after that he bought a small fleet of ships and became a captain.

During the California gold rush of 1849 Vanderbilt started a steamboat line on the Atlantic and Caribbean to help ship things from California back to the east. And instead of going down to Panama to get to the west, Vanderbilt's ships went through Nicaragua and went back and forth a lot faster than going down to Panama. He even proposed putting a canal in Nicaragua because it was faster and most of it was already there with Lake Nicaragua and the San Jose River but Vanderbilt didn't get enough endorsements so the plans never followed through.

In the 1860s Vanderbilt started focusing on the up and coming Railroad industry. He started by buying a couple of lines that ran between Chicago and New York and introduced a new system called the inter-regional railroad system. It changed the way the railroads work by putting long lines in, instead of a lot of short lines. It made traveling cheaper and faster. Vanderbilt's system changed the railroad industry very positively.

At the start of the Civil War, Vanderbilt went to the Union army and offered his biggest and best steamboat the Vanderbilt but the army wasn't interested at that point claiming the war wouldn't last very long. But when the famous Confederate ship, the Merrimack, started raiding the east coast, the army took Vanderbilt's deal and his ship. The Vanderbilt stopped the Merrimack in its tracks. After stopping the Merrimack, the Vanderbilt helped track down another of the Confederate's ships. And for Vanderbilt's service to the Union army he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

In 1869 the cousin of Vanderbilt's wife talked him into endorsing a University which eventually became, Vanderbilt University named in Vanderbilt's honor. And by no coincidence the schools nickname became the Commodores.

Cornelius Vanderbilt died on January 4, 1877, at his home in New England. His net worth at his death was over $100 million and in today's that's approximately $2,333,296,875 in 2016 dollars! 

For the Love of Money is the Root of All Evil: 1 Timothy 6:10

This is a famous verse from the Bible that even non-Christians know. It talks about money and if you love it too much it becomes like an idol and it can control your life. This is not to say that having a lot of money is bad, just don't let your love for money control you.

There is a song by the O'Jays called “For the Love of Money” it talks about money, obviously, and how people will steal for it and hurt for it. It's actually a pretty good song, lyrically and musically.

If you're thinking that being wealthy is immoral, well it's not necessarily wrong. It's not the amount of money that's immoral, it's the person who has or wants it that's immoral.

So if you ask yourself, “is it immoral or moral to be wealthy?” You can't just say it is or isn't, you have to look at a person and say, “are they being moral or immoral with their wealth?” To answer this question you need to look at what they do with their wealth. Do they love their money so much that it becomes an idol? Do they use their wealth for drugs and alcohol and other immoral things? Or do they put God, their family, and people in need before their wealth? That's how you can decide. It's the person behind the money that makes it right or wrong.

Another thing to point out is that not all people that give to charities are doing it because they want to help. They could be doing it to show off their wealth, like the Pharisees in the Bible. Are the people giving for the right reasons? Like the widow in the Bible. She gave out of her heart and didn't put her money before God.

Mark 12:41-44 (NIV)

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

So the next time you see someone who is wealthy, don't automatically think, “oh they're a horrible person because they're rich.” Look at what they do with their money. Do they use it to make the “world a better place?” or do they use it for themselves and their own well being? I’m not saying “someone should give all their money away” they have to use it for themselves. But are they exclusively thinking about themselves and their money. In other words, selfishness and idolatry.

The Lion of the North: A Story of the 30 Years War

The Lion of the North was written by G. A. Henty and is based around the 30 years war. What is the 30 years war you ask? It was a war that occurred in the 1600's in Europe between Protestants and Catholics. Why you would fight a war purely on disagreements in religion I have no clue. Anyhow, it does make for a good book. Where does the book get its name? Well, one of the main characters in the book, Gustavus, his nickname, in real life I might add, is The Lion of the North. What is the story line? Well, here it is...

Malcom Graheme was just a teenager of about 15 or 16 living in Scotland when the 30 years war broke out. He was recruited along with other Scots to go fight in the war against the Catholics. Just before he was recruited he had saved a couple of horseback riders from the strong currents of a seemingly slow river. The two men thought he was destined for greatness. Boy were they right!

At one point in the story Malcom found himself a prisoner of a band of Guerrillas. He was forced to cook for them and while he was there Malcom overheard their plans to capture a quiet and secluded village. After hearing this, he decided to attempt an escape and tell the village of their coming troubles. He successfully escaped and found himself in the village in no time. He warned them and then he was put in charge of defending the village. The Guerrillas were completely destroyed and the village went back to normal life. Malcom returned to his regiment and everyone was glad he was back.

About a year or two later, Malcom and some of his fellow soldiers came down with a serious disease and were told to choose a place to go to get better. Malcom thought that the village he had saved would be the perfect place. So they all went to the quiet village and recovered from their sickness. As they were getting ready to head back to the army, they received word that the city of Mansfeld was going to be attacked by the Catholics in the next day or two. Malcom decided to leave immediately and head for Mansfeld. He got there before the enemy did and successfully repelled them. While in Mansfeld he fell in love with the Count's, or Governor's daughter and she fell in love with him as well. But, as always, he had to leave to return to the army and she was in a very melancholy mood when he left.

I like this book because the main character, Malcom, is a very well written character and he grabs your attention. It would most definitely be a good book for people who like adventure, suspense, or history. So if you like any of those three things in a book, you should definitely look into getting it.       

A Few Ways to Save on Small Expenses

In this short paper I will talk about ways you can cut down on small expenses. Also I will give some of my personal experiences with money.

A few ways you can cut down on small expenses are;

• Budgeting
  I don't necessarily have a budget but I do put the money that I earn in different envelopes; spending, saving and tithing. This works really well for me. I put 60 to 70% of the money I earn in savings, 10% in tithing and the rest goes to spending.
• Carry less money on your person.
  This doesn't really help for those who only carry debit cards with them but for those who carry cash, like myself, this will limit the amount you can spend. Now if you're going out to buy a specific list of items, then you'll need enough cash for the things you're buying. But if your just in a store looking around, not suggesting you do this, but if you do, then don't carry as much with you. Not too long ago whenever I carried cash I felt like I had to spend it. But now I always carry a little bit of cash with me,without feeling like I have to spend it.
• Think about it before you buy.
  Even for just an iced tea at a gas station you should think about what you're buying. Think about if you really need this product or you just saw it and it was on sale, so you bought it. This “rule” is also for big items. One time I saw a really cool canvas picture that I really wanted. It was $40 and I didn't have enough money to buy it right then. My mom reminded me that my birthday was coming up so I waited. The day I received the money I went to buy the picture. I brought it home put it on the wall and boy did it look great! The next morning though I realized that I didn't really need it. Lucky for me I had saved the receipt and I brought the picture back. With that money I bought something that I needed a lot more than that picture. So think about it before you buy.

Thank you for reading this and I hope that this paper told you something about saving on small expenses.