book reviews

2011-11-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

Barca Libas BATE Borisov

2011-09-29T00:26:00.000-07:00

Barca Libas BATE Borisov

Barca benar-benar melibas lawannya, BATE Borisov, Kamis, 29 September dini hari tadi WIB di Dynamo Minsk Stadium dengan skor 5-0.

Alhasil, Barca pun berhasil menempati posisi pertama di klasemen grup H babak penyisihan Liga Champion dengan torehan poin 4 dari dua partai pertandingan. Sedangkan, sang tuan rumah BATE Borisov yang tak memberi balasan satu gol pun, menempati posisi paling bawah di klasemen sementara grup H.

Sejak awal pertandingan, penguasaan bola terus berada di pihak Barcelona. Bila dilihat dari statistik pertandingan, penguasaan bola Barcelona 75% sedangkan BATE hanya 25%. Klub jawara liga Belarusia, BATE tampak bermain sangat hati-hati dan cenderung bermain bertahan.

Selain itu, Barca mencatat 23 kali peluang untuk menciptakan gol, sedangkan BATE hanya 5 kali peluang saja, namun tak satupun menembus gawang Barca.

Barcelona berhasil unggul 3-0 pada babak pertama. Gol pertama tercipta pada menit ke-20 akibat gol bunuh diri bek BATE, Aliaksandr Valadzko yang saat itu mencoba membayangi Messi.

Setelah unggul 1-0, dua menit berselang Pedro berhasil melesakkan gol kedua untuk Barca lewat aksi sundulannya setelah mendapatkan umpan akurat dari David Villa.

Tidak berhenti sampai di situ, di babak pertama, Barca semakin unggul. Lionel Messi mempersembahkan gol ketiga untuk Barca dengan memanfaatkan kesalahan kiper lawan, Aleksandr Gutor pada menit ke-38.

Di babak kedua, bukannya sudah puas atas apa yang sudah diraih, Barca tampil semakin menjadi-jadi, seolah tak memberi kesempatan sedikitpun bagi lawan. Pada menit ke-55, gol disumbang kembali oleh Lionel Messi melalui tendangan kerasnya dari dalam kotak penalti. Barca pun semakin unggul 4-0.

Golpun kembali tercipta pada menit ke-88. Sang kapten, David Villa mencetak gol penutup bagi Barca, setelah beberapa menit sebelumnya sempat off side.

Meski wasit menambahkan waktu 3 menit, tak satupun gol balasan tercipta di gawang Barca, yang dikawal Victor Valdes. Sehingga kondisi 5-0 bertahan hingga akhir pertandingan.

Selain pesta gol Barca, dua gol Messi menempatkan dirinya menyamai rekor legenda Barca asal Hungaria, Laszlo Kubala dengan 194 gol. Uniknya, Messi hanya butuh waktu tujuh tahun untuk bisa meraihnya, sedangkan Kubala membutuhkan waktu selama 12 tahun.

Namun, Messi lebih tertarik untuk mengungguli catatan gol Cesar Rodriguez yang saat ini masih menempati posisi pertama sebagai pencetak gol terbanyak dalam sejarah Barcelona, yang berhasil mencetak 235 gol. Hanya terpaut 41 gol lagi untuk menyamai kedudukan sang posisi pertama.

Tidak hanya itu, pelatih Barca, Pep Guardiola juga tercatat sebagai pelatih Barcelona yang paling banyak meraih kemenangan di Liga Champion, dengan torehan 23 kemenangan mengungguli Frank Rijkaard dengan selisih satu kemenangan saja.

Tentunya, kesempatan menciptakan rekor gol Messi akan terus tercipta pada pertandingan-pertandingan selanjutnya. Juga kesempatan mendapatkan kemenangan akan terus bertambah bagi Barca.

Why Read Inspector Morse Books

2011-03-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

Getting the books that an individual wants to read can be a great thing. Without knowing about the Inspector Morse books an individual could see that it is rather difficult to find the proper items. That is when they should know that reading these can be very rewarding for many people in more than just one way.

One reason that an individual should read these books is they are good in the flow. Since they are good in the flow an individual will not be getting bored with them, but instead they will be intrigued and will not want to put the books down at any point in time until they figure out what is happening at the end of the story.

Another reason to read these is an individual will want to use these books is they can learn about the thought process of this famous detective. Now many people think that they will already know all that they can about this person, but they need to realize that by learning the thought process they could understand more of what he was thinking and why he did the actions that he did.

Some other reason to read these is they paint a vivid picture for an individual to follow. Now many individual may not think that they could pick out the areas that are being talked about in the stories, but if they pay attention to the details they could easily figure out what part of London or other country is being talked about at any given point in time.

At times a person could see that these books are full of details that could make it seem like the story is real. By knowing about the details that are present an individual will not have to worry about trying to decide what is being talked about, but instead they could see that it is rather easy to figure out what is talked about and know exactly how it could have been used as a weapon or other thing.

For many individuals trying to figure out why they need to read the Inspector Morse books can be a good thing. Without knowing about why they should read these books many individuals could easily skip over reading them and think that the television shows are all that is presented by this great inspector. However, once an individual knows about these books they can see that it is rather easy to locate them and start to read them all the time to expand their knowledge of this person.

Will Ebooks Take Over? - The Battle for the Better Book

2011-03-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Technology has certainly been making a statement. "Bring in the new" has become the motto, suggesting that advancement is key, and new and modern is the "right way" to go. The 50's boasted television, the 60's put man on the moon. The 70's began to make the computer "personal" and the 80's told us it was about time to overcome the hassle of untangling that phone cord. The 90's changed the life we knew with the World Wide Web, and the turn of the century gave us many lifesaving medical advancements. And where do you think much of this information is documented? In books, of course. So with all these technological advancements with internet and word processing in recent years, will books become obsolete as well? Our society has managed to say good-bye to our Ataris, our vinyl records, and our belief that cold weather alone will make you sick. But would society be able to say farewell to solid, in your hand, paper page books to make way for a primarily digital means of reading? Are books destined to become just like everything else we leave behind without a second glance? Hardly!

Up until recently, books have withstood the technological advances of the centuries. The tried and true concept of a protective cover containing pages bound inside has worked wonderfully for us for over 1900 years now. Why alter something that works beautifully for us?

Unlike many other potential technological advancements, whose transitions promise much value and benefits to be obtained, the advancements of digital readers and electronic books may also result in many benefits being lost. What about the satisfaction of the crisp fresh pages of a new book that some of us thoroughly enjoy? Or the memories and mystery brought upon by the worn and withered pages of a timeless classic that has been passed through the family for generations?

There is also the incredible thirst for knowledge or story upon entering the front doors of your favorite bookstore. And one cannot forget the pride they take in the collection on their bookshelves; the many worlds that exist within the seconds it takes for the eyes to sweep across the sturdy and secure bindings. As well as the display for others who enter the home, being able to let them in one who you are, and sharing with them your favorite stories.

The magnificence of having a book in your hands should not be taken away. It is a comfort that has brought joy to humankind for many years, and will hopefully be able to continue to do so for many generations to come. Even with new technology, solid books in print will likely always remain an option especially for those who care about the tradition and have an overall love for the art of storytelling.

Book Review: Rich Dad's Guide to Gold and Silver (Maloney)

2011-03-24T06:45:00.001-07:00

Gold Stocks and Silver Stocks present a huge opportunity for savvy investors that know how to source the right information.

In this article I review Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver by Michael Maloney. The author of this book is a convicted and impassioned advocate of Gold Bullion and Silver Bullion. This book is in the series of books published under Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad brand.

I really appreciated how simple and accessible this book was, true to the Rich Dad style of writing. Not quite as easy to read as Rich Dad Poor Dad but very accessible with straightforward explanations. This is particularly helpful when the author dives into certain historical events dating as far back as the Romans, and as complex as such international agreements as the Bretton Woods agreement. Despite the fact that these topics can easily become overwhelming and intimidating, Maloney does a great job of making the topic accessible to readers.

Maloney asserts that the only way to invest in Gold and Silver is to purchase bullion that is held privately in your place of residence or else in a 3rd-party, non-financial institution locale. I sincerely appreciate his rationale for this as only the physical possession of gold and silver bullion will be safe in the case of a mass financial meltdown. If an investor has their gold or silver held in a safety deposit box at the bank, it won't be available to them in the case of financial apocalypse as the institution / bank would likely be closed down altogether; and if things really degrade to mass lootings and riots the bullion could be lost altogether if held at a bank.

There's no debating the safety of assets during this kind of cataclysmic financial situation. This begs the question, though, what about absolutely every other point in time? Even if this kind of meltdown were to happen (however likely or unlikely) what would be the most advantageous situation in the months leading up to it, and the years following it? There are some extraordinary Gold and Silver Stock picks to be had, and it would seem prudent to look at the big picture, and the full menu of options before sticking all investable funds into a gold bar, then shoving this gold bar under one's mattress at home.

Overall, I sincerely appreciate Mike Maloney's book Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver as an introductory piece to the topics of Gold and Silver, Precious Metals, Gold Stocks, Silver Stocks, and the history and issues that surround them. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an introduction to the topic of Gold and Silver, and their associated Stocks.

I also recommend that this book serve as a springboard to further education instead of treating it as the definitive be-all guide to investment. There are many amazing resources out there that allow you to more closely and specifically consider your options when it to Gold, Silver, Gold Stocks, Silver Stocks, and precious metals in general.

Living The Simpler Life: 8 Essentials to Practice Everyday

2011-03-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

I had read the book, before I read Sam's bio and realized how young he was! I enjoy reading how he is living example of the principles taught in the book.

The main concept of the book is of course "simplifying your life" a theme I have been reading and putting into practice in my own life this last year.

I feel like Sam has been reading my mind when it comes to many of the concepts he writes about. The idea that "simplicity" is as unique as a grain of sand on a beach is what draws me to Sam and his book.

Sam write about the "8 Simplicity Essentials"

Accurate Self-KnowledgePurging the UnnecessaryThe Willingness to Say "No"A Focus on Conscious ConsumptionCultivating PatienceMindfulnessA Desire For LessAn Attitude of Gratitude

Accurate Self-Knowledge - "Knowing yourself, or self-knowledge, is the simplicity essential that will guide you through this journey." - To me this is always the place to start unless we have a clear understanding of our personal values, motivations and passions we can not make decisions that will create a more satisfying and complete life for ourselves.

Purging the Unnecessary - "Simplification is the process of expelling everything that isn't central to your values in favor of what is." - This is where you get physical, really do you need all that stuff? All those clothes, all those books, all those knickknacks?

The Willingness to Say "No" - " Every choice represents a trade-off and the more you add to your schedule and responsibilities the more trade-offs between quality and time you will face." - Projects, commitments, responsibilities, why do you feel the need to do everything? Where do you draw that line between quantity and quality? Does everything you are doing align with your personal values, if not why are you doing them? We have choices!

A Focus on Conscious Consumption - " When we weigh our decisions against our values, we begin to live a more fulfilling life." Amen brother! To me simplicity is not at all about making this huge sacrifice, it is about making appropriate decisions. Why are we making this decisions to buy? and then are we buying items that align with our values? too many times we are not even thinking when we buy we are acting on impulse or habit, change can be as simple as thinking about a purchase for 24 hours before making a decision.

Cultivating Patience - "Patience manifests itself through increased focus and a calm, measured approach to life." In this amazing time of modern advances we can easily be caught up in the speed of technology. Learning and practicing patience and a calm mind can be a difficult task, you first need to recognize things can be done differently, then you must train your mind to focus nothing. I believe this is learning that should take a lifetime.

Mindfulness - " Mindfulness, by my definition, is the ability to be fully aware in all you do by ignoring the past and future and focusing on the present. This abstract skill is paramount to living a simpler life at all levels." As a beginning runner I was awe struck this first time that I realized I was "in the flow" of running. It was only a few minutes but the only thing I knew was the sound of my feet hitting the ground and the ease in which it came. This is the experience I look for every time I run now. This can be true of MANY activities find the one that creates your mindfulness!

A Desire For Less - "For me, a life of simplicity is a life of richness. Replacing quantity with quality can be applied to almost every aspect of your life, not just possessions." Use everything we have to the fullest, choosing quality over quantity and realizing that "things and stuff" is not what will make you happy.

An Attitude of Gratitude - "I describe gratitude as having an attitude of thankfulness and appreciation. I think the key component of this definition is the word "attitude." I think that often we in North America forget just how awesome we have it. And we do have the power to change things for others once we feeling in our hearts the "attitude of gratitude" will we see how we can easily help others.

"Simplifying your life can be a scary endeavor. Stripping physical and mental complexity uncovers the true person underneath. You'll be worried that you aren't motivated enough, smart enough, tough enough, or unique enough to possibly live a life of simplicity. When that true person is revealed and there is no longer any crutch on which to rely, excuses no longer exist."

An old soul speaking through a rising star, Sam writes with insight that can speak directly to your heart. I am grateful to share this journey with you!

The Passion Diva - Lori Smith presents: Simple Step to Self Care - 6 Day ecourse - Each day you have the opportunity to create a passionate nurturing lifestyle. You can start small and take small steps forward to create some thing wonderful.

Start your ecourse TODAY, Click the link and enter your Name and Email address! http://tinyurl.com/296wozx

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lori_Smith

Book Review: 'Shiva's Arms' By Cheryl Snell

2011-03-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

For Wednesday's Woman, Marinagraphy celebrates all women: we are the heartbeat, the core of all existence.

And what better example to demonstrate this than with a book review about Cheryl Snell's compelling novel Shiva's Arms -- a portrayal of women -- mothers, daughters, and wives -- commanding a space of articulation and reconciliation that transcends cultural differences and loyalties. This story is told in such a way that at times it feels like reading poetry, assuming the gentle and swaying cadences portrayed by the stories, language, music, and traditional rites of the South Indian culture, which Cheryl Snell brings to light and fosters with love and appreciation.

Synopsis: The conflict that drives this story exists between two women from different parts of the world, brought together by the love they share for one man. Ramesh, having left a country and family saturated with Indian culture and tradition in pursuit of an American education, embraces the United States and falls in love with Alice, a beautiful art student. When he brings his blond-haired blue-eyed lover to India for their wedding, he defies Indian customs of arranged marriages, parental consent, approval of deities, planets, and of course, his very spiritually strict and rigid mother, Amma Shiva. While Alice assimilates to the foreign and exotic customs of her husband and his family, adopting them as her own, her attempts in acquiring the approval and love of her mother-in-law are futile. The constant battles of wills between these two women, both strong, stubborn, and fiercely loving, wreak havoc and strain upon Alice's life and home, her emotional stability, the mothering of her son, and even her marriage to Ramesh. It is only when one of them suffers an illness that both women are forced to humility, to mutual acceptance, and finally to reconciliation and perhaps even love.

Review: What Cheryl Snell does with Shiva's Arms is quite captivating and inspirational. This is more than a book about the forced marriage of two estranged cultures, each one forced to coexist with the other despite their differences in customs and belief systems. It is about love and acceptance; it is about the need to belong and feel part of something that is bigger than you. It is the hunger that drives us to be seen and understood by those that share our paths in life. This is the narrative thread that embroiders itself around the story line of this book. Amma Shiva is a small and forceful Indian woman who holds on to her family and traditions with severity, with pride, and loyalty. Alice is a softer version of her -- but just as fierce to defend her home, her love for Ramesh and their son, Sam. There is an intensely emotional mother-daughter narrative at play in Shiva 's Arms, in which mother and daughter need to see one another not just as "mother" and "daughter," but as women -- two separate and independent entities sharing the same goal -- the fulfillment of one's son and the happiness of the other's husband. There is absolute calm and redemption when each one succeeds in the mutual acceptance they both secretly seek. Because of the impassioned loyalty that resides within, each woman is able to push through the muck and mire of difference and possessiveness that governs their relationship to discover a braver, more forgiving and accepting version of herself. It is definitely highly recommended for your list of 2011 reading -- the kind that lulls you towards self-enlightenment and acceptance. And if you have an affinity for Indian dishes, the back pages of the book are filled with delicacies discussed within the story line.?Good reading, everyone!

How About You? Have you had any experiences like Alice and Amma's with a particular woman in your life -- a mother-in-law, sister-in-law, daughter-in-law? How did you resolve it?

Why Review A Fiction Book?

2011-03-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

Author's of fiction books write them because they enjoy writing. It gives them joy in their life to write a book and to get it published. Besides having written it and getting published, author's also enjoy it when people who read their books do a review on it.

When a reader of a fiction writes a review of it for a paper, magazine, or blog, the author will know how that one reader's interpretation of the book was and how they liked or disliked it. A fiction review, no matter how the review is, can help the author improve his or her writing skills. Plus the reader of the book can improve their reading skills when they write the review, because they pick apart the book piece by piece, if done right.

A fiction booklet review can help the publisher and author market and sell the book. Wherever the review is printed, more people are able to read it to get somewhat acquainted with the book before they buy it. This can be a good thing. Many people and bookstores won't buy a book if they don't know at least a little about the book first. A fiction review can mean more people and bookstores are willing to buy it.

Some people do buy a book because of who the author is. To get more reader's of a fiction whose author isn't well-known, there should be a review of it written. People will remember the less-known author's name better when there is a review of their book.

No matter who the author is, a review should be done of their fiction book. It doesn't have to be with every book they write, but the more often a fiction review is done, the more books will be sold. A review helps to promote the book and the author.

Lolita: Modern Eve or Misunderstood Teen?

2011-03-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Nabokov, I had heard the name but didn't know anything much of his work personally. Well know I have read his most famous work and I can see his reputation is well deserved. The fluid power of his prose is remarkable he can describe a year in a sentence, an hour in a paragraph, a minute in a page and all would be almost perfect.

Lolita is a dense novel both physically and mentally. I opened the first page of the book and was confronted by dense tiny script. Perhaps the miniscule font was why it took me longer to finish the book than I thought it would.

It was worth the extra three days reading.

At times funny, at times disturbing, always interesting Lolita is a 3 course meal of a read. The essay at the end of my edition written by Nabokov explained that this is not a 'literary novel'; authorial comparisons to Conrad undesired, metaphorical comparisons to Old Europe raping Young America were supposedly unfounded too. I have no such skill, nor literary pretension to draw these high browed conclusions. This means there will be from me no mention of the mauve-ness of the Europeans described, or the featurelessness of the American Heartlands Humbert Humbert travels through, none at all.

So Lolita, Dolores, Lolita the name now inspires so many films, news stories and articles. It has inspired an entire meme on the alluring nymph; that young girl so aware of her sexually captivating power. She is not much of a character, we never go past the 'typical' teenage mannerisms and even Humbert Humbert himself recognises that. Humbert is ignorant of Lolita's personality; their connection is purely physical; an old man sweating on top of his darling Dolores.

Humbert despite his grotesque paedophilia inspired in me a degree of pity, which I then felt guilty for, darn my Anglican ways. He is consumed by his love for the nymphets and only ever knows carnally, the dulcet Dolores of the honeyed limbs.

That this book is fiction doesn't do much to dilute the emotion I felt when reading it. The quiet disturbance at the purity of his love sullied by misdirection, what poor neuron malformed to wire this fellow so wrong? There is little sentiment to translate into sympathy for the mother and indeed Lolita herself, forgive me dear reader but could they not see the wolf in their midst?

Perhaps they couldn't see the danger, just as he couldn't bring himself to love a more age appropriate woman.

Lolita is a powerful book for the messages it conveys: lust, true blinding love and the intoxication of youth for those still in its bloom and those long past. I feel this is an important read for young adults; the keyword here is most definitely adults. The predatory nature of Humbert is subtle and insidious and applies to many of the institutions promising instant fame money and assorted goodies. Yes I know Nabokov didn't want this novel becoming a big, unwieldy, tiresome metaphor the predation of the young by the older but Lolita is too powerful a message to miss. I think Lolita and "darling father" wouldn't be too upset at that.

For more on Lolita and other controversial book check out the Logophile link in my signature

Uses For Parchment And Leather In Books And Beyond

2011-03-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Leather and parchment have been around for hundreds of years, and have provided many uses beyond what you are probably aware. One of the most common uses of these materials occurs in the binding of books. Since the advent of the printing press, parchment and leather have factored in heavily, not just to the binding of a book, but to the paper between the covers. Parchment and leather are animal skins, which have been chemically altered to avoid the damages of rot. The properties of these materials are perfect for housing print and have long been a source for preserving knowledge and entertainment down through the ages.

While leather bound books and parchment continue to serve the book industry, they also boast a variety of other uses including use in furniture. It is conceivable that you could be reading a book while lying on the very same material and not even know it. The differences lay in the fact that animal skins are handled and altered in different manners by craftsmen who know what they're doing to produce anything from an all leather couch to a leather bound novel. There are few if any limitations to the material, and recent years have seen developments that not even the olden days could have foreseen.

For example, before cars came along, no one would have ever suspected that leather could be used for the interior of an object capable of 100 miles per hour or more. While leather has been used for footwear quite a while, constant advancements are being made in how the skins are treated to produce new levels of comfort and functionality. Shoes from leather dress attire to athletic apparel serve very different functions within the same general use, adding to the unique nature of these materials with the general public.

Parchments also offer a variety of heavier duty functions like being used to create drumheads and as a hinge material for instruments that require use. Your home may also make liberal use of parchment through interior wall and furniture paneling. Combined with leather, these animal skins are some of the most multi-functional materials in use today. From clothing to manufacturing, the many ways that these materials continue to serve society make them some of the most efficient materials out there in an age where the "E" word means everything.

If you have been thinking leather and parchment are materials reserved for library shelves, think again. In a given day, there are a number of additional uses that you encounter without even realizing it. But animal skins of any kind are only as good as the people treating them. So when you choose leather or parchment, make sure that it comes from a quality source.

The Best Selling Book That Put Guernsey On The Map

2011-03-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

Every now and then a book is published that holds your attention, difficult to put down and when finished, leaves the reader begging for more. One such book is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, written by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows, a book set within and after World War Two.

Shaffer visited Guernsey in 1976 and was intrigued by the wartime occupation. During her research, she learnt tales of terrible cruelty and great courage.

A best selling book, it has sold millions of copies worldwide and has also been translated into many languages.

During The Second World War, the Germans occupied Guernsey - the jewel of the Channel Islands. The Germans built fortifications, a concentration camp. Many of Guernsey's children were evacuated to England in order to keep them from being affected by the Germans.

Set in an imaginary post occupation Guernsey and London, the story follows Juliet Ashton, a promising writer, who lives in Chelsea and is a writer for The Spectator. Through chance and a mutual interset in literature Juliet starts communicating with some local Guernsey people who, in order to cope with the harsh realities of the war, set up a book club. It soon becomes apparent to Juliet that the book club is every bit as odd as its name would imply.

The book is what is known as an epistolary which means that it written in the form of letters and first person narrative. In the story, Juliet learns all about occupied Guernsey, its dispossession and the relentless bravery of the locals. Juliet becomes mesmerised by the many tales of difficult times, rationing and separation from loved ones. Finally, Juliet relocates to Guernsey and finds herself immersed in the island's culture, hospitality and charm.

The story received worldwide acclaim and gained commentary from the world's most well known media, and some excellent comments, posted on Amazon.

Comments included some where the reviewer wanted to move to Guernsey as a result of reading the book and other comments include that it was a book the reviewer simply could not put down.

The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, despite its unique title, has charm and lightness, however it also carries significant substance. It is funny, moving and a page-turner from start to finish.

This is a book that allows readers from around the world to find out just what Guernsey was like during the occupation - through letters, love and courage. Sadly though, it is the only book published by Mary Anne Shaffer. Because of the book's immense Global popularity, it has most definitely put Guernsey on the map. Definitely one to chat about at book clubs.

Hot Christian Book Review: Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander

2011-03-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

I have never read such a personal, tearjerker in the back of a book before. Tamera talks about the experience of her mother dying from gallbladder cancer while she was writing "Within My Heart." She took a hiatus from writing the book to be with her mom while they traveled the road of loss, courage and blessings. Tamera says "Many of the conversations between the characters in this story had their seeds in conversations she and I shared during those final days." Knowing this before reading the book, made it feel like I was sitting in on private conversations. It made the book real and moving in a way no other book could.

When Ben was talking with Dr. Rand Brookston about wanting to die at home and said "I don't mean any disrespect by this, but...it only seems right that the person dyin' should get to choose" I felt like I was listening in on a private conversation. Knowing that Tamera did have this conversation with her mother only made it more emotional for me. She says in the notes "When 'hope for healing' gives way to 'good-bye for now' the person making the journey home should get to make the final choices." Beautiful words and beautiful book!

Of course, the romance in "Within My Heart" is wonderful too! Rachel Boyd doesn't want to have feelings for any man other than her late husband. She especially doesn't want to develop feelings for a doctor who is exactly like her father! Or is he? Plus, Rand's got a secret of his one.

There is a good amount of tension between Rachel and Rand. I happen to have a thing for men in dusters and Stetsons so I knew Rand was one hot tamale! Pg. 191 "Rand strode toward her in that weathered duster of his, Stetson in hand, looking more like a gunfighter than a physician, and she wondered...was he as good with a rifle as he was with a scalpel?...She smiled, aware of the way his eyes lit when she did. She looked away, trying to remember exactly when he's lost his annoying, arrogant edge. She could still recall it, though, and pledged to remind herself of it each time she entertained the thought she was entertaining right now - of how handsome a man he really was." Oh, sounds like some good chemistry to me!

This book is a winner on many different levels. The Prologue alone will hook you AND I learned that this practice was true! I loved this book and was carried away with not only the romance but the story of Ben and Lyda and their journey. I cried and laughed and loved. I thought about the characters and the book for days after reading it. I liked it better than the first book in this series which is saying a lot!

Christianity: This book is strong in the Christian faith but particularly on the subject of death, loss of family and learning to trust again.

Recommendation: Read it after you read Book 2 - This book is the third in a three part series. Rachel and her late husband, Daniel, are in Book 2 as well. However, you could read this book out of order and follow along just fine.

Hotness Factor: 7 Stewing - Well balanced, robust flavor, great finish.

Chaetopterus: The Parchment Worm

2011-03-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

Chaetopterus also known as parchment worm or parchment tubeworm is a member of the phylum Annelida. The parchment worm is a marine polychaete worm that dwells in the tube which it constructs by sediments or attaches to any coral reef substrate. It is known as parchment worm because of the parchment type of tube the worm makes. They are filter feeders and the adults dwell completely throughout their entire lives in the tube unless and until the tube is destroyed or damaged somehow. The young ones feed on planktons which is a typical feature among the phylum Annelida.

The tubes of the worms are either attached to the rocks or are present in the sandy bottom near the shallow waters. The body of the worm is thrown into segments and the whole body is provided with spines which are used for tunneling while the worm is busy in making the burrow. The worm is known to make a U-shaped burrow in which it finally lives. The tubes are lined with mucus. The tubes measure 85 cm in length and 4 cm in diameter. The center of the tube is the widest area. The worm is highly specialized among the polychaetes as the middle segments of the body bear highly specialized parapodia adapted to participate in filter feeding. The parapodia are large in size and are fan-shaped which are used to create suction and pump water through the tube. The morphology of parapodia is used in the identification of species. The worm feeds by using specialized structures present on the mid-body segments that secrete mucus for trapping the food particles. A flow of water is created by three circular flaps on the three segments that creates suction and draws water towards the tube.

They lack any organ capable of detecting light as the worm passes its entire life buried inside the tube. Apart from this sort of habitat few species are known to exhibit bioluminescence. When the worm is disturbed in its burrow it moves away from the point of disturbance and secrets mucus towards the disturbance point which crystallizes and emits bioluminescence of blue colour. Two species of filter feeding crabs belonging to two different families are known to dwell in the tubes of these worms. Apart from these two species a third one is also known to inhabit the worm's tube sometimes. Polyonyx and Pinnixa are most frequently found to dwell in the tube of the parchment worm. They may be present together also. The breeding pairs do not share the tube with crabs and other species of animals. The crabs generally tend to dwell in the tubes and leave the tubes only when disturbed.

The Literary World Introduces Russell Solomon

2011-03-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Most little boys love digging around in the dirt, but when seven-year-old Russell Solomon came across some old bones in his own backyard, it changed his life forever. Since he had always been a kid with a pretty big imagination, his mother thought that he was kidding about the bones until he brought them in to show her.

Thus began Russell Solomon's love affair with paleontology and the world of crime. Although he would eventually pursue a degree in journalism, he always knew that he would someday enter the world of paleontology.

Solomon's latest novel, "The Lost Pendulum of Montrose," is the story of a very similar dig, but this time in a graveyard in small-town New Hampshire. It tells a thrilling tale of a paleontologist and a professor who work together to uncover occult activities from generations past. Much like many of the other well-known mystery thrillers of today, it is indeed one of those books that you just can't put down.

"The Lost Pendulum of Montrose" is Russell Solomon's first novel, but another one is not far behind. Always a prolific writer, Solomon is a popular and accomplished journalist in the Los Angeles area, and although he has written literally hundreds of short stories in his life, this is his first full-length novel.

"I have always wanted to find a way to combine my journalistic skills with my real love, which is paleontology. This book enabled me to combine the two in a way that I really think will keep the reader hooked," Solomon says. With his next book ready for publication in early 2011, readers won't have to wait long to be thrilled again by this amazing first-time writer. Indeed, Solomon is turning out to be one of the most intriguing authors of all the new mystery thrillers that are publishing right now.

Save the Marriage by Lee Baucom

2011-03-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

Divorce rates are on a constant high; in the US alone - there is a 41% chance that a first marriage will fail, 60% chance that a second marriage will fail and a 73% chance of failure of third marriage. The ever-growing pace of life has added to the problems of couples. Out of the happily married couples, 75% of them report to have been through serious crisis, one time or the other. For couples that have domestic issues and problems leading to a failing marriage, there is always the option of a marriage counselor. Marriage counseling is a time consuming commitment. There are other alternatives but in such unfavorable scenario, one needs a reliable, realistic and simple solution.

Save the marriage, by Dr Lee Baucom is a book that comes from a person who has 20 years of research in the field and has been a couple counselor himself. One can think of this book as a couple counselor who is with you 24/7. There are many programs, therapies which aim at manipulating people's problem to make easy money. Don't be fooled by such programs. Couples following Dr Lee's program mentioned in the book report a success rate of 90%! Most programs address one side of the issue. A sexist or biased approach to this problem is definitely not the answer since marriage is between a man and woman. What actually required is a program that focuses on both people involved, their problems, happiness and well-being.

This book covers couples of all ages that are distressed at different stages of their lives due to a variety of problems. You might be young and having crisis at home or you might be in your 50s; this book will work for you. Consider it as a small and the only step that is required to save your marriage, and you won't regret giving it a chance.

Sunflower: Is It A Single Flower?

2011-03-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

We all love flowers and sunflower is amongst them. Sunflower is native to America and is an annual plant scientifically known as Helianthus annuus. The inflorescence is very large also known as flowering head. It is called as sunflower because of the fiery blooms, shape and size resembles like that of a sun. The plant can be characterized by presence of rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed leaves and circular heads of flowers. The flowering head consists of 1,000-2,000 individual flowers joined together by a receptacle base. They were brought to Europe in the 16th century where they became an important part of cooking. The leaves are commonly used as cattle feed while the stem is a good source of fiber used for paper production.

Many individual florets are crowded together within the flowering head. The outer petals of the florets are called as ray florets. They are sterile and may be yellow, orange, red and of other colours. The florets present on the inner side of the head are called as disc florets and are responsible for the production of seeds. The florets in the head are arranged in a spiral pattern. Typically each floret is oriented towards the other floret with a golden angle of 137.5?. The left spiral and the right spirals are so interconnected that they form successive Fibonacci numbers. Generally there are 34 spirals in one direction and 55 on the other. In a very large sunflower there are 89 spirals in one direction and 144 on the other. This pattern is responsible for the production of compact arrangement of seeds within the head. The plant is known to attain a height between 1.5-3.5 m. Scientific literature reports that a sunflower plant with a single headed flower attained a height of 12 m in 1567 in Padua. During the 20th century plants with a height of 8 m have also been produced in Netherlands, Ontario and Canada.

Young sunflowers show a specific phototropic response known as heliotropism where they orient themselves according to the position of the sun and their orientation often changes from east to west during the day as the sun changes its direction. This movement of the flowering heads often becomes circadian and the older pattern is followed for few days but the orientation of leaves occurs from west to east just opposite to that of the flowering head. The orientation of flowering heads and the leaves continue till the plant continues to grow but as the plant attains maturity these movements stop. The movement continues during the day but during night the plants come back to their original position. They are considered to be native to Central America and were first domesticated in Mexico during the 2600 BC.

Sunflowers require proper sunlight in order to grow well. They thrive well in fertile, moist, well drained soil with a lot of mulch. In the commercial practice they are grown at a distance of 45 cm from each other and 2.5 deep. The seeds are sold as whole and are consumed as snack may be salted or roasted. The seeds may be added to the peanut butter in order to produce the sunbutter. Sunflowers are often used by the American-Indians for making ointments and in other medicines. The oil extracted from the seeds is often used for cooking and in the manufacture of margarine and biodiesel. The oil is much cheaper than the olive oil. A large number of sunflower varieties are available differing in the fatty acid composition. Some contain higher levels of monounsaturated fatty acids even more than that of the olive oil. The cakes left after the extraction of oil from the seed is used as cattle feed.

Some recently cultivated species have drooping heads. The flowers with drooping heads are not attractive to the gardeners using sunflowers as ornamental plants but they are quite appealing to the farmers as they remain protected from birds and other plant diseases. They also produce latex that is used in the production of hypoallergenic rubber. Annual species are often grown for their allelopathic properties. In the Midwestern US they are considered as weed as some wild species are found to grow along with the agricultural crops and cast a negative effect over them.

Sunflowers are often used for the extraction of toxic metals from soil like lead, arsenic and uranium. They were also used for the extraction of cesium-137 and strontium-90 during the Chernobyl disaster. The genome has been completely figured out and it is diploid with a base chromosome number of 17 and an estimated genome size of 2871-3189 Mbp. Some scientists claim that the size of genome is about 3.5 million base pairs. It is the state flower of Kansas and one of the city flowers of Japan. It is also a symbol of socialism. It also symbolizes the Vegan Society.

Book Review: The Lost Hero

2011-03-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan. 2010. New York, Disney - Hyperion Books, Hardcover, 557 pages.

Our family really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, so we thought we'd dive into the next series featuring the demi-gods of Camp Halfblood. We read them aloud so everyone can enjoy them, one chapter at a time.

At first, the three different points of view threw me a little. Throughout the book, we get two chapters from Jason, two from Piper and two from Leo, pretty much in that order. I got used to it; in the end, I can see why the author wanted the story presented from all three viewpoints. It was effective, even though it took awhile to get used to.

Jason, Piper and Leo are the new kids on the block at Camp Halfblood, so of course they immediately are chosen to go on a quest. Jason's storyline is leading to more in the next few books... he grew up with the Roman deities, which, while they are based on the Greek, they have slightly different aspects. This doesn't become clear until you get well into the book. As a son of Jupiter (otherwise known as Zeus), he has a lot on his shoulders. Yes, that's right. Poseidon and Hades weren't the only ones to break that pact back in the Percy Jackson books. Admit it, are you really that surprised?

What makes this interesting is that Hera (or Juno, in the Roman), must work with Jason in this book, and we all know how she feels about Zeus' shenanigans.

Piper is the troubled daughter of a movie star. This leads to some interesting situations. I thought it was great to have a daughter of Aphrodite finally be more than a primping beauty queen. There is nothing giggly about Piper.

Leo had a hard life from the start. Luckily, as a son of Hephaestus, he knows how to get the job done. He really grows a lot in this book; I look forward to seeing how he turns out.

The book takes you on an interesting journey as you meet many of Greek mythology's most famous characters, like King Midas and Medea. I won't spoil the story by elaborating on all the amazing updates these and other characters have made through Riordan's pen. Suffice it to say that this book is full of adventure, lots of laughs, and some surprises.

If your kids like adventure, they'll love this book. If you like the fun adventures that are only available in Young Adult literature, you'll enjoy it, too. I give it a full five stars from our house.

Buy it at Amazon:

Disclosure Statement: I did not get anything for reviewing this book. My daughter bought it so we could all enjoy it.

Must Read Books

2011-03-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

What are the must read books? The answer is not straightforward. We're all different, we each have different likes and dislikes, and as with food what one person finds great, another might not. With books this like/dislike thing can work at different levels. Do you want to read fiction or non-fiction? What fiction genre would suit you: Science-Fiction, Romance, Crime, Horror or something different again? The question you should ask is not 'what are the must read books', but 'what are the must read books for me'? I'd suggest the following approaches.

Book Shops Book Shop assistants are there to help you and are often highly knowledgeable about the products they sell. Don't be shy, approach them, tell them you are looking for a book and tell them something about yourself and including any existing books you've liked, or films and television programs you enjoy. They will be able to guide you to relevant sections of their store and give you must read book suggestions that are unique to you as an individual. If you are uncomfortable about asking for advice from assistants, don't despair. Consider again what types of books you have liked in the past, and then look around. The layout of stores will help you. Different types of books are shelved together in clearly labeled categories. Move to a category you've previously read and liked. Look closer at the books and you'll probably see the store has highlighted the better (or more popular) ones in that category by displaying them face forward rather than spine forward. Some stores even put little labels under books informing the customer that a particular book is favored by staff in the store, and explaining why.

Book selling websites Amazon and 'Barnes and Noble' both have vast catalogs of books available, so many you can be overwhelmed by the choice there. With each site you can drill down into finer and finer categories of choice. So, think back to a book you read in the past that you liked, and consider what its categories might have been. Then drill down into that category and keep drilling down until you find exactly the same sub-category of book as the one you enjoyed: there you should find must read books for you.

Book Lists websites You can Google '1001 books you must read before you die', or some similar phrase and read the lists from the list websites the Google search returns. The advantage of reading a prepared list like this is that somebody has taken time to consider what books are so brilliant that everyone should love them. The downsides are that the list might not explain why a particular tome is a must read, you probably won't like each one listed (for the reasons I explained in my introduction), also, if the list is not recent than newer 'great' books will not be there.

Book Recommendation Websites There are blogs and websites that recommend must read books, and explain why. Some review lots and lots books and you can end up lost in recommendations. Some recommend good recently published books, but don't include the 'classics'. The best websites in my opinion will give you a small list of 'classic must read books' in key genres, and a small list of recently published must read books in those genres. The benefit of small lists is that you don't get bewildered by choice. To find suitable book recommendation websites for you, type 'must read books' or 'good books to read' into Google, explore the results and bookmark/favorite those websites you like.

Is The Beginner's Guide to Candlemaking by David Constable Any Good?

2011-03-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

If you want to learn how to make candles from the first steps, such as ordering the right materials, to decorating this book is an essential buy. It contains everything you need to know to make all kinds of candles including:

Basic candles such as Classic, tapered and rolledMore advanced colored and scented candlesInformation you need to know about container candlesHow to select the materialsAnd much, much more.

About the Author

David Constable is an expert candle maker who has been making beeswax candles for a living for a long time, and has written several books and DVD courses about the subject. If you want the basic techniques of candle making explained so it is easy to understand he is a great choice.

First impression of this book?

It seemed quite a thin book, clearly laid out, easy to read and full of pictures that made it look good. It seems like a book that is really good value for money. The writing is clear, with step-by-step instructions that someone who is just beginning candle making could follow quite easily.

It isn't as detailed as some books I have seen, but is a good taster.

Is this suitable for beginners?

This book is eminently suitable for beginners, providing all the information you need to make your first candle safely and without too much difficulty. The Instructions are detailed, easy to understand, and perfect for someone who is not used to candle making.

Is this book suitable for experts?

Unlike some beginner books, this book has a lot of interesting and useful ideas that will make it a useful but very basic reference to any expert. So, even when you have gone beyond beginners textbooks you will still come back to this book on occasion. It wouldn't be the book I would choose for an expert candle maker, but it is useful.

Would I recommend this book?

This book isn't a comprehensive tome that will cover everything you need to know as you are growing in the craft, but it is a great way to start learning all the most important steps of candle making without getting too intimidating.

The Power (The Second Part Of "The Secret") Review And The Importance Of, Actually Reading It

2011-03-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

If you liked the best-seller book and movie "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne and feel like you did not learn enough from watching the movie and reading the book, and want to INCREASE the knowledge acquired from these sources, then you are going to love this review on "The Power"

I remember when I was a lost Spaniard kid in California (USA for those who live under a rock and don't know where California is) and I came across (I don't know how) the movie "The Secret". I started to watch it and felt engaged. I finished watching it, and started to put into practice everything they said in "The Secret". I was excited! Heck, I had just found out that I could do, be and have anything I wanted! And incredible things started to happen in my life. Furthermore, I started to SEE that the secret is true (and amazing).

I watched and read "The Secret" several times and tried to master it. I loved it! I started to feel better with myself. I started to feel happier. I started to CREATE my path to where I really WANT to be. Now I'm more spiritual than ever before and accomplish more things than ever before. I see WHY I am here and why the world is this way.

And then fortunately, the continuation comes out! It's called "The Power". I see it, check it out... and get it. "It must be great! She wrote everything she learned from "The Secret"!" I thought.

I started to read it and felt engaged again. I finished it in a couple of days! And I can say that "The Power" is more complete and has more content than "The Secret". The bad thing is that there is not a movie yet.

? Rhonda Byrne starts "The Power" with a small introduction of two and a half pages where she tells you that you weren't born to fight, be unhappy and unsuccessful (which I agree), and tells you WHY you really were born for.

? Then the author Rhonda Byrne explains you what the mysterious POWER that brings you happiness and success into your life is.
? Then she talks about the power and frequencies of feelings and explains you how to use the power to have a fulfill life.

I started to read "The Power" just to find out what the power was! I needed to find out because The Secret improved my life A LOT.

As you can see, I think very positively about "The Secret" and "The Power" by Rhonda Byrne because the simple action of READING them and put what I learned into ACTION, with confidence and perseverance, made me GO for my dreams with strength and confidence... and more important, happiness.

Ramon Polo is a coach of entrepreneur mindset and internet marketing who teaches and gives powerful marketing tips and techniques at http://ramonpolo.net/ for those who want to be successful and want others to be successful. He also trains, personally, to entrepreneurs who want to market anything to anyone anywhere in the world. To find out more about his cutting-edge training and tools, visit http://ramonpolo.net/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ramon_Polo

Why Textbooks Are Critical

2011-03-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

Textbooks are an integral part of almost any type of class, whether grade school, high school or college. A textbook can be the main source of information for a class or it can be used as a supplemental to what the teacher or professor is lecturing about.

Once students get to college they sometimes think that there will be no more textbooks, just lectures and notes. This is not true, as college textbooks are often the main source of information for a class. Good college textbooks can be the difference in a good grade and an okay grade. If a lecture is going so fast that there is not enough time to take complete notes or some critical information is missing, chances are that the professor is lecturing based on what is in the text, which means that the information can be accessed after the class in order to complete notes and help cement the information. An example where this is especially true is technical or science class. A class such as chemistry is heavy on math problems and formulas. These are things that are easily missed in class and sometimes the examples used in class do not make the concepts clear. The book will have further examples that can help to clarify concepts and some of those examples could better illustrate the concepts.

Regardless of the subject there will often be study questions related to concepts covered in class. These problems give the student a chance to think more in depth about what is going on in class and to practice what they have learned before it is time for a test. Many college classes only have tests as a way to measure grades, so if the test grades are not good there is no way to improve. By utilizing the end of chapter questions and problems, this lets the student know if there are any particular areas they need to work on before being tested.

Sometimes students balk at having to buy class materials, but this should not have to be a problem. Used textbooks are widely available and many bookstores buy books back at the end of the semester. There are also financial aid programs that help offset costs so that no student has to go without.

These are compelling reasons why texts are critical to academic success and they are by no means the only reasons. Students should be sure to make the investment as this will further academic progress.

Complete Your Child's Book Collection This Christmas

2011-03-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult things you encounter with the seasonal build up to Christmas is trying to figure out what to buy children and young ones for a present. With most kids having everything they want these days, deciding what else to get them can be quite difficult. For our own children we only want the best for them so a great idea for a Christmas gift is buying them a book, whether they already have a collection or you want to invest in their first book. Giving a book can be a great little gift to give, which can reinforce positive ideas within Children that reading is a reward and therefore could encourage them to read more.

If you have young nieces and nephews buying a book can also be a great gift to give if you are really stuck on what to buy them. Also buying books for people can be a much cheaper option than buying expensive gifts such as iPods or games consoles and it is also much more beneficial towards children as it encourages them to read. There are many online book stores to find great children's books, with some offering whole collections.

If your child is into a certain T.V character then many offer collections with favourite children's characters such as In the Night Garden or Thomas the Tank Engine. If your child sees that a book is associated with their favourite characters then it can instantly interest them, so they are more likely to get involved with the story. Books can also be a way for your child to start using their own imagination to build a picture of the story they are reading, which can encourage creativity. Furthermore, not only can you give your child a great story book this Christmas but there are hundreds of educational books online that you could give to your child to help them improve their knowledge and learning.

There are so many online book stores offering extensive collections of Children's and babies books, and all at great prices that can be affordable to you this Christmas. So whether your child is into the magic of Harry Potter and need certain books to complete the collection or they prefer to be creative with an arts and craft book, you can be sure that all these books make excellent Christmas presents that will go down well with all the family and can be a great source of entertainment and nostalgia for your child for years to come.

If you want the best deals on Books this Christmas from Childrens Books [http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_category_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&categoryId=48107] to Fiction books, browse through an extensive collection and order in our online Book Shop today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colin_Williamson

Important Aspects of Horror Books

2011-03-21T05:15:00.000-07:00

Horror has always been a part of our lives through urban legend stories about ghosts. Horror movies are also considered as a very popular mode of entertainment. However, in recent years, there has been a growing craze for horror literature.

It is a human desire to know the unknown especially that is creepy and raises their curiosity. Horror books are full of such stuff and keep readers glued in their plot and mystic characters. This is one of the major factors behind the popularity of this genre in literature. These have the power to help the readers escape to a bizarre world where they forget about the troubles of life, although temporarily.

No doubt, horror stories have been around since the times of yore, but terrifying horror became popular as literature in the 1960s. Their readership has increased immensely in 2000s. This has lead to the emergence of horror books stores in many major cities in the world and ultimately motivated many to become authors.

The aim of horror books is not to scare people but to engage them in a way that they enjoy every moment of reading. These increase the power of visualization in readers. It is a natural tendency with humans to visualize what they hear, feel or read. The heart beat of the reader increases with every incident in the plot and he yearns to know what is about to happen.

The level and intensity of horror element in horror books differs depending upon their target audience. For instance, there are books meant for children that are aimed at developing their imaginative power. These are written in simple English and also depict horror scenes in pictures to help children visualize better. However, it is the tonal aspect of these books that sets them apart from other forms of literature that the books typically revolve around character and plot development. Readers are able to hear every little sound while reading, be it the movement of a shadow or footsteps.

Writing this type of book is an extremely challenging task as the success of a these book depends upon whether it is able to keep the reader's attention from start till end or not. During the nineteenth century Mary Shelly and Ann Radcliffe have won the hearts of their audiences with Frankenstein and The Mysteries of Udolpho, respectively. Some popular horror books that have successfully managed to create a frightening input in reader's senses include 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon', 'The Alibi Man', 'Different Seasons', 'Horror: The 100 Best Books', 'Deadlands' and 'Skeleton Crew'. You can find then in almost every horror book store.

The flourishing horror books market and intense competition has lead to a considerable reduction in their prices enabling the audiences to enjoy them without burning a hole in their pockets. Horror books are also available on the Internet. However, before making a purchase online ensure to check the authenticity of the online retailer and payment modes. This will ensure that your money is reaching the right hands.

Why Books Make the Perfect Gifts This Christmas

2011-03-21T04:20:00.000-07:00

Trying to find the perfect gift for anyone can be a difficult process especially around Christmas time as many people have lots of friends and family to buy for. Unless you are fully aware of exactly what everybody wants it can be difficult having to guess what you think they will like. One gift that everybody will love is a book. With so much choice out there and many different genres and types of books you are sure to find something for everyone. Not only are they a great present but they also have lots of other advantages.

When people learn how to read they should always keep reading for the rest of their life. Reading helps to engage the brain and keep the mind sharp which is important if you want to succeed. Not only is reading good for your mind and imagination but it is also a valuable source of information and a great learning aid no matter what your age. By giving your loved ones the gift of a book it will not only provide enjoyment for them but also help them to become more knowledgeable.

One advantage you can get from reading a book is you have the chance to deepen your vocabulary. The more you read, the more it will be developed. This is because by reading books from great authors you will come across words you have never seen before and be able to use them in the future.

Also books are a great form of entertainment for anyone this Christmas time. Most of your favourite films will have started out as a book. These books are just as exciting and fascinating and let the readers use their imagination to set the scene from the way the author is telling the story and not a director's interpretation.

They are also a great way to get information about something which is bound to interest your loved ones. They are much more reliable than things such as the internet and information that you read is far more likely to stick in your memory. Things such as history, science, comedy and even relationships are all things that you can learn from books.

Finally you can also give people the gift of a book to let them learn more about some of their favourite people. There are lots of biographies on the market ranging from many different public figures and celebrities. Not only are they a good read for everyone but they are also nice to keep forever.

There are so many books to choose from ranging from great novels to biography books and there is bound to be something for everyone this Christmas. Not only for adults and teenagers but there is also a wide selection of children's books [http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_category_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&categoryId=48107] out there.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colin_Williamson

Frederic Fekkai: A Year of Style - A Beauty Guide for Elegant Women

2011-03-21T03:25:00.000-07:00

Frederic Fekkai is a famous French hairdresser who is widely recognized as one of the best hairstylists in the world. He charges $750 for a haircut. He is based in New York, where he has owned a salon on Fifth Avenue since 1989. Fekkai also owns a salon in Los Angeles where he has created celebrity hairstyles for leading Hollywood actresses.

"The only real elegance is in the mind," Vogue editor Diana Vreeland famously said. "If you've got that, the rest really comes from it." Fekkai thinks like Vreeland. "Natural. Effortless. Chic. These words are music to my ears," he writes. "They evoke the very essence of a style that's both simple and elegant." The former art student has an artistic and elegant mind, and so he is able to think elegantly about all aspects of beauty from hairstyles and makeup to clothes and shoes.

A Year of Style, his literary debut, is divided into 12 sections; there is one chapter for each month. Fekkai himself describes his book as "a month-by-month guide to simplicity." For every day of the year there are beauty tips; lifestyle suggestions; or inspirational quotes. These appear in a left-hand column on most pages and supplement the main text. The chapter content usually corresponds with the month. For instance, June has a section on summer hair, and October has a guide on formal evening attire.

The hairdresser's book has an emphasis on hair, but it is also about makeup, skin care, nails, clothes, jewelry, shoes, and entertaining. While there is no dispute about Fekkai's qualifications to write about hair, since he is one of the top hairdressers in the world, he is not nearly as qualified to address other related matters such as makeup and clothes. There are experts in the beauty and fashion industry who are both hairstylists and makeup artists, but Fekkai is not well known for both talents. As readers we don't know how much he leaned on other experts for his content. The book doesn't list any co-authors; it only identifies the photographer who provided many beautiful editorial pictures throughout his book.

Fekkai covers many subjects but he often skims and moves too quickly onto something new when he could have dug deeper on the same topic. The main theme of his book is that simplicity is the key to style, but he can oversimplify. Simplicity is good, but Fekkai can be extremely conservative and a minimalist.

For example, in his section on manicures, he says women shouldn't wear bright nail polish during the day or have acrylic nails. It's always risky to tell women what colors they should wear or like. Neutral colors can be pretty lifeless and boring if you're not an attorney, a librarian, or over 80 years old.

Some women may find the book annoying by its sheer weight. It is much heavier than most beauty books. It is more like a coffee table book--at 2.5 lbs it weighs as much as a laptop! The publisher really should have used thinner paper, especially when the book is designed to be read every day. The text is double-spaced and about every other page has a full-page photo, so there is not as much content as you would want in 288 pages. It is more like a 144-page book.

After a while some female readers could find it a bit obtrusive to hear yet another piece of advice from a man in one more area of their lives. And what woman wants a man to tell her what should be in her purse?! The author is trying to be helpful, but eventually it can feel almost excessive, stifling or controlling.

Some of the daily suggestions which require money indicate the book was written for upper-middle-class or even upper-class readers, i.e., women who can afford to get their hair cut at his salon, or jet off to Paris. But most of his ideas are reasonable and suitable for virtually any income level.

It's a little frustrating that there aren't pictures of Fekkai's best hairstyles. Didn't he think readers would prefer to see pictures of his completed haircuts rather than ones of him cutting hair? His failure to show off his masterpieces was a huge lost opportunity, because a book of them hadn't already been published before this one, and hasn't been created since then.

The title could be misinterpreted to suggest the book is mostly about clothes and not hair because the word "style" is commonly used to discuss clothes. But there isn't that much about clothes; up to half is on hair.

A Year of Style is light and relaxing reading but it doesn't have too many new ideas or unique opinions. Its uniqueness and greatest value may be the basic concept and format where there is daily advice about beauty and lifestyle for an entire year. It can help create the habit of regular attention and focus on a good goal of a simpler and more elegant life.

Fekkai shares some personal anecdotes but not enough. The volume is not an autobiography, but it would have been more interesting if he had shared more entertaining stories from his envied, glamorous life with the rich and famous.

Frederic Fekkai generally takes few risks and avoids all manner of controversy, but one of his strongest statements in the book is that he is against trends. He notes, however, he favors change. His idea is that it is better to wear what isn't trendy but flatters you than to follow a trend which is unflattering for you.

Fekkai's intended audience naturally is women, especially those in their 30s and older, but he also offers some advice for men. One suggestion he made was men could wear evening watches with a mother-of-pearl face even though this style is much more common in ladies' watches. Because the look is fairly subtle, he believes it works for men, too. He has one piece of advice for parents about their kids: they should not get their hair cut at a salon until they are at least five years old.

It's a good book for every woman who enjoys a light air of sophistication. You could call it the "Elegance Bible." It can lift your spirit in many aspects of daily living. It would suit female readers who need to tone down their style a bit, or those who want to keep it conservative. "Less is more" is one of the themes, but it's now almost a tired clich?. Anyone who is tired of minimalism may not like it. He's at the opposite end of the spectrum where there is no escapism or opportunity to let your freak flag fly.

A Year of Style has the feel of a fashion magazine because of its liberal use of editorial photos and beauty tips. So it would be enjoyed by anyone who likes women's magazines. It is also a good book for those who want to slow down and simplify their lives in 2011 without sacrificing style, color, elegance, and creativity. Pick up a copy if you're a very busy person but your new year's resolution or goal this year is to stop and smell the roses.

Manga Vs Manhwa

2011-03-21T02:47:00.000-07:00

It can get confusing understanding the difference between Manga and Manhwa, although they are quite different. Manga is a Japanese comic book with a particular Japanese animation style while manhwa is a Korean comic book and cartoon. What makes them so distinct while seeming so similar? Here are the facts.

Manga, or when the term outside of Japan is used, is meant to describe a type of Japanese drawing that comes in the form of comic books and print cartoons printed in Japan. Since the 19th Century and shortly after World War II, Manga evolved from an earlier history of Japanese art. Since the 1950s, manga has become more and more popular and in the US and Canada market alone, hit a record $175 million in 2008. While it has grown in popularity worldwide, it is and remains to be a huge part of Japanese culture. People of all ages - not just the younger generation read Manga. Containing subject matter that relates to everyone and anyone including suspense, action/adventure, humor and romance, manga characters have sympathetic human characteristic that readers can relate to.

Manhwa on the other hand has many differences that manga. Manhwa has much of Korea's history embedded in the artwork and story lines. It has a style like manga, but unlike Japan's manga, Korean comic animations are still pretty rare in the rest of the world. Manhwa can typically be found in web comics, oriental artistic drawings and print comics. While many of their characters' features are the same, such as the large eyes and exaggerated face, one major difference between manga and manhwa is manhwa has the tendency to have more lifelike features and be less animated than manga. For example, manga tends to have spiky hair while manhwa has more realistically human hair.

Despite the differences between manga and manhwa, both Japanese and Korean cartoons are making huge strides in international popularity. They have become entertainment that people can relate to, whether they live in Korea, Japan or America and whose success continues to rise.

Choose a Book for the Perfect Christmas Gift

2011-03-21T02:09:00.000-07:00

With less than a week till Christmas, shoppers are in a frantic rush to get those last minute presents from online retailers and high street shops. Most people find the hustle and bustle of Christmas very hectic, especially shopping. With so many people to buy for it can be very demanding. However, one of the most stressful parts of Christmas shopping is deciding what presents to buy for friends and loved ones. This can prove difficult, especially for those awkward friends and family members, when you don't have any idea what to buy.

However there is a way you can overcome the problems that arise with present buying when choosing gifts for loved ones and that comes in the form of books. If you are really struggling to find a present then books can be the perfect gift to give this Christmas. There are books from every genre, so not only are they great for book lovers, but almost anyone will appreciate a pleasant, interesting book that deals with a subject they enjoy. From fiction books to biographies, you can find a wide selection of books online, and many at great prices.

Even if the person you're buying for has an unusual interest or hobby there is a book on almost anything. If you are completely unsure on what the person is interested in, cookery books can sometimes be a good option to choose as some people may find the idea of cooking something new and interesting. Online book stores also have a large collection of biographies and autobiographies, so if you know someone who has a favourite celebrity or icon, buying them a book about their favourite idol so they can read up about them can always go down well as a good present. Furthermore if you are finding it difficult to buy books for young ones, there are many children's books online that can make great gifts for children and even babies.

Overall with online book stores the hassle of trying to find those last minutes Christmas presents can be overcome with a great book. Hardback books and biographies make great gifts as well as all other genres of books. It is guaranteed that you can find a book to suit any difficult person to buy for as there are so many to choose from. Not only do they make great presents but they are also a much cheaper option than splashing out on the latest technology available which the person may already own.

If you want the best deals on books this Christmas from Biography books to Fiction books [http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_category_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&categoryId=48122], browse through an extensive collection and order online today.

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"Right Fit Wrong Shoe" by Varsha Dixit

2011-03-21T01:19:00.000-07:00

"Right Fit Wrong Shoe" is a Bollywood-style filmi love story between a dashing boy and a sizzling girl next-door, Nandini and Aditya. The story line is very predictable, depicting typical chemistry between a boy and a girl set in the small town of Kanpur. Nandini's family and Aditya's family are old family friends and their mothers, the best of friends. Their friendship begins with love-hate relationship, starts blossoming after Sarin family becomes neighbours to Sharma family. Firebrand brand Nandini is not our typical girl next door. She is twenty-six year old, passive-aggressive, bubbly, creative, lazy, unambitious, working girl. The sultry siren unaware of her own sex-appeal is like Mount Vesuvius, dormant yet ready to explode when the atmosphere turns scorching. Her philosophy of traditional womanhood mixed with liberal doses of women empowerment makes her simple life complicated. Nandini's spirit cannot be trampled on or tamed. Aditya dares to take on this spit-fire and hopes to master her while teaching her a lesson for some imaginary wrong done to his manly ego. This unorthodox fusion of male-female logic makes for a good light read.

Varsha's writing is fast paced, fresh, witty and dotted with picturesque imagery. The titillating dialogues rivet our interest on the story line. Hinglish phrases, garnished with onomatopoeic words, topped with smart one-liners, keep us energized and in splits. The human relationships are very delicately explored. The book is like a Bollywood movie with each chapter headed by a movie title. Equal importance is given to friendship and female bonding. Nandini and Sneha's friendship is very realistic in its depiction. Sneha always knows what is happening inside Nandini's heart and mind. She prods her to get a life of her own. Their friendship warms the cockles of many a heart as it is a true reflection of how women bond and stand up for one another. It is set in contemporary times and reflects the society as is now, where modernization elbows for space with tradition.

The story opens with a melancho-comic note of Nandini feeling down in the dumps and wasted, when the news of the arrival of the handsome billionaire Aditya into her town, her organization, her family and her life ignites her volcano. Like a chocolate wrapper expectantly is unwrapped to get into the heady-gooey-chocolaty center, Varsha initiates us at a maddening snail-pace into the intricate heart of the stand-off between Aditya and Nandini. The story which had begun with the arrival of Aditya at the opening of the novel moves forward by slipping into flash back after the first chapter. Before we meet Aditya and Nandini, they have already loved and parted ways with a dark secret holding them apart and for which Aditya holds Nandini to emotional ransom. The battle lines are already drawn. The four years that had kept them apart has been bitter years for Aditya who has come back with retribution in his mind.

Nandini, the quintessential woman who has a marshmallow for a heart and oodles of sense in her brain has moved on to make a life for herself. She is a very tough, dynamic head of the designing team at Ace Advertising Agency. She has been working selflessly and tirelessly for peanuts to the most unappreciative lady boss who sells the company at the first chance, while keeping the employees in the dark about it. It so transpires that Nandini, one very depressing-everything-going-wrong-day finds herself without any warning, face to face with her new boss Aditya Sarin. From then on everything goes downhill for Nandini. Her reputation is at stake, her world is off kilter, her families' loyalties are hijacked, she dies a slow death pretending every thing is hunky dory with her and Aditya's mother, while living under Aditya's searing hatred, bearing his verbal whiplash each day and evading skillfully his mischievous-torpedoes, designed to bring down her defenses and strip her down of her self-respect and peer-respect. She also has to run a tight ship of her own department while dodging the slimy advances of her new department boss who has his sexual sights set on her. All in all it makes for an entertaining reading, tickling our funny bone as we read the witty repartee between Nandini and Aditya. Nandini reveals the capacity of a woman to be demure and sultry, conventional yet sexy, down-to-earth and savvy at the same time. She is not the one to sit and cry over split milk or to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Varsha Dixit credibly builds the portrait of Nandini as a lovable, capable, talented and family oriented person which we need every woman to be. A woman is equal to man in every way. When she is taken for granted one time too many, woes beset the man who has trod on her identity. Nandini teaches Aditya what it feels to suffer. When Aditya sees a dolled up Nandini in a t?te-?-t?te with a strange man, ready to accept him her groom if acceptable, shafts of jealousy pierce his heart. Now the right shoe is on the wrong foot. Aditya cannot bear to see Nandini getting married to someone else while Nandini is not ready to give him the time of the day. The verbal missiles fired back and forth by the lead pair absolutely astound us. Now Nandini wants to exact her pound of flesh like Shylock of "The merchant of Venice." Is Aditya going to get a second chance at love? Will they bury the hatchet? What is the dark secret that kept them apart? Will Aditya be man enough to handle Nandini's fearless, feral spirit? To know the answers you must read the novel...

arious

Geetha Kariappa is a research scholar with her area of interest being "Feminist Criticism." She has been involved in the field of Education and Softskills as a teacher and a trainer. She likes reading fiction, short stories and books on travel. She has written articles on woman issues for various literary journals.

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Pitfalls of Looking for Used Books

2011-03-21T00:30:00.000-07:00

I love to read. I can read anywhere, at any time. Whenever I go out, no matter if it's to the shopping centre or out with friends, I bring a book with me just in case there's a couple of minutes where I can fit in a page or two.

I love reading, and I love books, and I especially love second hand books. Second hand or pre-read books always have such a great feel about them, where you can tell that somebody has already read and enjoyed it. I'm always on the lookout for used books for sale, so I know that there are a lot of bad places out there.

Places that boast used books for sale can sometimes be honest places served by people who are just selling books, but others you have to watch out for. Not because they are run by mean and nasty people, although there are a few out there, but there are places that will try to rip you off by selling a book for a lot more than it is worth.

A product is only worth as much as someone will pay for it, some say, and if no one will buy a used book with a torn cover and the back half missing, then clearly this book is not worth the price it is listed for. some stores will allow you to haggle down the cost, if you have seen it for sale new at a price that close to theirs, or if you don't think the book is in a good enough condition, but some places are against this.

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Article Submitted On: January 09, 2011

Book Review: How to Buy and Maintain a Used Car

2011-03-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

The book "How to Buy and Maintain a Used Car: For The Non-Mechanical Person" was written by Brad Crouch and Karl Kiniseley. It was published by American Pacific Publishing Company and is only one hundred and sixty-one pages long. That being said, those one hundred and sixty-one pages are just crammed full of very helpful information. With the auto industry floundering and the economy in a bit of a crisis, knowing how to maintain your own car is a huge benefit. You can save on a high-priced trip to the mechanic's shop and you will not have to go out and buy a new vehicle at a time when there is not that much extra money lying around.

The majority of the book consists of two things. First, it has a lot of information on what to look for when you are thinking about buying a car. Most people do not even know the simple things -- like how many miles a car should have on it, where it is dangerous to see rust, what it means if there is oil on the engine, and the like. The book makes it clear what you should look for and what you should know to evaluate a car before you make a purchase.

Next, the book has a lot of tips for maintaining the car once you own it. It will instruct the reader on all of the simple things that can be done to keep a car in good shape for many years. Often, just these little steps are so important. Changing the oil is one thing that most people have heard of, but the book explores other options that are less well-known. Some of the tips include rotating the tires, checking the brake lines, and keeping the air in the shocks from escaping.

One of the best parts about the book is that it contains a number of drawings and photographs. These are used to show the reader what the writer is talking about and to better illustrate the points that are being made. In many books, this sort of a technique would be distracting. In this book, it is invaluable. Working on a car is a very hands-on process, so being able to see what you are supposed to be doing and what you are supposed to be looking at is hugely helpful when using this book as a resource to do any real work. This also helps people who do not know all of the car-related terms that a mechanic would be familiar with as it makes everything easier to understand.

Gertrude Stein: Melanctha

2011-03-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

I slept with Gertrude Stein, but I'm not gay.

It had been a controversy in my temples, this "gay" thing, but I'm not gay. It is because I read gay books, I work with gays, and I just love their sense of being true to themselves; but I'm not gay "Because gays," says a psychologist "have got sex with the same gender." So if you have not sex with the same gender: you are not gay.

And as for me, I am no Gertrude Stein, but I adore her because I love how she puts her words into music. I like how she pushes through with the good possibilities, and write that appealing clean stories for all to read.

"3 Lives" is the unforgettable stories of three women told with poignancy and compassion by one of the most important writers of our century," says Donald Sutherland, a noted actor with a major in Drama.

Melanctha is a girl loved by everyone, and has done pretty good things like taking care of her mother and being generous to friends. She also would watch the men, and all the things that were busy working. Jeff Campbell gets attracted to her mysterious ways, and she, Melanctha liked Jefferson Campbell: strong, well-built, good looking, cheery, intelligent and good mulatto.

The story of this girl, combines with the story of "The Good Anna" and "The Gentle Lena." Stein's sympathy with how women eke out their living runs deep thoughts in her stories. Her style simple, and with no ambiguity, shows lives of ordinary people around. Repetition is one of her styles. I did not get bored reading the story, because it went through like a chant where you would like to reach the chorus. The characters spin the story naturally, and the conversations don't stop, but give a feeling of excitement. In the end, you would find something in the work, as just like in a poem. Stein chants it well.

"She uses repetition and dislocation to make the word bear all the meaning it has... one has to give her work word by word the deliberate attention one gives to something written in italics," points Sutherland.

In "Miss Furr and Miss Skeen" (check her titles) it says "She was gay exactly the same way. She was never tired of being gay that way. She had learned very many little ways to use in being gay..." and in most of the sentences, she repeats the word "gay." And I, as a reader, find them beautiful, and hence the sleep.

Stein was an acknowledged influence on a number of important writers like Ernest Hemingway, Sherwood Andersen, and Richard Wright.

Thoughts on 'Here Is New York'

2011-03-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

The Book Here is New York

Our library book club organizer Wendy picked this book for our December meeting. Oh boy, what a great discussion on this book at our regular meeting and we had to extend the meeting time. It is amazing to see we are all so exciting and having such great power of passion about this city.

We lived only two hours away from the city and the people from our book club comprise of the three groups. A few were born in the city; some of us were born elsewhere but have lived or worked in the city and the last group in our club are people like me who have visited the city.

We have two retirees, one has lived in the city and the other one has not but used to live in Dobbs Ferry New York, they described what an airshaft is to us. The author mentioned airshaft early part of the book. Many of us have never heard of an airshaft. They talked about the airshafts in the city and the ones in Dobbs Ferry. Those were born in the city said they continue to visit the city three or four times a year, and they said the now city is so different from the then city, yet the spirit of excitement remains the same.

We talked about the author measuring the distance in the city in blocks and between people in inches. When we are in this city either on foot or driving, people always provide us directions in blocks such as only five blocks away instead of saying a quarter of a mile away.

This book has a sense of humor of its own. We laughed at the description where the author compares the commuters as locusts, queerest bird, and prairie -dog. It is enlightening to see a city being described, as a piece of poetry that simply makes life is more beautiful.

This book is not only just a great piece of literature, it is also about how we define our lives, our environment, and about the changes in our lives. Whether you are born or have lived or visited or are planning to visit New York City, you definitely want to read this book to understand the soul of this greatest city. If you don't belong to any of the aforementioned groups, you can give this book to someone who has something to do with New York or someone who enjoys reading as a gift.

Perfect Books for the Holiday Season

2011-03-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

With the winter period now well and truly settled in, many people are finding themselves staying inside a lot more as the UK weather is just too cold to venture out into, while other people are heading abroad to escape the bitter chill. Even so, one perfect way to spend your spare time over the holiday season is by indulging in a book. There are so many different books available that it's not hard to find the perfect one for the holiday season, with many online book stores offering some fantastic prices and deals on all book genres. For some people all this extra time off work may mean they fancy trying their hand at cooking something new, so investing in a new cookbook could be a great way to spend your spare time, whilst also being creative and fun.

Not only is it a great time to brush up on your cooking skills but Christmas time is also a great excuse to spend some quality time with your children. With schools finishing for a two week break, they will need something to entertain them when the novelty of Christmas has worn away, so it could be a perfect time to sit and read children's books with them. This can be fun for both parent and child and it can also be a great way to get them to enjoy reading more and letting their imagination run wild instead of them running wild on all the Christmas party food.

Furthermore, over the holiday season many people go abroad to try and escape the hustle and bustle back home, and also seek warmer climates. Taking a book for the long trip is a must especially with the delayed transport system due to all the snow. Having a book to sit and relax with can be a saviour during the hectic Christmas period, plus if you're lucky enough to be somewhere by a warm beach, reading a book by the sea is a popular way to enjoy your sunbathing or relaxing on the beach.

This year has seen so many great books being released, including many new biography books from our favourite TV personalities and favourite sporting heroes. Biography books can always make for a good read, especially if you are reading one about someone whom you idolise. If biographies aren't your thing then there are thousands of fictional books available that can keep you gripped throughout the winter months too.

Do Hard Things: A Book Review

2011-03-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

"To our parents Gregg and Sono Harris. This book is the message of your lives. Our triumph is your triumph. We love you."

Those words leave a clue. These parents are their children's heroes and role models.

Alex and Brett Harris' father, Gregg was responsible in giving them relevant books to read during their summer vacation when they were sixteen, bored and without direction. The topics include history, philosophy, theology, sociology, science, business, journalism and globalization. From that intense guided summer reading program, the twins started a blog and eventually wrote this life changing book.

Their blog is called The Rebelution which precisely means a teenage rebellion against low expectations.

A thought provoking question that they raised is:

Why is it that young men and women of the past were able to do things and do them well at fifteen and sixteen that many of today's twenty-five to thirty-year-olds can't do? Is it because of young people are now called "teenagers"?

It is an age group that has not been defined positively or clearly by media, society or even parents. Most articles and books written are about, the how to survive or cope with teenagers. According to the book, society does not expect competence, maturity or productivity except trouble from teens. So, what we expect and how we train teens will produce the results of tomorrow. Leaders or great young adults don't just happen..

With that, they want to reclaim the teen year as a launching pad of life. Instead of excuses and failure to launch, the Harris Brothers come up with five hard things teens must do to go against low expectations.

1. Things that are outside your comfort zone. They gave an example of a teen that has not failed anything because he hasn't done anything. He misses opportunity after opportunity to grow, explore, discover and get stronger because he will not get out of his comfort zone. Most people are trap in comfort zone because of fear. Fears are well concealed lies.

2. Things that go beyond what is expected or required or raising the bar. Don't get complacent. Pursue excellence and not excuses.

3. Things that are too big to accomplish alone. The need to collaborate with others because there is strength, to walk with the wise, use technology to grow and the need for support.

4. Things that don't earn an immediate payoff. Doing small mundane things that do not show immediate results is like an exercise routine for the body. It takes time before results show. Make it a sincere effort even when it seems like unwanted tasks.

5. Things that challenge the cultural norm. Do the right things even when others don't, even when it hurts and take a stand no matter what others think when it is the right thing to do.

The authors believe that teens can create a counterculture from scratch and lead a generation that rise above the low expectations. Teens can change the world of music, business, finances, films and missions by doing the hard things in creative and world changing ways.

After reading this book which is written by teens for teens, I have a sense of urgency that we as parents need to step up and raise our bar. Our young people lack role models and support. It confirms the message that I have since launching this blog, is to make this a place where alive, relevant and uncompromising young adults are launched. For that to happen we need to launch first.

Most teens are not doing hard things because, we, their parents are not doing the hard things. Some of us can't even passed five of those hard things listed above. We live in comfort, we crave comfort, we long for comfort, we want, want, want stuff. We complain when it is uncomfortable and inconvenient. According to reports, 95% of adults spend most of their free time on entertainment and only 5% of adults spend most of their free time on self education. It is called our E2E ratio. So, what is our E2E ratio?

On a recent day trip with teens from our local school, I discovered few things that really disturbed me:

1. Some teens need to be entertained at all times. They must have the music blasting in the bus just right after we started our journey. As a chaperone, I asked for the radio to be turned off because I do not agree with the lyrics. That upsets one teen and he demands an answer.

2. Candy wrappers are left everywhere. What happen to civic consciousness? I can't believe it when asked to pick up the wrappers; the teen said it is not his. Hello, I saw it!

3. Some teens do not have the patience to wait for lunch. They whined and complained about being hungry.

4. There is no appreciation from teens for chaperones or teachers. Not a word of 'thank you' after the event.

What went wrong with some teens? Parents, are we just hoping that our teens will turn out to be great young adults or are we doing the hard things? What are your thoughts on that? As a parent, I am not perfect. I have my share of mistakes, but boy, do we need help!

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Claudia is a mother of 2, wife and stay at home and work from home mom for 16 years. She desires to see parents stepping up to be their best and raising up a generation of uncompromising, relevant and purposed driven adults. She believes traveling, volunteering and learning another language in addition to English are important tools for educating children.

You can find her at http://www.uncommongeneration.com/. You can download a FREE REPORT:
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Russell Solomon - A New Mystery Author

2011-03-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Often thought of as simply a journalist, Russell Solomon surprised a lot of people when his first published thriller, "The Lost Pendulum of Montrose," was so well received. One reviewer even stated with surprise that he couldn't believe that this was Solomon's first novel, since the book had the feel of someone who had been writing thrillers all his life.

In some ways, Russell Solomon always did have a hand in the thriller market in his life as a journalist and paleontologist. His interest in ancient relics, graveyards and the secrets they keep led him to finally sit down and write this incredible piece of fiction. If you are a lover of the occult and enjoy the lure of a good mystery, then you might find it hard to put this one down.

Although Russell Solomon has been working primarily as a mainstream journalist in the Southern California area for much of his life, his passion has always been paleontology. From finding a bone buried in his Los Angeles backyard as a child to doing research on some of the world's premier digs, he likes to say that he "knows his bones" and can whip any find into a frenzy of fiction.

"The Lost Pendulum of Montrose" brings together all of Solomon's journalistic skills as well as his many years in formal paleontology and cultural anthropology study. The plot revolves around a small town in New Hampshire and the incredible story that is discovered after a find in the local graveyard. Much like some of the real-life mysteries that Solomon writes about, you will be surprised at the horror and terror that people lived through, with their story told only long after they are gone. This is an incredible first novel by any standards, and thankfully Solomon is already working on his next one.

The Exciting World of Graphic Novels

2011-03-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, this is mainly for our people interested in graphic design, and illustrating. But I guess copywriters can also benefit from having a peep, after all this is about telling stories and as we all know that the great ads that we all remember are slices of everyday life (remember the Dhara audio visual, where a little boy decides to leave home in a sulk and how he is enticed back home with the promise of hot jalebis?).

But let us get on with our subject: graphic novels. What are they exactly? They are essentially comics with a slight difference. Their subject matter is not restricted to the exploits of superheroes or mythical characters; rather they embrace the ordinary life and are either fictional or non-fictional in strain. In other words, they are just like a story or a novel or even a report, only they use the comic book format of panels and blurbs.

Popular throughout the world, the interest quotient for graphic novels is on the upswing in India, as is the demand for comics. In India, it was in 1944 that Orijit Sen came out with 'River of Stories,' a compelling comic about a young activist confronting the tragedy of the Narmada Dam Project. It is often credited with introducing the graphic novel form in India. The genre became the talk-of-the town with the best selling Corridor by Sarnath Banerjee in 2004. He followed it with another in 2007 called The Barn Owl's Wondrous Capers.A page from Corridor

Right now for people interested in graphic design, graphic novel is a very exciting medium as far as India is concerned and later this year; Bhimayana, a stylish graphic novel on the life of Dr B R Ambedkar drawn in the Gond art style (the current favorite of world art) is expected to hit the stands.

However, the term 'graphic novel' is supposed to have originated as a cover up. In 1978, artist Will Eisner had drawn a comic with a difference. While talking to a big shot publisher over the phone, he came up with this term, in order to meet him, as, if he had said 'comic book', the publisher would have refused.

This is how it started

Maus book

However, one must not forget to mention Art Spiegelman's MAUS in this context. An account of surviving the holocaust, this graphic novel in two parts won a Pulitzer Prize Special Award in 1992 and added gravitas to the art form. Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, came out in 2003 to great critical acclaim and is about a girl coming-of-age in war-torn Iran. In fact it became so popular that in 2007, an animated film adaptation of the graphic novel was created, with author Satrapi co-directing with French comic artist Vincent Paronnaud.And last but definitely not least, the latest exciting book on the block is Logicomix: An Epic

Logicmix book

Search for Truth about the foundational quest in mathematics. Published in 2009, this graphic novel has garnered a lot of buzz by successfully turning out a graphic novel on the history of mathematics.

Book Club Book Criteria - New

2011-03-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

The book clubs that include me as a member have criteria for selecting our books but that criteria is general in nature.? For instance, one book club reads books that contribute to our professional and personal development because all of us are business owners wanting to stay on top of business issues and keep our businesses thriving.? That book selection criteria generally eliminates a lot of book types such as: cook books, mysteries, novels, fiction, travel, pets, comics, etc.? As a result, we have all strengthened our businesses, learned from each other and filtered out the nuggets of wisdom from experts who have written books about business.

Another book club I am in contemplates reading books that have been recommended to us by other book clubbers or that look enticing.? We collect a long list that includes brief descriptions.? Then we vote on the ones we will schedule for our year, making sure we get a good variety.? It's all so democratic and works quite well.

None of my book clubs talk about what we want the book to DO for us in specific terms.? In reading a recent book, I have come up with a new criteria that I want to look for in other book selections.

I just completed Flash Foresight by Daniel Burrus and am completely and totally revved up.? After I read about one quarter of the way through the book, I wanted to abandon it because I had so many ideas and just couldn't sit still.? I persevered and completed the book and kept getting revved up more and more after each chapter.? Now - hold me back!

Here's the book I am discussing.? If you want to click below and buy it through Amazon, I'd love you for it because I would get a few pennies, but what I REALLY want from you is a revved up discussion.

I am feverishly looking for others who have read this book so that we can discuss how it has changed us. My mind has been expanded is so many ways about how we can approach and have control over our future.? This book has seriously affected my approach to getting a new game I have developed out to the marketplace (more about that later).

I have put the pressure on my daughter-in-law to read the book (she's quite a reader) for my own selfish need to discuss this brilliant and exciting book.

So my recommendation to all my book clubs and to all book clubs around the world is to build a list of criteria that you wish your books will meet.? This criteria might include:

1.? learn more about a topic or issue

2.? be inspired to do something differently

3.? learn what not to do

4.? find content that stimulates thought

5.? read a book that simply makes you feel good about something (love, life, family, earth...)

6.? read a book about an issue dear to you

7.? learn about other people and cultures

8.? read a book that inspires discussion

9.? read a book that is opposite of your own views

10.? READ A BOOK THAT GETS YOU SO REVVED UP!

If you read Flash Foresight and want to tell me how it changed your approach to your future, please pleases let me know!? I want to hear from you.

Book Magic

2011-03-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

The Bible is said to the bestselling book of all time with estimated figures of a whopping 6 billion prints to date. Doubtfully, if there is any other book that can ever surpass that. Truth is, the advent of book printing has dated back in history through the lives of what we read about today in the ancient scriptures.

New York City: known throughout the world for reviewing books and endorsing books with captions like "New York Times Bestseller" pays tribute to the magic that makes so many NY settlers bookworms. You can find people reading books literally anywhere, from kiosks to buses and trains. New Yorkers are known throughout the world as having so much passion in reading books.

There is something about books that make this hand stuff come handy to a lot of people. While the trend of reading through eBooks and PDF files in the computers have considerably risen, there are still those who find pleasure in ticking the pages of this age-old marvel.

The magic of books isn't only true to the adult bookworms. Some of the young ones already expressed interest in books by flipping through pages even at dismal ages. They sort of just play through them and a mother can truly find such joy as little ones get so much happiness from such exercise. Could it be that even before children get their senses, they already have this innate connection with books? I begin to wonder so I started to ask around and sit with mothers. Gladly, they said one common thing. It is actually the mothers that established such connection early on they always love the idea of smart kids. The direct influence of youngsters having this predisposition to be connected to books are actually the significant others around the young one.

While this innate connection is under threat due to the recent technological advancements of the computer and the internet, books still deliver efficiently the very purpose they were bound for. Knowledge is power, and with that, books that deliver knowledge is a bridge that connects those that love knowledge and the power that comes along with it.

The magic that brings have might be strong enough for it to endure this long. The first recorded manuscripts ever written would have to be the first five books of the Hebrew torah. What's amazing is that even through all the length of time since that first time when those books were first written, they have never lost their luster. Today, the magic of books is still very much alive as the world finds the greatest guidance, inspiration and hope from the pages of the world's oldest--- the Bible.

The Magic of Making Up Review: A Guide

2011-03-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

The Magic of Making up consists of a total of 8 chapters. Each chapter covers a stage of relationship that has been broken and the reasons why it did not work out in the first place. It also tells you how you can save the broken relationship and the feeling that you experience in the process. The book also gives the painful truth if your relationship is cannot be saved because after all, not all "meant-to -be's" are actually meant to be. The book also gives you tips on how to move on from painful break-ups gracefully. However, if you feel in the bottom of your heart that you are really meant to be together, then The Magic of Making up provides you certain procedures you need to follow in order for you to achieve your goal which is to be with the person you love most and at the same time, the one who loves you the most. With that being said, still the author gave consideration to each and every different situation which we should be glad for.

The first two chapters cover the arguments as to why your once wonderful relationship suddenly ended. These first two chapters also will also advice you to be calm and not to panic after a break-up plus it will slowly make you realize the things you should consider in order for you to regain your trust in your ex. Chapter three will be most helpful to you as it helps you evaluate the things that went wrong that lead to the break-up and at the same time weigh the odds of your relationship whether if it still can be saved or it is really a big mistake. It is the most important chapter because you will learn a lot from it. You don't want to be in the position of reuniting with your ex only to break-up again.

The next chapter is for those who figured out that there relationship actually can be saved. This is the most exciting chapter as it gives you steps on how to rekindle your passion for each other, also on how to reignite the spark that was once lost, and rediscover the desire that you have for each other. It will be like you are falling in love for the first time once again.

When the time finally comes that you and your ex are back in each other's arms, The Magic of Making up will give you helpful tips on how to keep your relationship healthy and keep the fire burning between you and your new "old" loved one. In conclusion, the author, is right on the money in almost all of the chapters.

The Slight Edge Audio Book by Jeff Olson

2011-03-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

Getting on the right path can sometimes seem very difficult, especially with all the numerous obstacles that tend to arise on a day-to-day basis. It might seem as though you are always one step behind the game, never quite able to catch up with the rest of world. In The Slight Edge Audio Book by Jeff Olson, you'll discover how you can do it all yourself, and in less time than you think.

One of the things this book talks about is separating yourself from negative people. When you are surrounded by negative people - friends, family, co-workers, etc., their energies surround you and may potentially interfere with obtaining what it is you want. The truth is that some people really can't get ahead because their ambitions and energies are being blocked. There are people who are surrounding them that are filled with so much negativity that it is almost impossible. Fortunately, it is really "almost" impossible, not completely. There is a way to get away from those individuals without hurting them and allowing them to hurt you anymore.

Another thing that The Slight Edge Audio Book by Jeff Olson talks about is breaking bad habits and adopting healthier ones. Your bad habits will get in the way of achieving your goals. Something that people do everyday is procrastinate. They can't seem to summon the desire necessary to complete tasks either because they're too lazy or too busy making excuses. This audio book will teach you how to stop procrastinating and put the pep back in your step so that you actually want to get back up and do something about your life. '

The Slight Edge Audio Book by Jeff Olson helps people come to the realization that this is the only life you have. If you don't do something about what it is you want, you're going to end up standing still watching your life pass you by. You'll notice that everyone else is out having a ball, while you're still at home, jobless, without love, without a vehicle, and without a purpose. In order to obtain, you must get out and work for what you want. However, before you can do that, you must know how to succeed.

You'll also discover how to strengthen your positive relationships and form newer one's with people in authority who can help you achieve what you want. When people have "pull", they generally have it pretty easy. It really is all about who you know in life. What's even better is when you can make people like you at the drop of a hat. Being a likeable individual definitely has it's benefits. People who are well-liked usually have minimum problems and stress in life. Their lives just seem to flow naturally and as a result, they are able to obtain everything they want and need.

The Slight Edge Audio Book by Jeff Olson provides effective techniques for making a real change in your life. Anyone can feel inspired, but will the really ever do anything about it? The teachings in this program are designed to jolt you into action and make you want to do something about your current situation.

The Book Behind "The Secret"

2011-03-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

How often does one thing galvanize the whole world? Every two thousand years or so? Sometimes ideas touch our consciousness in just such a profound way. That's precisely what Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret" has done. "The Secret" is creating quite a stir with people and it just keep getting stronger and stronger.

There was one little note at the very beginning about getting "a glimpse of a great secret." I didn't pay much attention to that. Then I heard some people talking the other day about the book that gave her that glimpse! The book was written over 100 years ago and, like the purloined letter, has been sitting in the open ever since. Bob Proctor, a guru in "The Secret," says it has been motivating him for over 30 years.

I got a copy of this self help book and have been reading it, and it's making changes in my life already! From a historical perspective, this book was written when many people were redefining new ways of looking at their relationship with the universe. Many of the New Thought pioneers like Edgar Cayce, Ernest Holmes and the Filmores were bringing new ideas to public awareness.

One of the important topics in this self help book is that it is our imperative to experience prosperity in our lives| Although we read many comments about spiritual prosperity, many people still think it is the opposite of material abundance. In this book we are shown that if we learn how to think in a "certain way" we will learn to work with the "formative substance of the universe" to create spiritual riches in our lives.

This is a list of some of the headings in this book:

The Right To Be Rich
Increasing Life
Gratitude
Thinking In The Certain Way
Acting In A Certain Way
Getting Into The Right Business
The Advancing Man

Here are a couple of the precious gems from this book:

"It is perfectly right that you should desire to be rich; if you are a normal man or woman you cannot help doing so. It is perfectly right that you should give your best attention to the Science of Getting Rich, for it is the noblest and most necessary of all studies. If you neglect this study, you are derelict in your duty to yourself, to God and humanity; for you can render to God and humanity no greater service than to make the most of yourself."

"There is a Science of getting rich, and it is an exact science, like algebra or arithmetic. There are certain laws which govern the process of acquiring riches; once these laws are learned and obeyed by any man, he will get rich with mathematical certainty."

Are you interested in learning more? This book is in the public domain and you can get a copy at no charge at http://HolisticHealthHotline.com/secret/. We want you to have a copy so you can find out about the more wealthy life that you deserve.

P.S. Remember, this is not idle fantasy or unproven thoughts.Quantum physics tells us that events are modified by the observer. Let's take conscious control of our lives!

Critique of Richard Dawkins' Book, The God Delusion

2011-03-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

By Bennie N Winter Bennie N Winter
Level: Platinum

An avid reader and student of physics and metaphysices since childhood, the author has accomplished major breakthroughs in both fields: such conclusions derived in the ...

Professor Richard Dawkins denounces God existence with a bibliographic mass from numerous scientists, theologians, and philosophers. In his second major effort to promote atheism, he again denigrates humanity's limp toward theism. Based on bias, opinion, and idiosyncratic diversity, he pens a non-sustaining apologetic for his long-held promotion of disbelief.

Notwithstanding a great grasp of language, the eminent academician attempts to evaluate an idiom lying far outside his field of expertise. This is not Dawkins' first expedition into the Bible's profuse and puzzling cabala (code). In THE ANCESTOR'S TALE, he leads readers on an intriguing journey from origins of life to evolutionary development within bio-diversity. Dichotomizing science and religion, he states the obvious in science logic: "Where science scores over alternative worldviews is that we know our uncertainty, we can often measure its magnitude, and we work optimistically to reduce it." The observation reeks of logic; yet, in the area of metaphysics, Richard Dawkins forsakes logic to promote unconditional rejection of traditional religion's iconolatry (worship of images or icons). His failure to intercept first century etymologic transformation and convention's interpretative stagnation is revealing: "From a strictly cladistic (phylogenetic relationship and evolutionary histories of organism groups, bw) point of view, however, the vertebrate/invertebrate distinction is an odd one, nearly as unnatural as the ancient Jewish classification of humanity into themselves and 'gentiles' (literally everybody else, bw)." Here, Dawkins strays from science into religion's linguistic trap; for, as is already proven in recent research, 'everybody else' is a capitulation to tradition's 'gentile' rationale!

Early on, in THE GOD DELUSION, Richard Dawkins defines 'perception of reason' as an 'evaluation of thought'; at the same time, he attempts prejudiced opinion as an evaluation of fact: i.e., "I believe God does not exist; therefore, if Einstein and other scientists voice like sentiments, then, it must be so.' In Ben Winter philosophy, two such premises cannot produce a related fact. They can lead only to another opinion. Such is not grounded in syllogistic reasoning. Logic must separate the wheat and chaff of evidence and desire from its synecdoche storehouse and thus earn a place in syllogistic standing.

Proof of argumentation lies neither in discipline tidbits nor in discipline creeds, but rather in the legal-historical immutability of biblical context. Only proof or un-proof found in Bible interior is liable to the efficacy of theism or atheism. Dawkins addresses many shades of belief: theism, deism, agnosticism, and atheism: each holding its own obligation to linguistic limits and not to casual acceptance. Quoting many theorists, thinkers, and philosophers, he fails to include a quote from the renowned Immanuel Kant: "No man has the intellect to deny another man's God."

Dawkins' book is more about cultural inheritance, than proof-positiveness of atheism or factual dismissal of theism. Of either, proof is noticeably absent. But if you like an intellectual read, you might like this book. This critique author challenges either atheist or theist to further debate on the strictness and limits of Bible language and to further investigate syllogistic accountability.

Ben Winter, particles physicist, Bible scholar, and author of "THE GREAT DECEPTION: Symbols And Numbers Clarified," reveals there 'is' something new under the sun -- that is, for modern Bible students, addressing a correctness of language and true intent of the major Bible topics: solves Bible mysteries, defines Gog and Magog, reveals Daniel He-goat's surprising identity, daring to number the all important Ten Ages. Sign up for FREE book critiques at http://www.winterbriar.com/ and view more articles in blog format at http://blog.thegreatdeception.net/.

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Have You Ever Listened To An Audio Book and Found It Terrible?

2011-03-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

Have you tried an audio book and gotten so bored you almost feel asleep?

Have you had a narrator that was so monotone that you could not remember where you left off as it all sounded the same.

Unfortunately these things are possible for many types of audio books.

When you were young and had one of your parents reading a book to you, was it exciting or boring. Did you ask one parent to have the other parent read to you as one was boring and monotone compared to the other that contributed sound effects or changed voices or exaggerated pitch or sounds.

Sadly to say, many people that read books aloud are just that way. They are boring and many are monotone.

Many free sites are like that as almost all books are read by volunteers. They mean well but they are boring readers and the books sound like they were bored reading it to you.

Then we have audio book companies that are trying to provide very inexpensive books using any reader they can get for low prices. You never can tell what you will get out of these readers. Some are exceptional while most others are boring.

There are professional readers out there but you will pay top dollar for these readers and unfortunately they have to charge more for these books. But the books, for the most part, are very exciting to listen to.

How do you know which are good and which are not so good? Many book stores have 5 minute snips of the book being read by the book's narrator. You can listen to the book and see if it sounds like something you would be happy listening to.

You will occasionally find that a celebrity will narrate audio books as a way of earning money when they are not doing movies or tv programs. How much do you think they will charge? The same as Joe Blow? Not hardly, but those books are pretty good compared to many others.

Then you have readers who make a living reading books into a microphone. If you find them in fifty audio books or more do you think they may be good? In general, they are very good and well worth listening to.

To conclude, it is very easy to find the same book narrated by two or more different people and have completely different results. Even having a play done with an understudy can be better or worse then the star doing the part in that play.

So be careful and once you find an audio book store that provides great books with very good narrators then continue using them. Normally they will have thousands of books from very good companies.

Book Club Picks - What to Know Before You Sign Up to One

2011-03-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

If you love books, you probably have an eye out for quality book club picks out there - new clubs that will give you new recommendations on directions your reading can take in the future. Book clubs aren't just different in the areas of literature they operate in. They can also go about how they operate in somewhat different ways. How do you find out about which book club to join? On the surface, they seem to all mirror one another for the most part? The brochures they put out often seem to promise the same kinds of things for your membership. Sometimes, some of them can be scams that don't give you anything valuable for your money. Book club picks are difficult to evaluate. And it could be a reason why there are so many interested readers out there who still aren't a part of a book club.

What kind of scams are you in for with the wrong book club picks? You could choose a book club that tacks on charges in a sneaky way to begin with. But clubs like Quality Paperback Book can leave members feeling like they've been taken for a ride even if there is nothing sneaky about their method of business. Buy a book from them, and their prices quoted are far higher than what you would get on Amazon; not to mention, their shipping charges can appear outrageous. But that's not what it looks like when you first sign up on QPB. Right away, as soon as you sign up, they give you four books for a dollar each. And the membership is free to sign up to, too. On top of that, the first book you buy after you're done with your four one-dollar books, you get for $5. If you are trying to make your mind up among Quality Paperback Book, Literary Guild, Book of the Month Club or Doubleday, you need to know that these are just several websites run by the same parent group.

You'll get the same kinds of introductory offers, prices and shipping charges once the introductory honeymoon is over. Even when you are enjoying your introductory offer, each book you order will cost about $15 to ship. If you order all your books at the same time, you could save something substantial. If you order your books one and a time, you won't be saving anything at all, so expensive is the shipping. In a world where Amazon gives you free shipping on all orders over $25, it's amazing that a book club could get away with such expensive shipping charges.

Holiday Romance With Award-Winning Author Josh Lanyon

2011-03-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

An acclaimed voice in gay fiction, author Josh Lanyon has been writing gay mystery, adventure and romance for over a decade. Lanyon is the winner of the 2006 USABookNews awards for GLBT Fiction, an Eppie Award winner and a three-time Lambda Literary Award finalist. In addition to writing the critically acclaimed Adrien English series, which includes THE HELL YOU SAY, Lanyon is the author of numerous short stories, novellas, and novels.

With gay fiction making big inroads with a new set of readers, namely heterosexual women who enjoy male/male romances, I had the opportunity to find out more from Josh about his new release, "Icecapade", a novella which is part of a holiday anthology titled HIS FOR THE HOLIDAYS being released by Carina Press.

What is the premise for "Icecapade"?

"Icecapade" is a contemporary m/m romance about a retired jewel thief and his decade long game of cat and mouse with an embittered FBI agent.

I love FBI Agents as heroes! Can you tell us a little more about him?

Noel Snow is a clever and mostly unrepentant jewel thief who happens to fall for the FBI agent assigned to catch him. A fall ends Noel's career, but Robert Cuffe shows up one Christmas Eve accusing him of being involved in a string of new cat burglaries.

This anthology is first coming out as e-book only. What made you decide to go this route instead of trying to be published in print?

Not every book is right for mainstream publishing. M/M romance is huge in ebooks but practically nonexistent in mainstream. If you know your market and you've branded yourself effectively, you can make a very decent supplementary income -- especially if you're writing in a hot niche such as m/m romance. There's a loyal and dedicated readership and the majority of epublishers pay royalties monthly.

You're story is set in remote upstate New York at Christmas. How did this location influence your characters or storyline?

It's very much a quirky holiday romance (it's got a little bit of everything, including the rescue of a baby llama). I was hunting for a snowy, semi-rural area -- not too far from civilization -- and I found this little town with a lot of nice galleries and shops and horse farms, and I knew this was the place Noel would go to ground and try to start his life over.

What is your writing schedule like and do you have any rituals that you do before you start writing?

My schedule is brutal. I did something like seventeen projects in 2010. I start my day at 6:00 and work through eight or nine at night. Half the time I don't even stop for lunch. Granted, that day's work includes email and promotion as well as writing.

My ritual is to get up, get dressed, get to work. I earn my living writing so there's no room for waiting on inspiration to knock. It would far more likely be a bill collector! It's a job like any other -- it just happens to be a job I adore.

Do you plan your novels in advance or just go with the flow of the story?

I plot novels out. Novellas and short stories I pretty much let flow. I think, though, some people misunderstand plotting. It's not like once the book is outlined, it's written in stone. Creativity is organic. Characters grow throughout the course of the story and the plot alters. That's part of the fun. I just like having a general idea of where I'm headed before I jump in the car and start driving.

What are you working on now and what will readers have to look forward to in the future?

I'm currently working on the edits for Snowball in Hell, a gay mystery-romance. Carina Press is re-releasing the title in spring of 2011. It's the first book in a new series about a newspaper reporter and a LAPD homicide detective during World War 2.

HIS FOR THE HOLIDAYS, including Josh's "Icecapade" hit the various online bookstores on December 6th. For more information on Josh and his work, you can visit him at joshlanyon.com, follow Josh on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=557926522 or check out his tweets as @JoshLanyon.

Caridad Pineiro is the USA TODAY and NY Times bestselling author of over twenty novels. STRONGER THAN SIN, her November release, is her 25th publication and the second book in the exciting new paranormal suspense SIN HUNTER series from Grand Central Publishing. For more information on Caridad, please visit http://www.caridad.com/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caridad_Pineiro

Severino Montano's "Sabina": A Review of a Philippine Tragedy in English

2011-03-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

Sabina, the main character of the play, is not of noble birth in the first place. In other words, the requirement that a tragic hero should be of noble birth was disregarded. She is the only daughter of a poor family in Kawakan. However, there is a replacement for that shortcoming, and that is Sabina's disposition in the beginning of the play-she is very happy! The essence of nobility requirement of the play is to show that the tragic hero is "happy" with nothing to worry about money and other vanities. In the play, Sabina may not be of noble birth but she compensates for that in her happiness. This is important for us to see the fall of the tragic hero, not from nobility to poverty but from happiness to despair. Her great esteem and faith for her love were very important to consider as a replacement for her lack of nobility. In the end, we see a sudden change of heart. She almost became insane when she discovered that Mr. George Price is a married man. Therefore, the downfall of Sabina is not her death, but her sudden change from her ultimate happiness to her ultimate grief.

Sabina has a tragic flaw indeed that caused her downfall-she was so naive and gullible. A tragic flaw, or hamartia, is needed for a tragedy to be tragic. The tragic hero should not be killed nor made suffer by others without his flaw being the reason. If that happens, that would make the play dull if not stupid. The action in the play should happen due to the hero and his tragic flaw. And that what happened to Sabina. She was so innocent, believing in true love. She even chose Mr. George Price over her family and relatives. She believed that they would be happy and nothing should matter. She even gave herself up to Mr. Price because of her love, her naivety, her stupidity. When she reached the stage of anagnorisis, realizing that she could never be married with Mr. Price because he was already married, making the situation worse by her pregnancy, she killed herself. Was she consistent to her character? To her tragic flaw? Yes. She killed herself after realizing that she could never be married with her love, realizing that she disgraced her family, realizing that she has no one to turn to and realizing that she had a bastard for a son. For a naive tragic heroine like Sabina, killing herself was indeed properly motivated. She was doomed to make an error in judgment in killing herself, foreshadowed by everything she did prior to her anagnorisis.

When Sabina realized her irreversible mistake, she was quick to deny it, yet suddenly she accepted it (or so we were made to think before she shot herself). But, as Aristotle described it, Sabina never accepted her death with honor: one reason, her death is sudden, although it is plausible and properly motivated; second; in the Philippine setting, there is nothing honorable in death. So, we see that this play does not agree with that part of Aristotle's concept of tragedy.

Before and at the end of the play, we feel pity and fear. There is indeed a Catharsis at the end of the play. We pity Sabina for what she experienced, and we fear, at the same time, that we may experience that same grief someday. There is a great probability in the play: a probability that one may fall in-love and be blinded by that love; and, after all has been said and done, after one has fought for that love and sacrificed everything, the only thing one gets is pain. Nobody wants to get hurt, especially if the pain is from the one you truly love. Sabina was disillusioned indeed. She was like the moths flying around the lamp given by Mr. George Price. "They never knew they were moths until their wings get burned," as Arturo Rotor puts it in "Zita." Purgation of emotions can indeed be seen in the play.

The tragic vision in the play seems so difficult to find. It may be the remorse of Sabina. When she tried to talk to her brother about her problem, it may seem to be the "hope" that the play shows. Yet, she killed herself so there is nothing "hopeful" and triumphant in that scene. Then, when she killed herself everyone wept. We also discovered that Mr. George Price did not really leave her, and he really loved her. We discovered that her family and her relatives did not really hate her, but were only worried for her. They loved Sabina. They just did not know how to say or show it properly to a naive girl whose dream is only to find happiness. The lament of her relatives at her death and their exhibition of their love when she died, despite her having fought and shouted at them, is the tragic vision in the play. That is the light that the audience see after the tragic heroine's death. They were not really mad at her; they were only concerned for her well-being and her honor-the one thing that she was not able to see.

Tragedy has evolved through the years since Aristotle wrote his Poetics. Many writers have followed his concepts, but we see now that many writers too have deviate from the traditional concept of tragedy, especially with the sprouting of new approaches in the study of literature. However, one cannot deny the fact that Aristotle was the one who first thought of common criteria in the study of the drama, especially tragedy, which made him very important in the study of literature.

In Sabina, one sees that a play can be tragic without having to follow strictly the rules Aristotle conceptualized. However, the play seems so abrupt. Though the dilemma is plausible and the death of Sabina is properly motivated, the dialogue between Sabina and Mr. Price seemed to be far-fetched from reality, i.e. his confession of his true civil status. It could have been more dramatic, more emotional on the part of the man. But, possibly, Montano was giving way for actors' and directors' interpretation of the dialogue. Generally speaking, the play is one of the best representatives of Philippine play in English.

Mark Anthony G. Moyano
Instructor
Department of English & Humanities
College of Arts & Sciences
Central Luzon State University
Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija
Philippines

Ph. D. in Literature (in progress)
Philippine Normal University

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Anthony_Moyano

The Novels of Linda Wells - Jane Austen Sequels at Their Best

2011-03-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

By D B Abernathy D B Abernathy
Level: Platinum

D B Aberbathy is an avid reader and oserver of life. She ejoys writing on a number of topic in her free time.

Author Linda Wells, got her start writing Jane Austen sequels in the world of fan fiction. Her work has been loved by many over the years, and she has developed into a fine author. Her novels, unlike some of the others currently in print, focus on the relationships and complexities between characters as they come up against angst-filled twists and turns in their already complicated lives.

Her first three novels entitled Chance Encounters, Fate and Consequences, and Memory all focus on difficult social structures, which aim to keep Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet apart as they try to fight a deep admiration and growing passion for each other.

In Chance Encounters, Elizabeth and Darcy meet prior to the Meryton assembly at the theater in London. Their first impressions are long-lasting and it paves the way to different kind of relationship between them.

Fate and Consequences, centers on Wickham's successful elopement with Georgianna Darcy. Mr. Darcy and his cousin Fitzwilliam track her down and recover her in the small town of Meryton, where he is immediately taken by the kindhearted, and genteel Elizabeth Bennet. Darcy then struggles with how proper it could possibly be, in light of her ruin, to offer for someone he once thought was well below him socially but now knows that he can not live without.

Memory, her most intriguing novel, is a Regency Jane Austen sequel, which is actually more of a prequel. Elizabeth Bennet meets Mr. Darcy, when she is still but 15 in a London park. Although the two never forget each other, their struggles are many as they try to forget each other and give up their foolish dreams of ever meeting again. They come together once again in the ensuing years as they both fight the demons of the past to secure their love.

Mrs. Wells, only modern Jane Austen sequel to date is The Perfect Fit. Darcy is still your extremely wealthy businessman, and Elizabeth is a writer of popular fiction for young adults. The two butt heads as they struggle to find their way to everlasting love, but this novel is one which has been well updated to firmly place our favorite hero and heroine in our modern world.

Mrs. Wells is currently working on her fifth novel, entitled Imparative Regency, which finds Georgianna pregnant after her elopement with George Wickham. She believed herself to be married, although was duped ended up losing her virtue instead. Mr. Darcy decides he must find himself a bride, and then pass the Babe off as their own. This novel promises to be her most angst filled yet, and shows Mrs. Wells development as an author as both her plots and characterizations have become increasingly complex.

If you are looking to have a totally different take on Austen's original characters, Linda Wells novels and JA sequels are great place to start. They are all incredibly and aging, well-written, and will have you seen Austen's original characters in a much different light than you ever have before.

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Article Submitted On: February 08, 2011

The Marriage Motif in Almost Single

2011-03-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

Advaita Kala in "Almost Single" makes a pertinent observation on the institution of marriage- is marriage the be all and end all of womanhood as decreed through convention? Patriarchal society's utterances on any matter pertaining woman have been treated as inscriptions on stone. Marriage has been a status woman strives to reach for, but has this concept changed with woman becoming self-confident and savvy? Has education and western exposure made woman think twice before biting the proverbial marriage apple? Advaita Kala compels the reader to ponder on these issues.

Aisha, the saucy, modern heroine of "Almost Single" is a quixotic blend of the East and the West. She is liberated yet the vision of marriage holds her spellbound. Her single-status world, comically labeled by her as 'raft', denigrates women in India, of over twenty-nine and single. Misha, her friend advises her to scour for grooms in matrimonial web sites, illustrating our generation's desperation to get boy and girl maritally hooked up, no matter what. Aisha echoes a modern girl's dilemma of-shall I marry or not marry for love. We the readers get indoctrinated through the novel, to various agents and rituals which help a girl look out for eligible bachelors, get a chance to impress them and the spiritual aids to keep them by their side.

Even when empowered and amused at the need to have a man in her life, Aisha craves to get married for society's sake. Kala has hit spot on, the raw nerve of Indian society which inspite of being in the global arena looks at woman as the lesser half in marriage. Aisha's friend Anushka is on the brink of divorce. Her lackadaisical attempt at cheering herself makes us want to give her a mighty shake to bring her out of her marriage stupor. Ultimately, she achieves that state of self-reliance, when she decides to strike out on her own and stand on her own feet instead of her husbands'. Kala pictures very poignantly, the loneliness and anxiety a separated woman endures. She has given yet another bold stroke in her depiction of Ric and Nic's gay relationship. The honest and warm bond between them is infused with confidence and comes straight from the heart. Any relationship based on sincere love and understanding can never go wrong. Misha on the other hand is on a quest to wed a handsome and financially healthy groom. Is it going against the grain for Aisha to marry for love and not security?

"Almost single" harps on the theme of marriage. Mothers, colleagues, friends and family are always matchmaking. A vast industry of marriage brokering, itself is seemingly spawned in India. Aisha's mother, her aunts and even male colleagues add to her angst when they look out for suitable match for her. Aisha, the present day Eve, would never go down without a fight. She keeps Karva Chauth, a ritual of fasting and prayer for a husband as a detox thingy. When it comes to doing rituals with Shivlings, she is firm that she is not into worshipping phallic symbols. When it comes to guys having a set of demands to marry a girl, Aisha has her own set of rules. She will want a guy who will only do high protein and no carbs or even low carb guy if food is the relevant basis for marriage. She feels rolling rotis in the kitchen is so regressive when one can get it in a can. She wonders rightly as a liberated Indian woman, is garlic and onion central to her existence?

The characters in the novel are refreshingly ordinary, true to life yet heroic in their own quixotic way. Kala captures those nuances of mannerisms which etch the characters in their uniqueness. The dialogues are witty and ring true like deja vu. The language is rich with local slang and pun on the words, adding flavor to that word-soup. Some of the episodes are downright naughty, salacious and funny. The encounter between Aisha and her men is a laugh riot. Aisha can be a brazen hussy getting away with all kinds of bizarre acts and sparks fly when she matches verbal sword with Karan. It is a treat to read those passages involving their verbal skirmishes.

Advaita Kala has portrayed achingly, the helplessness and deep love of mothers all over the world, who though wanting a happy life for their girls are still conditioned to think that happiness for a girl is only via marriage. According to Mama Bhatia, whenever something is wrong with Aisha it is because she did not get married when she was supposed to. She even uploads Aisha's photo, with a write up, without Aisha's knowledge, in a popular matrimonial website.

The character of Aisha, showing spunk and intelligence, is the icing on the cake, connecting us to her in her spurts of uncertainties, bouts of bravado, and surges of sanguinity. She introspects- when will she get married, why should she get married, will it be arranged marriage; which those in the know give thumbs down or love marriage; which incidentally seemed to be breaking around her. Aisha the gutsy gal had almost been 'married' if her fianc? had not deserted her at the altar. Yet she is seeking marriage, and that mystic 'love' in it. Aisha's dilemma; "am I ready for marriage?" is the predicament of scores of unmarried girls around India, who are single yet self-sufficient.

Geetha Kariappa (P. G.) is a Professor and Softskill trainer. She is a research scholar, working on her thesis "Feminist Criticism." She is a regular contributor to various literary journals and magazines. A number of papers on women writers has been presented by her at various National Seminars. She is also very interested in interacting with writers on the topic of "Woman and Identity."

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Must Reads Of Last the Decade

2011-03-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Some very fascinating books were made public in last a decade. These books explored varied genres from romance to humanism. A few of this lot left a undying result on many hearts. Let's have a look at these masterpieces that kept many stuck and can most certainly be read again.

'The Kite Runner' must be one of the best books of the last decade. Written by Khaled Hosseini, the book offered readers a rare glimpse of Afghan society and its inhabitants. The book is well paced and intriguing with complicated characters who invite you to find out lots more about them. The key themes of the novel include redemption, the link between good and malicious and relationships in general.

Another must read book is 'The Thirteenth Tale' by Diane Setterfield. If you are an avid book lover, you are going to like this one for sure. Much of the action in the story occurs around books, in libraries and book stores. However, the most interesting thing about the tale is that there is a blurred line between fact and fiction. Occasionally you actually begin to ask whether what you are reading is for real or not. Get a cup of cocoa and the book and you are sure to forget even the most harsh headache.

In the list of the best books of the decade you can surely not miss the 'The Time Traveller's Other Half '. This book gained acceptance only after five years of its publication when in 2009 a production based mostly on it was released. It does appear like a mixture of love and Sci Fi but is none of these. This book would also make for a good present.

'Middlesex' by Jeffrey Eugenides is another book to attest for. As the name says, the book is about a hermaphrodite. Nevertheless the book goes way beyond than the sex / gender story. The protagonist of the book is Cal, a hermaphrodite. He tells his story of his family of Greek immigrants over 3 generations. Well crafted characters along with a wonderful style of writing make this book worth reading.

Cormac McCarthy's books have been widely commended by critics and readers alike. In the past decade, his novel 'The Road ' became another victory of the literary circle. The book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 in the fiction class and was eventually made into a widely successful motion picture by Hollywood in the year 2009. Read this book while walking on the treadmill and you'll not notice the miles go by.

The above mentioned books are a worth your special time and they will surely add extra value to your life.

Benefits To Buying Books Wholesale

2011-03-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

Buying books from wholesalers is a more practical options, if you are planning to order a large volume for any reason. If you are a school administrator ordering books for your students or a company executive wanting to give your employees something useful to read, buying wholesale is a good choice over buying these books individually from stores. There are many advantages you enjoy when you buy from a wholesaler, and the larger the volume of your purchase, the more these advantages will matter.

When you buy books wholesale, you can save on cost. This is the major benefit you can enjoy when you buy those items in bulk instead of individually from a bookstore. First of all, you have to be remember that when a single book's price is calculated, this will cover all the expenses needed to be made to produce such a book. That includes shipment fees from wholesaler to distributor or supplier. On top of that, imagine how much the wholesaler would added to the price of the book when he sells it to the supplier who then marks up the price when he sells it to the distributor who will then sell the book at a price that allows him to make profit from it. In contrast, when you buy wholesale directly from a wholesaler, you end up buying the books for a way cheaper price.

Variety is another great advantage of buying from wholesaler. A wholesaler sells books to a great number of retailers and this means you can expect a great variety of choices when you buy in bulk. You can have books under all categories, from children's books to biographies. You can even just search a wholesaler's database for a particular book title or author that you want and you will find whatever is available. This is useful for those who already know what book title and which author they would like. This makes things more convenient for the wholesale buyer for whatever purpose the bulk purchase is intended.

If you plan to buy from a book wholesaler, online is where you can find all the best deals you can consider. Here, you can enjoy great discounts and satisfaction guarantees that are useful when you come across damaged products. These online book wholesalers are also always available online, and you can simply get in touch with them and expect a fast reply to your inquiries or requests for clarification.

Textbooks Make Helpful Professional References for CPAs

2011-03-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

Nearly every professional's college education involved studying courses that were central to their qualification for that field. Called "gatekeepers," these are the courses that teach the most, and whose materials are the most valuable to those who make it through them and on to their chosen career paths. For engineering majors it may have been a particularly challenging calculus course, while accountants may have stressed over an intermediate accounting course. These courses not only weed out those ill fit for the major and profession that it leads to, but they teach valuable lessons. To successfully complete these courses, students' textbooks are their constant companion.

For courses whose content is likely to be updated constantly, such as a computer course, a student may opt to rent a textbook. For most students, however, books on materials that will be central to their profession become reference materials that line their office shelves after college graduation. Accountants in particular often reference their accounting textbooks for guidance on complex transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, unusual journal entries, and even esoteric generally accepted accounting principles for pension accounting.

Accountants often pursue the certified public accounting (CPA) designation after they graduate from college. These accountants will find themselves relying upon their college textbooks, as well as additional books, to prepare for this challenging exam. While these accountants likely have obtained jobs in the accounting field, whether it is public or private, it is doubtful that their job encompasses all of the various elements that the CPA exam will test. For areas outside of their daily work, accountants will study their accounting books to prepare for the exam. Auditors will find corporate income tax and personal income tax textbooks useful for studying for the CPA exam. Accountants specializing in corporate income tax will reference personal income tax textbooks and textbooks on general accounting concepts, individual tax law and auditing.

Even accountants who engage in both auditing and tax accounting will need to reference finance materials, and college textbook providing valuable information on business law, including the uniform commercial code. Textbooks containing information that is subject to change, such as tax laws that are constantly updated by the Federal government, may be more valuable to students as a textbook rental than as purchased books. Other topics, such as economic theories and basic concepts, which are included in the CPA exam, can be found in books that the accountant used during college, or can be purchased as reference materials to be used for both studying and for use in the future as the accountant moves through his or her career.

Books and Publications - Classified Ads Adding Value to the Efforts of Online Promoters

2011-03-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Publicity is a factor that often comes added with the value of any service or product that defines the hard core deliberate efforts of the promoters that keep their fingers crossed before making a lasting impression on the mind of an observer. The same facet runs equally true and valid when books & publications classified ads are brought into the picture in order to offer the most deserving expression over the World Wide Web platform for sure. The need of such services not just can bring more light on the work laid down by the authors as well as writers but also produces great chance of gaining popularity and wide spread acclamation.

On this date; it is like an open secret well treasured by every single individual who at some point of his or her age can boast on the note of maturity that fame is one such aspect that we all desperately look for. No matter even if such platforms of being a cynosure can be found through literary work where books & publications classified in India have created immense appealing opportunities for the like-minded individuals to go for more into such innovative stuffs. An advertisement that focuses primarily on the publication issue behind a book; can not only bring more readers and users but also promises to lift the profit making approaches more real.

It is not a new concept that needs to be developed or cultivate that books are considered as the best friends for a person who loves to be enjoy certain peace of mind in utter solace. But information about a new novel out in the market can on this date be best found through the services offered by books & publications classified in India; where every single effort is laid to raise the popularity of the same. Keeping all these factors that are honestly delicate and yet appreciable the books & publications classified ads are leaving no trace of an attempt to let the readers gain more in less time compared behind hunting such information either on the World Wide Web or in any other media.

It is not that only the aged section of the society or the adults on this date are looking for such books & publications classified ads that promise to bring up the updated details on any readable stuff what so ever. But the numbers might leave one keep staggering if at all he or she cares to conduct a survey in counting the heads that these teenagers as well as small kids look for in their favorite topic or subject for sure. Gathering all such impressive final notes; one can easily offer a statement that the services offered by books & publications classified in India can never fade with time or age.

40 Days Revelation of Hell Review

2011-03-20T06:11:00.000-07:00

Have you an image of what hell really looks like? Well, it would not be long enough before you would have one. This 40 Days Revelation of Hell Review is definitely not a fuss. Hear this out with open mind and open heart and soon you can gain enough insight and would have a strong hold of your faith to God.

The book is definitely about the author's experience of hell in her dream. The first time I read the book was a terrifying experience. However, later as I learned to decipher things and have opened my heart to the possibility, I have come to acknowledge the fact that it could happen. It was not some sort of horrifying actually. The sad truth that I was so scared about was the reality that I so fear life beyond death. I have not offered my life to Him and I was so scared then of dying and failing His words that I succumb to fear.

Later, I realized that the faith I so often bragged about was not enough to lift me up. Now, I know and have my eye very open to the maybe "reality" about hell. I am really glad that finally a book has opened and paved way for my faith to somehow grow. Now, who could tear me down? None. Face me the scariest creature nor the terrifying fact and I would not be torn apart.

Moving on, I learned from the book that hell is nothing but like a human body. Each parts and each extremities are hell's compartments. Each compartment having set as a place for certain sins. The extremities were compartments for light sins as stealing, robbery and others. The heart is for people who have gravely sinned God as idolatry, blasphemy and others. Now, I wonder how sex change is acceptable when in the eyes of God it is a sin.

Since then, I ceased to pay attention and praise stars as I read along the book that God is not happy about people having great admiration to his co-human beings other than Himself. He is a jealous God in fact. And If before, I so dreamed of becoming a star and possessing a face that could launch a thousand ship as Helen, now I don't and never will I. I am contented with what I have.

The heart of the human being is the center of hell. True then since strong faith starts in the heart not in the mind. With this, I have the strong hunch that this is the main reason why it became the very center of hell where deeply sinned people are placed. Remember that once the heart is as hard as steel, faith and God hardly can enter it.

Now, the very part that would really scare people with out faith is how every compartment would punish human beings. Have you been burnt? This is exactly what you would feel in hell. Your lovely skin slowly burnt and peeled. Hell's angel pinpoint you with hot sticks. Worst, you would not experience it just once but over and over and over again for the rest of your life. I am definitely not scaring anybody. I am restating what I have understood and felt about what I read.

The last part of the book was all about family matters. She stated then, how lucky she had been for having experienced and returned to reality. Everything is a dream. A reality in a dream.

The book is basically written to share and spread the things that she experienced and it 's worth it... perfectly written. A book that would surely coerce you to sit still until you finish reading it.

This Move Called InkHeart

2011-03-20T05:25:00.000-07:00

The movie Inkheart is a 2008 fiction film about the adventures of a 12-year-old girl named Meggie Folchart who had a father with uncanny abilities. Her father was a bookbinder who can read out stories to reality; that is, each time he would read aloud, the characters of the book he's reading would come to life.

When he read the book Inkheart aloud, something magical happened and their lives were never the same again. They have transcended into a magical world that were entirely not what they hoped for.

There's something magical, really, about books. I was young too, once in my life, and there was a time in my life when books seemed to be my best friend. They littered my bed every day. I couldn't sleep without having read three to four chapters of a novel or an inspirational book. It's like you are transported into a world that was not your own and somehow life's adventures would begin.

Like Inkheart, any book seems to draw you into that world where the impossible is possible. Too often, we have become too limited. There are too many things that limit us and thus make us prisoners in our own incapacity. But when you enter into the magical world of books, when you become so immersed into the setting and the characters, you feel that you are the champion that you are made to be. Nothing can stop you; nothing can limit you.

Thus, many are overwhelmed by the joy that is brought about by books. The Twilight saga is one profound example of how books truly influence people's lives. Yes, the greatest poets and literary heroes have crept into the other world and lived in absolute silence, but nonetheless, there are those who have embraced the passion of speaking life into books such that each time you read every word of their work, you feel drawn into that magical world and become part of the whole ensemble of characters and are one with them as they both loved and hated. Looking back, the Twilight Saga has been one example as to how people had been drawn to its lure. The figures of its box office success tell us the story at first glance; that millions of viewers fell prey to the magic of Bella Swan (Kristin Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Rob Pattinson.)

While more and more authors are emerging, people still show promising patronage to the book industry, as many of the box office films somehow came to the world initially through books. Only, some visionaries are truly able to read those stories alive into the lives of the new generation today, so that the characters in the books move out into life to impact the way we move about in our activities of daily living.

Textbooks Vital to Student Learning

2011-03-20T04:34:00.001-07:00

Introduction
Despite the new electronic tools now available to students in their pursuit of learning, the tried and true textbook remains an absolutely essential part of students' arsenals. Whether students buy or rent textbooks, they can use them as important sources of information. In fact, studies have shown that students who read their textbook assignments before the accompanying lecture scored in the top 25 percent of their class. Those who scored in the lowest 25 percent were those who hardly read their textbooks at all. In fact, the lowest scoring students tended to fear their books and did not really know how to extract information from them.

Learning Styles
One of the benefits of textbooks is that they can address three learning styles, when used well. The visual style, of course, is quite obvious. As students read, they are visually inspecting the material in front of them. But also, when students highlight material in their books, they are using the kinesthetic learning style, which is moving some part of their body, in this case their hands, as they highlight the written material. The auditory style can also be utilized if students read and summarize what they have read out loud, either to themselves or to others. Research has proven that the more learning styles a student uses, the better his or her retention of the material.

Instructor's Role
The usefulness of textbooks to instructors is:
1) to provide uniform content to the entire class with everyone using identical material;
2) to prepare students in advance as to what will be covered in each lecture; this way students can ask questions to clarify matters that the textbook may have left unclear.

Instructors need to choose textbooks that have the right balance of distracting but eye-catching material with easy-to-read presentation of the more important information. Textbooks that contain a great deal of seductive materials that may prove of greater interest to students unfortunately minimize the student's retention of the most meaningful information that the instructor wishes to get across. On the other hand, textbooks that are boring do not help in the retention of information either.

Maximizing Retention
The more learning styles that a student can utilize, the better he or she will remember what needs to be remembered. Even if a student's own learning style is, say, visual, he or she can still benefit from the utilization of other learning styles as well which activate more areas of the brain, leading to deeper learning. Thus, effective use of textbooks can only lead to better grades and a better overall standing in academic institutions.