Author Jess Buike

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Guest Post: 8 Online Resources for Book Lovers

8 Online Resources for Book Lovers

I’d like to thank Jess Buike for sharing this article with her readers. She offers quick and easy to digest reviews mainly within the fantasy, sci-fi and paranormal genres. Check out her top book lists for a compilation of books to read now.

Thanks to the Internet, there are thousands of places book lovers can share, discuss, find and read books online. If you’re a bibliophile, you’ve probably already heard of LibraryThing and GoodReads, but below are a few lesser-known sites you might not have heard of.

BookMooch

This free online service allows you to trade books you no longer want for new ones. Users can receive two books for every one they give away. This is a perfect way to keep your library replenished without increasing its size. Unlike a library, you don’t have to return the books you receive. You can choose to keep it or trade it for another one if you decide not to add it to your collection. BookMooch works on a point system. You receive a tenth-of-a-point for every book you type in and one point for each book you give away. You then trade in your points for books. You can also donate your points to charities such as children’s hospitals, Library fund and African literacy.

Oyster

Similar to Amazon Unlimited, Oyster offers a subscription-based model. For $9.95 a month you can get access to more than 1 million books, including new releases and textbooks. You can try out the service free for 14 days. If you’re not interested in a monthly subscription, you can buy the books individually off the Oyster app on iOS, Android, Kindle, Nook or your desktop. The company’s partners include Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House and Scholastic.

Luzme

Reading is an expensive habit, especially if you buy your books at full price. Luzme, a price comparison site, allows you to find the best deals on eBooks and eTextbooks. Membership is free and you don’t even need to register to start using the site. However, registration does come with some perks. You can add books to your wishlist and Luzme will email you when the prices drop. In addition, you can add your favorite authors and the service will email you when their new book becomes available.

Wattpad

Available online and as an app, Wattpad is the largest community for readers and writers. With over 40 million members, the site boasts 100 million stories available for free. You can follow your favorite authors and receive notifications when they share a new piece of writing. As a social site, Wattpad also offers messaging so that you can interact with writers or other users. It’s a great place to discover new talent and share your own.

Rare Book Room

This site has photographs and scans of some of the rarest books from libraries around the world. Constructed as an educational site, it took a company called Octavo over a decade to digitally photograph these books. To date, Octavo has digitized around 400 books covering a wide variety of topics and rarity. Some highlights include Shakespeare Quartos from the British Library, Galileo’s Starry Messenger and sections of Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac.

Bookyards

The site has an ambitious dream – to be the library to the world, in which anyone who has an Internet connection can access books, education materials, information, reference materials, documents and content free of charge. So far, the site has 21,331 eBooks, 38,945 external links, 4,197 news and blog links, 384 videos, and access to hundreds of online libraries. It’s available to use on your desktop or on your iOS or Android device.

LibriVox

Sometimes you don’t have time to sit down and read a book, but that doesn’t mean you can’t listen to one. LibriVox offers public domain audiobooks free of charge. All you need is a computer or mobile device. Volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain which the site then releases as audio files. The audio itself is in the public domain so you can also use it for whatever purpose you want. If you think you have a good speaking voice, you can also volunteer your talents as a reader. You just need a computer, microphone and free recording software.

A Virtual Private Network

Whether you want to stay secure when downloading eBooks from sites or you simply want to maneuver around geo-restrictions, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a book lover’s best friend. Through VPN services, you can encrypt your IP address to ensure your personal information is safe, secure and anonymous when surfing on public WiFi. Since you can connect to a local IP through these services, you can also download books only accessible in your home country while you travel. You should check out this review by Secure Thoughts to learn more or find the one that suits your needs.

Many of these resources offer over thousands of books for you to rent, trade or download, which should hopefully keep you busy for the summer. Others offer information and protection while you read. Do you know of other sites for book lovers? Tell us in the comments below.

About the Author: Isa is a freelance writer who believes technology can greatly increase worldwide literacy. She loves finding sites and communities that encourage people to read more.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Highly Recommended Read - Regina Shen: Endurance by Lance Erlick

Regina Shen: Endurance by Lance Erlick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again, Mr. Erlick has written a brilliant novel filled with heart-pounding action surrounding his strong female heroine, Regina Shen! In this fourth novel of the series, Regina finds herself racing back across the country and through the desert to try to barter for her sister. Along the way, she meets with old and new faces, and finds herself making a difficult choice in the end that could completely change everything.
Another great read - I can't wait to read the next book in the series!!

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Monday, April 18, 2016

Highly Recommended Read - Chew on This by Eric Slosser

Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food by Eric Schlosser
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you really want to find a way to deter yourself from eating so much fast food (or any at all), this is the book to read!! It's written in a clear way that really exposes the fast food industry, with everything from how it changed our job industry (for the worse) to what ingredients may actually be in some of your favorite foods (some of which aren't even really edible)! This is a fast read with great information that is explained so that we can all understand it, even if we don't have business or nutrition degrees. I highly recommend it!

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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Monday, February 1, 2016

Sorta Recommended Read - A Danger to God Himself by John Draper

A Danger to God Himself by John Draper
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Yes, this book has a lot of Mormonism in it, and yes - at times that made it a little difficult and/or confusing, as I am not very familiar with the Mormon faith. However, if you can look past the Mormon references what you'll find at the core of this book is a story about mental health disorders and the vast discrepancies there are in treatments and beliefs. Some people believe faith is all you need, others tout medicines, still others just try to avoid the subject all together. This shows the various treatments and leads the reader to think more about what mental health disorders encompass and how "faith" or "religion" can sometimes be used to avoid the life-saving treatments that some people desperately need.
There were a lot of parts I liked in this book, along with a lot of parts that were just not my style. It left me feeling decidedly neutral - I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. You'll have to read it to figure out where you fall on the spectrum.

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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Guest Post: Review Of ‘LIVING FULFILLED: THE INFECTIOUS JOY OF SERVING OTHERS’ By Lisa Thomas-McMillan

**** This is a guest blog post. The views in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Author Jess. ****

Over 15 million children face hunger only in the United States, think about Africa or Asia, and how many go hungry there? Eleze “Lisa” Thomas-McMillan of the Carlisa Inc. food bank in US took up just that mission- eradicating hunger from the world. In the book “Living Fulfilled: TheInfectious Joy Of Serving Others”, Thomas-McMillan educates us that we could have everlasting joy in helping the poor, needy and the hungry. The book is a biography as well as a testament to Thomas-McMillan’s philosophy and mission: if we all live for one another instead of for ourselves, no one will go hungry or have to endure the many sufferings that accompany a life of poverty.

In her memoir, Thomas-McMillan describes how her family of fourteen was squeezed into a six room wooden house in Brewton, Alabama. Her father worked three jobs and brought them up so that they could turn out to be community helpers. She settled in Los Angeles later on, but returned home with a mission.

For spreading awareness about the plight of the hungry in the US, Thomas-McMillan walked over 1500 miles across the states of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and at last reaching Washington DC, spreading her wings of compassion about the poor in the States and giving away free food. Her message is simple: no one should go hungry.

Living Fulfilled is part biography and part call to action for helping the poor and the hungry. The book is littered with inspiring and afflicted accounts from the author’s own troublesome beginnings.

On her journey to Washington DC from her hometown she encountered hungry people. She fed them and talked to them, listened to their stories, encountered other challenges but at last she did reach her destination. A whole chapter is dedicated to this great ‘pilgrimage’ which evokes images of Martin Luther King who took great walks in the name of freedom.

Aside from the inspirational accounts from the life of this great philanthropist, the memoir is also a great read for any social worker who wants to do something good for his/her community or be someone who doesn’t just live for himself but for the welfare of his fellow humans, because that is where, according to Thomas-McMillan, true joy is to be sought.

The book is also a sort of volunteering manifesto, where everything from why to make donations to how to help the poor is explained. Almost everyone will find the book a great read , but not everyone will sense the great purpose of the book- the infectious joy of serving others- unless the reader finds his own strength and does something for the community, because joy can only be experienced.

Although written by a US author primarily for eradicating hunger and poverty in her local area and the States, the message is effectively universal. The spiritual awakenings are part of the reason for the author’s dedication to her mission.

The religious connotation of the book is a bit offsetting for some people, but ‘Living Fulfilled’ is Thomas-McMillan’s own memoir and no one else can have a say in that. Aside from the religious element, the book is choke-filled with motivational messages for volunteerism, philanthropy and community work all for the sake of a truly fulfilled life.

You can find out more by visiting the Living Fulfilled website, or by viewing this video:

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Friday, December 4, 2015

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

BOOK GIVEAWAY!!! Enter to win a copy of I Wish... and a copy of I Could by Omaha author EB Tatby!!

I'm proud to support my local authors, and really enjoyed reading EB's books so I'm excited to give one of my followers the chance to WIN the first two books of her series! :) The contest starts December 2nd and goes until December 9th, so you need to act fast. Rafflecopter will do a random draw at the end of the contest and EB will send the winner the books within a few business days.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 30, 2015

Highly Recommended Read - Regina Shen: Resilience by Lance Erlick

Regina Shen: Resilience (Regina Shen book 1)

Regina Shen: Resilience by Lance Erlick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I couldn't put this fast-paced book down! The best way I can describe it is kind of like Hunger Games combined with Their Eyes Were Watching God, with a little sci fi thrown in. Great characters with strong personalities, descriptions that put the reader into the swamps with the main character Regina, and enough danger to get your blood pumping. It's probably one of the best books I've read in 2015! Highly recommended!

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Friday, November 20, 2015

Guest Post: Buying Islamic Books

**** This is a guest blog post. The views in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Author Jess. ****

If you practice the religion of Islam, or if you have a keen interest in the religion itself, you would be well placed to learn more through the use of Islamic books and Arabic text.

Islamic books can be purchased across the world from a variety of sources including Islamic bookstores and online, and they can cater for a wide range of individuals. You can also buy Islamic books for children to assist with their learning as they grow up.

Let’s look firstly at how you can find books related to Islam online…..

If you go onto any internet search engine of your choice, you can find books related to Islam by simply typing in any of the following key words:

Islamic Books, Arabic Text, Islamic Books Online, Islamic Books for Kids, Arabic Books, Islamic Book, Islam Book

and once you hit enter you will have a range of different options available to you to browse and potentially purchase depending on your thoughts and needs.

While it might be a common misconception, the fact remains that a lot of people feel that Islamic books are only published for people practising the religion of Islam. This, however, is wrong. Islam books can be utilised by absolutely anyone that feels they would like to read them, and they are designed to help you understand the religions and beliefs of the religion further. What’s more is that a lot of Islamic book shops will stock a variety of texts that have been translated which means you can also pick one up to read even if you can’t read or speak Arabic, so there is no reason for you not to pick one up.

As previously touched upon, children are not left out either – Islamic bookstores and online stores even stock Arabic / Islamic texts for kids, and these books will play a big part in their education from the very first time they hear / read the text. Books for both children and adults will provide continued learning on Islam and will open your eyes to things you may not have known before.

For those who are still wondering and asking themselves what the benefits of Arabic and Islamic books are then please read on….

Arabic and Islamic books are very educational, allowing a person to delve deeper into their interest or religion to gain a better understanding and help them live their life according to their religious beliefs.
They can be distributed out to different places to assist with education amongst groups of people too. You will more than likely come across a range of Islamic and Arabic texts for people of all ages in the following places: Research Organisations, Independent Scholar Libraries, Mosque Libraries, Large Academic Institutions, and Religious Seminaries.
Arab literature has never been more energetic or varied than today – This means that you can select from the widest range of Islamic and Arabic texts that has been around in recent times with each piece detailing different eras and episodes of history.
It promotes the engaging of people in both the Western and Arab worlds to ensure that we are together as one in life.

Arabic and Islamic texts are written by numerous authors, and there are more and more appearing now. They each have their own insight into the world of Islam based on their experiences in life, and they are an interesting read because depending on the stage of life the author is at this decides on what you are getting. For the older authors, you will more than likely come across readings that are reflecting on the era they were involved in and are now leaving to move into a new one. You will receive a look back into the past to see what life has been like through the author’s eyes and storytelling skills. For books that are authored by younger types, you will most likely be reading about their life so far with religion and look into the future to see what might be.

All in all, Islamic / Arabic books prove beneficial to a great deal of people, and have an audience all over the world, so if you want to expand your knowledge further, or if you want a change of scenery reading something new, then look no further.

If you’ve never been to an Islamic bookstore before, please do. You will be welcomed with open arms and a calm, serene setting allowing you to relax and browse throughout the store with an open mind and nothing to worry about.

One place worth a visit should you be in or around London is the Arabic Books London Bookstore who can be found at 203 High Street, Harlesden, London, NW10 4TE or www.arabicbookslondon.com or on Amazon’s bookstore. If you are nowhere near this location, look around your local area for other Arabic bookstores to meet your needs.

If you like to read about history, heritage, culture, and religion, or indeed any of those subjects mentioned, then where better to start than with an Islamic / Arabic text which is available for both kids and adults.

For more information on where to purchase these writings from, please visit the internet where you will find a variety of reputable Arabic and Islam book sellers and stores that are local to your area. You will also find a variety of online shops on reputable sites including Amazon.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Flop - Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined by Stephenie Meyer

Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined by Stephenie Meyer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

When I heard that Stephenie Meyer was releasing a gender-swapped Twilight book, I was curious and a little excited that maybe she fixed one of my biggest problems with her original series - namely, that Bella was a whiny little twit who goes against every feminist ideal. Don't get me wrong - I still devoured her series, they were the books I hated to love and loved to hate. But the idea that a 17 year old was ready to settle down with someone, who happened to be her very first boyfriend, and not just for life but for ETERNITY... well... it just made me sad.

Getting this "book" sucked, because it is only available if you repurchase the first book in the series but with the "bonus" flipbook. Thankfully the library had me covered, because it's lame to make someone repurchase one of your books in order to get your latest book.

Those issues aside, reading the book was kind of cringe-worthy, but still something that is an admirable undertaking for any author. Some of the characters were a little more interesting (like Dr. Cullen), but most still seemed a bit awkward as the other gender. And sadly, there were still many instances that my feminist side couldn't help but cringe - do you really have to play on sterotypes? I thought this story was to put to rest the idea that you weren't trying to be anti-feminist?

Overall - while I love the idea of taking a story and doing a gender swap to showcase that a good story can be a good story no matter if a character is female or male, this didn't really do it for me. I DID enjoy the new ending, though, even though it was a bit under-developed.

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Friday, November 6, 2015

Sorta Recommended Read - Forgotten by Linda Hervieux

Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War by Linda Hervieux
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is an in-depth look at the pervasive race discrimination in the American military during the World Wars, and provides the tales of some of the young black men involved in the D-Day attack. These men were extraordinarily resilient and brave heroes, and few received any of the honors that they were due. My only complaint is that there wasn't as much focus on the men as on the general racist climate, but overall this was still an original look at Barrage Balloon Battalions and their impact on D-Day.

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book.

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Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Monday, November 2, 2015

Sorta Recommended Read - I Wish... by E.B. Tatby

I Wish by E.B. Tatby
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I ADORE supporting local authors, so when I stumbled upon this author at a local event in Omaha I couldn't resist trying out her books!
This first book of the series introduces us to Kenza and her Moroccan heritage mixed with Midwestern sensibility. The action starts immediately when we find out that Kenza is tied to a jinn from her family's past and she suddenly finds herself working against a great evil.
It took some work to get used to the spelling of "jinn" rather than "djinn" as I have usually seen, and the story did jump around quite a bit. It could have benefited from a bit more focus and several more chapters to really develop a more cohesive feel. However, the characters were fun and easy to visualize and there were some great original ideas that you don't always find in the YA genre. I enjoyed the mix of old myths with new technology, and of course liked the references to my home city though they were a teensy bit overdone.
Overall - a very solid read! And definitely one you should check out, because I received an advance copy of the second book and it is even better. ;)

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