Wednesday 7 July 2010

Travel Book @ Blurb

I AM A MEMBER OF BLURB but I havent created my own photo book. Alot of aspiring photographers are taking advantage of the site's features to create, publish and sell their books. Looking at these albums, it is very inspiring to have one!



Author's Note: A photographic study of Egypt, from ancient monuments to fields of cabbages, from temples to modern streetlife. Text includes a mixture of how the shots came about or simple comments on the locations. I hope you will find it entertaining as well as informative. Most of all I would like you to feel, as you turn the pages, either nostalgia for a country you may already know and love, or a real need to visit Egypt for the first time.

About the Photographer: MIKE SHEPHERD left the Art College for a career in advertising as an Art Director. Working with another photographer for an album cover shoot was the beginning of his model making, set building, and special effects career. His clients include Paul McCartney, 10cc, Smirnoff, JCB and Dupont. His favourite stint was Playdoh modelling for Hasbro, who also asked him to be involved to design and produce a sculpture for the 'Save the Children Festival of Trees' in London.' For additional info about Mike, you can click the link HERE.

Im also featuring another Blurbarian - Ken S. who happened to be a Filipino. He already published two books: Turkey and India - featuring his amazing visits to these countries. Enjoy his photos and maybe you will be inspired to explore other places and share it with us thru Blurb.

Tuesday 6 July 2010

Free Ebooks @ Browse Inside

BROWSE INSIDE (beta) allows internet users to have access to ebooks free of charge, either full access or just some sections of the novel, highlighting the first few pages of the chapters. Actually, I found the site when I was browsing the BookAarmy.com homepage which offers ebooks to be downloaded free of charge.

I think the main objective of these useful sites is that it allows everyone to read stories written by their favourite writers online without spending a penny (well not to mention the charges from the wireless connection provider). Unfortunately, you can not save the file on our computers, but on the other hand, it is an alternative option while travelling or just having a past time in an internet cafe and even while waiting a flight at the airport. Make sure you have an unlimited access to the internet where ever you go.

One of the examples available in the site is the novel The Pact: A Love Story written by Jodi Picoult. I like the writing style of Jodi after reading her popular books: My Sister's Keeper (also a movie), Second Glance, and Perfect Match. I havent read The Pact but Im sure it is another heart-moving story about parenting and friendship.

(Note: Synopsis taken from BookArmy website). For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty. Parents and children alike have been best friends, so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. So when midnight calls from the hospital come in, no one is ready for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head. There is a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris took from his father's cabinet - a bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself. But a detective has doubts about the suicide pact that Chris has described. The profound questions faced by the characters in this heartrending novel are those we can all relate to: How well do we ever really know our children or our friends? As its chapters unfold, alternating between an idyllic past and an unthinkable present, The Pact paints an indelible portrait of families in anguish, culminating in an astonishingly suspenseful courtroom drama.

FINALLY, these both sites also include reviews and ratings from the members as well as listing of latest and forthcoming publications. Some of these books have their few pages available online that provide us a sneak of the book content. In some way or another it gives us the option either to buy it or not; or we can recommend it to our online friends in various networking sites such facebook, twitter, blogger, myspace, etc.