January 27, 2012

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Great Reads

There is nothing better than to curl up and read a great book. The only thing that can top that is knowing some of the books available to choose from, and knowing that you will not end up with that bad ending. There are so many stories out there where you can invest 95% of the book, and love it, only to have the ending be so bad that you are frustrated with even wasting your time.

Dracula: Origin

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How to Avoid the Bad Book

Go from word of mouth. Talk to friends or read review boards that are online to see what books are good, in the genre that you like. For instance, if you are a sappy vampire fan, then Twilight is a hit, but if you need more blood and guts, then Dracula might prove to be on the menu. It all depends on what you love to read, and the type of style you like to read it in.

The other bad book avoidance tip is to check out the critique and reviews from author sites. For instance, most of Steven King is awesome to read, but there are those few where the endings might really have you up in arms. This leads to the next big tip. Before starting a major series, make sure people seem to like the entire set of books. There is nothing worse than getting to that last book of eight, only to find out that the good guy lost, the world ended, and no one got the girl.

Filed Under: Famous Books, Reading Tagged With: , ,

Keeping Your Gadgets Going

With the intense amount of focus presently being shown towards smartphones and their wide range of capabilities, it can be sort of easy to forget that other gadgets exist out there. Whether you’ve made the leap to a smartphone or not, this gadget is likely to garner your interest if you have the range of toys such as an mp3 player, cell phone, e-Reader, GPS unit, and a USB camera. What do all of these have in common? They offer their services in a portable package that requires battery power.

If there is one common denominator – or Achille’s heel – to electronic gadgets, it is that they all use batteries. Rechargeable batteries are great because they offer portability, but they require charging at some point. Often that point comes at inconvenient times, in inconvenient places where power isn’t readily available. Fortunately, a multi-gadget power solution exists in the form of the xeMini hybrid charger.

This handy device can charge two devices at a time, which is pretty sweet right off the bat. Then, consider that the built in battery of the charger allows you to charge your devices on the fly – essential when you need to keep moving, but need power. Think about when you’re using your GPS to navigate to a job interview, and you’ve forgotten to charge it up beforehand. The xeMini could be a lifesaver, getting you to the interview on time with feathers unruffled. Forgot to charge the xeMini too? Don’t worry, it comes with a solar charging feature as well, so you really won’t be left out in the cold.

Filed Under: eBooks, Famous Books Tagged With: , ,

The Best Children’s Books

Some of the best children’s books are those that help push children into reading in stronger ways. Scholastic books help children to read based on level while stretching their skills. Books like the Harry Potter series, Twilight, or even Amelia Bedilia are great books for children to read that stretch their reading skills and they entertain their brain.

How to Identify a Good Book

Created by modifying this image

Image via Wikipedia

Some of the good books for kids use their language. Lanuage is important or a child will not be able to use his or her imagination. Some of the keys to look for include word count and word length. For children that are in the sixth grade, there will be multiple words of six letter or more per sentence. This is because a child should be able to comprehend the structure of the blends and then from there gain understanding.

The next thing to look for is to see if there is a series for something available that has a review. Most reading lists at schools will have a selection for a reason. The books on the list are recommended based on the criteria that they will have an entertainment value along with the vocabulary and word strength.

For most readers this is not an issue, but your reader is struggling, there is nothing wrong with finding fun reads that may be a little below their reading level. This will help encourage them to read more and feel comfortable with reading and diving into books regularly.

Filed Under: Children's Books, Reading Tagged With: , ,

Publish Your Own Books

Publishing your own books can be as easy as downloading a program. For the Kindle or Nook software, these are free formatting software publishing techniques that take a simple afternoon to learn how to use. They are available all over the web, and writers are now enjoying the freedom of writing, editing, and publishing their own work. Many have found that once they do publish their work, they can post their books online as e-books on such sites as Amazon, or Ebay.

Amazon Kindle 2

Image by peteg via Flickr

How it Works

The process of getting an e-book assembled for publishing is as easy as typing. The programs used to place text into a Kindle format or Nook format is like using a word processor. Users can simply open up the program, and begin typing. The header, footer, and page numbers are already inserted based on the information provided before writing begins. This information can be edited at any time, but it just makes things easier to have a defined way to work.

The other aspect to the software is that writer can see their text form in the exact way that it will appear on an e-book. This means that the user experience is seen right away, and writers can make changes or modifications based on what they see and read, just like a reader would. The other nice part is that changes can be made at any time. This means that updates can be republished at a later date, and this would give customers automatic updates to their purchase.

Filed Under: eBooks, Reading Tagged With: , ,

Writing as Therapy

French writer and journalist Ernest Daudet (18... 

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Authors write for a variety of reasons whether there is a story to tell, something they are burning to say or for catharsis. Writing can be a very effective tool for healing because of the impact on the writer themselves.

Getting it out

Negative emotions, thoughts or memories can be crippling but the naked page becomes e a safe place where they may be processed and experienced without additional harm, danger or stress. In private writings no one’s feelings are hurt, there is no confrontation and the writer can “say” anything without being judged or misunderstood.

Processing

Difficult situations can leave a person grappling with strong emotions which sometimes cloud judgement and thought processes. Expressing emotions by writing them down provides a mind clearing release. Someone who at one moment did not know how to handle circumstances suddenly has several ideas about how to proceed. Anger subsides and the writer can see things from different perspectives and those who had been fearful may come to self awareness.

The invisible listening ear

Many writers feel lonely and use the act as a way of connecting. The one who reads becomes a confidant and even a friend for the moment. The writer can share the most intimate thoughts and feelings and for a moment, is no longer alone. Many great authors worked through their personal troubles through the pages of fiction or told the story of their lives in the attempt to understand and be understood. The reader is allowed to come along for the journey and gain healing as well, when they recognize their own troubles in the pages of their favorite book.

Filed Under: Creative Writing Help Tagged With: , ,

Introducing your child to the classics

It is rare to see a young person under the age of 20 without some sort of electronic device at their fingertips or plugged into their ears. Parents who love to read can’t help but feel that their children are missing something when they have little to no knowledge of the classics. What can a book loving parent do?

Have a mother /daughter or Father/ son book club
Take turns choosing the books to read and decide to read together and discuss afterwards or to read independently and discuss one day a week. A book club will make reading enjoyable and give kids of all ages something to look forward to, especially if they are involved in the subjects.

mother and daughter reading

Reward your child for summer reading

If a teenager finishes a book, reward them for it and encourage them to do more reading. Gift cards for books, an age appropriate c.d.or  a simple ice cream cone are great ways to send a positive message to kids. Reading is an important skill that prepares children for life. Rewarding them early will help with education and possibly make it an enjoyable lifelong habit.

Keep the classics within reach

Give a child the option to read the classics by keeping them on hand. Display them in prominent areas like the coffee table, family bookshelves or bedside tables and mix it up from time to time. Switch them out every couple of months to see if kids find a change in genre or title more interesting. Getting your child to read does not have to be like pulling teeth, instead it can be as simple as turning a page.

Filed Under: Children's Books Tagged With: , ,

How to Encourage Teen Readers

Some parents believe that it is acceptable to have a teen who loathes reading and because of this belief they find it difficult to pass their love of reading onto their children. Having teens that read will ensure that we have teens who learn and comprehend better in school. How can you encourage your child?

Make it a family affair

Read as a family. Having family readings at night before bedtime may just become your child’s favorite time of the day. Of course it will take time for them to get used to it but if you take turns reading and allow teens to ask question and share their incites, they may surprise you.

Give it time

Even in the midst of hectic schedules we make time for what we value whether that is eating dinner as a family or watching our favorite television program. If having teens that read is important then time must be given to that cause. An hour of technology free time (no phones, t.v. or I-pod) will give teens the quiet they need to focus on a good book. At first it will definitely seem like torture but in time perhaps teens will come to look forward to this hour of peace and quiet curled up with a good book.

Make it interesting

Having poetry recitals and performing scenes from Shakespeare will give reading a new twist. It may also help teens connect with writers from the past and relate to the classics. Making reading a chore is the easiest way to push teens away from reading. Instead liven it up a little and watch your reluctant readers come alive.

Filed Under: eBooks Tagged With: , ,

Read a Book Instead of Watching a Movie

Novels in a Polish bookstore 

Image via Wikipedia

Some people don’t like to read, whether it is because they are not good at it, do not enjoy it, or for some other reason. They would rather watch a movie based on a book and save themselves the time. Movies are definitely a lot of fun, but can they really replace books altogether? Most people would argue that the book is always better than the movie, and the experience cannot be replaced.

Reasons Why Books Are Better than Movies

  • You get the full story from a book. Movies average between 1.5 and 2.5 hours. This is a short amount of time compared to what it would take you to read a book, which makes it nearly impossible to include everything that a book covers in the time allowed for a movie. This is probably the number one complaint about movies that are based on books – they missed something or changed something.
  • People have more freedom to imagine the appearance of characters. One disappointment you often hear from people who have read a book and then go see the movie of it is that the characters did not appear anywhere close to what they had imagined while reading the book. There can be a big difference from what one person imagines to the next.

Even if you are one of the people that prefers movies to books, you should try to read a book before the movie comes out to see why many people consider the books better. There are definitely advantages to movies, but there is something about the actual reading experience.

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Hone Your Writing Skills

No matter what you chosen profession is, you may be interested in taking your writing skills to the next level. Everyone can benefit from communicating more clearly, and so many times the medium used is the written word. Because of this, things like grammar, spelling, and even presenting a clear voice can be beneficial. The next challenge is discovering the best way to hone these skills.

Programs like Earn My Degree offer individuals a chance to improve their writing skills with online classes. For most people, this is a more convenient alternative to attending community college or university classes within their own town. Students have set deadlines but have the opportunity to work at their own pace and at a time that fits into their schedule. You may not be able to attend a writing class in person every Thursday night at seven, but you can register online and earn credit in a few short weeks on your own schedule.

Any type of practice will be beneficial to improving your skills, but structured exercises and activities will help you grow in specific areas. You can take courses on business writing, creative writing, and even technical writing if you want to learn how to request a grant or write a business letter to an associate. Start with a simple class that goes over the basics of writing and continue through until you feel confident in the skills that you possess. At every opportunity, try out what you have learned and look for any changes in the responses that you get. This will make all of your hard work well worth it.

 

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4 Bestselling Fiction Writers Based on Lifetime Sales

Authors become popular for different reasons, and this usually changes depending on trends and other factors in entertainment and leisure. Some authors continue to be popular even after they have died. No matter what the reason for success, some authors sell more books than others . Here are some of the bestselling fiction writers of all time, based on most sales.

  1. William Shakespeare: With over 40 plays and collections of poetry, Shakespeare is the number one bestselling author. His gross sales have reached over four billion, as of 2011. You may have heard titles like Hamlet, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
    William Shakespeare 

    Cover of William Shakespeare

  2. Agatha Christie: Most popularly known for her mystery novels, Christie has 85 published books, and her estimated lifetime sales are between two and four billion. You may have heard titles like Five Little Pigs, A Murder is Announced, and Peril at End House.
  3. Barbara Cartland: She is a romance novelist with 723 published books, a phenomenal amount for any author. Her estimated lifetime sales are between 500 million and 1 billion.
  4. Harold Robbins: He is an adventure novelist with 23 published books. His lifetimes sales reached 750 million in 2011.

One additional author to watch out for is JK Rowling. She has gross sales of 450 million already, and has not been an author nearly as long as the bestselling authors mentioned on this list.

If you haven’t read any books from one of the authors mentioned above, you should get one and see why they are so popular. You can purchase an ebook, check out a book at the library, or buy a tangible copy to include in your book collection.

Filed Under: Famous Books Tagged With: , ,
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