Maria Antoinette

 As an American I don't know a lot about Marie Antoinette or the French Revolution.  I knew "let them eat cake" and that her head was cut off.  I knew that there was a French Revolution.  What little else I knew came from the Kirsten Dunst movie that came out in 2006.  It stopped when the revolution started.  "Confessions of Marie Antoinette: A Novel" by Juliet Grey picks up where Dunst leaves off.  It follows the four years between the Versailles ransack and the execution.  I had know idea how unhinged the revolution was.  Those people completely lost it.  It is quite an informative and interesting read.  I highly recommend it.  I received this book from www.abovethetreeline.com in exchange for an honest review.  

House of Secrets review

 "House of Secrets" by Brad Meltzer and Tod Goldberg is a pretty amazing book.  It mixes up the history of Benedict Arnold and some modern day conspiracy along with a little amnesia mystery and wham! you've got yourself a pretty addictive read.  Hazel is the daughter of an American icon who traveled the world in search of mystery for his tv show. As a side gig he also dabbled in a little treason.  Hazel has a form of amnesia that keeps her from remembering anything that has an emotional attachment.  In a sort of "Dude, Where's my Car?" format, she does the digging to get to the bottom of the mayhem that is going on around her.  It's a great novel and you should probably read it.

Night School Review

 Lee Child's 2016 novel "Night School" is the 21st book in the Jack Reacher series, and it is very different from the other Reacher novels.  In this novel is focuses on not only through the eyes of Reacher, but also through the villain.  In this one, Reacher is in the army (it goes back in the timeline) has been given a very hush hush mission.  Someone may or may not be committing a crime that is worth a hundred million dollars and the only clue they have is 'Germany'.  That's pretty vague.  

This book not only takes a different view of the characters, but it is also a lot more racy.  Streamy actually.  Reacher is still a young'un and the testosterone is through the roof!  You'll love it.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  

August: not enough month

 August was the month of music and Ireland.  There wasn't enough month to cover either one of these.  I learned that both are just too big and fascinating.  

For books I read: George Washington and the Irish; Amy Grant's Mosaic; and Janis.  Janis as in Janis Joplin of course.

In podcast I listened to: Dumbarton's Drums; Cooperstuff; Nationalism and Ireland; Daigel Bites with Chrissy Metz; Nebraska and Irish Emmigrants; and Irish Radicals.  The Nebraska podcast was the view of the Nebraska life through the eyes of an Irishman.  Hilarious! 

For videos: Walls of Wonder; JS Bach; Amy Winehouse; Celtic Music and Drums; Northern Ireland; and Musical Gumbo and New Orleans.  

Activities were Celtic drums meditations and listening to all kinds of music.  I found Ulali (an American Indian group) and Janis both amazing and could listen to them forever.  

What I learned is that commercialism both exposes people to new things but also tends to ruin music eventually.  It ruins the musicians too.  I was going to learn an instrument, but the amount of data and actions to go about were too much.  I will got to a festival or concert soon.  I hope.  Ireland is just amazing.  I am so glad to be Irish.  I haven't found the other cultures I have learned about as fascinating to explore.  I was disappointed to find that when I was trying new Irish foods, I looked into Irish restaurants only to discover that anything labeled "Irish" tended to just be a bar.  I know that with any stereotype the rumor tends to be based in reality.  I hope there's more to this story than stereotype.

Anyway, I will continue this research next year, it will go on the "to be continued" list.  

Day 20 of 40

 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:11

I've been coming across a lot of alive, death, and love stuff lately.  God is trying to tell me something.  Maybe living in this moment?  This one.  This moment. 

Day 19 of 40

 So look upon your old sin nature as dead and unresponsive to sin, and instead be alive to God, alert him, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Do not let sin control your puny body any longer; do not give in to its sinful desires.  Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God-every part of you-for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hand of God, to be used for good purposes.

Romans 6:11-13

Like he said.

Day 17 of 40

 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:10

Love is when you give all to someone who did not deserve it.