Category: Nonfiction
E-learning 101 by Dr. Liz Hardy
(Cover picture courtesy of Kristina’s Favorites.)
E-learning 101 is the friendliest online learning guide on the planet!
Unlike other online study guides, E-learning 101 makes solving e-learning problems fun. Smiling dogs appear on most pages, helping the online learner to smile, relax, and engage with simple and accessible e-learning strategies.
The book presents 6 short lessons. Each lesson defines a common e-learning problem, and then walks readers through a series of steps to solve it. Interactive worksheets are included with every lesson, empowering readers to fix their e-learning problems right then and there.
The lessons are short, but cover the biggest e-learning issues:
* E-learning technology
* Finding more time to study
* Self-motivation
* Procrastination cures
* How to submit assignments on time, and
* Avoiding loneliness when learning online.
This online study guide inspires new online learners to face e-learning with confidence, replacing feelings of anxiety with action and achievement.
[Full disclosure: Liz Hardy sent me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
This isn’t normally the sort of book I’d review, but E-learning 101 is useful not only for adults learning online, but for teenagers too. Especially teenagers in small schools who have to take some courses online that their school doesn’t offer.
I find that one of the downfalls of most how-to books is that they don’t actually explain how to do things, but only give you tips without the reasoning behind them. Not so in Liz Hardy’s book! Not only does she tell you what to expect, she tells you some things you can do to make learning by correspondence easier and some common pitfalls students face. At the end of every chapter she has a box you can write in so you can actually apply the lessons she teaches you to your course.
Finally, adult learners who are either currently using e-learning or expect to be using e-learning can read a book that gives practical advice about what e-learning is like. There’s tips on scheduling time to work on your course, getting rid of procrastination (one of my personal bad habits) and avoiding loneliness. Really, what else can I say? This is 48 pages of pure gold!
Also: cute dog pictures on nearly every page, if you like dogs.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Rotten Romans by Terry Deary
(Cover picture courtesy of Pop Classics.)
Horrible Histories
It’s history with the nasty bits left in!
Want to know:
- What Roman soldiers war under their kilts?
- How Ancient Britons got their hair nice and spikey?
- Why rich Romans needed a vomitorium?
Discover all the foul facts about the Rotten Romans—all the gore and more!
Terry Deary is one of those authors that has a wicked sense of humour that can make history both hilarious and interesting. He has probably helped thousands, if not millions of kids actually enjoy history, myself included. The Horrible Histories series is a great starting point to get kids interested in history.
However, it is only a start. Rotten Romans is a book that perpetuates some of the oldest myths about ancient Rome, including the long-debunked vomitoriums. He calls the emperor Elagabalus, ‘Heliogabalus’ which is very confusing because I have never seen him called that anywhere. Ever. I don’t agree with how some of the emperors are portrayed, but that’s very subjective. And that’s also the beauty of history: different people will interpret historical figures differently.
The cartoons in Rotten Romans are even better than they are in Awful Egyptians. Martin Brown was in top form, especially in his cartoon of Caesar’s assassination in which the assassins (since there were so many in on the plot) are lined up and one shouts, “Oi! Wait your turn!” while Caesar is bleeding to death on the floor. The cartoons are probably my favourite part of the book.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Awful Egyptians by Terry Deary
(Cover picture courtesy of Norfolk County Council.)
Horrible Histories
It’s history with the nasty bits left in!
Want to know:
- Why people worshipped a dung beetle?
- Which phunny pharaoh married her grandfather?
- What the “Shepherd of the Royal Backside” had to do?
Discover all the foul facts about the Awful Egyptians—all the gore and more!
The Horrible Histories series really is an amazing series for children to learn about history in a way that makes things interesting. Terry Deary’s writing style makes me suspect his history teachers bored him to tears. He has more hatred for the way history is taught in school than I do, which is really, truly saying something. The illustrations by Martin Brown bring home his points very well and they can be laugh-out-loud funny at times.
As for how accurate Awful Egyptians is, well, it’s not entirely accurate. Terry Deary describes the mummification process very well, but it may not have been how Egyptians really did their mummification. Part of the process was to “Soak the body in natron for seventy days till it is well pickled.” The Egyptian mourning period was only seventy days long and according to the modern mummification tests that have been performed by Egyptologist Bob Brier, covering the body in natron should only take 35 days. That way, the body still has enough moisture to position the limbs, but not so much that it will decay. The nitty-gritty of the process is still a contentious subject, but I tend to side with the man that actually assembled a team and made a modern mummy rather than sticking to old theories based mainly on Herodotus’ writings.
Still, Awful Egyptians is a great starting point for kids to learn about history in a fun way. Egyptian history is especially gory, so I definitely wouldn’t recommend this book for sensitive kids. But for those kids who were like me and loved to be grossed out, I would recommend it for ages 8-11. Terry Deary helped me love history and I, as well as my little sister, will be eternally grateful to him for making an impact on both of our lives.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
*Barnes and Noble has Terry Deary’s other Egyptian books, but not Awful Egyptians. Why this is, I have no idea.
My Status Update Journey by Marcus Matherne
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
The author of this book also wrote the next paragraph. I wonder if you be able to pick up on that. If not, you might not be qualified and/or prepared to read the inside of this book. Seriously, if you read the next paragraph and you fail to consider that I’m purposely trying to over-hype the book for the potential sale, don’t buy the book. Oops, let me rephrase that. Don’t buy the book for yourself – buy the book for someone else. This book is so captivating! You’ll be on the edge of your seat from the first word all the way through to the last. You’ll be guessing with each turn of a page. What topic will Marcus cover next? Every page is incredible! You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll be touched, moved, and inspired. This book will bring back memories that have long been buried. You’ll want to read this one again and again. Or not. How am I supposed to tell? I don’t even know you. Maybe you’ve recently been in an accident. Maybe the act of laughing causes horrible pains and spasms and causes stitches to burst. In which case, you should consider healing fully before embarking on my journey through three years of social networking status updates. Follow my journey as told by my status updates and the intriguing commentary from the voices in my head. On this trip you find stories of a family man, growing children, delicious cereals, malfunctioning toilets, park benches, awesome soldiers, birthday parties, adorable puppies, on-line games, winter storms, roller coasters, slugs, and a high profile celebrity party. This book contains a topic for everyone! If you can’t find a situation or something to relate to in this book, you are either dead or you’re that person that no one wants to be around. You owe it to yourself to read this book in order to confirm that you’re alive and that you are not “that guy.” Seriously, what if you are a loser and you don’t know it? Let me help you. Read my book. Help me, help you. Really. About the Author: Marcus gets a sharp agonizing sensation in his leg muscles when he attempts to place his foot behind his head. Oh, wait a minute. I guess that’s not the kind of thing we’re looking for here. Let me try again. Marcus lives with his wonderful wife of over fifteen years and his two awesome boys in Mason, Ohio. Better? Good, now start reading the book.
(Summary courtesy of Amazon.)
[Full disclosure: Marcus Matherne sent me a free PDF of his book in exchange for an honest review.]
Okay, I admit I was a bit skeptical when I started reading My Status Update Journey. I mean, how funny could a bunch of Facebook statuses and the accompanying commentary be? I braced myself for disaster, especially since Marcus said his book would make me laugh. That’s usually a warning sign.
But, thankfully, I was wrong. I did laugh, frequently. I didn’t quite reach “laughing until I cried”, but I did chuckle aloud at some parts and the book did lift my mood. The combination of self-deprecating humour and insightful commentary on social media and human behavior worked well together. Even though I don’t have Facebook enough of what Marcus Matherne wrote about was common knowledge that I wasn’t completely out of my depth.
My favourite quote in the whole book was an observation about the common cold:
“I would think that if a person wants to make a profound and permanent change for the better in this world, that person should first be able to breathe through their nose comfortably.” (Page 123)
Seeing as I have been suffering from a stuffed nose and barking cough for the past two weeks, this observation definitely hit home. My Status Update Journey is one of those books that is funny without being crude or resorting to excessive obscenities and has great observations about human behavior, especially on social media. Those cryptic status updates everyone supposedly hates? Yeah, I think in that case, everyone is a hypocrite.
If you’re looking for an intelligent but hilarious novel, My Status Journey Update is a great book for you.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Writing the Popular Novel by Loren D. Estleman
(Cover picture courtesy of Amazon.)
Writing great fiction is, quite simply, hard work. It requires dedication to the craft, hours of thought and research, attention to detail and sentence structure, a clear understanding of the submission process, and so much more. In Writing the Popular Novel, Pulitzer Prize-nominee and award-winning author Loren D. Estleman draws on his vast experience to teach you the awareness and skills you need to turn your efforts into a rewarding, exciting experience.
Estleman offers invaluable instruction on the craft behind writing commercial fiction and provides you with a smart, honest look at today’s competitive publishing industry. This thorough guide features:
- A detailed overview of literary genres with information on how to decide which one is right for you.
- Instruction on how to conduct research and how to make the leap from research to writing.
- An in-depth look at dialogue, point of view, and other writing techniques.
- Tips on how to know who your target audience is and how to deliver a story that will keep them reading.
- A look at more than twenty opening lines from popular novels, with ideas on how to create your own.
- Advice on working with agents and editors to develop a successful, long-term career.
At once thoughtful and engaging, Writing the Popular Novel provides new and experienced writers with an unmatched resource for writing and selling their fiction!
Writing the Popular Novel was the first book on writing I ever picked up and I’m glad it was because it remains one of the best ones I’ve ever read. It’s comprehensive, concise, and gives practical advice on dealing with rejection from agents and editors.
One of the things modern writers (especially self-published ones) may not like is Loren Estleman’s views on self-publishing. But you have to take into account that this book was written in 2004, before self-published writers had access to all of the great resources that are out there now. More people are becoming accepting of self-publishing (myself included), but things weren’t nearly always like that. Self-published authors are still looked on with disdain now, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was in 2004, or even 2009.
Other than his little spiel about self-publishing, Writing the Popular Novel is just as relevant today as it was in 2004. Loren Estleman explains the five different points of view authors may use, how to write believable dialogue, using an outline, writing the climax of your novel and so many more practical things authors should learn about. He also debunks some of the most prevalent and annoying myths that frequently crop up in fiction, especially ones about guns. As someone who grew up in a rural area, I find myself laughing until I cry at some gun scenes in novels and short stories. Please don’t be the author that makes me do this; I (and other reviewers) will call you out on your faulty research.
With an entertaining style and practical, relevant advice, I would recommend Writing the Popular Novel to any writers, both new and experienced, traditionally published or self-published. If you’re going to buy only one book on writing, this should be the one.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
*Unfortunately, it’s out of print right now so you’ll have to pick up a used book or see if it’s been made into an ebook.