Rise of the Djall by Talon Windwalker
Cover photo by Amazon
I’ve been following the adventures of Talon and Tigger through their blog 1dad,1kid,1adventure. When I found out that Talon wrote a book, fantasy one at that (always a fan of the fantasy genre) I jumped at the chance and was hooked from the beginning.
Rise of the Djall takes place in a magical world, each Element (Air, Fire, Water and Earth) playing an equally important role. The main character, Vednis, a member of a mystic order stumbles upon an artifact which gives him a disturbing vision – he sees a boy wielding terrible powers and causing destruction. The vision shakes Vednis hard enough for him to start a journey through the realms of the Element, slowly gathering a group of mismatched characters. Their mission is to maintain the fragile Balance and also come to terms with whatever they encounter.
Chicken Soup for the Soul – Inspiration for Writers
Cover by Chicken Soup for the Soul
The mind is full of ideas. As soon as you reach the point of waking up, thoughts rush in, creating that amazing din, always restless. Occasionally an idea pushes through the competition, surfaces, then stubbornly sticks until you have no choice but grab a pen and a notepad, or launch yourself in front of your computer and start writing.
What makes a writer? The latest installment of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Inspiration for Writers answers this question. Basically, if you put words on paper, be it real or virtual, you are a writer. Simple as that. The rule is, there are no rules. Some are born writers, some are created. You can be a pilot, a stay-at-home-Mom, a high-school student, a lawyer, you are all equal. One thing is for sure, in order to be a writer, first you must live life thoroughly.Then write and steel yourself for rejection. And then write again. It doesn’t matter if you write a short story, a blog entry or a celebrity biography. As long as it brings you pleasure, the feeling that you have to write otherwise you’ll burst, you’re a writer. Every person has a story to tell – a fairytale, a drama, a tragedy, a comedy.
Yet another SE
Yet Another SE (Software Engineer) is written by Simon Saha, a Software Professional from New Delhi, India who is the occasional writer, entertaining his friends and readers alike with comedies.
From the beginning the author clearly outlines the difference between a regular ‘software engineer’ and the ‘Indian software engineer’ – a super-human who can adjust to any recession condition and salary, who can meet impossible deadlines and still not lose the quality of his work. The motive behind becoming an SE is quite simple – there is nothing else to do, and if you’re lucky, it brings you a desired social status with all its benefits – money, prestige and of course, a wife.
A big break and return
My dear readers, oh few but faithful 
As you have probably seen, I haven’t been quite so busy on the website. While such a long break is inexcusable, I do have legitimate reasons for staying away.
But not any more. I have received several books I would like to review – Chicken Soup for the Soul readers stay tuned, and several books that came my way lately I’ve been dying to share with you.
So stay tuned, new material coming soon!
Interview with Tom Stockwell of Waegook Tom
In order to bring a splash of color (or interactivity) to the website, I’ve decided to interviews with people I truly admire, and whose blogs/websites I’m a rabid fan.
Tom Stockwell is the voice, brain and fingers behind expat and travel blog Waegook-Tom.com, and currently resides in Daejeon, South Korea. Tom is planning his round the world trip in 2013 whilst eating as much Korean food as he can and scarring his friends through karaoke. You can keep up with Tom’s adventures on Twitter by following @waegook_tom.
Interview with Anil Polat from FoXnoMad
In order to bring a splash of color (or interactivity) to the website, I’ve decided to interview people I truly admire, and whose blogs/websites I’m a rabid fan of.
Photo by Anil at FoXnoMad
Meet Anil of FoXnoMad, a world traveler who started his journeys at a young age (it helps to have journalists for parents). When he grew up he became a computer security consultant, then a nomad. His website is full of useful information, so run along and check it out. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
But before that, let me present you a new side of Anil with the interview below:
As a traveler, do you have time to just kick back and read?
Ironically, it’s when I’m actively traveling I get the most time to read. Long plane rides, layovers and the like are my favorite times to enjoy a book.
Cuore(Heart) – Edmondo de Amicis
While scrolling through Amazon’s Kindle store for some great offers (read free books), I stumbled upon a book called “Fairy tales every child should know” by Hamilton Wright Mabie. This book brings a collection of ageless classics, tales of good versus evil, mischief and adventure.
And as I was strolling down memory lane, accompanied by these fairy tales I’ve read when I was a child (and later on as a teen and adult), one particular book jumped out and crossed my imaginary path – “Heart” (Cuore in Italian) by Edmondo de Amicis. The book is the journal of a young boy, Enrico Bottini who lives with his family in Turin (Torino). His stories describe his everyday life in school, his class mates, his feelings and those dear to him.
Book review – 20 miles per cookie
Photo by Family on Bikes
20 miles per cookie is a book that depicts the amazing journey taken by the Vogel family from Idaho to La Paz, and then from Mazatlan to New York. It came to my attention while reading a great blog entry, written by a traveling dad, Talon, who along with his son Tigger journey the great wide world and write about it on their website.
The Vogels embark on a grand adventure consisting of a whopping 9300 miles, 19 states and 5 Mexican states, which sounds great, but the amazement factor kicks in when you realize that they did it on bikes, and the title refers to the ‘fuel’.
The main characters: John (aka Dad) is the head of the family, a teacher of many things and the head of the tricycle; Nancy (aka Mom and the author of the book) is the only female of the family, and she is as tough as the boys; the twins – Daryl and Davy – currently the holders of the world record as ‘the youngest people to cycle the Pan-American Highway”.
Cover release – The Mark of Athena
The third installment of The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan has just got a brand new jacket, beautifully designed by John Rocco.
The Mark of Athena which I’m sure continues the adventures of our heroes from Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter is out on October 2. I know, it’s going to be a long wait, especially for me as I’m a huge fan of mythology and Rick’s books, but I’m sure the wait will be worthwhile.
Here is a short article on some of Rick’s opinions, the cover, and a little background on the author.
Enjoy!
If you want to get the updates first hand, here is Rick’s blog and Twitter !
Interview with Nora Dunn of The Professional Hobo
In order to bring a splash of color (or interactivity) to the website, I’ve decided to get interviews with people I truly admire, and whose blogs/websites I’m a rabid fan of.
Photo by Nora Dunn
Without further ado, let me introduce Nora Dunn, the Canadian beauty behind The Professional Hobo. The energy core behind TPH and other advice-giving website, such as WiseBread is truly an inspiration for everyone. Back in 2006 she sold her financial planning practice in Toronto and has been traveling ever since. You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
While I’ve been more than entertained with her travel advices and experiences, I wanted to know more about her, her interaction with the written word. So here goes:
