WHY BOOKS WILL ALWAYS BE POPULAR:

Kids books to enhance the enjoyment in sports - By: kamesh


Children are the building blocks of our society therefore it is very essential to impart knowledge to them which helps them in understanding the norms of the society. Kids’ books are written in a way in which children loves to read. These books with the help of good and bad fictional characters makes kids understand how bad characters are punished for their wrong doings.

The biggest advantage of children books is that it keeps children away from play stations which can affect the mental growth of children. Kids books comes in many categories such as nature, fictional stories, short stories and more but because children love adventure therefore sport category is very favorite with them. Books like surfing and skateboarding books motivate children to take part in outdoor sports which in turn enhance the basic knowledge of kids about that sport.

Surfing books with the help of colorful pictures, attractive designs and simple language helps children understand the precaution they should take while enjoying this adventurous sport. These books also tell them the dangers associated with this sport so that kids can avoid them. Very simple and attractive language is used so that children have fun while reading and knowing about its particulars.

Skateboarding is another sport which is known for the adventure involved in it. To help kids understand this sport in a much better way, these books give great emphasis on swimming because without knowing swimming on one is advised to go for this sport. With this, skateboarding books also depicts the importance of team building and how it is useful in tackling different situations. Stories on this sport help kids understand new techniques and learn tips to stay safe.

Thus we can see how important role books play in child’s life; books are a great asset to children. By motivating kids to take part in outdoor sport activities, kids’ books ensure healthy physical growth of kids. Your neighborhood store may not have all these books but there are many online book stores which offer different varieties of books ranging from sports to culture. But before giving your order to any online book store, one should always explore the websites of other online book store to get the best bargain deals. These stores have the latest books which they offer at affordable prices. Just give them your order and the same will be delivered to you at your door steps within the limited time frame.

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Learn to Write: Children's Books-Self Publishing vs Traditional Publishing! - By: Lisa Brunel


About twenty years ago publishing houses started cutting their losses by narrowing their stables of authors down to the fair few they knew could produce blockbuster books. Anyone who tried to enter the children's book industry and learn to write in order to break into that rarefied world was in for a long, hard slog. And it looked like the trend would only become more pronounced. It actually has, but another funny thing happened to the publishing world: the internet.

Publishing, whether it be books, periodicals, music, or films, is a very different concept today than it used to be. Consumers have grown tired of a shrinking handful of big publishers determining what they can find to read in a given year. And enterprising writers have entered the world of self publishing in droves. Some have succeeded, and some have not, just like in traditional publishing. If you're a writer, what should you do: try to get a deal with a traditional publisher, or strike out into self-publishing territory? There are definitely arguments for and against both.

If you're like most people, money is a consideration. Say you're interested in publishing a children's book. With traditional publishing, a promising author will be paid in advance against future sales of his or her book. When the book comes out, the author has to sell enough books to make up for the advance and then sell more for further profit. That's what book tours are for.

With self publishing, the author does it all: edits, proofreads, gets it in final format, and has it printed. To make a profit, the printing expenses must be made up in sales. This is hardly an issue with many self publishers nowadays, however. Print-on-demand services ensure that the only books that get printed are the ones requested. Thus, no piles of unsold books languish in a storage shed or basement. The fact remains, however, that if you don't learn to write, your books will go unread.

Next to money, control is probably the next most important consideration for most people. With traditional publishing, the publishing house controls just about everything: the edits you have to make, typeface, design, cover art, list price, and even the author photo. They're also the ones that market the book, arrange for reviews, and plan book tours. For some people, this is an immense relief. They would much rather have seasoned professionals deciding these things while they concentrate on writing.

Other people know what they want the cover to look like, how much they want to sell the book for, and whether they want their photo on the dust jacket. These are the people who may be happier and more successful with self publishing. They will, however, be in charge of marketing the book, and sales will be directly related to marketing efforts.

Everyone knew that the publishing industry would go through changes as the end of the 20th century neared, but few could have predicted just how that would happen. Traditional publishing is no longer the sole maker of reputations and fortunes, and self publishing is no longer the vanity vehicle for sub-par writers who can't get work into print otherwise.

Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. You will have to balance your financial needs and obligations with your need for control and ability to market yourself. Either way is respectable these days. But one thing hasn't changed: and that is the obligation to learn to write well. That's because, books with good quality content - traditionally or self published - are the ones that people actually buy.
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Guide To Books: The Discworld - By: Henry Funk


Terry Pratchett is a genius – of this I am more certain than I am sitting in a chair, sipping coffee and wondering how it can possibly be pitch black outside at 16:00. The expanse of his imagination is so vast that to even review a single one of his creations is to struggle like an Emu attempting to come to terms with fundamental metaphysics. Hence, instead of commenting on the man himself, his writing style or indeed any of his individual books; in this article I shall briefly explain the basics behind his most famous creation – the Discworld.

The Great A’Tuin is a Giant Star Turtle who floats through space, carrying on her back four huge elephants. Atop these elephants rests Pratchatt’s slightly convex disc-shaped world; a place fairly similar to our world, but in which magic is a principle force. As is the case for many fantasy worlds, the Discworld contains a number of races apart from humans, primarily including Trolls, Dwarves, Elves, Golems, Orcs, Gnomes, Gods and, of course, the Undead. Unconventionally, however, Pratchett’s has created a world in which many of these races often live in (some form of) harmony, sometimes in major cities like Ankh-Morpork – the setting for a fair number of Discworld adventures.

The most interesting part of the Discworld, however, is the structure of its reality. You see, the Discworld is not primarily governed by logic or physics, but by a general movement towards a kind of narrative destiny or the fulfilment of a story; what is believed to be the case (or meant to be the case) normally is the case, simply because it is believed to be so. For example, although dragons are clearly too large to fly in reality, the people of the Discworld believe the stories about flying dragons and, therefore, dragons fly in the Discworld – because dragons are meant to fly, whether it’s possible or not. The same is the case for existence; things within this world simply cannot be without there first being a story to around which their being and destiny can mould itself. In existential terms, nothing exists in-itself, but everything exists for-itself; in order to exist, every blade of grass must first have a purpose in a story – only then can it come to be and, invariably, fulfil its role.

It is features like these that emphasise the importance and impact of stories within this fantasy world; although magic is a primary force in the Discworld, a thorough understanding and knowledge of stories is one of the key ways of actually harnessing magical power (though it often comes with a price). For this reason, the Discworld is the source of an infinite number of possibilities, thousands of which Pratchett has captured in perfect detail in his thirty-six books based in this place.
To conclude; the Discworld is nothing short of miraculous and the series of books written about it are, without a doubt, some of the greatest of all time. Although they are all based in the bizarre world of Pratchett’s imagination and hence intrinsically linked, you don’t have to read them all or read them in order to immediately come to love them.

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Finding Kindle Best Deals without the Scams - By: Mistie


The Kindle book reader is the hottest concept but seeking kindle best deals might take you quite a while to find a bargain. Kindle readers are definitely worth buying for the reading enthusiast and for elderly readers. The device is snug, small, discreet and convenient for any purse or bag; offers text adjustments, non-glare screen and hundreds of newspaper, magazine and book choices to download. Perfect gift!

Kindle readers can definitely make life easier, more convenient and quick but you’re going to shell out $250 to $500 for this gadget. When seeking any Kindle best deals you’ll probably find them on Ebay or Craigslist, but the problem is all the inconvenient scams and sifting through that mess. Who really needs to deal with those headaches during the holiday season?

Ebay of course would be your first quest in seeking Kindle best deals. Unfortunately, when reviewing the prices on Ebay they really mirror the deals on Amazon. Sure, there are a few auctions here and there that are as low as $160 but when you consider what they’re charging for shipping, tack on another $25 to $35 dollars. I recommend you choosing a “Buy-it-Now” Ebay seller and offering what you want to pay for a Kindle. A little compromise and price haggling may get you a Kindle with an amazing deal.

With a starting price of $248, you can be sure to get what you pay for by visiting the Amazon site. Not to say Ebay auctioneers will be scammed but since the pricing really mirrors that of Amazon, why chance it during the holiday season? And, Amazon will probably offer more discounts the closer we get to the holiday.

The next site you can seek any Kindle readers and the best deals available is Craigslist; depending upon which state you are perusing you can find a good deal for approximately $175. Again, you’ll be worried with the thought of “what-if” when it comes to delivery so if using Craigslist take measures not to lose your money.

The Kindle readers are only available on certain websites and because of this, it doesn’t really offer consumers enough competitive pricing. So for those searching for Kindle best deals, be prepared to spend close to the original price.

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A Journey into the Unknown (book excerpt) - By: The Bastard
CHAPTER 6 GOING DOWN

Those days I fell in love with every girl that looked at me. Lord knows I was so desperate, so lonely, but too bad.

Whoever said kingship was all about red wine, concubines and entertainment? Sometimes a king would even see his thrown as a burden, of course sometimes he would come to his senses later on and realise all he needed was a chill pill. And most times he would probably end up having one too many.

I wasn't just king of this non-existent kingdom, I was the servant, the slaves, the cleaners and every other labourer was a paid professional. I had built the thrown, but I never proclaimed myself king. It wasn't just a security measure, it was uncertainty, uncertainty that I would fall as I always did, uncertainty that I wouldn't live up to my own expectations, expectations that were now even almost too high to be achieved. I was king of thieves in a kingdom that was, not so much of a pimp’s paradise, but maybe an addict’s haven. Things only appeared as though they were fine. In fact everything was falling apart and after a while, all efforts went towards putting things back together. By the time I was back on my feet I knew there would be something waiting to knock me down again. A cycle I had been trained for day after day after day for years, and yet it would still come as a shock every single time. A cycle The Bastard would refer to as life, in other words, hell. To me I had already lost the battle on earth, and bore deeper and deeper for the roots of evil hence when I moved up in the game, I was really going down, hell bound.

I tried to make sense of my nightmares, but it turned out most of them were reality. The other day I had a dream about something, which I couldn’t remember the minute I got up, as was usually the case. Then as I got up, a form on the couch beside me seemed to raise its head as well, as if having fallen asleep. It looked like a beast or a monster or both; it was in fact a demon. It slowly faded away as I came more conscious. I quickly turned my face to the right and there I saw a white mist as if there was another form there but this time a white form, maybe an angel. Of course, I was moved but by now to me anything was possible, I was scared to death but I didn’t say a thing. I was getting used to things being out of order and weird as hell.

Crime for me became more and more abstruse, the one word that could properly describe the character I had acquired over the years. It wasn’t just going against the grain anymore; it was going against everything that was normal, everything that was the usual thing to do, turning my back on the world and a real society and pursuing everything unusual, like taking the dark road searching for peace when normally one would expect to find peace in the bright surroundings, sunny blue skies and all that crap that makes people love the summer holidays. One wouldn’t expect anything more than a mugging or stabbing walking through a dark alley way at night alone with no protection in unfamiliar neighbourhoods, but this had become routine for me. Fear wasn’t completely absent; instead I had grown more used to and accepted the feeling. Fear had kept me on the right track most of the time and even kept me away from danger. As the bastard would say, “keep a stab rare by the fear”.

Only the brave go to war, soldiers ready to die for their country, consider me not a patriot. Aside from the fact that I was of a mixed background so I never really knew where I was from, I hated politics. To me politicians were just, regardless of what they said, out to better themselves and themselves only. To me politics was just another business venture and very much like show business, make believe. The whole economic system was in fact based on crime, crime which had been polished off and given a civilised appearance and name. Every single potential presidential candidate would campaign, saying the same old things he or she would do and then get elected and never do them. People would complain, once again, and then go out again to get deceived and vote at the next election. If one ever asked a politician a question, one could never expect a straight answer but instead a bundle of technical terms jumbled together in a way that the majority of the masses would never understand but if it sounded right then it was acceptable and it always sounds right. Everyone, regardless of what they say or said is out to get the best they can for themselves, how much more politicians, why should they be any different.

A question The Bastard would always ask was what was done with the evidence after a big drug seizure? Surely it wasn’t destroyed. Who in their right minds would believe that load of crap? What kind of self respecting, modern day man would dispose of hundreds of kilos of illegal substances in any other way than one that would generate the mass amounts of revenue which it is worth? One wouldn’t expect the evidence room to hold any illegal substances longer than necessary but it would then it would ‘mysteriously’ disappear and find its way back into the streets along with a bunch of marked pistols and ammunition so that dealers can be traced and the same substances and more cash can be seized once again.

Of course all this is just the common assumption in the streets but nobody especially not criminals can do a thing about it. I never spent hours thinking of how crooked cops or politicians were or how it affected me but instead how to better myself like everyone else because I was at a disadvantage, I was the one and only in my kingdom, there would be no wars because there were no soldiers and the only evidence or commodity ever found in my territory or possession if ever raided would be cash. Of course it would all disappear into thin air easily and quickly with the technological advances these days, money laundry now a thing of the past.

CHAPTER 7 BIG PAPER

A wise man once asked me how much it would take for me to even as little as crack a smile. For me money wasn’t the problem anymore. It was life; it was waking up in the morning and having a place to be, a place I belonged, having “work buddies” and work quickies and friends and all that stuff that now seemed like a fairy tale to me. Of course by this time it was safe to say I was becoming sloppy but I didn’t give a damn, my heart was bleeding, I needed some damn love in my life. I had started to crave the things of the past again. I never got to have them so I chose this life as a consolation. I never had cool friends so I became the cool guy. I never had money so I chased money. I never had a girl friend so I became a pimp, close to the time when I had come in contact with my high school sweet heart again. I thought I would never see her again. Just when I was being forged into this heartless bastard, she came and softened me up once again.

She brought me life. It was like a gift from the mother land, I felt alive. She was in town on holidays, though I didn’t know at the time. We would talk for hours on the phone well into the night and say almost nothing of importance. I had too much to hide, and as with everyone I ever met, I couldn’t say much about myself. There was nothing much to say. If anyone ever asked what my source of income was, I would say I didn’t know as that would be the truth, money came to me. My job was to keep craving it and spending every day and night chasing it. Every minute was to be spent in the line of duty.

Prostitution, pimping, wasn’t that hip-hop fantasy it is made out to be these days by these damn kids with too much money; big fine bootilicious girls in apple bottom jeans dancing around a luxury apartment drinking champagne and all that crap, nothing like that. The real milk men always said pimping wasn’t easy and only fools would run around calling themselves “pimps”, the real milk men played the part and let the people call it what they wanted to. The word was something of a derogatory term for people in the profession long ago.

The pimp game for me was a link between sex, money and drugs. I had later referred to it as the devils work but I didn’t quit though. I spent years dragging drugged up ‘horses’ to high, drunken clientele both male and female and I couldn’t even boast of earnings to make up the nature of the job. One could tell some of the horses where diseased but they would still be a part of the team as long as they were willing and able. It wasn’t the dream job but at least I had something to look forward to the next day and plus the game came to me spontaneously, like every single one of my occupations. I was grateful, grateful to whoever was responsible.

Damn demons!


I was always one to look on the bright side of things, but I moved on the dark side, there was really no bright side to be seen, though it was there but over shadowed by the evil and clouded by the danger.

Sometimes I would wander off into the woods far away from civilization just to get away from it all. I always knew there was more to life than money and horses, something supernatural. I believed in a higher power on earth that was being over looked by modern man, that science wasn’t the answer to everything, maybe even just a short cut taken too far. That energy could come from the human body itself, that the body could be the ultimate renewable source of energy. I believed that one could establish an almost permanent connection with the spirit world on earth and evolve into a new form, that heaven and earth were not just separate entities but indeed a part of each other and that the angels depended on humans as much as humans depended on them. I believed demons would surround whoever was evil and lead him to the devil either in hell or on earth. Of course once I was back to civilization, it seemed none of the things I believed mattered to any one. It seemed no one ever even bothered to think about life or what they were doing on earth not to talk of the supernatural. Every one only bothered about tomorrow or today even, I was miles away, bothering about how I could make my adult hood as fulfilling and prosperous as possible.

As a kid, I was afraid to be like my pedigree, though they weren’t poor and they were even happy, they were caught up in that endless daily turmoil that I couldn’t see myself surviving or thriving in. I was afraid of struggling ‘forever’ so instead I started my own struggle and it turned out to be even worse than the one I had perceived. I had chosen to struggle in a cycle of death, a cycle whereby low lives struggle for years over and wind up either dead or in jail.

For some reason I thought it would be up to me to end the struggle whenever I chose like it was some game, a struggle which was in fact life, life in its pure form, all that I was lacking was the necessary humility and complacence and it would all be ok.

I failed to realise that life wasn’t supposed to be peaches and cream, that richer folks simply had bigger bills to pay and had to work even harder and after a while, I realised that some people didn’t even think as far as success, some people were fine with life the way it was, just living everyday as it came. Why was I different? And while a part of me thanked God for that difference, the other half wanted to be normal, wanted to wake up in the morning and go to work, on the bus or train, in the same old shoes and the same old suit, to the same old desk, but with friends to talk to and colleagues to hate and take out my bad days on and go to the pub with after work, trying to get at the same old girls and all that crap because at least everything would be more certain, there would be a pay check at the end of every month. What I had forgotten was that I wasn’t even successful at that normal life. I was always hindered by social incompetence and shyness on the job coupled with my childhood hatred for mankind that never seemed to go away. Who would ever buy life insurance from someone who wouldn’t look them straight in the eye or ever even crack a smile or make nice comments or at least a bit of sucking up or few complements on a nice ladies hair or dress and all that shit? Of course if I worked on my social incompetence long enough things would have gotten better but too bad I didn’t. Too bad I had perceived every thing getting worse the more I tried, it was like trying to mould cold metal, I was set in my ways. The more I tried, the more I failed and the more it hurt. Too bad I was too a sore looser, a sore looser too soft to take a beating even, but not for long. The only thing positive about my character was that I could spot all those qualities and flaws and admit them shamelessly. Normally, people would try and cover them up and try more at appearing to be the toughest than actually being the toughest but not me.

At this point in my life I was working out almost every day of the week. I hit gyms all across the country as I would be in different boroughs or towns every other day of the week. I didn’t belong anywhere but I would thrive anywhere.

After a while I had built a body of confidence but nothing changed on the inside. Few ‘alpha dogs’ could see that I was built soft and had done something about it but of course no one would know what. Most would usually think I had a concealed weapon of some sort or something and though most people were shallow thinking most of the time, they could never fail to admire as they watched the under dog striving, not just striving but thriving as well. But that was only what they perceived, just the way it seemed.

When I made money one would think I could never have dreamed of having, most of the time I would have dreamed of having much more, I would still continue as though nothing had happened. I would still do as those with nothing would do. Consequently, I would do more than was necessary half of the time. I would plan for the worst of the worst, things that may never even happen. I never had anyone to teach me or show me a way through the streets so I would analyse situations by viewing them from the extremes. I only knew three phases, top, middle and bottom. It was years before I realised where I was in the game I played, in my life, as it were. I had spent years at the bottom, now every moment was tending toward the bottom from the middle section but I was reaching for the top. It was an endless struggle, the one I intended to cut out.

Money wasn’t the root of evil anymore. ‘Big paper’ was the root of evil. During harder times when everything was slow or stood still, I would turn around and try to rekindle old flames that had been extinguished at earlier stages of the game, smaller moves that used to bring in funds back then, but those times had passed. Adopting the same methods or even more advanced methods couldn’t rekindle those flames.

It took some time for me to realise that I had in fact moved up a notch. I had in fact made it to the middle and though it was far from enough, I was starting to get the feeling nothing would ever be enough. The obsession had taken its toll, a toll that was indeed essential for my progress, but one which would be hard to be freed of, if at all it was possible.

Every ‘pay packet’ sparked an even bigger hunger for more and every hunger for more came with a passion, a passion for evil, a craving for speed and the need to slow down- another excuse for some more alcohol, cigarettes and Mary Jane, topped up with yet another happy ending massage session.

CHAPTER 8 WAKING UP EACH DAY

By this time the authorities were hot on my trail as I was spotting the very fruits of labour they would see if I was guilty of the crimes they were trying to solve.

Everyday big bill earned now only spelled a bigger sentence. My mode of operation was unique. I was a pioneer. I only did things people would never do because they were too risky and the necessary precautions wouldn’t have been taken by victims because it would appear as though only a fool would risk such crimes.

Like instead of a bank with loads of security, breaking into a police station, no one would ever think of it but think of how much illegal substances could be found lying around, how many weapons would be at ones disposal. And to think all one has to do to get in would be to get arrested...but this one would never happen. I forgot I would then have to break out of the cell first to be able to get around.

Waking up now came with reluctance while hugging the sheets tight. It became just another journey into the sick world, another stressful rendezvous, another avenue to spend money. In the words of a famous comedian, “soon as you get out of bed you are spending”. You‘ve got to eat, take a bath, and now even breathing costs smokers- some would even pay with their lives and it won’t be because they ran out of money.

My whole life became an ‘issue’ to be addressed. Of course I wasn’t praying for death. To me I was dead, praying for life. Nothing was as should be. I slept most of the day sometimes and came out at night time, with the foxes, crickets, owls and snakes. Moonlight was peaceful, peaceful and discrete. Though it left most of the brightness hidden, it also kept most of the darkness hidden. There was no good or evil in my eyes, just life, or death as it were. Everything was, in a way neutralised, just like my character. There were no peaks and troughs or if there were, they weren’t acknowledged. They would make no difference.

Most of the time I would try not to smile just to fit in with the crowd where ever I went because though they had everything I wanted, most of them were lacking the only thing I had, the reason for my death, the root of my evil. Everyone was either coming from work late and tired or working the night shift. I wouldn’t smile much so as not to induce any ‘hatred’ or jealousy and in tougher neighbourhoods, armed robbery or plots to catch me sleeping. One could say I had nothing to smile about because I had nothing I needed on the inside, but in the world today, having money always appears and usually is a better position to be in than not having it regardless of what else one had or lacked.

I remember days stranded outside at night in possession of thousands worth of merchandise, but no raw cash to get me a place to sleep or even get me to a place to sleep or at least to my dealer. I was never one to sell stuff on the streets in such cases for small amounts just so I could get by, if I had to I would sleep in the sewers then walk through the city in the morning not giving a damn until the money was in my hand. Then, I would worry about how much I stunk and all that crap. Everything had a price, and each price to me was now like a piece of my soul, hence, I wasn’t selling for anything less.

I later came to realise that in a bid to maintain a steady flow, never addressing peaks and troughs like a money making machine, never smiling or frowning just stacking and counting, I had in fact created this lukewarm lifestyle with no substance. Everything was regulated to fit the schedule and the schedule was twenty-four hours, leaving no time for anything.

At a point I became some sort of sex addict but I grew out of it slowly. It became too monotonous; once I was done I was gone. I wasn’t the type that would go all night or for hours, and then maybe talk after, or cuddle or try new stuff or bond or whatever. I was the type to hit the showers immediately after feeling disgusted thinking “man, what a slut”, or “damn, can’t believe I put my finger in there”. I had no more regards for the feminine population whatsoever, pimpery had destroyed my sensuality. I now only thought of women as sex objects, as most men probably do consciously, but this was unconscious. Like most of my other ventures, it only went on for a while but it became an on and off thing, only on when times where hard, moments in the troughs, other times I would kick the horses to the curb. Filthy sluts!


I always said what a man did for a living wasn’t so important but it would ideally mould one into a form and one could pick up certain characteristic values along the way.

In my case, ‘work’ was my ‘life’, plotting, scheming and executing was the job so even when I was idle, I was hard at work and consequently, my real self only came into consciousness once or twice a month when the loneliness had really kicked in and I had to take that chill pill. Nowadays it’s more frequent; at sun down, that emptiness and self repulse awakens. I feel like I’m depressed or something but deep down I really don’t give a damn.

I had blocked out the highs and lows, so that everything would be more constant, everything would be able to fit on a straight line, be predictable, stable and even up to an extent controllable. In a way, it was similar to the way the masses chose the simple life. I was slowly achieving my goal, though I was still an outlaw, I was becoming like regular people, my dreams and excessive enthusiasm was being dampened. I started losing my excessively high drive, and aspirations. All I wanted was to be alive and free, and to be able to relax but then I realised that that wasn’t the way of life, it was the choice mare sheep would choose, the choice to just wait around and follow the leaders when they move, the choice to never lead, never lead because of the need to think or make important decisions or use ones initiative or take the blame in the case of a wrong doing or never have to face the shame of failing and falling back to being just the regular sheep, indeed the lazy choice. If life was stress free, this would be paradise, heaven, we would be angels, and probably be able to fly as well. We were once spirits with no stress and came to earth to experience life, turmoil, in order to forge important virtues, both the ones lacking and the ones we already possess. Death is in fact a return to the spirit world, so to some wouldn’t be such a bad thing unless they thought or lived as if they were from hell. Of course life was meant to be an experience to write home about so one would ideally, regardless of what present or previous situations were, try to milk it for whatever it has to offer because ideally it would have a whole lot to offer.

I lived as if from hell, as if this was hell in fact, hence I was scared to death of death. Paranoia got the best of me, it got worse as the alcohol and drugs had their way with my brain cells, one after the other. I even got paranoid about being paranoid so sometimes I would hold back that next joint, especially if I had to go into the city during the day or any busy environments that could ‘Blow’ my mind which I wasn’t sure was a good thing anymore. My brain was processing every single bit of information in the picture, everyone that was around me was fully scanned and assessed as well as classified and categorised and all unconsciously, as a result I hadn’t got much energy to focus on what was important, I was now moving into the unconscious realms of operation which in the afterlife would be ideal, but on earth a bit unusual especial for one who had been a control freak all his life. I knew all I had to do was let go and let everything fall into place but I was unaware if it was really the time when everything was supposed to fall into place, whether all the pieces where available and whether they would fall into the right place. It now became apparent that my strong belief had brought my dreams into consciousness and set my unconscious mind into action guiding me in the right direction or in ‘A’ direction which I slowly noticed was uncontrollable on my part no matter how hard I tried. I would set out for something of value and return with something else which was of value too though not the same; the reason for my uncertainty. Every goal I set out to achieve was never achieved but there were always results or consequences of my actions or a discovery leading to another venture. Everything was in fact falling into place on its own. I was in fact getting in the way of my unconscious mind most of the time. It now became a battle of the worlds, me against myself; conscious versus unconscious.

All my time was spent thinking of how I couldn’t be like other people, how I had to go against the grain just to maintain and how I would stand out from the crowd and be spotted a mile away which wasn’t ideal for my occupation even. I now found myself constantly ‘bitching’ about how I didn’t have friends and couldn’t thrive in public places so avoided social gatherings. I had failed to realise that I was simply just different, different in the way every individual is from the other. Every individual is unique and special in every way, even down to his source of income. The difference would ideally create a spark in each individual if his character is adhered to.

I had been shy and reserved since a kid but I had it hidden most of the time, blacked out of my memory, so much so I forgot who I was. I had just, as it were, settled for being a loser trying to win, a nobody trying to be somebody and hence I had to put in my best work.

Getting paid became the high point of my life, the only thing that would make me almost crack a smile or even at least ease up a bit.

As I grew older, I started to adopt the no questions asked policy. I had to assume that everything was exactly as it should be. That life didn’t have a formula for change or success, and that time would reveal what the future held when the time came. I had realised that half of the things I had become weren’t a result of anything I had consciously planned or executed. Through all my failures, my many many failures, I had been acquiring new insights and qualities relating to different aspects of my life. Everything that was still remained, and everything that wasn’t could still be. All I had to do was to aspire and pray, pray and wait patiently.

Of course I had nothing to spend my time doing in the unlikely event that I prayed and waited. Friends and family were to play a good part in my life at that point, but too bad I had neither. By this time I had pushed them miles away from me.

All I had left was Mary Jane, the genie in a liquor bottle, cigarettes and the queens deep in my pockets. That was my life; my obsession, my very own prison, my custom built hell and above all my cycle of death.

A ‘wise guy’ once said humans die everyday when we sleep. I was starting to believe him. The loneliness would bite till the alcohol had taken its toll along with other so called ‘stimulants’ then I could eventually pass out and wake up the next day remembering nothing with a clean slate, a new life and a new emptiness.

CHAPTER 9 TAKE ME BACK

In the so called modern world, people are only ever ready to share their pain, never their joys. People only come together in hard times, funerals, fuel crisis, recession, terror attacks and tragic events. When everything is well, everyone goes back into their own corners, trying to be better than their neighbours or best friends, gossiping, plotting and scheming or whatever they do behind closed doors. Everyone else becomes the competition and then shortly after turns the opposition and then the enemy. At this point I was like an extra terrestrial looking into the world to see if it was habitable and seeing this put me off and in a way even justified my way of life, far from modern society.

Everyone pretended to be someone else so no one was special. Being better than the next man was good enough for some so there were no high flyers if nobody was flying. I would some times wander why couples would fight and despise each other, or why friends would turn around and gossip about each other or feel bad to see their fellow mates prospering or getting further than they could instead of sharing their joys as they shared the turmoil.

I still had a bit of my childhood innocence though I had aged significantly, heart now stone cold but I never really grew up. I had my inner child buried deep inside of me, imprisoned since an early age and as he slowly resurfaced, I was becoming more ‘humanly pure’ than some societies’ finest role models, of course, not taking into consideration any sources of income.

I had slowly been purified by my cross; the rebellion. I had been working on forging my virtues unconsciously. I learned about discipline from never quitting, never being too tired to go the extra mile even if it was on foot, or run that extra distance further from chasing cops, I learned the value of loyalty, the need for pain and even though for the wrong reasons, humility- I didn’t want to be admired, I was adorned with ill gotten begets and loaded with pelf, in fact it was possible that some of the jewels and cash had previously belonged to the admirers.

As time went on, I came to realise that life wasn’t a game. That life really was a struggle and the end of the struggle?
Drugs or ‘stimulants’ were to disable the mind even if only temporarily to ease pains that may arise during one’s life because humans would have at some point realised that pain would always come, like rain and sunshine. However, some people would realise that gain could come after the pain so the pain wouldn’t hurt so much or may be accepted more readily by people looking from that perspective.

According to the bastard, we were all angels that came to earth for the struggle, to attain purity to become even better angels when they die attaining a higher sense of self. In the same way that on earth things like wealth is never enough, one is never too rich, in the after life, one can never be too pure or pure enough, God is infinite and one must strive both in heaven and on earth to be more and more like him.

Money wasn’t the only root of evil in the case of the bastard. His mind was in fact the pioneer of all evil. Lack of humility and discipline, meant he would fail to accept himself at the beginning of his journey, coincidentally, he had money on his mind along side a mind load of laws that came broken. Crime was inevitable.

I was never one to turn around and walk or admit defeat no matter the circumstances but it was time to make a change, something had to be done. Everyday was going by even quicker and quicker, minute by minute, second by second. Some days I would literally watch time fly, of course I was ‘flying’ with it but going no where fast. I had become the devils own workshop as I possessed the idle mind coupled with the filthy, willing hand. I started to crave the very things I had run from for most of my youth once again, the simple life. It was also now certain that my soft side, my inner child was awakening and ready to begin its own over due rebellion against this new found self, against this bastard who was now falling apart. The part of myself I had despised the most, that I thought had no hope of surviving had in fact made it through the storm unharmed. On the other hand, the ‘new man’, The Bastard, was dead and still dying, failing over and over and over again, getting richer and richer, boring deeper and deeper into hell.

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List of books where people with disabilities are shown in a positive light - By: Mara Kaplan


Here is a list of books for elementary school students Here is a list of books for elementary school that have at least one character with a disability. All of the characters with disabilities are portrayed in a positive light.

There are characters who have autism, down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, visual impairments, hearing impairments, speech delays, dyslexia, spina bifida, synesthesia and who use a wheelchair. The list was created using the winners of the Dolly Gray Award and the Schneider Family Book Award and lists compiled by Sandy Lahmann, Cherl Pesto at Disaboom and Mary Anne Prater & Tina Taylor Dyches from Teaching Exceptional Children.

* Very Special Critter, Mercer Mayer--Little Critter discovers that the new boy in class is really not so different from anyone else, even though he is in a wheelchair.

* My Friend Isabelle, Eliza Woloson--A young boy the activities he shares with his friend Isabelle, a girl with Down Syndrome.

* Susan Laughs, Jeanne Willis /Tony Ross--Rhyming couplets describe a wide range of common emotions and activities experienced by a girl who uses a wheelchair.

* Harry and Willy and Carrothead, Judith Casely--Three boys overcome prejudicial ideas about appearances and become friends.

* Hooway for Wodney Wat, Helen Lester /Lynn Munsinger--Classmates make fun of Rodney because he can't pronounce his name, but it is Rodney's speech impediment that drives away the class bully.

* Dad and Me in the Morning, Patricia Lakin--A deaf boy and his father share a special time as they watch the sun rise at the beach.

* Best Friend on Wheels, Debra Shirley--The narrator meets Sarah, a girl in a wheelchair, and they become fast friends.

* Kami and the Yaks, Andrea Stenn Stryer--Kami, a young Sherpa boy who is deaf, rescues his family’s yaks and livelihood during a violent storm.

* The Deaf Musicians, Pete Seeger /Paul Dubois Jacobs--After losing his hearing, jazzman Lee learns to make music in a new way.

* Looking out for Sarah, Glenna Lang--Describes a day in the life of a seeing eye dog, from going with his owner to the grocery store and post office, to visiting a class of school children, and playing ball

* Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum, Robert A. Parker--Tatum came from modest beginnings and was nearly blind, his passion for the piano and his acute memory for any sound drove him to become a virtuoso who was revered by both classical and jazz pianists.

* Alphabet War, Diane Burton Robb--Learning to read is a great struggle for Adam, but with expert help, hard work, and belief in himself, he wins "The Alphabet War.

* See the Ocean, Estelle Condra--Driving through mountain fog to the beach, two young brothers compete to see who will first see the ocean, but it is their blind sister Nellie who senses it first.

* Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr./John Archambault--A grandfather and his blind grandson reminisce about the young boy's birth, his first horse, and an exciting horse race.

* Thank You, Mr. Falker, Patricia Polacco--Trisha could paint and draw beautifully, but when she looked at words on a page, all she could see was jumble. It took a very special teacher to recognize little Trisha's dyslexia.

* Mama Zooms, Jane Cowen-Fletcher--A boy's wonderful mama takes him zooming everywhere with her, because her wheelchair is a zooming machine.

* My Pal, Victor / Mi amigo Víctor by Diane Gonzales Bertrand --Two boys enjoy the summer doing all of the things that boys do despite one boy's disability.

* Two Tracks in the Snow, Louella Bryant--Ari, a boy who uses a wheelchair, uses his monoski to teach Will how to snowboard.

* Silent Lotus, Jeanne M. Lee--Although she cannot speak or hear, Lotus trains as a Khmer court dancer and becomes eloquent in dancing out the legends of the gods.

* Crow Boy, Taro Yashima--A lonely boy in a village school in Japan learned all the calls of the crows as he left his home at dawn and arrived home at sunset on school day.

* Ian's Walk, Laurie Lear--A young girl realizes how much she cares for her autistic brother Ian when he gets lost at the park.

* Featherless (Desplumado), Juan Felipe Herrera--Although Tomasito's spina bifida keeps him in a wheelchair, where he often feels as confined as his flightless and featherless pet bird, he discovers that he can feel free when he is on the soccer field.

* Keeping Up with Roo, Dan Andresen/Sharlee Glenn --Gracie has always had a special bond with her Aunt Roo, who is mentally disabled, but that relationship starts to change when Gracie begins school.

* Dad, Jackie, and Me, Myron Uhlberg-A young boy shares the excitement of Jackie Robinson's rookie season with his deaf father.
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Why books will always be popular - By: Ryan Fyfe


Technology continues to bring changes to our lives and many objects that people once placed great value in are being consigned to history. This has led people to speculate that the traditional type of book will be replaced by an electronic version; they point to the record industry as evidence to what will happen to books. Other people feel certain that the format of the book will also be completely revised because people no longer have the attention span to be wading through long narrative; they want something short and zappy. One other claim is that the future type of book will not be a static entity, but instead something that is constantly evolving with readers being able to interact with the text and the author constantly changing it to keep it up to date. These arguments do make a lot of sense, but here is why I feel certain that in some ways they are wrong; are at least not completely correct.

People frequently compare the traditional paper book to the record industry. To me this does not seem like a fair comparison because they are different in many ways. For one thing the book has been around a lot longer than recorded music. Humans have been enjoying books for many centuries while recorded sound is only just only been popular for over a hundred years or so. Recorded music has evolved rapidly during its history with different types of vinyl records leading to cassettes which developed to CDs and eventually to MP3s. People did become fond of different formats, but they were still having the same sort of listening experience only that it came with improvements. This is different than books because most readers claim that every attempt to develop an electronic reading device has always took away from the experience; people read electronic books for connivance and not because they offer a better way of reading. The big changes that have occurred with music have not happened with books and they don't really seem like to. The electronic book will become more popular, but it is unlikely to replace paper for many more years.

The next argument is that people want something much shorter that the traditional 60,000 to 120,000 word book. The reality is that there have always been some people who liked the short story over long narration. These days less people choose short stories and people now expect books to be longer; the average word count for a book was once about 60,000 but nowadays people feel shortchanged if it is anything less than 100,000.

The idea of the interactive book becoming more popular probably does have a lot of truth in it. New technology like Google Wave might herald some really exciting times ahead with readers being able to interact more with the story. These types of new technology will likely bring many new enjoyable ways of doing things, but they will likely just be a different way of reading rather than replacing the traditional book.

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Books for Middle School Students that show people with disabilities in a positive light - By: Mara Kaplan


Here is a list of books for middle school students that have at least one character with a disability. All of the characters with disabilities are portrayed in a positive light. There are characters who have autism, down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, visual impairments, hearing impairments, speech delays, dyslexia, spina bifida, synesthesia and who use a wheelchair.

The list was created using the winners of the Dolly Gray Award and the Schneider Family Book Award and lists compiled by Sandy Lahmann, Cherl Pesto at Disaboom and Mary Anne Prater & Tina Taylor Dyches from Teaching Exceptional Children.

* Hank Zipzer Series, Henry Winkler, Lin Oliver/Jesse Joshua Watson--Inspired by his own experiences with undiagnosed dyslexia, actor/director Henry Winkler presents this series about the high-spirited and funny adventures of a fourth-grader with learning differences.

* The View from Saturday, E. L. Konigsburg--Four students, with their own individual stories, develop a special bond and attract the attention of their teacher, a paraplegic, who chooses them to represent their class in the Academic Bowl competition

* And Don't Bring Jeremy, Marilyn Levinson--Moving to a new neighborhood is difficult, but Adam Krasner has the additional burden of dealing with Jeremy, his neurologically impaired brother, who can't seem to do anything right.

* Rules, Cynthia Lord--Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. The summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?

* Becoming Naomi Leon, Pam Munoz Ryan--When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.

* Things Not Seen, Andrew Clements--When Bobby wakes up and finds himself invisible, he and his parents and his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his condition and how to reverse it.

* Me and Rupert Goody, Barbara O'Connor--Jennalee is jealous when a slow-thinking black man arrives in her Smoky Mountains community and claims to be the son of Uncle Beau, the owner of the general store and Jennalee's only friend.

* Flying Solo, Ralph Fletcher--Rachel, having chosen to be mute following the sudden death of a classmate, shares responsibility with the other sixth-graders who decide not to report that the substitute teacher failed to show up.

* Freak the Mighty, Rodman Philbrick and W.R. Philbrick--At the beginning of eighth grade, learning disabled Max and his new friend Freak, whose birth defect has affected his body but not his brilliant mind, find that when they combine forces they make a powerful team.

* Al Capone Does My Shirts, Gennifer Choldenko--Moose Flanagan and his family, including his 15-year-old sister, Natalie, who has autistic-like characteristics, move to Alcatraz in 1935 so that his father can work as a prison guard and Natalie can attend a special school. However, the school does not allow Natalie to attend until Moose and the prison warden's daughter seek help from an unlikely source-the most notorious criminal on the island, Al Capone.

* Tru Confessions, Janet Tashjian--Computer-literate, twelve-year-old Tru keeps an electronic diary where she documents her desire to cure her handicapped twin brother and her plan to create a television show.

* Reaching for Sun, Tracie Vaughn Zimmer--even if Josie wants to forget that she was born with a disability, her mom can't seem to let it go. Yet when a strange new boy—Jordan—moves into one of the houses nearby, he seems oblivious to all the things that make Josie different.

* Mango-shaped Space, Wendy Mass--Mia Winchell has synesthesia, the mingling of perceptions whereby a person can see sounds, smell colors, or taste shapes. Forced to reveal her condition, she must look to herself to develop an understanding and appreciation of her gift in this coming-of-age novel.

* Waiting for Normal, Leslie Connor--Addie has spent most of her twelve years “waiting for normal,” a stable family and a real home. Connor’s resilient heroine uses humor, creativity and her “love of learning” to compensate for her dyslexia. Through music and good friends, Addie discovers that she can accomplish anything.

* So B. It, Sarah Weeks--From the bestselling author of "Regular Guy" comes a novel about a young girl living in Reno with her mentally disabled mother who, haunted by a mysterious word in her mother's 23-word vocabulary, embarks on a cross-country journey

* Westing Game, Ellen Raskin--The mysterious death of an eccentric millionaire brings together an unlikely assortment of heirs who must uncover the circumstances of his death before they can claim their inheritance.
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Pastors - the time to write your book is now! - By: Brian Mast


All pastors have a book, or two, inside of them! If you have a book that is crying out to be written, but you are too busy or overwhelmed at the prospect of writing a book, we can help.

Over the past 10 years, I have had the honor of helping write, edit, publish, and/or market almost 100 books with more than 1.6 million copies in print. Many of these authors have been pastors and ministry leaders … and most of them had never written a book before!

It is incredibly satisfying to see one of "my" author's books make an impact in someone's life. Here are a few examples:

One book I helped an author write on the subject of forgiveness happened to be given to a married couple in the process of getting divorced. After reading the book, they decided to forgive each other and make their marriage work!

Another book happened to find its way into the hands of an athlete who came to know Jesus as a result.

One author's book, entitled My Work Is My Ministry, has made such an impact that businessmen by the hundreds are asking for his book.

On a personal note, I grew up as a missionary kid overseas and spent several years after high school in mission work before going to college, but I have found that through books I have been able to influence lives in countless languages and countries! I've been to China, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, France, and Germany, but my books in the languages of these countries are making more of an impact than I ever did.

In your vocation, you have the unique opportunity to reach out to people who are hurting and looking for the answers. In fact, it is Jesus' calling to us: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." What better way to reach out to the world with the hopeful message of Christ than through a book?

Is there something that God has put on your heart to share with His people? Do you have a unique story to tell that would inspire others in their walk with Christ? Don't hesitate. It is time to do it.

It is wonderful, as I know you understand, to see a life changed and to see God work in someone's heart … and to know that you played a part.

With that in mind, it is my desire and passion to serve you in what you do. In the area of books, from production to publishing and from marketing to evangelism efforts, I am here to serve you.

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It's Important for Book Authors to Have Their Own Websites - By: Phyllis Zimbler Miller


Many book authors decide that they can get enough exposure for their books by listing these books on various online book sites rather than having a dedicated website for their books.

Yet, if you are truly interested in giving your book the best online marketing opportunities, you need to have your own book author website.

To begin with, if you use social media networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to promote your book, you will want to include a URL link that sends people to a dedicated book author website to show that you are a serious book author.

You don't want to use a URL to a shared site where people can get distracted with the other books available and forget about checking out your book. This is especially true about Amazon - do not tell people they can find your book on Amazon. Give them the exact URL to the Amazon page with your book on it. (Because that URL is quite long, use a shortened URL site to create a shortened URL for your book's Amazon page.)

Second, you want to be able to offer a sample chapter on your site in order to entice potential purchasers to buy the entire book. This sample chapter can also be used to encourage people to give you their name and email address by using an email opt-in function.

If you have this email information, you can keep yourself in front of people who might not have bought your book the first time they visited your site. Now you can send out emails that provides news of your book and your next book.

Being able to include book club discussion questions is another reason for having your own book author website. Plus you can also include book videos and book audios.

Then there's the advantage of having your blog on your book author website. With the constant addition of fresh material, you make the search engines happy with your site. The result of this is to help your website come up higher in the organic search results when someone is looking for a book related to the topic of your book.

Of course, you can add your own book signings and book event dates to let your fans know when and where they can meet you in person. And you can add book reviews and testimonials to encourage potential purchasers.

The bottom line is that, if you have your own book author website and you can control it yourself, you can greatly increase your online marketing opportunities.

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How To Have a Fantastic Book Club Discussion - By: Alice Osborn


I love reading books and have been a book club participant for over seven years. If you are like me and after you finish a good book you research it online to find out all I can about the author, his/her creative process and perhaps the historical background of the book. What's even better is taking this analysis to a book club meeting.

Here there are other people who are just as passionate about the book as you are. For the next 90 to 120 minutes, you can discuss a single piece of artistic work and really try to drill down the layers of why the author did this and that or why she chose to make her character act like an idiot or a hero.

In the last decade many people (mostly women) have flocked to book clubs to enjoy camaraderie with other book lovers. I joined a book club soon seven years ago soon after my son was born because I had more time on my hands and I wanted to escape the tedium of diapers, feedings and nightly temper tantrums. This was also the same time that I wanted to get serious about my writing and knew that better readers made better writers.

Now seven years later, I have led two successful book club groups and have compiled this guide to help you lead a fantastic book club meeting!

- Distribute the reading discussion questions (most books have a reading guide found in the book itself or via Google) a week prior to the book club members so everyone has a chance to prepare - Offer some kind of food and beverage at every meeting. You can keep it simple and everyone will appreciate the water and cookies. Sugar makes you think better! - Appoint yourself as the facilitator to keep things moving or appoint the host if you rotate locations every month - Pick paperback books that are easily found in the library, at used book stores or via friends who let you borrow their books - Plan out the books for the entire year at a December or January meeting so there everyone knows what the schedule is - Have everyone introduce themselves at the beginning of the meeting for 30 seconds to a minute. Also provide name tags. - Do everything in your power to finish the book before the meeting. If you finish the book and encourage others that it's a good idea to finish, then most folks will comply. No one wants to stay up late, finish the darn book and then show up to the meeting to find out that half of the people there didn't finish. - Go around the room or table and let everyone have a turn to share their thoughts on the book. As facilitator, you also have to make sure no one interrupts each other and have personal discussions kept to a minimum. (Ex. "This book reminds of the time when my husband and I decided to sell our house back in the 60s....") - Keep an open mind and learn from others who have differing opinions. Listen! Also, try not to repeat what someone else has said - offer a new tidbit! Here are a few book club conversation starters from Reading Group Choices (www. ReadingGroupChoices.com) if you don't have the reading group guide on hand.

- Do one or more characters tell the story? Are these characters believable? - What are the book's themes? What the main conflicts in the story? - How does the setting and the time period affect the story? - Did the story change your opinion of a place, event, time period, etc? How so? - What do you think will happen to the characters next?

Planning a fantastic book club meeting doesn't take a lot of work since everyone there also wants the meeting to succeed, but it's your job as facilitator to set the right tone and let everyone have their say so they'll come back for more!


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5 Easy Home Decorating Ideas For Your Bookcase - By: Sue Krippner


Every home has a bookcase. Many are used simply for the pragmatic purpose of shelving books but with these simple decorating ideas for your bookcase, not only can you store those books but create a wonderful home interior design accent to any room.

Decorating Idea 1: Paint

Painting your bookcase is a wonderful way to give it a fresh new look, create a focal point, or even make a small room appear larger!

To make the room appear larger, paint the bookcase the same color as the wall. To make your bookcase a central attraction, paint the back of the book case different colors in a uniform pattern, or add wall paper to add dimension.

Decorating Idea 2: Illuminate

Add easy to attach focused battery operated lights to the ceiling of one book shelf to highlight a shelf underneath. Or, install an electric picture light to the top of the bookcase to illuminate the entire book shelf arrangement.

Decorating Idea 3: Decorate

Don't limit your bookcase to just the display and storage of books. Provide some visual variety by adding accent pieces to your bookcase. Add nicely framed family photo's to one shelf, decorative glass or a sculptured collectible to another.

Decorating Idea 4: Weed

Those tattered, outdated dusty editions of books you may never read again could be donated or tossed. Group the books you REALLY must keep by size color or shape.

Vertical arrangements are fine, but break them up not only with your decorative pieces but with some horizontal groupings as well. Size arrangements are more attractive then books of differing sizes mixed together.

Place the largest books at the bottom of the bookcase, the most attractive on the middle and the smallest at the top.

Decorating Idea 5: Hide

If you have books that just don't look good but you simply cannot part with them. Hide them behind your accessories, horizontal book arrangements or add some decorative boxes to the shelf to house them.

Decorative boxes can also be used to store little odds and ends that you want to keep on the bookcase for convenience but don't necessarily need to see. This could be your incoming mail, household keys, remote controls, etc.

Decorative boxes are not only wonderfully functional but delightfully decorative. Make your own to tie in the theme of the room with a decoupage DIY project or, visit a decorating store to find a unique just for you look.

By incorporating these 5 simple ideas to your bookcase, it will become a star attraction in any room.
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Kids books to ensure physical growth of a child - By: vivek kushwaha


It is very essential for every kid to take part in sport activities because such activities help in physical growth of children. Understanding this, guardians are taking the help of kids books to motivate children to take part in outdoor activity and help them knowing its basics. Written in a very interesting manner, kids books not only impart basic knowledge abut sport activity but also entertains children through colorful pictures, cartoons and funny language. Moreover, you can refer these books again and again.




Surfing is an adventurous sport therefore very popular with children and if you are starter then you can take the help of surfing books. These books contain all the information which is necessary for a kid to know. It is better for you to take the help of surfing books then going into the water and try to learn on your own. Moreover, simple language, attractive designs and characters never make children bore while reading.




These books also inform you about the precautions, which one should take while surfing such as avoid surfing after eating anything, avoid surfing near rocks, do not go very far in the ocean if you are a starter etc. Surfing books are not only helpful for kids but also for adults in knowing the intricacies of this sport activity.




Skateboarding is another sport known for huge amount of adventure and fun involved in it. But, you can injure yourself if you try to enjoy this sport without having the necessary information. Therefore, it is always advisable to go through skateboarding books as they are the best source of skateboarding information. Skateboarding books, with the help of cartoon characters, depict how to deal with dangers associated with this sport.




Main reason behind the popularity of surfing and skateboarding books with guardians is, these books keep children away from video games and play station. These play stations are hindrance in physical growth of children and can make kids violent. Children books motivate kids to participate in outdoor sport activity thus, ensuring their healthy physical growth.




With the introduction of online books store, one can easily purchase kids books at reasonable prices. Unlike your neighborhood store, the online stores are not limited to few types of books only. One can easily explore the available books on online store and can order the desired one. These stores will deliver your ordered book at your doorstep thus, making convenient for you to enjoy them.


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Online Retail: Sell Books Online - By: Henry Funk


You don’t have to be a book lover to benefit from making a living by selling books online. In fact, it’s so easy to do that you may never even have read a book in your life and you could still make a whole lot of money easily. In this article I explain why selling books online is so popular and give some advice for getting started with your own online book shop.

There are many advantages to selling books online, but working from home is one of my personal favourites! While everybody else is dragging themselves through the rush hour to work, I’m sitting in my dressing gown with some home-brewed coffee, conducting as much business as I like from the comfort of my own sofa! In fact, that’s one of the other great things about selling books online; it costs virtually nothing to start your business up and, once running, you have total control over the size of your business and the amount of time you spend running it. You could sell a couple of books per week to pay for a visit to the pub, or organise an online book empire! Even getting started in your quest to sell books is about as easy as it gets; you can start small and sell books you already own until you get a feel for it, then move on to bigger things if you want to. If you do decide to expand, you can find books all over the place for next to no money; charity shops, car boot sales, in the family attic – they’re all over the place and people will pay money for them!

The internet is, without a doubt, the best place to sell books; you have an immediate potential audience of millions – billions even! Once you’re up and running it’s easy sailing - the only tricky bit is getting people to come to your online book store rather than the others. Luckily, there are a few easy ways to make sure your book store is gets noticed. For starters, make sure you affiliate your book shop with a respectable online marketplace that can help you manage your inventory; these sites are exceptionally well built and offer fantastic search features, so people can find your books as easily as possible. Although you could try to set up your own website right away, this is an immediate and expensive overhead compared to the free hosting offered by some big online marketplaces. By all means, start your own site once you have found your feet but, to start with, it is definitely wise to make use of the experience and reputation of a respected ecommerce website. What’s more, they already have the systems in place to help you manage and organise your inventory and catalogue; even if you start with just a few books, you’ll need some help keeping track once your business grows!

Finally, when it comes to the business side of selling books online, remember knowledge is power. Always conduct as much research as you can into market trends and the businesses you are up against. Although selling books online is easy work, you do need to be savvy to outdo the competition; perhaps sell to a niche market, maybe specialise in local writers or even write your own e-books! You don’t have to do anything alternative to find your market, but you will need to make sure you stand out from the other vendors. Be creative and make sure you tell people why buying from you in the best thing they could do! With a little time and effort, anybody can succeed at selling books online.

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Book Trailers: They Can Be So Much More Than Wannabe Movie Trailers - By: Phyllis Zimbler Miller


Book trailers are popping up all over the Internet, promoting both fiction and nonfiction books. In most cases these book trailers are similar to movie trailers - sliced together footage of pictures and film clips, often with a voiceover.

Movie trailers probably work best when they include footage of a film star that we all want to see in a movie. We may not even care what the movie is about because the film looks like good entertainment and all that is required of us is to sit in a dark theater and watch the film.

Yet, when using book trailers to motivate people to buy books, we need to consider what we are asking these people to do. We are asking them to spend more money than the price of a movie ticket and work at reading the book because, yes, it is work to read a book even if you love reading.

And on top of that these book trailers don't have any film stars to entice us to the movie theater. There's usually not even the added bonus of the familiarity of a sequel.

Then should book authors abandon making book trailers? Should they focus their book marketing on other venues and leave the trailers to the film industry?

Hold on! Isn't there another way that uploading videos to YouTube and other free online video sites can be utilized to promote books?

Here's an alternative approach:

Book authors can make short videos (three minutes maximum) of topics in their nonfiction books and related subjects in their fiction books.

Let's imagine that Valerie has written the mystery "Jonas in Mexico City." In her mystery she features a great deal of the ancient and modern culture of that sprawling metropolis. What if she makes a short video on preparing a Mexican dish that her protagonist eats in the book?

The video should feature Valerie talking about the recipe and she should be entertaining and informative. At the end of the recipe description, she notes the protagonist in her book really likes this dish.

Doesn't this sound like a more interesting video that watching pictures and film clips of Mexico City while a voiceover talks about the plot of "Jonas in Mexico City"?

Now let's imagine Melvin has written the nonfiction book "Cacti of the American Southwest." Instead of a video describing what the book is about, what if Melvin is filmed in his cacti garden sharing fascinating tidbits about these plants. And at the end, of course, he mentions that, if you want to learn more, get a copy of his book "Cacti of the American Southwest."

These are only two examples of the kinds of "book trailers" that can get your creative juices flowing. If you're a writer, you should be able to come up with a series of videos that entertain, inform and pitch your book.

Leave the clips and voiceovers to movie trailers. You use the visual medium to provide your potential readers with information and at the same time create a potential bond with them.

Then upload your newest masterpieces to the Internet and who knows? Maybe your innovative book trailers will go viral.
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What is the anatomy of thought? - A Book Review of Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought, by L. Ron Hubbard - By: Nick Broadhurst


A tree is green, living, alive. It grows and bends in the wind. It is not alive. It is cut up and used as firewood and burned. What is the difference? Life. What is that? You are born, you live, and you die. We take it for granted. What really is this cycle? Why do we do that?

In his book, Scientology: The Fundamentals of thought, L. Ron Hubbard goes over what the life force is. He explains what is life. He explains what life is trying to accomplish.

“You may have been taught that the mind, spirit and life are very difficult things to know about. This is the first principle of Scientology: It is possible to know about the mind, the spirit and life.”

Here Scientology is presented as a definitive answer as to what life is, what is the meaning of life, which is something philosophers had been searching for, for tens of thousands of years

“Scientology does not teach you. It only reminds you. For the information was yours in the first place.”

Scientology means simply a study of knowledge. That knowledge is about life, what is life, how it works. Life is you. Scientology also appears to place emphasis on common sense, and getting the confusion of belief separated out from observable fact.

In Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought there are several basic concepts that can help a person be less confused about life. This review will concentrate on only one of these concepts, and let you, the reader, judge the books from it, yourself.

Chapter seven is titled: The Parts of Man. Here is what L. Ron Hubbard states each person is.

“The individual man is divisible into three parts.

“The first is the spirit, called in Scientology the THETAN.

“The second of these parts is the MIND.

“The third of these parts in the BODY.”

“The greatest discovery of Scientology, and its most forceful contribution to the knowledge of Mankind, has been the isolation, description and handling of the human spirit. Accomplished in July 1952 in Phoenix, Arizona, I established along scientific lines rather than mere belief) that: The thing which is the person, the personality, is separable from the body and the mind at will and without causing bodily death or mental derangement.”

The spirit, or THETAN as described in Scientology, has “no mass, no wavelength, no energy and not time or location in space”. Mr. Hubbard says, “The spirit, then, is not a thing, it is a creator of things.”

Mr. Hubbard further writes, “the usual residence of the thetan is in the skull or near the body.” He then outlines the four conditions the thetan can be in and that the thetan is subject to deterioration and that by using Scientology processing, one can can reverse that deterioration. One of the many goals of Scientology is to “exteriorize” the individual, as this allows him to be happier and more capable, and in a better condition.

The MIND is written as being a communication and control system between the thetan and the environment. “A thetan establishes various systems of control so that he can continue to operate a body and, through the body, operate things in the physical universe as well as other bodies.” The book explains about the mental image pictures of the physical universe and that these pictures are used within the mind

L. Ron Hubbard found that there were in fact three minds, not just one. The minds are:

The ANALYTICAL MIND

The REACTIVE MIND

The SOMATIC MIND

The ANALYTICAL MIND “combines perceptions of the immediate environment, of the past (via pictures) and estimations of the future, into conclusions which are based upon the realities of situations.” When you are fresh, awake and alert, this mind should guide you to correct decisions.

The REACTIVE MIND is a stimulus-response mechanism. It is ruggedly built and never stops operating. The pictures are of a very low order. “The reactive mind operates blow the level of consciousness. It is the literal stimulus-response mind.” This mind is the subject of Dianetics entirely. It is this mind which records phrases spoken to an anaesthetised person that later affect him. During a time of unconsciousness the reactive mind registers stimuli which are later played back to the person when he is awake, impelling that person to perform irrational acts towards later similar stimuli. Here are hidden fears, anxieties, depressions, anger, hidden sources of irrational behaviour. Here is the source of mental illness.

The SOMATIC MIND is an even heavier type mind, “since it contains no 'thinkingness' and contains only 'actingness'.” Mr. Hubbard found, “The impulses placed against the body by the thetan, through various mental machinery, arrive at the voluntary, involuntary and glandular levels. These have set methods of analysis for any given situation and so respond directly to commands given.” This mind is subject to the higher minds. It brings on “psychosomatic” illnesses. Herein lie glandular problems, muscle problems, and bizarre pains in the body for which there is no physical illness. Here also are physical illnesses, manifesting, having been created by the higher minds through the somatic mind.

The BODY is the third part of man. This is best studied in anatomy books. Per the author, in Scientology the body is seen as purely structural.

“These three parts of Man – the thetan, the mind and the body – are each one different studies, but they influence each other markedly and continually. Of the three, the senior entity is the thetan. For without the thetan, there would be no mind or animation of the body. While without a body or a mind, there is still animation and life in the thetan.

The thetan is the person. You are YOU in a body.

Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought also includes certain laws that govern life, as well as basic Scientology processes that unlock the life force that is you. They are all written in an easy-to-understand manner.

This book is definitely worth reading, if only to gain a fuller understanding of the parts of man.

The book costs $25 in large soft cover in Australia, plus postage. For anyone trying to gain a basic understanding of Scientology for the first time, this is the book to read. The mass media by contrast print myths. But ostensibly here is the story from the author himself, the man who started it, L. Ron Hubbard. One can order the book from any of the Churches of Scientology, or its publisher, Bridge Publications. One can also click onto the site below and order online, delivered to anywhere in Australia.

For anyone wanting a basic understanding of Scientology, first hand, this must be the first book to read.
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Books - By: chris620
Did you know that

58 of college graduates never read another book.


80 of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.


And then there are the rest of us, that love our books and love to read.



I have a list of some great books! That I bet you never ever herd of. Their is something for everyone all in one place! Their are also some great e-books here. You can buy them the books from right here! So don't go anywhere!



(There is a list of some advantages with e-books listed below)
advantages of ebooks?
1. Ebooks are delivered almost instantaneously. You can purchase, download and start reading them within minutes, without leaving your chair. You don't have to go to a bookstore to buy them, neither wait for them for days, weeks and sometimes more to arrive in the mail.


2. No trees are required to manufacture paper for the pages of ebooks.


3. When you need certain information, you can get it immediately, by downloading an ebook.


4. Many ebooks are sold nowadays with bonuses, which you usually do not get with a printed book. This adds value to your purchase.


5. Ebooks take up less space. You practically don't need any space to store them. You don't need a library or a room for them. You can store hundreds and thousands of ebook in your computer.


6. Ebooks are portable. You can carry a whole library of hundreds of books with you, on CD, in a laptop, notebook or any ebook reader, without worrying about their weight.


7. With today technology you can read ebooks anywhere, on the bus, train, airplane and while standing in line.


8. Ebooks are more safely stored and carried from one place to another, than ordinary books. They also withstand time more than books.


9. Ebooks can show links, for easy access to more information and related websites.


10. Ebooks are searchable. You can easily search for any information in an ebook, instead of turning page after page.


11. Ebooks can be interactive and contain audio, video and animations, which can enhance the message that the author is trying to convey.


12. As ebooks are delivered through the Internet, there are no packing and shipping expenses.


13. Ebooks can be printable, so that if you wish to read an ebook in the traditional way, you can very inexpensively print it with your home printer or at any printing shop.


14. Fonts in ebooks can be resized, making it easier to read for people with disabilities. With an additional software it is possible to turn some of the ebooks into audio books.


15. Ebooks are very easy to to sell and distribute.


16. It is very simple and easy to purchase and download an ebook. People living in big modernized cities, in a remote village in a far away country or on a small island, can equally access an ebook. It takes them the same amount of time to purchase and download an ebook, provided they have an Internet connection.


17. It is possible to purchase an ebook 24 hours a day, every day of the year, from the comfort of your own house or office. You can purchase and download an ebook, even if you are on a vacation, if you have a laptop and wireless Internet connection.


18. People are already spending a lot of time in front of their computers, so why not read and ebook, instead of doing something else?



http://greatbookschri620.blogspot.com/

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Have You Written a Book for Catholic Men? - By: Brian Mast


If you have a book to write or have written a book that would be ideal for Catholic men, then read this article. Or if you know people who have written such a book and are looking for a publisher, then send them this article.

The publishing world is going through a very big change right now, but at SOS Publishing, we are ahead of the curve … and that is to your benefit!

At SOS Publishing, authors are treated better:

Instead of rejecting 90-99 percent of all manuscripts submitted like traditional publishers do, if you have written a book on a personal development topic, the odds are in your favor that SOS Publishing will publish your book!

Instead of selling books to a general audience, SOS Publishing sells your book to a Catholic audience, which increases your sales, the impact of your book, and word of mouth marketing!

Instead of charging you an arm and a leg for copies of your own books, SOS Publishing offers you an 80-90 percent discount, which beats a 50-60 percent discount any day!

Instead of small royalties, SOS Publishing offers you 50 percent royalties on all books sold through SOS Publishing efforts!

Instead of publishing your book in one or two years, SOS Publishing takes pride in its ability to get your book published and in your hands in around two months!

At SOS Publishing, authors are treated better because we are here to help you succeed.

At SOS Publishing, we maximize your income and your impact

You might already have an audience (a market, database, or ability to reach people), and if so, then publishing with SOS Publishing is the perfect move because we can effectively and efficiently multiply your efforts.

If you don’t yet have an audience, that is fine. Why? Because SOS Publishing authors gain access to thousands of readers, leaders, and decision makers who are interested in Catholic topics. These are readers and buyers.

SOS Publishing is the book-publishing arm of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men, a powerful ministry whose strategy is to evangelize Catholic men to Jesus Christ and root them in the Church by assisting the development of fellowship groups and activities aimed at enriching their spiritual, sacramental, family and community lives. As a SOS Publishing author, you gain access to these readers through articles, book reviews, discounted ads, book promotions, eblasts, website presence, and more.

Are you ready to take advantage of what SOS Publishing offers? If so, simply send an email to dtanetwork@directtoauthors.com. We look forward to serving you.


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Some of the Best Books are Historical Fiction Books - By: Dada Vedaprajinananda


Historical Fiction Books take you to a period that was real and re-create it for us - opening up both intriguing stories, plus also informing us of the actual history of the times, people and places - such detail is usually very close to the historical truth.

It is well known that writers of this era create some of the top historical fiction books you can read... simply as reading for pleasure or to try and recreate historical events in an entertaining way.

Likewise, there are also historical fiction writers who use different eras of history and different writing styles as settings for crime yarns - some straight forward 'whodunits' (e.g. Lindsey Davis) and some with tongue in the cheek humor such as David Wishart. Other historical fiction books are about the days of Kings and Queens, nobility and protocol, with the church intertwined?

Most people assume that historical fiction books, even those that are closely based on actual persons and events, inherently represent a much lower standard for historical accuracy than typical non-fiction history books.

When searching the libraries and internet, books will be found that are carefully crafted by authors to be highly accurate in regard to events, people, details, and circumstances of the period portrayed. Unfortunately, without even being read, these novels frequently suffer the disdain of history buffs simply because fictional elements are incorporated into the story.

Can well-written historical fiction books be equivalent in accuracy to books routinely classified as non-fiction? Works of historical non-fiction are founded on the author's interpretation of often vaguely written, contradictory, and incomplete documentation of past events.

Often events that are published as historical non-fiction is simply an educated guess by the author, based on their interpretation of the available material.

By creating authentic scenes and dialogue that may very well have happened, a novelist can enhance our understanding and appreciation of past events and the people who lived in those interesting times.

History buffs exclusively devoted to non-fiction may find that, on occasion, reading a well-crafted historical fiction books can be both enjoyable and educational.

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Public Domain Books: How to Use Them for Creating an Income - By: Dave Robus


Old books in the public domain can be a great source of inspiration and suitable content for producing new material such as CD's, DVD's or ebooks. What's more... and even better than this, is that if you use a public domain book you can take the whole thing if you wish and recreate it into your very own.

Just scan the pages and any illustrations into your computer, edit the wording if you want to and bring the language up to date for modern readers. Hey Presto you have created a product for yourself, one that you can sell and make a fantastic income from on a recurring basis, for life if you want to.

One of the easiest ways to find old books especially those in the Public Domain, is to have a browse around local second hand book stores or at jumble sales, boot fairs, craft markets etc.

However another good place to look would be on ebay, using their search facility for antiquarian books and also the illustrated section of the books for sale area.

All books from pre 1923 if from the USA will be found to be in the public domain and therefore available for you to use and recreate as your very own. Books authored prior to seventy years since year end of the death of the original author in the United Kingdom are also in the Public Domain and yours for the taking to recreate as you see fit.

There are specialist sites such as Project gutenberg, at www.gutenberg.org where you can browse massive databases in order to find a book of your choice in almost any Niche that you can think of.

Q) What do I need to produce my own eBook from the public domain?

A) You will not need many materials in order to produce your own modern ebook or any other product from the public domain.

As long as you have a computer with a scanner and printer you should be OK.

However if you are going to reproduce the book onto CD for regular sale then it would be wise to have a good software programme for turning your ebook into a CD version on a regular basis. Naturally if you want to sell your new product as a direct download ebook then you will need a PDF writing programme on your computer.

The best known one of these is Adobe writer, but there are a large amount of very cheap or even free to use PDF writing/ converting programmes available. I use one called Docudesk and it is extremely reliable and simplicity itself to use.

You only need to convert your book once and it is instantly ready for your customers to download as many thousands of times as you require. You can then sell it or give it away freely as an incentive to purchase another one of your more expensive products.

TO SUM UP THEREFORE!

1) Decide in what Niche Market you want be, then obtain your Old Book for this Market.

2) Go out and research for your products. Really simple all you have to do normally is browse around second hand bookshops, jumble stalls, boot fairs etc.

3) Buy your book, making sure that it is public domain material. IE: Normally older than 1923 in the USA or more than 70 years from the end of year of the death of the original author in the UK.

4) Re create your book using your computer scanner or by taking the pages to a photocopy shop or local printers and ask them to copy every single page in its entirety for you.

5) Scan the pages into your computer using a notepad or word file in order that you can make any alterations you desire.

6) Add in any illustrations wherever you see fit.

7) Change the title if you want to and even add your name as the author.

8) Your newly created old book from the Public Domain is now ready for you to market to the world and make money for you.

To market your book you can advertise it on places such as amazon, ebay, or even better join clickbank and sell it as an instant download item. Anything at all that you do to get your book known to the world at large will help you to make fantastic money every time someone purchases from you, for a very long period into the future.

For instance you could promote your digital ebook or even a printed version of it, by using social bookmarking sites or creating a blog for yourself.

You should also consider using article marketing sites so that you can write reviews and articles which normally allow you to mention your products at the end of the article.

You can usually have two links to your products or to the website's which you use to promote them. These links are allowed in a special box, (commonly known as a resource box) which immediately follows your article.

Other methods of advertising your Old Books would be on the pay per click sites such as google adwords, but these can be expensive if you don't know what you are doing and I recommend sticking to the free methods, at least until you have gotten a few sales and some experience under your belt.
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Getting Ahead Of The Game With The Power Of Business Books - By: Zac Parker


Today's world is not only busy and often overwhelming, but time is short. With so much information being utilized for various purposes in this "information age" it is quickly becoming apparent that information is the true power source of success. The more you know the better decisions, the more informed decisions you make.

Never more than now has it been more important to become not only powerfully motivated towards your goals, but book smart in every concievable area surrounding your goal environment. With the right set of business books in your library you can truly become a pioneer in your field of study. Learning from the masters - those who write those highly informative business books - not only gives you the ability to see a bigger picture, a higher awareness, and a tremendous advantage over those who are not in the "know" (K= knowledge Now= right now), but it hightens your potential to formulate the right actions that will plant seeds towards your chosen path, your goal.

The collective wisdom in business books you will find everywhere very conveniently these days, is a form of true power that you can tap into just by reading the words. Once you read all the right business books surrounding your chosen destiny, your path to happiness and fulfillment, you will not only enjoy making the right decisions, planting the right seeds, and mobilizing your resources including the right people who are smarter than you like Henry Ford did, but you will also see the world through a high definition awareness that makes even the things you already know exciting new experiences as you redefine what you thought you knew about them!

Business books come in all varieties and many flavors. The beauty of most of these are that they often will refer you to others in the same circle and using the internet to join forums around business books, you can get insight from others reading the same book as to where they got and what the other business books they used were called and who authored them. Book retailer sites online also have a nice feature that allows you to see what other people purchasing that book also bought which shows you potentially other books that may help your education towards your goal!

Books are extraordinarily powerful if you utilize them. Imagine a world without books and all you see is lack of civilization. It was books in the first place that gave people the ability to learn from those they never even met, making the world much more powerful. The first real internet was books, and if you look back, the internet wasn't always interactive was it?

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The Power Of Business Books In Your Life! - By: Zac Parker


This is the dawning of a new age of education where going to college is quickly becoming the slow and inefficient way to learn. Don't get me wrong school has its place and for the most part it works, however what happens when you want to get an education but don't have all the time in the world to go to classes? What if your not after a degree but just want to learn what you need to know to run a successful business? This is where the intrigue comes in- Business Books.

Many people have started to realize that business books are actually written quite well and many authors have written them both in an easy entertaining manner that is also void of the "padding" of information that you just don't need, and in a way that gives you a more detailed "cliff-notes" type segment of many of the most powerful industries in business today.

The right books and in the right areas of interest can become a college class of its own. Reading the right set of books that are well written and highly informative can give you an enormous advantage in life, and reading unlike the college classes counterpart allows you to learn on your terms in your own time/schedule.

If you must have the classroom environment with a guru you can go online and find plenty of them, often including the very authors of the books you've come to love and learn from. These days authors are often found in forums and even chat rooms if your lucky. The beauty of business books both modern and classic versions, is there are many new ways to read them. There are even services that take full sized business books and convert them into books that remove the fluff, unnecessary, or even entertaining sections that you don't need, allowing you to read said book without losing any of the vital information in a fraction of the time it would take to rummage through the whole book!

With business books in this shortened fashion you can get more read in the same time. Regardless, however, of if you choose to read the business books that are shortened or the full version, the fact remains the same, information is potential power, a power the books give you is awareness, knowledge and useful tools to create, control, and more efficiently navigate your world- but once you aquire this "potential" power it is up to you to USE IT, which is truly what makes it no longer potential but actual power.

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The Benefits of Buying from Cheap Book Suppliers - By: Snazal


Finding a cheap book supplier is not going to be the toughest job for a person looking to buy cheap books. Narrowing down the kind of cheap book supplier is really the hard part because there are thousands of cheap book suppliers available. Used books, discounted books, books on auction, there are so many ways to find suppliers of cheap books. You can even go to your local library and find books for sale for pennies on the dollar. If you're searching online, you will literally find hundreds of thousands of cheap book suppliers to choose from with hundreds to hundreds of thousands of titles. Searching for cheap books suppliers online can be thrilling, and with search engines to help you, any kind of used, new or rare bookstores can be found.

Cheap book suppliers can be individuals who sell books on their own or on auctions. Whether you're interested in new or used books at cheap prices, cheap book suppliers will be able to help you suit all of your needs. There are online bookstores, local retail bookstores, wholesale bookstores, libraries, brick-and-mortar businesses and large chains that all supply cheap books. If you're interested in used books, you can find cheap book suppliers everywhere that will sell them. Online bookstores, retail booksellers and wholesale booksellers all cater to the needs of individuals who need items shipped to them for convenience. It is possible to buy cheap books online and have your order waiting for you if you order from their website or call their customer service.

Cheap book suppliers carry books at discounted prices of every title and list their books conveniently by category. These categories include: Biography, Comics/ Graphic Novels, Children's Books, Horror, Crime/ Thriller/ Mystery, Fiction, and even more. You will also find collectible, antique, and rare books, CDs and audio cassettes, and architecture categories also. If you are searching for authors, titles or ISBN numbers, buying online books makes it easy by allowing you to type in that author, title or ISBN number in a search bar to find what you have been looking for. Cheap book suppliers also have customer service by phone number or online form if you have trouble finding what you're looking for. You can find the option to purchase cheap books by auction where you can discount the costs dramatically. Satisfaction guarantees cover any issue with the product or damaged products. Each cheap book supplier has their own company policies on exchanges and returns, and you can also be connected with customer service on their website if looking online.

There are many cheap book suppliers to choose from every city across the United States with varying amounts of titles. Finding the right online bookstore is easy, so test them out for your very next book buy. Customer service is a top priority and many of these cheap book suppliers will do their very best in order to ensure that you, the customer, are very satisfied with your book purchase. It is possible to find discounted titles, coupons or promotions for deals and specials for additional discounts on online bookstores as well.

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MP3 Audio Books - Here Is What You Get - By: Brad Morgan


In today's world, it is not that difficult to convince someone about the merits of purchasing mp3 audio books.

When you buy mp3 audio books, you get a number of things that just aren't available with the purchase of conventional audio books. This is because mp3 format audio books have a lot going for them. Take a look at some of the benefits available when you buy books on mp3.

1. You get a usability factor that is unparalleled by any other audio books.

MP3 files, in general, are very easy to use and to transfer to friends and relatives for the simple reason that so little equipment is required. All you really need is a computer. You don't even technically need an mp3 player to play them.

This means that you can listen to the audio books yourself, and then allow your friends to listen to them as well. If you were using a CD or a tape, your friends would need equipment of some kind to listen, and while it might seem equipment like that is standard, you would be surprised at how few people still own tape decks or CD players and even more surprised at how few people have portable versions.

When you purchase mp3 books on line, they are far more usable than if you purchased them on tape or CD.

2. You get a reasonable price that is much better than formats not part of the mp3 books category.

Audio mp3 files cost a lot less to create than books, tapes or CDs, and this is because there is no packaging, no shipping, and virtually no overhead for the companies involved. You simply download the mp3 file directly from the website after you make your purchase.

Because the format is much cheaper to produce, you might even be able to get the best deal on mp3 books by purchasing two or three of them online at once. For the same price that it would cost you to buy one in the bookstore, expect to have several mp3 audio books at your disposal.

3. You get a convenience that is unmatched anywhere else in the audio book industry.

This is because when you buy mp3 audio books online, what you are doing is making the purchase directly from your computer in your home.

There is no need to drive to the store, deal with traffic, other customers, or a store's current inventory listing. With a few clicks of your mouse, the best deal on mp3 books can be yours.

4. You get a selection that is absolutely impossible to beat.

Whether you are looking for childrens' mp3 audio books or any other mp3 audio books on any subject, you are guaranteed to have a better selection when you purchase them online.

This is because downloading mp3 audio books means you are ultimately choosing from a digital library, and digital libraries are cheaper and easier to maintain than a store's inventory.

Even ordering physical products online from websites like Amazon will be a tedious process if you are looking for a hard-to-find title, and that is exactly why going with the digital mp3 purchases and downloads is the easiest way for you to proceed.

With better quality, a lower price, higher convenience and better choices, mp3 audio books are much better than the competition.

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A Great Use for Audio Books - By: Brad Morgan


If you want to talk about technology creating a feel good humanitarian story, then look no further than audio books for the blind.

We live in a world where information travels through the form of computer screens, newspapers and textbooks. Blind people have long struggled with many of the things that most people take for granted, including the ability to simply open a book, magazine, or newspaper and read the contents.

Additionally, using a computer and the internet to obtain information is much more difficult for visually impaired people. While it's true that Braille is one method for visually impaired people to enjoy the written word and gain knowledge, conventional feel-reading can be expensive and, therefore, not very helpful to many blind people.

When audio books for blind people were developed, it opened many doors for the blind, allowing them to easily get information, hear a story, and stay updated on current events.

With the mass production of audio books for the blind, and others, visually impaired people for the first time are able to really go online right now and download dozens of different audio books for themselves. With this, they have the ability to learn for free or cheaply in a way that has not been available to them before.

It is clear that audio books for the blind have really helped many people obtain an education that they would not have had ten or in some cases even five years ago, and it is yet another example of how the technological world we live in has created huge advantages for people everywhere.

No subject is off limits where audio books for the blind are concerned, so visually impaired people today are able to educate themselves in subjects like art, music, drama, economics, history, geography and literature to a point that was unattainable for the average blind person just a few years ago.

Great advances that have been made in blind education through audio books in the core areas of reading, writing, mathematics and science, and as a result, blind people are able to easily access educational audio books.

Audio books for the blind can also be obtained simply for the pleasure of reading a story. There are thousands of books available in audio formats that can be easily accessed for enjoyment by visually impaired people, and this includes popular and contemporary authors, fiction books of all genres, and non-fiction works as well.

Technology has come a long way in helping impaired or disabled individuals, and audio books for the blind are a perfect example of how modern technological advances can do good in the world.


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Bookkeeping: The Necessary Evil - By: Brooks Perry


Are you a small business owner looking to stay under budget by doing the bookkeeping yourself? Well my friend, have I got news for you…you are not alone! There are many other small business owners out there who are looking to save time and money too. But they have dug themselves into a hole by writing every check themselves and balancing each account without any assistance. Unfortunately, bookkeeping goes beyond entering a few numbers here and there which takes away from what you love to do – grow and sell your business. Enter VBP OutSourcing – the solution to your financial problems.

Time is money. This is a bookkeeper’s motto in life. Your time is too valuable to spend doing the financials when you have a business to run. You also don’t have the time to worry about whether there is enough money to hire new employees or if your expenses are too high to purchase new supplies for the office. All of these financial questions can overload your brain and take away from other more important tasks and responsibilities of running your business. This is where a professional bookkeeper comes into the business picture.

A bookkeeper is not just another face in the accounting crowd. They are a vital part of your team, tracking the financials of the company, and ultimately the reason for your business’s success. Bookkeepers are there to make sure that your company does not run into one of the many common mistakes business owners find themselves in. The following list is 7 reasons why your business, small or large, should hire a bookkeeper, rather than do the finances themselves.
1. Focus On Growing Your Business. Your bookkeeper will spend time every week keeping your paperwork up to date, so you can relax and spend more time on your business. Bookkeepers know what they are doing and enjoy what they do. Bookkeepers maintain accurate records and financial books which provide insight into important business questions such as: “Is my company earning enough money?” By keeping up to date with your paperwork, you can avoid the risk of late payment fees, penalties, and fines
2. Bookkeepers Understand. A bookkeeper understands the need for financial organization. They are able to reduce the chaos that are receipts, PO’s, invoices, etc. cluttering your desk to order by efficiently filing your papers away. A bookkeeper can also help by reducing your risk of paying twice for the same bill or by paying the wrong amount. Again, bookkeepers understand that your time and money are the most important assets to your business.
3. Audits…Need I Say More? Having your business financials in order and up to date is legally required by law. Specifically, if you are a government contractor, a business is required to be compliant with DCAA regulations. If an auditor would pop into the office today without notice – would you be sweating bullets or relaxing with your feet propped up on your desk? Bookkeepers keep your financial books current, so that you don’t have to worry when auditors drop in unannounced.
4. If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, Any Road Will Take You There. Don’t let this be your company’s motto. Know where your business is going by understanding where it has been. Bookkeepers will paint a clear financial picture by telling you which road to follow when you come to that fork in the road. They will provide you with answers to your most important business questions such as “How does my spending compare to my sales?” so that you will make the smartest and most competent business decisions.
5. Patterns, Patterns, Patterns. Patterns are everywhere you look. They are frequently found in numbers – from prime numbers to ratios to your company’s sales patterns. Since your bookkeeper is constantly reviewing your account, they have the ability to see patterns or reoccurring financial events that you, as a business owner, may overlook. By providing you with up-to-date financial reports, you can track patterns (peaks and declines), so that you can be more prepared for your next business decision. Budgets, a result of knowing your company’s patterns are a must for businesses. If you know the patterns of your business, creating a budget will come smoother and much easier. Budgets can then forecast your fiscal flow which, in turn, will control your cash needs and manage your expenses. In simple terms, the solution to the success of your business is to hire a pattern seeking bookkeeper.
6. The Dreaded Date of April 15th. It makes no difference who you are - an individual, a family, a small business of 10, or a large company of 6,000 - you must file an income tax return every April. With a bookkeeper, your financial records will be consistent, but more importantly, correct. Therefore, when it comes time to prepare your taxes, you can rest assure that they will be done on time and in compliance.
7. Bottom Line: Increase Your Bottom Line. By hiring a bookkeeper to your team, you can be sure that you will have more time to focus on your business earnings. Instead of a salaried employee, you can pay for only the hours needed on your financials. In other situations, if your business is in need of a partnership to increase or sustain profitability, then having well-maintained and up-to-date books will, therefore, paint a prettier financial picture for your future colleagues. In the worst case scenario, if you have to sell your business, buyers will be able to see dedication and value in which you put into your business through well-kept financial books. Bottom line – hire a bookkeeper!
Although bookkeeping is a necessary evil, it is still necessary! Therefore, instead of trying to take on the job of bookkeeping by yourself, look to a licensed bookkeeper to take care of your books so that you can rest assure knowing your financials are in order come your next audit!




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Love Literature - By: Robert Dillon


Disclaimer: this article may induce feelings of nausea, disgust, or produce a generally bad temper that could result in violence towards floppy haired students.

The arts are an incredibly powerful medium for affecting people. They are the oldest form of mass entertainment, have inspired enormous buildings devoted solely to the purpose of their practice from the time of the Greeks, through the Romans and down to the present day. They have, at their best, a power to affect people, inspire people, and create revolutionary movements.

All too often literature is sneered upon - the arts are sneered upon. They are thrown to one side and discarded as pursuits for those who enjoy practicing their own pretentiousness and for people who like to read too deeply into things that should just be enjoyed and forgotten about.

The most famous books of all time? Religious texts. There are more editions of The Bible in publication than any other single book on the planet, and it has outsold Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings, The Da Vinci Code and every classic by Dickens and Austin and anyone else you like put together. Whilst some would be offended at The Bible being classed as literature, that's what it is, whether factual, fictional, somewhere between the two, or merely educational, it is literature, and the world has been changed by it's influence.

The Bible is perhaps an extreme example of the power of literature, but it can be used as proof nonetheless. At it's best literature inspires people, it can stretch out imaginations and our horizons, lead us to examine our own actions and emotions, and look at those of others in new light. Literature, it could be argued, is the most powerful medium for exploring the human experience that there is. By the fact that reading is the most individual of actions, that most subjective of experiences, the same book can work on different people in a hundred different ways and still have a power for each one. Only the arts can do that, and only literature can do that to the same degree.

So in a world that people increasingly complain is too cynical, that we are all going to hell in a handbasket, literature and the arts can provide a different option, give inspiration when it seems that there is nothing more that can be achieved. It seems that hope and inspiration, even aspiration are all too often in short supply, people that would have been considered heroes are now marketed to the point that their real purpose is all but forgotten.

Literature has been watered down, the written word murdered by autobiographies from people with nothing to say, all too often people try to achieve something spectacular and fail, but literature is one of the few mediums where everyday people are trying to push the boundaries and everyone hopes to creating something mesmerising. Surely now, more than ever, a return to a literature that makes people aspire and imagine better things is what is required.


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The Suffering Antidote In Krishna Books - By: Victor Epand


A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada translated and wrote many commentaries on Krishna, but more specifically about what he is like in his original, personal form.

They are also about he how he is doing in the eternal spiritual world. In the temporary world of manifold miseries, one will understand his transcendental activities that can attain the transcendental platform of eternal existence in full bliss and knowledge. The Krishna books tend to provide much more fascinating stories and invaluable spiritual knowledge.

Once you see the Krishna books, then you may like many others that express doubt. In fact, they wonder if they are mythology or if they are suppose to take his messages literally. Some feel that Krishna is just as imaginary as Superman or mythological gods of ancient lore. These people instead of rejecting Krishna as imaginary, they need to understand who he is, because he is much more than a hero or myth. His pastimes are described in these books and are transcendental. They deal with the philosophical understanding of the cause of all causes.

Many wonder how the ultimate truth can be a person, but Krishna's personality is not limited or material. He possesses the opulences of wealth, fame, beauty, knowledge, strength, and renunciation. Since so many people have had bitter experiences with people being imperfect and mortal, which is why it is so easy to come to the conclusion that truth can not have a personal form. Jiva Gosvami informs us that if we do not accept the truth as inconceivable, then we will never begin to understand him.

Krishna is a person, but he is not limited, frail, nor mortal as we are. Another pressing objection to taking Krishna consciousness seriously is that the concept of God as the supreme is valid, and understanding how it relevant to us today. We are faced with practical and urgent problems of economic and class struggles, and there is the imminent threat of nuclear war. It is wondered how can Krishna help with our everyday predicaments.

Unless we know the truth, then we can never solve problems arising from the immediate, relative truths. An expert physician knows certain symptoms indicate a specific disease and by curing the disease, then he can cure all the symptoms. Similarly, the world's problems of conflict, scarcity, oppression, disease, and so on, are merely symptoms of our ignorance of life's real purpose, which is know, serve, and love Him.

Unless our leaders become enlightened in God consciousness and attack the root cause of social ills, not to mention widespread spiritual ignorance, then no palliative measures can ever succeed in curing the body politic. Human propensity for love has to be satisfied in terms of real and its spiritual needs. Our ultimate need is to understand our intimate loving relationship with Krishna, who is not irrelevant. In fact, attempting to solve our problems without Him is irrelevant.

Forgetting him is disobeying His codes of universal religion are the causes of all suffering. Careful study of the Krishna books is not a waste of time, but an activity of the utmost importance. For those of us not interested in reading lengthy treatises on transcendental philosophy, Srila Prabhupada has presented the Krishna books in the attractive form of short stories comprising ninety chapters.

Krishna books are actually a summary study of the Tenth Canto of the Sanskrit scripture Srimad-Bhagavatam, which describes Lord Krishna's all attractive pastimes. They make the essence of this most sublime Vedic literature accessible to modern readers all over the world. The relevance to our modern difficulties becomes even clearer when we consider the setting of the original narration of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which was a sacred forest in India five thousand years ago.

The sage narrated the pastimes of Lord Krishna to the emperor Parikshit, who had been cursed to die within seven days. By their practical example, these two exalted persons teach us that life's ultimate purpose is to hear about, glorify, and remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead. King Parikshit was especially intent on hearing about Krishna, because he knew he would die in a matter of hours. He was confident that by hearing about Krishna during his last moments, he would attain the eternal, spiritual world and thus escape the cycle of birth and death.

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