Ace Collins

Loved this! This literary Advent calendar is meant to be read a bit at a time, one small chapter each day of December, leading up to Christmas. Naturally, being the ardent Christmas-lover that I am, I binge-read the whole thing one day in September. And it was still wonderful.

Each chapter is a short vignette. Collectively, they are meant to help curb holiday stress. They offer suggestions for charitable acts, or they explore the origins of beloved Christmas songs, or they simply offer new show more ways of thinking about the holiday. Each chapter is a brief moment of peace for the hustle and bustle of December. (Or that one random day in September . . .) This book is religious, uplifting, and inspiring. I think it would be valuable to anyone looking for spiritual calm, or to people who are simply seeking to broaden their understanding of the holiday. show less

"I want...to own their souls..."

Ace Collins is a master storyteller and historian. He has made me view war so much differently than my simplistic views before. Never before had I considered that there could be masterminds behind the major powers, minds not claiming loyalty to one nationality or another, but simply addicted to power. In this episode, we see Dr. Bauer for who he truly is, a great mastermind on the chessboard of the world, pitting Hitler against the Allies. He is using Alistar, show more Grace Lupino, and others, as long as they serve his purposes. When they don't, it's time to die. Helen and her group are trying to stop Bauer, but he seems to hold sway over souls. Only one thing appears able to stop Bauer, and it appears to be his own Achilles' heel.

Unfortunately, we will have to read the next episode to see if Helen strikes that heel or he strikes a deadly blow to her instead! Riveting as always. One episode flows seamlessly into the next.

I received this book from bookfun.org in exchange for an honest review. show less

Get ready for another great adventure in this seventh installment of "In The President's Service." I really enjoyed the story and found myself totally engrossed in the setting, characters and mystery. The author does a great job of telling a story that grabs your attention right from the start.

I loved the story about Allison and the elderly man in the cab. His story was so mesmerizing and intense that I couldn't stop reading. What a fascinating take that took readers aboard an abandoned show more ship at sea. Where did the crew go? What happened to the captain? What letter was found on that ship ? The mystery is surrounded by a bottle filled with water. Now the question is, why has that bottle gotten the attention of Hitler?

The reason I loved the story so much is because it has mysteries that weaved together throughout the story to keep me glued to the book. I love the way the author peaks the interest of readers by his brilliant storytelling. I am excited to read the next installment in this intriguing story. Thank you for writing with great details, having interesting characters and a storyline that takes us back in history.

I received a digital copy of this book from The BookClub Network for an honest review. show less

This book gives the backstory for dozens of novelty songs and one hit wonders. The writer tells their stories with a marvelous sense of irony and delight: that the singers of Lions Sleep Tonight used to sing the Zulu lyrics without a clue what the song was about, that Convoy was sung by a classically trained art director, that La Macarena was big in South America in the early 1990's (well before it become big in Europe or the US), or that the Hokey Pokey was the B-Side for the Bunny show more Hop.

Reading this story gives an appreciation for the effort to produce these one-hit wonders and the sheer surprise that was involved in their becoming famous. Interestingly, throughout the book, Collins alludes to dj's and local radio stations that took a chance with one of these songs, something that is difficult to do when clearchannel uses carefully controlled market-driven playlists. This is one of these books with fascinating stories that you will not want to put down. show less