#ebook travel guides

[belcasale13]

https://www.instagram.com/m.b.casale?igsh=MXFsaXl4NHdpNzFsaQ==

Make sure you follow my new professional Instagram account about my ebook!

[bitchesgetriches]

{ MASTERPOST } Everything You Need to Know about Saving Money and Being Frugal

We’re all in this together. Don’t give up.

On food and groceries:

How to Shop for Groceries like a Boss

Why Name Brand Products Are Beneath You: The Honor and Glory of Buying Generic

If You Don’t Eat Leftovers I Don’t Even Want to Know You

You Are above Bottled Water, You Elegant Land Mermaid

You Should Learn To Cook. Here’s Why.

On entertainment and socializing:

The Frugal Introvert’s Guide to the Weekend

7 Totally Reasonable Ways To Save Money on Cheap Entertainment 

Take Pride in Being a Cheap Date

The Library Is a Magical Place and You Should Fucking Go There

Your Library Lets You Stream Audiobooks and eBooks FOR FREEEEEEE!

What’s the Effect of Social Media on Your Finances?

You Won’t Regret Your Frugal 20s

On health:

How to Pay Hospital Bills When You’re Flat Broke

Run With Me if You Want to Save: How Exercising Will Save You Money

Our Master List of 100% Free Mental Health Self-Care Tactics

Why You Probably Don’t Need That Gym Membership

How to Get DIRT CHEAP Pet Medication, Without a Prescription 

On other big expenses:

Businesses Will Happily Give You HUGE Discounts if You Ask This Magic Question

Understand the Hidden Costs of Travel and Avoid Them Like the Plague

Other People’s Weddings Don’t Have to Make You Broke

You Deserve Cheap, Fake Jewelry… Just Like Coco Chanel

3 Times I Was Damn Grateful for My Emergency Fund (and Side Income) 

When (and How) to Try Refinancing or Consolidating Student Loans

The Real Story of How I Paid Off My Mortgage Early in 4 Years 

Season 2, Episode 2: “I’m Not Ready to Buy a House—But How Do I *Get Ready* to Get Ready?”

The Most Impactful Financial Decision I’ve Ever Made… and Why I Don’t Recommend It

On buying secondhand and trading:

Almost Everything Can Be Purchased Secondhand

I Am a Craigslist Samurai and so Can You: How to Sell Used Stuff Online

The Delicate Art of the Friend Trade

On giving gifts and charitable donations:

How Can I Tame My Family’s Crazy Gift-Giving Expectations?

In Defense of Shameless Regifting

Make Sure Your Donations Have the Biggest Impact by Ruthlessly Judging Charities

The Anti-Consumerist Gift Guide: I Have No Gift to Bring, Pa Rum Pa Pum Pum

How to Spot a Charitable Scam

Ask the Bitches: How Do I Say “No” When a Loved One Asks for Money… Again? 

On resisting temptation:

How to Insulate Yourself From Advertisements

Making Decisions Under Stress: The Siren Song of Chocolate Cake

The Magically Frugal Power of Patience

6 Proven Tactics for Avoiding Emotional Impulse Spending

On minimalism and buying less:

Don’t Spend Money on Shit You Don’t Like, Fool

Everything I Know About Minimalism I Learned from the Zombie Apocalypse

Slay Your Financial Vampires

The Subscription Box Craze and the Mindlessness of Wasteful Spending

On saving money:

How To Start Small by Saving Small

Not Every Savings Account Is Created Equal

The Unexpected Benefits (and Downsides) of Money Challenges

Budgets Don’t Work for Everyone—Try the Spending Tracker System Instead

From HYSAs to CDs, Here’s How to Level Up Your Financial Savings

Season 2, Episode 10: “Which Is Smarter: Getting a Loan? or Saving up to Pay Cash?”

The Magic of Unclaimed Property: How I Made $1,900 in 10 Minutes by Being a Disorganized Mess

We will periodically update this list with newer articles. And by “periodically” I mean “when we remember that it’s something we forgot to do for four months.”

Bitches Get Riches: setting realistic expectations since 2017!

Start saving right heckin’ now!

If you want to start small with your savings, consider signing up for an Acorns account! They round up your every purchase to the nearest dollar and save and invest the change for you. We like them so much we’ve generously allowed them to sponsor us with this affiliate link:

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[kanuto-od]

For the last 2 years, I've been painstakingly drawn and map out the first area of Limgrave by hand.

I have posted most pages here on tumblr but now the full eBook is free to download! on Itch.io and Gumroad

You can name you own price, but just sharing it is highly appreciated, It's been a huge passion project for the last years and I'm so happy to finally share it :3

[lizziestudieshistory]

An Update on my Tolkien Collection

For @oneardentstudybuddy following your recent tags:

Not all of my collection is pictured because I couldn't fit the whole bookcase into the shot, it's also a MESS on the bottom shelves... (The top shelves are bad enough!) There's also books missing because I've lent them out to a friend or I'm reading them. However, I have:

5 editions of Lord of the Rings (3 in separate volumes, 2 in one volume)

6 copies of The Silmarillion (I thought I had more of these... I'm wondering if there's some missing from when I moved all my books?)

7 copies of The Hobbit (hilarious considering I'm not that fond of the Hobbit, I'm also definitely missing books, time for a hunt round the house 😱😭)

2 copies of The Great Tales and the Unfinished Tales (one paperback, one hardback, Beren and Luthien is signed by Alan Lee!)

The Fall of Numenor

The Nature of Middle Earth (on my nightstand as I'm reading it)

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings: a Reader's Companion

The History of Middle Earth volumes 1-4, 7-8, 10 (I don't know why I don't have the other volumes, all in paperback, I'm eyeing up the new hardbacks though to complete my collection)

The Art of J.R.R. Tolkien

The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films

The Making of Middle Earth

Tales from the Perilous Realm

Beowulf

The Fall of Arthur

Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo

The Complete Guide to Middle Earth

The unabridged audiobook of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings read by Rob Inglis

Theatrical cut of the Lord of the Rings films (watched once)

Extended Edition of Lord of the Rings films (watched obsessively)

Theatrical cut of The Hobbit films (watched occasionally)

Extended edition of The Hobbit films (watched once and regret it)

Howard Shores complete recordings for all three films

The standard soundtracks for LotR and The Hobbit films

All of the visual guides and companion books for the films, there's far too many of these to list!

Too many LotR themed candles, Rivendell is my favourite

A Weta print of the Argonath

A concept art print of Rivendell

A print of Alan Lee's illustration of Edoras

And, of course, my hobbit hole travellers notebook covers

This was slightly unhinged, sorry!

I have a lot of ebooks too but we'd be here until next week - Tolkien scholarship is vast 😅 I'll happily do better photos of anything you're particularly interested in! I love sharing Tolkien!

[themelanindigitalwave]

10 Digital Products to Turn Your Dreams into Dollars! 💰 #MelaninMogul Edition

Hey #MelaninMarketers, ever wondered how to turn your passions into profits? The answer might be simpler than you think!

Digital products are the new goldmine, and we're spilling the tea on 10 products that could potentially generate $500 DAILY!

Notion Templates: Organize your life and business with customizable templates.

Social Media Planners: Help others conquer their content calendar with pre-made planners.

Fitness Trackers: Tap into the wellness market with personalized fitness guides.

Travel Guides: Share your love for exploration with curated travel itineraries.

Self-Help Ebooks: Inspire and empower others with your wisdom and expertise.

Printable Wall Art: Decorate homes with beautiful and inspiring designs.

Online Courses: Share your knowledge and skills with a wider audience.

Membership Communities: Build a loyal following with exclusive content and networking opportunities.

Digital Art Prints: Showcase your artistic talents and sell high-quality prints.

Stock Photos: Create a library of stunning images that people will love to use.

Ready to turn your ideas into income?

Head over to our website (link in bio) for more tips on creating and selling digital products. We've got your back every step of the way!

Let's chat in the comments!

Which of these digital products sparks your interest?

What other digital product ideas do you have?

Together, let's build a community of empowered Black entrepreneurs who are dominating the digital product market! ✊

[dr-scarlette-witch]

23.08.2023

Major life update!

Got allotted into DNB paediatrics 2 weeks back. Was super thrilled when I found out that I got into an institute that was in my top 10 list. Past few days I have been travelling back and forth to visit the hospital I would be working and looking for places to stay for the next 3 years. Met my possible future co workers and had a great time getting to know them. Looking forward to this next great endeavour ✨

PS: Yes I have hoarded ebooks and study materials and clinical guides from my seniors already :p

[katblu42]

A Present For Scott

This little fic was sparked by a recent conversation with @amistrio and @onereyofstarlight. I hope there will be more creations that come from that discussion!

Anyway, many thanks to both of those wonderful people for the inspiration as well as lovely words encouraging me to share this with you all.

Notes: This is pre-canon/weeTracys fic (I'm picturing Alan as around 8 years old here) It's general audience rated, family fluff.

...

The little second-hand book shop on Main Street was cosy and warm, but a little disorganised.  Books of all types and shapes and sizes were stacked not only on shelves but on just about any flat surface, seemingly with no sense of order or categorisation.

None of that mattered to Alan, who browsed the titles carefully, very conscious of the five dollars burning a hole in his pocket.  It was his money, painstakingly earned over the last few weeks so he could buy his biggest brother a present for his birthday.

Everyone said turning twenty-one was a big deal, so Alan’s present had to be special.  He knew Scotty liked to read books.  Actual books, with real pages you could turn – not audio books or ebooks, but the old fashioned paper type ones.  And he’d done his research.  Well, he’d snooped around in Scott’s bedroom and taken a good look at the books on the shelf.  In any case, he had a particular kind of book in mind.

“How can anyone find anything in this place?” John asked no one in particular.  The chaotic charm of the non-existent filing system in the store was completely lost on him.  In fact, it seemed to make him a little uncomfortable.  “What kind of books are you looking for, Squirt?”

“The ones about going places.  You know, like the – um, guides?” Alan tried to remember the titles from Scott’s shelves.  “Lonely guides?”

“Oh, travel guides, like Lonely Planet.”

“Yeah, those ones!”

“Alright, let me see if I can find any kind of travel section in here.”

John crossed to the other side of the store and began scanning the spines of books on the tall shelves there, leaving Alan to flick through the books tumbling out of boxes on the table in front of him once more.

Some of the books in Scott’s room had been about aeroplanes and flying, but he seemed to have more books about travelling.  There were at least three with that Lonely Planet logo on them, so he knew if he found one of those his big brother would probably like it.  Scott’s bookshelves had contained a bunch of books that seemed to be written by people who had travelled to places the slow way – long train trips, or car journeys, or sometimes by bike or even on foot. Books that were less about the destination, and more about the journey, and the places you could stop along the way.

That had surprised Alan a little.  It seemed more Virgil’s style to go slow and admire things along the way.  Scott generally liked to get to places as fast as possible.  He figured maybe the enjoyment came from reading about the way other people explored these places so Scott didn’t have to go there himself.

It didn’t really matter why he liked them, Alan just knew he had to find a book that was about going some place exciting or different.  A travel guide, or something that had the word “tour” or "journey" in the title.  He figured he’d know it when he saw it.

A few titles with promise had caught his eye as possibilities when Vigil and Gordon came into the book shop.  Alan ignored them as Gordon excitedly showed John the gift he’d bought from the Olde Curiosity Shoppe down the street.  He knelt down and started looking through the books in the boxes beneath the table as John complained to Virgil about the books not being sorted by genre, or author, or alphabetically by title, or . . . anything.

Then he saw it.  Alan knew this was the one just from the title.  It was perfect. He was absolutely certain that Scott would love it.  Without interrupting his brothers he took the book over to the counter and handed over his money to the kind lady who put his purchase into a paper bag for him.

“We can go now,” he announced joyfully to the others.

Three sets of eyes were suddenly turned on him and the bag in his hand.

“What did you get?” Gordon asked, reaching for the bag.

Alan snatched it out of Gordon’s reach.  “I don’t want you to see until Scotty opens his present.”

There was some half-hearted arguing, mostly from Gordon, but Alan made it more than clear that he wanted it to be a surprise.  Virgil, and then John, whilst curious about the book Alan had chosen, quickly backed him up and put a stop to Gordon’s attempts to look inside the bag.  And with the shopping done, they headed home to prepare for Scott’s party.

Despite the milestone birthday, the party was a fairly simple affair.  Just family – including some family friends who were considered close enough to be family – and a few of Scott’s closest friends.  Plenty of food, some well chosen music, a few light-hearted games, cake and candles, then . . .

“Time for presents!!!” Alan announced, dragging Scott by the hand and leading him to the couch.

The coffee table was covered with an impressive array of gifts, all wrapped and tagged and begging to be opened.

“Open mine first, Scotty!”  Alan handed over a rectangular parcel wrapped in paper decorated with stripes of blue and silver. 

The beaming smile and the sparkle in those big blue eyes beneath unruly blond hair had Scott chuckling and returning a dimpled smile of his own.

“Alright, alright.”

Scott teased his littlest brother by painstakingly peeling away the tape and slowly unwrapping the paper, knowing that Alan would prefer him to just tear into the paper as fast as possible.  Once the wrapping finally came away the title of the book was finally revealed.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Scott could see the anxious expectancy written all over Alan’s face, and knew that a great deal of thought had gone into the choosing of the gift.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it.  Thanks Alan.”  He reached out and drew Alan into a hug.  It wasn’t exactly the kind of reading material Scott would have picked for himself, but he could see why Alan had chosen it.  With a title that seemed to combine the travel guides he liked with Alan’s love of space how could he resist?  “It’s perfect.”

[arashisenshi]

The Stones Stay Silent launches on April 14th!

Here is the official blurb:

When a deadly plague sweeps the land, the priests of the Parents accuse those deemed to have incurred the gods' wrath. Leiander, unmarried and with interests unbecoming to the woman people consider him to be, flees for his life. With the Night Demon Kevv'ach by his side and his deepest wish undiminished, he journeys to the Great Lith, said to still channel the magic of the Parents. He will beseech the gods to remake his body in the image of the Father, so the world sees him as his true self: Leiander.

And here’s what you can expect:

- A character-driven medieval-ish fantasy story; - Transgender aroace main character seeking to live his life and maybe bake; - Cinnamon roll Night Demon bestie with partial amnesia (and a sweet tooth); - Steadfast friends turned found family (and occasionally, a pair of mules); - Absent gods who left behind mysterious blue monoliths; - Strict gender roles dictating what jobs people have, what colors they wear, and what tattoos they get + a couple of fanatics hell-bent on enforcing said rules; - Extensive travel through a plague ravaged realm; - A conspicuous lack of magic; or swords; or sorcery; or monsters; - Even more giant statues; - A bunch of recipes to try for yourself, from Romanian, Austrian and... whatever cuisine baked goat cheese in walnut crust comes from; - Named chapters! Pronunciation guide! Maps for each part! Extensive content warnings! Handy reference chart for timekeeping! Cameo appearance by my cat! - Eventually, I promise, a happy end.

You can already preorder the ebook on Amazon and have it synch to your device on Friday, when the paperback will also be available there. If you’d rather support your local indie bookshop, go for it! You can ask them to order a book for you once published, by providing them the following details:

Title: The Stones Stay Silent Author: Danny Ride ISBN:  9783982494906

----

If it’s not up your alley, you don’t want or can’t afford to buy the book, you can still support - it would mean so much!

- share this post - let your friends know - ask your local library to order the book for you! (you and anyone else can read it for free then!) - suggest it as reading for book clubs - add the book to your list on goodreads - mark it as to read on the story graph - upvote it on reedsy discovery - there is a detailed review there from an independent reviewer, and you can also read the first chapter for free!

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images: 1) promo material of the book featuring the book cover 2) moodboard of the seven parts and the epilogue 3) promo material showing a sample of the book interior

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Explore my bookshelf!

Thanks for the tag, @theghostinthemargins, this is fun!

An estimate of how many physical books I own: By my count, 396. Split between fiction, nonfiction, and travel guides.

Favourite author: I would say Tolkien! My three favourite books, all tied for first place are The Silmarillion/LOTR (I refuse to separate them), Les Misérables, and Jane Eyre. They’re the ones I can reread an uncountable number of times and never get tired of, and they all speak things that I find true and meaningful. But Victor Hugo and Charlotte Brontë have written other things I don’t care for as much, so Tolkien would be my overall favourite author.

A popular book I've never read and never intend to read: I’m sure there are a lot, I don’t tend to really get into a lot of contemporary non-speculative-fiction novels.

A popular book I thought was just meh: The Queen’s Thief series didn’t really catch me after the first two books, so I stopped. Though I didn’t catch all the twists in the first one, I felt a lot of it was telegraphed too heavily and I’d read another book that did the same thing but better. And the writing style didn’t pull me in; at times in the second one it felt like I was reading a Cliff Notes summary of the book rather than the book itself, or a brief history textbook from the book’s world. It’s a shame because I liked the relationship twist, I wanted to be into the book, but I wasn’t.

Longest book I own: Probably Complete Shakespeare (1164 pages in small font) in word count. Les Mis has more pages (1222) but larger font. My World Book Encyclopedia for the letter ‘A’ is probably also a contender in total word count (980 pages, small font, larger pages than the others).

Longest series I own all the books to: Either The Stormlight Archive or A Song of Ice and Fire depending on whether we’re going by word count or number of books.

Prettiest book I own: I’m very fond of The World of Ice and Fire, it’s a real visual treat. Fandom is making me want to invest in an illustrated Silm or LOTR. I’d have bought the nice version of Sanderson’s Tress of the Emerald Sea if shipping costs weren’t so ridiculous, it’s gorgeous and I love it, but I really can’t justify a hundred-dollar price tag when I already own the ebook.

A book or series I wish more people knew about: Several recommendations, including Piranesi (gorgeous, fantastical writing, some of the most beautiful and creative fantasy I’ve read in a while), The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (excellent vampire story, the only one I’ve seen that is as good as or better than the original Dracula, and plays off the original’s use of documents (diaries, letters, etc.) by having three histories nested within each other: the main character, her father in the ‘70s, and his thesis advisor in the ‘30s). If you enjoy the way The Historian is written even apart from the vampires, you will probably also love People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, which tells the story of an old and precious book and the Jewish families who owned it through history, via the modern plot of a woman carrying out document analysis of it the book the context of the 1990s Yugoslavian wars. It is very, very good.

For non-fiction, some recs are:

The Civilizations of Africa: A History to 1800 by Christopher Ehret, the best textbook on pre-colonial African history I’ve found, extremely interesting

The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan, a history through the lens of Eurasian connections (the parts between the fall of the Roman Empire and the later Middle Ages were especially interesting and novel - did you know Ethiopia invaded the Arabian peninsula? or that there was a Jewish (converted) state in Central Asia? or all kinds of stuff about the Zoroastrians?)

Paris 1919: Margaret MacMillan’s breakdown of the personalities involved in the Treaty of Versailles, and how their decisions set the stage for the rest of the 20th century; still a classic.

If you’re at all interested in Canadian history or in the Great Depression, and want to see how bad it can get in a country that didn’t have an FDR, Pierre Berton’s The Great Depression is a brilliant, passionate, and scathing text on that period in Canada, with a lot of idiots and brutes in power and some truly inspirational figures outside of power.

If you’re interested in US Reconstruction history, Capitol Men is a great book on the first Black members of Congress post-civil-war.

Book I'm reading now: Jurassic Park, Agrarian Socialism (about the rise of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, a socialist party that gave rise to the present-day social democratic NDP; I’ve gotten stalled, I need to finish this), Ovid’s Metamorphoses, History of Middle-earth vol 9 Sauron Defeated (I got it out of the library for the epilogue and I’ve read that, but I want to check out The Notion Club Papers before I return it), and just finished a reread of Mansfield Park.

Book that's been on my TBR list for a while but I still haven't got around to it: Shantaram; it’s a novel based on the author’s very eventful life.

Do you have any books in a language other than English: Have yes, have read, no. 😔 In various fits of ambition I’ve bought Les Miserables, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Journey to the Centre of the Earth in the original French, as well as a couple French-language histories, with the intent of using them to practice, and then my French is too weak and I just don’t stick to it. I’m only a few chapters i to any of them. Les Mis is too much for me to do more than try to enjoy a handful of passages in the original, but I really would like to finish Journey to the Centre of the Earth and one of the histories that interests me.

Paperback, hardcover, or ebook?

Mainly paperbook or ebook. I prefer reading paperbacks, it’s easier to focus and better for my eyes than ebooks (screentime is…most of my waking hours, it’s not good) and I find it more enjoyable, but ebooks have the benefit of convenience and being very fast to acquire; if I want to read a new release right away and the ebook is cheap, I’ll take it over the hardcover. I’ve only purchased 23 ebooks but have a huge stash of free ones from Project Gutenberg.

[tripwinner]

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[rockislandadultreads]

Libby Spotlight: Newly-Added Science & Nature eBooks

Fire Weather by John Vaillant

In May 2016, Fort McMurray, the hub of Canada’s oil industry and America’s biggest foreign supplier, was overrun by wildfire. The multi-billion-dollar disaster melted vehicles, turned entire neighborhoods into firebombs, and drove 88,000 people from their homes in a single afternoon. Through the lens of this apocalyptic conflagration—the wildfire equivalent of Hurricane Katrina—John Vaillant warns that this was not a unique event, but a shocking preview of what we must prepare for in a hotter, more flammable world.

Fire has been a partner in our evolution for hundreds of millennia, shaping culture, civilization, and, very likely, our brains. Fire has enabled us to cook our food, defend and heat our homes, and power the machines that drive our titanic economy. Yet this volatile energy source has always threatened to elude our control, and in our new age of intensifying climate change, we are seeing its destructive power unleashed in previously unimaginable ways.

With masterly prose and a cinematic eye, Vaillanttakes us on a riveting journey through the intertwined histories of North America’s oil industry and the birth of climate science, to the unprecedented devastation wrought by modern forest fires, and into lives forever changed by these disasters. John Vaillant’s urgent work is a book for—and from—our new century of fire, which has only just begun.

Slow Birding by Joan E. Strassmann

Many birders travel far and wide to popular birding destinations to catch sight of rare or “exotic” birds. In Slow Birding, evolutionary biologist Joan E. Strassmann introduces readers to the joys of birding right where they are.

In this inspiring guide to the art of slow birding, Strassmann tells colorful stories of the most common birds to be found in the United States—birds we often see but might not have considered deeply before. For example, northern cardinals thrive in the city, where they are free from predators. White brows on a male white-throated sparrow indicate that he is likely to be a philanderer. This essential guide to the fascinating world of common, everyday birds features: detailed portraits of individual bird species and the scientists who have discovered and observed them; advice and guidance on what to look for when slow birding, so that you can uncover clues to the reasons behind specific bird behaviors; and bird-focused activities that will open your eyes more to the fascinating world of birds.

Slow Birding is the perfect guide for the birder looking to appreciate the beauty of the birds right in their own backyard, observing keenly how their behaviors change from day to day and season to season.

Universe: 50 Ideas You Really Need to Know by Joanne Baker

From dwarf planets to dark energy; and from the Big Bang to the death of stars, this book is the perfect introduction to the cutting-edge science that is shaping our understanding of our place in the Universe and that could lead to the next great discovery -- the detection of life beyond Earth.

The Devil's Element by Dan Egan

Phosphorus has played a critical role in some of the most lethal substances on earth: firebombs, rat poison, nerve gas. But it's also the key component of one of the most vital: fertilizer, which has sustained life for billions of people. In this major work of explanatory science and environmental journalism, Pulitzer Prize finalist Dan Egan investigates the past, present, and future of what has been called "the oil of our time."

The story of phosphorus spans the globe and vast tracts of human history. First discovered in a seventeenth-century alchemy lab in Hamburg, it soon became a highly sought-after resource. The race to mine phosphorus took people from the battlefields of Waterloo, which were looted for the bones of fallen soldiers, to the fabled guano islands off Peru, the Bone Valley of Florida, and the sand dunes of the Western Sahara. Over the past century, phosphorus has made farming vastly more productive, feeding the enormous increase in the human population. Yet, as Egan harrowingly reports, our overreliance on this vital crop nutrient is today causing toxic algae blooms and "dead zones" in waterways from the coasts of Florida to the Mississippi River basin to the Great Lakes and beyond. Egan also explores the alarming reality that diminishing access to phosphorus poses a threat to the food system worldwide—which risks rising conflict and even war.

[ceekbee]

"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

"The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

"The Alchemist" is a captivating novel written by the esteemed Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, first published in 1988. The story follows the journey of Santiago, a young shepherd from Andalusia, who embarks on a quest to fulfill his Personal Legend, guided by the wisdom of the Language of the World and the Alchemist.

At the outset of the story, Santiago is plagued by a recurring dream about a treasure hidden in the Egyptian pyramids. He encounters an old man who claims to be a king and urges him to pursue his dream, which he dubs his Personal Legend. Santiago resolves to sell his flock of sheep and travel to Tangier to pursue his dream, but he is promptly robbed and left destitute. He perseveres and takes up work with a crystal merchant, learning the value of persistence and hard work.

Santiago ultimately saves enough money to continue his journey, and along the way, he meets an Englishman searching for the Alchemist, a wise man possessing the secrets of the Philosopher's Stone. They journey together to an oasis where they finally meet the Alchemist, who teaches Santiago about the Language of the World and the importance of following one's heart. Santiago learns to communicate with the wind, the sun, and the desert, and falls in love with a woman named Fatima.

As Santiago approaches the pyramids, he is captured by a band of thieves who coerce him into revealing the location of his treasure. Ultimately, Santiago comes to the realization that the true treasure he sought was not the gold and riches he initially sought but rather the journey itself and the lessons he learned along the way. He returns to the oasis, reunites with Fatima, and discovers that the treasure he had been seeking was buried beneath a tree where he had slept at the outset of his journey.

"The Alchemist" is a timeless and thought-provoking tale.

Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3ZFIvrh

Ebook: https://amzn.to/3ZU8r2R

#ad #bookish #literature #lovers #novel

[stillbeatingheart]

Face of the Moon excerpt Chapter 13: Sex

There is no hiding tonight.  Not now.  Not anymore. 

When Jacy exhales, it audibly shakes.  His hand untangles from mine only to trail up my arm, smooth across my shoulder and press against my heart, the other traveling up my side until they’re both pressing back, guiding me to my knees only.  His lips leaving tender kisses up the length of my spine until his face is buried between my shoulder blades.  

He holds me like I’m on the brink of shattering.  Maybe I am.  Maybe it’s just another piece broken off me only to solder itself to Jacy and become a part of us.  

I let myself lean.  I let myself focus on the rhythm of his breathing.  On the warmth of his hands.  I let myself feel safe.  So safe and under the complete control of another being.

Ebook available on B&N

[ninja-muse]

So, June was a month! Felt like several, but apparently still just the one. Usually I measure the length of a month in books read—more books equals a “faster” month, fewer books equals a “slower” one—but that doesn’t work this time. I read nine books, so about my average. I think the number of “this was fine” books skewed things, as did The Hands of the Emperor which was excellent, but also very long.

And yes, I’ve finally read The Hands of the Emperor! It was everything I expected it to be and more, and just lovely and charming and cozy and all of things. I am bummed that my library doesn’t have the sequel, not that I’d be launching into it right off anyway. It’s the principle of the thing. The only reason it didn’t get my Review of the Month is because it’s hard to take photos of ebook covers….

On the opposite end of the spectrum, my TBR shelf book this month was a last-minute scramble and I opted for something short as a result. (And a classic, because I hadn’t read one of those in a while.) Tortilla Flat really hasn’t aged well, folks. Let’s all hope my next classic is better.

The other last-minute addition to this post is DIGGER IS HERE! I got the notice that it shipped late last week but didn’t think it would be coming to my door quite so soon. It has bookmarks, plural, you guys! I would be jumping into it next except that I’ve barely finished Shubeik Lubeik and I need to put space between excellent graphic novels.

Next up, though? One of the ARCs I hauled this month is The Frugal Wizard’s Guide to Surviving Medieval England. I’m going to be starting it today.

(Episode Thirteen is my other hauled book this month. I’d forgotten I’d requested a copy from a book rep.)

Other life events? I finally saw The Importance of Being Earnest performed! Another last-minute thing, that. I heard about it near the end of May and dithered about getting a ticket because the theatre was a bit of a trek, and then went, well, when else am I going to see it… Worth it, and that’s one thing off my bucket list.

Hopefully July has a lot of good books to make up for the kind of average reading month I’ve just had. Wish me luck!

And now without further ado, in order of enjoyment…

The Hands of the Emperor - Victoria Goddard Cliopher, Secretary to His Radiancy, the Last Emperor of Astandalas, invites his lord on a beach vacation. He has no idea how this will change the world—or his life.

8.5/10

Pacific Islander-coded protagonist, cast contains a range of ethnicities and skin tones, 🇨🇦

Shubeik Lubeik - Deena Mohamed A Cairo kiosk owner tries to sell off three wishes. It doesn’t quite go as planned.

9/10

Egyptian cast, largely Muslim cast, Egyptian author, #ownvoices for Egyptian

warning: depression, suicidal ideation, death of a child

Shadowlands - Matthew Green Short histories of lost settlements from across the UK.

7/10

The Golem of Brooklyn - Adam Mansbach Len creates a golem while stoned. This is only his first poor decision of the week. Road trip, anyone? Out in September

7/10

largely Jewish cast, 🏳️‍🌈 (lesbian) secondary character, Jewish author, #ownvoices for Jewishness

warning: anti-Semites, white supremacists, homophobes

The Helios Syndrome - Vivian Shaw A freelance necromancer must help determine why an airplane crashed, while being haunted by a pilot.

7.5/10

🏳️‍🌈 (gay) protagonist, 🏳️‍🌈 (gay/bi) secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 author

The Dress Diary of Mrs. Anne Sykes - Kate Strasdin A history of Victorian fashion through the lens of a fabric scrapbook.

7/10

The Gifts - Liz Hyder In 1840s England, a woman grows wings, a storyteller comes to London, a wife grows unsatisfied, and a doctor gets ambitious.

7/10

Black British POV character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (gay)

warning: racism, misogyny, animal death, medical content

The Road to Roswell - Connie Willis Francie travels to Roswell to save her college roommate from a misguided marriage, and promptly finds herself on an involuntary road trip with an alien.

6.5/10

Tortilla Flat - John Steinbeck A group of friends ramble around old-time Monterey.

3.5/10

multiracial protagonists, largely BIPOC cast

warning: racism, misogyny, alcohol, racial slurs

The Gay Best Friend - Nicolas DiDomizio Dom’s best friends are getting married! Which is great, except he’s having to keep secrets for both of them and maybe he needs to think a bit about expectations and authenticity.

5/10

🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (gay), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (gay), 🏳️‍🌈 author, #ownvoices

Currently reading:

Nothing! I start July with a clean slate.

Stats

Monthly total: 10 Yearly total: 62/140 Queer books: 2 Authors of colour: 1 Books by women: 6 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 1 Off the TBR shelves: 1 Books hauled: 2 ARCs acquired: 5 ARCs unhauled: 4 DNFs: 0

January February March April May

[owlzer]

Week 9 - Racer Post Mortem

Fullerton has made some interesting insights in conceptualisation. Where do our ideas and inspirations come from? They talk about how some people that are very inspirational to me such as Shigeru Miyamoto have used personal interests and their hobbies as an influential part of the game design. I feel I have taken my personal interests to heart in all of my mini-games sourcing my own creativity and game mechanics around them. Fullerton talk about Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who has broken up creativity into 5 stages: preparation, incubation, insight, evaluation and elaboration. The 'creative process' is described as a very fluid thing and we are encouraged to become involved in many aspects of life to fuel our preparation and incubation stages. Although I feel like I have slowed down quite a bit in life with the amount of activities I do, I am still able to draw from a wide range of experiences for inspiration. I have done girl guides, dance, travelled, played and instrument just to name a few. I am going on another trip this year and I will take creative advantage of it. From my experience making my one sheet and one page, I really want to challenge myself going forward to make something completely original and my own and I feel it will really challenge me to go through all 5 stages of creativity and will be very rewarding.

Digital prototyping has really become a main focus of making these mini-games. Game mechanics, aesthetics, kinesthetics and technology are four areas of investigation highlighted by Eric Todd.

Throughout my process, I feel that I have investigated game mechanics and aesthetics the most. However, I have greatly neglected kinesthetics and technology. Kinesthetics are describes as the 'feel' of the game (e.g. responsiveness and how controls feel). Although I unintentionally focused on this in my first game when I was working on my main grapple mechanic, this was overlooked in my other two games. In my racing game I just kept the original controls which I feel like was a mistake. Although it worked and did its job, I feel like more experimentation with the kinesthetics could have made the game feel more immersive. My interfaces in all of my games were also really bland. My racing game had a decent title screen but the score and game over screen were really lacking as they were very simple text. A more effective interface could have really added to the player experience.

My racer game is the one that I felt had the most potential. This is why I used it for my one sheet and one page. This game, more than the others has shown me the incredible values of playtesting. This is due to the great amount of improvement the game has gained from the feedback I have received. I don't think the game would have reached this potential without it and I will carry these thoughts with me as I continue my journey as a designer. This game also really challenged me as an artist as I had to draw in top-down view, a skill I have barley developed yet. It has shown me that I'm still very early in my art journey and to really practice drawing in different perspectives. Making a powerup for the first time was really fun and if I were to make Captain Sora's Sea Scurry I would really enjoy the challenge of making the other powerups I came up with. I think I have really improved as a coder and in using Gdevelop 5 as I am constantly researching how to code new things and use other parts of the program. Although the game is still very simple, it has really taught me a lot about the true value of each and every stage of the process. I hope from these experiences that it will help me grow into a game designer that can truly master digital prototyping and take these skills with me as I develop my own game with my partner.

References:

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating

Innovative Games. ProQuest Ebook. Retrieved

from:  https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/reader.action?docID=5477698