Now That's What I Call Music! Celebrates 20 Years Of U.S. Success With Latest Numbered Volume, 'Now That's What I Call Music! 68,' And 'Now That's What I Call Music! 20th Anniversary (Volume 1)' - Both Available Now! (Review)

Disclosure:  I was sent review copies from the vendor in exchange for honest reviews. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

If you follow my blog, then you have seen my share posts throughout the year for new NOW That's What I Call Music! CDs. I have been a fan of these chart-topping singles CDs for over 15 years, and have been sharing reviews on these CDs for about 9 years now. This year, just in time for the holidays, the folks at NOW That's What I Call Music! have released a 20th Anniversary, Vol. 1 CD, which includes 20 hit songs that were voted on by the fans of this popular album series.  I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this and the NOW That's What I Call Music! 68 CD as I love to listen to these in the car, as well as at home and start an impromptu dance/sing along with my girls.  

I don't know about you, but I loved saving my money as a teen and buying tape and then CD singles of my favorite songs.  Gone were the days of trying to catch my favorite song on the radio to record onto a blank tape.  CD singles were all the rave back in the early 90's and I still have CD binders full  of these. :-)  But, gone are the days of buying CD singles. Now, thanks to album series like "NOW That's What I Call Music!, I can get all my favorite songs on one CD, that I can listen to at home and on the go.  I am also a fan of their up and coming artist tracks they include on their CDs as many of these artists have become successful over the years.

Recently I was sent the new "NOW That's What I Call Music! 20th Anniversary CD as well as the NOW That's What I Call Music! 68 CD to listen, and LOVE them! There is not one song on these CDs that I find myself wanting to hit the skip button on.  It is hard to say this for other album series that compile a variety of artists all on one disc.  But, I have not been disappointed with the track selections from NOW That's What I Call Music!, and can't stop raving about the new CD releases with friends and family.  

I have only had these CDs for about a week, but I have lost count on how many times I have listened to them all the way through.  They really are great and full of chart-topping hits and songs we all know and love to sing along to.  And, with the holidays fast approaching, these two NOW That's What I Call Music! CDs would make the perfect stocking stuffer for that music lover in your life.  

Here is more about these two new NOW That's What I Call Music! CDs, including their track listings...

"NOW That's What I Call Music!, the world's bestselling multiple-artist album series and oft-referenced cultural phenomenon, is celebrating 20 years of U.S. success, showcasing today's biggest hits across chart-topping numbered volumes and themed releases. NOW's latest numbered volume, NOW That's What I Call Music! 68, and the first of two series-spanning, largely fan-voted commemorative collections, NOW That's What I Call Music! 20th Anniversary (Volume 1), are set for digital and CD release on Friday, October 26. NOW That's What I Call Music! 20th Anniversary (Volume 2) will be released in February.

'NOW 68' features 16 major current hits from today's hottest artists, including Post Malone; Ariana Grande, Marshmello & Anne-Marie; Tyga feat. Offset; NF; DJ Khaled feat. Justin Bieber; Chance The Rapper & Quavo; Calvin Harris feat. Dua Lipa; Tiesto & Dzeko; The Chainsmokers feat. Emily Warren; Zedd feat. Elly Duhe; Kygo & Miguel; Imagine Dragons; Bryce Vine; Bebe Rexha; Ella Mai; and Lauren Daigle.

'NOW 68' also includes five free up-and-coming "NOW Presents What's Next" New Music Preview bonus tracks from Vintage Trouble; Shaylen; Johnny Orlando; Flora Cash; and Lennon Stella. Previewing tomorrow's biggest hits, "NOW Presents What's Next" has introduced major developing artists to NOW's enthusiastic, highly engaged audience, including Walk The Moon, Hot Chelle Rae, Hunter Hayes, Capitol Cities, A Great Big World, and Shawn Mendes, among others.

Earlier this year, NOW That's What I Call Music! invited fans to vote online for their favorite top hits from NOW's U.S. series for inclusion on two special releases celebrating 20 years of NOW. 'NOW 20th Anniversary (Volume 1)' features 20 standout tracks, including 19 fan-voted hits spanning the NOW series, from the Backstreet Boys' "As Long As You Love Me" ('NOW 1') to Demi Lovato's "Sorry Not Sorry" ('NOW 65'), plus Beyonce's worldwide smash, "Single Ladies," making its NOW series debut.

In addition to NOW That's What I Call Music!'s 20th Anniversary album collections, the NOW series' 40 all-time most featured artists are showcased with their fan-voted hits on NOW's 40-track 20th Anniversary playlist, newly revealed for streaming at https://now.lnk.to/NOW20Anniversary.

NOW That's What I Call Music! debuted in the U.S. in 1998, following 15 years of multi-platinum international triumph. The series has sold more than 250 million albums worldwide, topping 100 million in the U.S. alone. All 67 previous releases in NOW's numeric U.S. series have reached Billboard's Top 10, and 19 volumes have reached Number One.

NOW That's What I Call Music! is a joint venture from Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. NOW and NOW That's What I Call Music! are registered trademarks of Universal Music Group and its affiliates."

NOW That's What I Call Music! is the soundtrack to your life, available everywhere you are.

NOWThatsMusic.com
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NOW That's What I Call Music! 68
1.  Post Malone	Better Now
2.  Marshmello & Anne-Marie	FRIENDS
3.  Ariana Grande	God Is A Woman
4.  Tyga feat. Offset	Taste
5.  NF	Lie
6.  DJ Khaled feat. Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper & Quavo	No Brainer
7.  Calvin Harris feat. Dua Lipa	One Kiss
8.  Tiesto & Dzeko	Jackie Chan (f/Preme & Post Malone)
9.  The Chainsmokers feat. Emily Warren	Side Effects
10. Zedd feat. Elly Duhe	Happy Now
11. Kygo & Miguel	Remind Me To Forget
12. Imagine Dragons	Natural
13. Bryce Vine	Drew Barrymore
14. Bebe Rexha	I'm A Mess
15. Ella Mai	Trip
16. Lauren Daigle	You Say
NOW Presents What's Next:
17. Vintage Trouble	Can't Stop Rollin'
18. Shaylen	El Dorado
19. Johnny Orlando	Lost Summer
20. Flora Cash	You're Somebody Else
21. Lennon Stella	Like Everybody Else (Acoustic)

NOW That's What I Call Music! 20th Anniversary (Volume 1)
1.  Beyonce	Single Ladies (NOW series debut)
2.  P!nk	Get The Party Started (NOW 9)
3.  Britney Spears	...Baby One More Time (NOW 2)
4.  Katy Perry	Firework (NOW 37)
5.  Lady Gaga	Born This Way (NOW 38)
6.  Taylor Swift	Blank Space (NOW 54)
7.  Demi Lovato	Sorry Not Sorry (NOW 65)
8.  Justin Timberlake	Sexyback (NOW 23)
9.  Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera	Moves Like Jagger (NOW 40)
10. Calvin Harris	Feel So Close (NOW 42)
11. Black Eyed Peas	I Gotta Feeling (NOW 32)
12. Justin Bieber feat. Ludacris	Baby (NOW 34)
13. One Direction	Of My Life (NOW 49)
14. Backstreet Boys	As Long As You Love Me (NOW 1)
15. Kesha	Praying (NOW 64)
16. Kelly Clarkson	Stronger (NOW 42)
17. Lenny Kravitz	American Woman (NOW 3)
18. Fall Out Boy	My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up) (NOW 46)
19. Keith Urban	The Fighter (NOW 62)
20. Luke Bryan	I Don't Want This Night To End (NOW 41)

Disclosure:  I was sent review copies from the vendor in exchange for honest reviews. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

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Young History Buffs Will Love the New Book, "Alexander Graham Bell for Kids" - A Hands-On Introduction to Inventor and His Work (Review)

Disclosure:  I was sent a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

Buy now for only $16.99

My youngest daughter loves history.  Her dream is to one day be a middle or high school history teacher, so she can share all about the amazing people she has been learning about, along with their work.  It is weird having a child so into history like she is, as history was one of my least favorite subjects in school. :-)  But, I am finding that through her love of history and learning all about events, people and places, that I am learning all over again.  And, now that I am older, I guess I am appreciating what I am learning, and find it fascinating, and can see how people like Alexander Graham Bell have been crucial in shaping our country with their inventions.

Recently, we were sent "Alexander Graham Bell for Kids: His Life and Inventions, with 21 Activities" by Mary Kay Carson.  This book was released back in June, and has 144 pages, filled with fun facts, photographs, and more all about this famous inventor. What I loved about this book, like the two previous IPG Books I just shared a review on (the NYC and Boston History for Kids books) is that this one also comes with 21 hands-on activities that make learning about Alexander Graham Bell that much more fun.  Both of my girls are hands-on learners, and have really taken to these types of books.  

This book not only includes the 21 hands-on activities, but has a nice timeline of Bell's life, as well as list of online resources to continue the learning beyond this book.  We are really enjoying this book, which will have kids (and adults) better appreciating Bell's remarkable accomplishments and his work that go beyond just his telephone invention.  Did you know he worked alongside Helen Keller and aviators Glenn Curtiss and Samuel P. Langley?...and that he competed alongside the Wright Brothers and Thomas Edison with inventions he was working on?  These are some of the fascinating things you were learn about when you pick up this book, and share with your child(ren).  Who knew history could be so much fun?! :-)

More about this book:

"A hands-on introduction to this inventor and his most important works

Alexander Graham Bell invented not only the telephone, but also early versions of the phonograph, the metal detector, airplanes, and hydrofoil boats. This Scottish immigrant was also a pioneering speech teacher and a champion of educating those with hearing impairments, work he felt was his most important contribution to society.      

This unique biography includes a time line, a list of online resources, and 21 engaging hands-on activities to better appreciate Bell's remarkable accomplishments. "

Kids will: 

     

• Construct a Pie Tin Telegraph and a Pizza Box Phonograph           
• "See" and "feel" sound by building simple devices           
• Communicate using American Sign Language           
• Send secret messages using Morse code           
• Investigate the properties of ailerons on a paper airplane          
• Build and fly a tetrahedral kite           
• And more!"

Disclosure:  I was sent a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

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New York City History for Kids + Boston History for Kids Make for Great Travel/History Companions for Kids During Upcoming Trips to these Wonderful Cities - Includes 21 Hands-On Activities for Kids, Too!

Disclosure:  I was sent review copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

Planning a trip to the East Coast soon, particular to visit Boston or New York City?  If you are, and are looking to turn it into a fun, educational trip, then you will want to pick up "New York City History for Kids: From New Amsterdam to the Big Apple" or "Boston History for Kids: From Red Coats to Red Sox".  These two books by Richard Panchyk and published by Chicago Review Press (distributed by IPG), are filled with both history of each location, as well as 21 hands-on activities kids can do to better understand each city's culture, politics and geography.

In the New York City book, kids will be able to build a replica of Fort Amsterdam, paint a Dutch fireplace tile, play a game of stickball, make a genuine NY Bagel, and take a walking tour of City Hall Park and Fifth Avenue through the activities included in the book.  And, when they are not doing these fun, educational activities, they can read through the pages of this book, which includes a time-line, list of historical sites to visit or explore both in person and online, as well as sharing additional web resources for further study.

The Boston History for Kids book is set up just like the New York City one.  In this book, kids will have fun designing a museum display of historical items, drawing a facade of a Federal style mansion, writing a poem in the style of Ralph Waldo Emerson, baking a Boston cream pie, taking a tour along the Freedom Trail, and creating a nautical chart like those of Boston Harbor.  

The author, Richard Panchyk, does a great job in covering major events that occurred in each city, while also chronicling the lives of famous and infamous people that left a mark on Boston or NYC.  We are lucky enough to live in between both of these cities - with Boston being an hour away and NYC being 2 1/5 hours away.  Even though we don't have any planned tripped to visited for an extended period, we still like to do day trips to each, especially around the holidays when the decorations are up.  These books really are great learning tools to teach kids of all ages about these famous cities and landmarks and people that make them important places that have popped up in history books.  From the Boston Marathon attack and Tea Party in Boston to the Tweed Ring and Statue of Liberty, these books will not only educate kids (and adults), but get them ready for fun-filled adventures when they visit Boston or NYC.  My girls can't wait to see some of the landmarks featured in each book up close, and are already talking about doing a weekend getaway to each next summer, so that they can explore each more, based on things they have marked in the book to wanting to see or learn more about.

Who knew that learning about places like Boston and NYC could be so much?  These books are perfect for young historian buffs, homeschool families, or families looking for a kid-friendly educational trip to Boston and/or NYC in the future, that most travel books don't offer content on, in terms that young kids can understand and follow along with.

You can learn more about these two books, which are available online through Amazon, as well as in many bookstores, by heading over to https://www.ipgbook.com/.


Disclosure:  I was sent review copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

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