Explore This! Scotland: Land of the Bravehearted (and home of the kilt-clad men)

Today’s virtual travels take us to place I consider my home away from home. While not actually born in Scotland, I did spend some of my early years there and constantly long to go back. But, I will admit that my inspiration to post this comes from my fellow BookLover, JoJo and her month of Highlanders. Seriously, is there anything better than a man in a kilt?

Anyway, here are just a few of the many wonderful sites that you’ll see on a tour of Scotland (Lowland and Highland), most of which I have personally visited and would gladly do so again!

The majestic Ben Nevis, highest mountain in the UK.

The Brig O’Doon, famed by Robert Burns’ Tam O’Shanter poem.

Burns’ …

Review: The Secrets of the Magical Medallions by Sean McCartney

Format Read:PaperbackNumber of Pages:160Release Date:July 6, 2010Publisher:Mountainland Publishing, Incorporated Formats Available: Paperback, KindlePurchasing Info: Goodreads,  Amazon , Book Depository, Book Deposotiry UK, Author’s website

Book Blurb:

A Treasure Hunting Legend… Four Ordinary Kids… Two Magical Medallions… Pursued By An Ancient Evil… In One Extraordinary Adventure.

Join the Treasure Hunters Club as they look to unlock the Secrets of the Magical Medallions.

…Some Secrets Are Better Left Alone.

When Tommy Reed received a medallion from his famous treasure hunting uncle “Diamond” Jack Reed he didn’t think much of it.

Now an ancient evil is pursuing his every move and his treasure hunting club friends, Shannon McDougal, Jackson Miller and Chris Henderson are on the run.

They must unlock the secret to the medallion before evil can hunt them down.

My Thoughts:

The Secrets of the Magical Medallions had a …

Genres 101: Today’s Lesson "Occupational Fiction"

Today, we’re going to take a look at books about jobs. For all of those reading with jobs, this just reminds you of work, right? None to thrilling, but hopefully we can change the way we see things as we envision “work”  through the imagination of some of our favourite authors.

There are all types of employment out there, but the tricky part in this area is finding occupations that are worthy of writing (and reading) about. Here are the major categories that fall under this ho-hum seeming genre:

Hollywood Novel: These books are recognized by their setting, Southern California, and the main theme involving the movie industry. Examples here would be The Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins. This seems like a fairly wide scope when you …

New Releases: Apr. 25-May 1, 2011

Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart by Sarah MacLean

She lives for passion.

Bold, impulsive, and a magnet for trouble, Juliana Fiori is no simpering English miss. She refuses to play by society’s rules: she speaks her mind, cares nothing for the approval of the ton, and can throw a punch with remarkable accuracy. Her scandalous nature makes her a favorite subject of London’s most practiced gossips . . . and precisely the kind of woman The Duke of Leighton wants far far away from him.

He swears by reputation.

Scandal is the last thing Simon Pearson has room for in his well-ordered world. The Duke of Disdain is too focused on keeping

his title untainted and his secrets unknown. But when he discovers Juliana hiding in his carriage late one evening—risking everything he holds dear—he …

Explore This!: New Jersey

Today we are heading States side, to visit New Jersey in all its mutli-facted character. I’ve had a few books cross my path recently that take place in Jersey, so I thought it would be neat to take a look at the landscape. “What books?” you might ask…well, I have recently given Holly Black’s Red Glove rave reviews and of course, Snooki’s A Shore Thing is out there on the shelves too.So here’s a state wide look at some of the sights you might find on a trip to New York’s neighbour.

From pretty ocean views…

..to sporting arenas, New Jersey really goes to extremes.

I get the sense of hustle bustle, when it comes to the boardwalks,
but there are obviously …

Genres 101: Today’s Lesson "Science Fiction"

Today, we’ll finally take a look at Science Fiction. We talked before about the difference between Sci-Fi and Fantasy, with Sci-Fi being more firmly based on logic and what is plausibly believable. While Wiki says science fiction dates back from at least the 2nd century, with roots in mythology, it’s easy to understand that as our world has become increasingly technical, the fictional representations and future prospects have been opened up exponentially to authors.

This is a genre chock full of famous names: H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov. And that’s only a drop in the bucket! It is also just the jumping off point for the many sub-genres that can be said as having certain characteristics of Sci-Fi, but with various other elements. Punk was a major …

New Releases: April 11-17, 2011

 Total Abandon by Opal Carew

After her divorce Sandra swore off any involvement with men for a year. On the anniversary of Sandra’s divorce, her friend, Aimee, suggests she make a list of sexy things she’s never done, but would like to. After Sandra makes a few safe suggestions, Aimee cajoles her until Sandra opens up and pulls out her deeper, darker fantasies. Thus, The List is born.

Devlin is in love with Sandra, but knows she’s not ready for a committed relationship yet, so he and Aimee hatch a plan to get Sandra to go away to a secluded hideaway for a weekend, complete with two gorgeous hunks, to make The List come true.

But Sandra experiences something more intoxicating that’s not on The List…falling in love

Review: That Is Priceless by Steven Melchor

Format read: netGalleyNumber of pages: 192 pagesRelease Date: April 12th 2011Publisher: Andrews McMeel PublishingFormats available: paperbackPurchasing Info: Publisher’s Site, Amazon, Goodreads, Book Depository

Book Blurb:

Thirty-two million Americans consider themselves artists, and nearly 100 million consider themselves art lovers. They—along with anyone else who enjoys a good laugh—will appreciate the edgy blend of art, comedy, and pop culture inside comedian Steve Melcher’s popular blog-turned-book, That Is Priceless: Art’s Greatest Masterpieces . . . Made Slightly Funnier.

It all started when Melcher stumbled upon a postcard in a museum gift shop for Peter Paul Rubens’s The Finding of Erichthonius. Inspiration struck, and Melcher scrambled for a Post-it note and scribbled down what he thought was a more appropriate title: Worst Secret Santa Gift Ever. And with that, That Is Priceless was born. More than 150 images are gathered inside …

Explore This! Pondicherry, India

I’ve just finished reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel for my final first year English course at university. I was curious about the originating point in the main character (Pi’s) life…Pondicherry, India. Though most of his tale is told in the middle of the Pacific Ocean as a castaway, he retells, with such fond memories, his early life in this place I’d never heard of until now.

Pondicherry sits on the Bay of Bengal, and if you’ve read Martel’s book,
you’ll understand a bit more about the corrollation.

You can just feel the heat emanating from this image…

It is these brightly coloured buildings that enhance the contrast for me
between India and North American living…

Genres 101: The world is ending!! (A.K.A. Dystopian and Apocalyptic Fiction)

As you may have noticed, Speculative Fiction is a pretty large bag of mixed tastes. Today, I thought (since I’m currently reading Wither by Lauren DeStafano and have recently read other books that fit into these categories) that we’d take a look at Apocalyptic, Dystopian, and, because it usually is linked with dystopian, the Utopian novel, too. Utopian aside for a moment, the other two sub-genres have a fairly common element: life is bleak, if there’s still any life around.

First up, there’s Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction. Apocalyptic novels, by definition, are set as the end of civilization is iminent, be it from plague, nuclear war, impending disaster (as I write this I have Aerosmith singing “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing”, in my head, as a large meteor is …