Long before the internet, people have read book reviews. Before spending their time and money on a book, they wanted to find out if a book would be a good investment. Today is no different. People simply have many more choices now that the internet is so commonplace. We have the ability to read numerous reviews about any book that interests us, those written long ago, or bestsellers of today. A quick search will yield results for numerous online book review websites. A few of the top ones, and most used are Amazon.com, bookstore websites like Barnes and Noble or Borders, and those that have been around long before the widespread use of the internet, like the New York Times book review. Some consumer networking sites like Acobay also has book review category. Amazon.com is one of the top shopping and review websites. Along with editorial reviews, there are customer reviews. Because of the sheer number of people who use Amazon, there are many customer reviews on most books, especially best sellers, giving the reader a larger number of reviews to base their decision on. This can be good for the reader, giving many different opinions. Once a book has reviews in the thousands though, it can be overwhelming to wade through all of them. Amazon provides reviews for all types of books, including fiction, non-fiction, bestsellers, and children’s books. Books can be searched by title, author, genre or ISBN. Amazon also gives recommendations of other books the reader might like based on the books they have searched for. It is easy for the reader to find most any book. And Amazon has a useful feature which allows the customer to “look inside” select books, sometimes being able to read a few pages. Borders.com is another shopping and review website. It, like Amazon, has customer reviews, though not as many. For example, a search on a popular book, “Eat, Pray, Love” turned up 1792 customer reviews on Amazon. The same search on Borders only turned up 21 reviews. The website gives a description of the book, but no editorial review. The customer can use a wide variety of searches including title, author, ISBN or genre. Borders also lists similar books to view based on current searches. If the customer has a Borders store nearby, a quick search can tell if the book is available at their local store. Similar to Amazon, Borders gives the reader the ability to “look inside” select books. Borders also has a large variety and amount of books available, allowing the reader to search for and find most any book they are looking for. A different, yet well-known book review website is the New York Times book review. It lists the top books, based on sales each week. The New York Times lists the latest books. Not all are reviewed, though they may be in the bestsellers list for the week. The reviews that are listed though, are very detailed and thorough, giving the reader a good idea of what to expect from the book by professional reviewers. Because different works are placed together on the same page, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, it can be difficult to determine what genre each writing is at first glance. Therefore, the website requires more navigation to find books the reader may be interested in. The online database goes back to 1981, giving the reader access only to books reviewed since that time. On some books, the reader can choose to read the first few pages or chapters of a book. This is a nice feature, since sometimes it is in the first few pages that the reader makes the decision whether they would like to continue the book or not. Overall, each book review website has some unique attributes. If the reader is looking for a place to review and purchase a book in one easy step, a place like Amazon.com is a great place to look. If the reader would rather get an idea of what a book is about before going in to shop at a nearby bookstore, a website like Borders.com might be the top choice, since local availability of the book is also given. For a more thorough and professional look at bestsellers, the New York Times the top place for many to search. Whatever the choice, today’s reader has many options and the ability to find a new book to read in just a few clicks of the mouse.
Archive for November, 2009
What fiction and non-fiction to read to understand modern German society?
I am going to study in Germany for one year as a high school exchange student next year. Any fiction/nonfiction you know that might help me understand modern German society? Thank you!
Posted in Historical Fiction Books 
Tags: Fiction, German, modern, nonfiction, read, society, understand 
1 Comment »Stretch and Relax While Reading a Fiction Book
Everybody likes to read fiction books because they are extremely interesting to read. These books are written using simple sentences and do not require much of an effort to understand them. Books have always been the best pastime and this is evident in lots of books being sold. Fiction books are the ones which are sold the most among all other categories of books. The stories in these books are of many types and belong to different categories. Therefore, some of the fiction books have horror stories, which have ghosts and other horrid creatures terrorising human beings. There are also comic stories which are capable of making the reader fall of his chair laughing uncontrollably. Then there are stories which have love as the central subject. Fiction books are therefore different in their approach. Fantasy and fairy tales are some of the recent subjects, which have fiction books written about them. These stories have characters like elves and knights and many other fantastic creatures. One of the variation of fiction books based on this subject is books which have magic and wizards in them. The interest in these books is, therefore, visible as everybody likes to read these type of stories. Some of the latest fiction books that are being published are extremely interesting. One of them is a book called ‘The Brass Verdict’. This book tells the story of a lawyer who finds the right case to launch his career towards success after a series of wrong choices. Written by the well-known writer Michael Connelly, this book features the famous detective ‘Harry Bosch’ and is perhaps one of the most interesting books written on the subject of law and crime. This is a book, which when read will be able to entertain the user. Another interesting book which can be read is called the ‘Sea of Poppies’. This is a wonderful book to read and has been written by Amitav Ghosh, who is quite a well known writer. The story of this book is an interesting one, and is not boring at all. In fact, this book from start to finish, is one which is fantastic to read. Read childrens books. These two examples form just a simple example of the wonderful books that are being written in the category of fiction. Fiction books, as shown by these two examples are written in a simple way. The language used in these books also have normally used words which are known to everybody. Hence, one does not need to have a dictionary beside him while reading one of these books. Being simple is, therefore, one of the major feature of fiction books. They are popular for being easy to understand books to be read for relaxation. The basic aim of reading these books is to relax. Good fiction books are those which enable the readers to relax and have a good time.
Adding Mystery to Your Life
You may or may not have been born to superhuman intelligence or super detective skills but one of the first words you probably drove your parents crazy with was ‘why?’. “Humans need mystery and challenges. They motivate us to show our true colors.” So says John Shimmin, archeologist and author of The Manx Grail Chronicles: Mystery of the Templar Treasure. When asked why he writes mysteries, Shimmin said that he wants to engage the reader’s imagination and critical thinking skills. Here are six tips and strategies Shimmin shared about the benefits of keeping mystery alive in your life: 1. Expand your brain. Shimmin holds that our lives are filled with repetitive tasks and passive interests like TV and video. Most entertainment spoon-feeds the brain into a vegetative state. Look for chances to break your routine and find more engaging entertainment. When we read mysteries, we think outside the box or our personal comfort zone. Mysteries are good exercise for our under-worked brains. 2. Learn about truth versus story. Shimmin spent thirty years searching for truth in his archeological studies. What he found was that history is slanted by the person or organization who records it. Shimmins’s advice; “Don’t look to history for truth — history often takes on the agenda of the teller. Mythology may hold more clues to ancient truths than history.” 3. Recognize the truth in story. Truth in stories was a way to pass information down through generations before the written word was widespread. Mythology has endured for thousands of years, and is based in truth. On the other hand, history is shrouded in opinion; it may be distorted to suit the needs of an organization, as in Catholic religious doctrines. Beyond historical truths, there are truths we can learn about human nature from obvious fantastical tales such as ‘Aesop’s Fables’. 4. Learn how historical events depend on the Author. For example, the Dark Ages were so called because the Catholic Church ruled over people by instilling fear and hoarding knowledge. Any truths which opposed the will of the Church were discounted as heresy and believers were coerced to change their opinions. If they refused, they were banished or killed. 5. Apply mysteries to everyday. From figuring out who stole the last cookie to solving a crime, we encounter mystery all the time. Our brains thrive on answering questions. Solving mysteries keeps us sharp: thinking, deducing and reacting. The easiest way to find a mystery is to do a little people watching. If you’re still struggling, try spending time with a kid. 6. Get a team. Shimmin does not use a Sherlock Holmes character in his plots to solve all of the story’s mysteries. Life rarely has a central hero character who singlehandedly has all the answers or the ability to figure out the mystery alone. A more realistic approach is teamwork. Recognize and encourage special talents in the people around you. People are a lot more likely to volunteer a talent that they feel is respected.
eBook Historical Novels
Linda’s recent historical novels focus on the lives of the descendents of Ferdinand and Isabella: Queen Juana I (Juana la Loca), her son Charles V, and her grandson Philip II of Spain. That Other Juana (Juana la Loca). Juana, older sister of Catherine of Aragon, founded the Hapsburg dynasties of Spain and Austria but her life was ruined by three men greedy for power: her husband a blatant womaniser and political schemer; her father who betrayed and isolated her; her son who imprisoned her for a further thirty years. Her spirited resistance to this lifetime of barbaric persecution earned her, unfairly, the infamous nickname Juana la Loca, Joan the Mad. A Matter of Pride (Charles V, HRE). The emperor, prematurely aged, ill, and very irritable Charles V retires to a secluded monastery in western Spain in 1557. He brings memories of past loves, years in power and military campaigns. His major‑domo freely speaks his mind, other characters tell tragicomic anecdotes and an all-knowing narrator makes sarcastic and funny observations. It all makes for a wonderful story – sometimes tearful, sometimes hilarious. Wives & Other Women (Philip II of Spain)At a time when kings were expected to produce male heirs Philip embarked on several dynastic marriages but was always disappointed and frustrated. The story focuses on these loveless marriages — and his compulsive pursuit of other women. With a background of family turmoil and a court plagued by intrigue and treachery, the result is a fascinating and very lively story. Digital eBooks of historical fiction by Linda Carlino are now available as Amazon Kindle Books from www.amazon.com The paperback editions are available from www.amazon.com and www.amazon.co.uk