Book Lovers – An Assortment of Books for Your Reading List or Personal Library

Once stayed in a temporary residence when my family was being relocated from one state to another.  We stayed in this house for a few months until we found our permanent home.  What a memory!

This house was right out a dream home magazine.  My favorite room in this house was the office/library.  Public libraries have always been one of my favorite places.  But I had never lived in a house that was big enough to have my own personal library where I could retreat to and shut off the rest of the world.  

If you had your personal library, what kinds of books would be on your bookshelves?  Here are some of the books you might find in my library.


♦ Picture Books for Children (or for grown-ups who never grow up)

• "The Eagles Are Back" : Jean Craighead George tells the story of how the American bald eagle was saved from extinction.
• "Annie and the Old One" : Written by Miska Miles.  It is an introduction to the customs and traditions of  the Navajo people and touches upon a very sensitive subject for children: explaining the death of a loved one.
• "The Emperor and the Kite":  Jane Yolen tells the tale of a young child who saved a kingdom all because she knew how to fly a kite.  So the next time someone says to you "Go fly a kite!", just imagine yourself on a secret mission saving an empire.

♦ Hot and exciting reads. Suspense Thrillers or Romance.

• FC Etier Writes Political Thrillers : "The Tourist Killer" was FC Etier's first novel; followed up by "The Presidents Club". Two novels written for those who enjoy a web of conspiracy and intrigue with lots of political overtones.
• Two Thrillers and One Romance : Just the titles of these books should tempt you. "Power Of Persuasion"; "Trusting Evil"; and "All the Beautiful Sinners".  Which one do you think is the romance?  :)
• Irresistible Historical Romance Novels : “A Rose in Winter” and “Shanna”  ~ Both books authored by the late Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, the lady who pioneered the historical romance genre and should be credited with it being one of the most popular book genres, based on book sales in the USA.

♦ History or Mystery.

• Dickens Junction Mystery Series : Love Charles Dickens and murder mysteries? Perfect!
• The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence : History and mystery set in the ancient Roman empire, written to encourage children to learn history but adults will equally be fascinated.
• Book Selections From the Vintage Series : Choose from reading about the American Civil War to life in 1930s Bombay.

♦ Science Fiction or Fantasy.

• Books by Kev Heritage, S. M. Reine and other popular authors in the sci-fi genre
• Gifts for the Tolkien Enthusiast - Can't say the word fantasy and not mention Tolkien.

♦ Inspiring Biographies.

♥ ♥ ♥ 

Now that you've picked your book (or books), 

settle down for some good reading!  :)

3 Famous Ghost Ships and Their Interesting Stories

The most famous ghost ship is the Flying Dutchman, which I knew nothing about other than the fact there was a vessel by that name and there was a movie made about it, set sail in 1680 and the first time it was spotted was about 200 years later and various more sightings ever since. Sounds believable!

HUBPages Contributor Teresa Coppens tells the stories behind The Flying Dutchman and three other ships: the Mary Celeste, the Octavius, and the Caleuche.

Famous Ghost Ships

- According to legend, the Mary Celeste was found abandoned, the crew disappeared and the only trace they left behind was their last meal. An unexplained mystery to this very day. But there is no shortage of theories.

- The Octavius left London in 1761 with the goal of transporting cargo to China. The intended destination was reached but on the return voyage, the ship got stuck in the Arctic ice because the captain thought he could take a shortcut to get back to England. Discovered thirteen years later. Guess where the vessel AND the entire crew were found?

- The story of the Caleuche is a legend in Chilota mythology. There are water spirits (with cute names: Sirena Chilota, Pincoya and Picoy), a ship with a mind of its own, lost shipwrecked souls brought back to life to party with music and laughter, kidnapped fishermen who have to serve the happy people, warlocks, and sorcerers allowed to come on board but not permitted to mess with the partying passengers. The people of southern Chile may truly believe it, but unbelievers like me would say the tales are loaded with the stuff of Halloween.

• Read the interesting details.

Famous Ghost Ships

Ghost ships bring to mind vessels materializing from a fog shrouded ocean. These ships represent a number of mysterious possibilites: manifestation of a tragedy that befell the crew of a long ago vessel; vessels found floating without crew, all hands on board missing and a mysterious tale begging to explain the tragedy.

I am also a HUBPages Contributor using the pen name "cmoneyspinner1tf". My HUB tells the stories of lost ships.  Not ghost ships.  These vessels were lost but then found.

True Stories of Ships Lost at Sea

True Stories of Ships Lost at Sea

In the Walt Disney film "Shipwrecked" (1990), a young boy whose sailor-father is injured and can no longer work as a seaman. The 14-year old boy must take his father's place and work to earn money for his family. On his first voyage, the ship sinks because of a hurricane and he ends up on a jungle island.

Book Suggestions: Mystery , History or Ghost Story?

Peter Ackroyd is a writer, in more ways than one: biographer, historian, poet, novelist. People like to describe him as eccentric.  Mr. Ackroyd is a bit of a recluse, likes to drink, and still writes longhand. Some people consider that type of behavior somewhat peculiar. But he is without a doubt a prolific writer and has written so many books you may not know where to begin. 

Suggest you start with The Trial of Elizabeth Cree; it’s a murder mystery set in 1880 Victorian London.

Or … you could try to tackle his voluminous works of the History of England or his retelling of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

If you like horror or spooky stories or you want to get into the spirit of the Halloween season, maybe his collection of English ghost stories might be fun!

 

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