Tag: reading

Posted in amazon, book review, book series, books, Kindle, Kindle Vella

How To Get Started On Kindle Vella

Posted on by Cynthia D. Griffin

I’ve been curious about Kindle Vella for awhile, but I was so engrossed with my Kindle Unlimited books, I didn’t take the time to check it out. Then something happened to help me out a little with that.

Recently, I was contacted by an author to review his book. Since I was in between books at the time, I told him I could get started right away. Then he responded that his book wouldn’t be out until March, but he did have episodes posted on Kindle Vella.

Well, I certainly couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try out Vella and get a start on another awesome story. Isn’t it great when stuff lines up like that! Anyways, the following is a how to on Kindle Vella and my thoughts on A.R. Witham’s The Legend of Black Jack.

What Is Kindle Vella?

Kindle Vella is a place to read (and publish) serialized fiction. Any device that can download the kindle app can easily access Vella. It’s really geared toward readers who want a quick read on their phones.

A story is broken down into episodes (instead of chapters). These episodes can vary from author to author. I’ve seen some really long and some really short. One thing I like is that authors have an opportunity at the end of each episode to address the audience directly in A Note From Author. Sometimes there’s little stories extras in the note, or information to contact the author directly if desired.

Another cool feature is if you liked the episode, then you can do a thumbs up at the end of it.

How Does Vella Work?

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Posted in books, creativity, education, guest post, hooked on books, reading, reading everyday, sparking creativity

Guest Post: The Importance of Reading For Education

Posted on by Cynthia D. Griffin

By Linda Mills

Reading is one of the most vital habits and hobbies a parent can cultivate in their child, or a person of any age can take up, because reading develops the minds and opens up new avenues that are important in the pursuit of education. Reading about any subject is an indispensable resource that cannot be replaced by any other medium even in today’s technologically advanced era.

Reading Better Leads To Speaking Better

Self-expression is a vital tool for every human being, giving individuals the power to express themselves clearly with better vocabulary as well as enabling them to have an impact. The more someone reads, the more they are able to shape and express their opinion, which is vital for critical thinking and for educational purposes. Reading widely also means various sources of information can be triangulated and compared with each other, which again lends itself to effective speaking and articulation.

Widen The Scope

Reading widens the scope of a person’s mind. Readers are able to empathize with others who may be completely different from them, and they are able to experience different cultures. One of the main objectives of education is to widen the scope of one’s mind and teach a person about the world in general including history, philosophy, and science without being restricted to the area one is born in or the culture one belongs to. Reading also makes individuals more creative and imaginative as reading uses many different neuron networks in the brain, which no other stimuli including visual can command. No wonder reading makes people smarter!

Read Actively Not Passively

Passive reading means you read the words, but don’t pay extra attention to them or employ critical thinking to ascertain the various meanings of the text. For educational purposes, critical thinking is very important because it encourages asking questions, seeking multiple sources of information, and seeking a greater understanding of context. Active reading is better reading, because it allows for greater retention and benefit for students.

Reading And Comprehension

Comprehension of the written texts is very important for educational purposes and the most basic way is when someone––student or otherwise––can answer questions after reading any text. This sort of fluency and concentration also affects a student’s ability to write effectively because they are more able to retain information, express their opinions after evaluation, and write it all down.

Many techniques help with comprehension especially for younger readers, such as the following:

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Posted in book addict, book review, books, ebook

Book Review: Nefertiti’s Heart By A.W. Exley

Posted on by Cynthia D. Griffin

Nefertiti’s Heart Book One in The Artifact Hunters by A.W. Exley is available in paperback, kindle, and audio.

If you are looking for an incredible adventure of romance, steampunk, and a strong female lead this is a great read! I really enjoyed my time with this book, and was pleasantly surprised with some of the twist and turns. But the one thing I enjoyed the absolutely most about this book was the toughness and grit of the female lead Miss Cara Devon.

Set during the Victorian age in London, Miss Cara Devon is determined to settle her newly departed father’s estate so she can close that harrowing chapter of her life forever. But things don’t go quite as planned as she meets a villainous Viscount and becomes sucked into an investigation to uncover the killer that’s been murdering the daughters of the wealthiest families of England.

As she seeks out all the ancient artifacts her father accumulated in his lifetime and then secretly stashed all over London, she is also forced to face the ghosts of her past. The kind of ghosts that leaves a female member of high society shunned and in disgrace. She finds herself in uncomfortable waters as she attracts the attention of a dangerous Viscount, and comes under suspicion as the murdered daughters body count grows.

This is the first book of the Artifact Hunter series, which currently has five books and two novellas. You can find out more at A.W. Exley’s author site. I, for one, plan on reading them all. I am hooked!

Posted in book review, ebook, read, reading

Book Review: The Goddess’s Choice by Jamie Marchant

Posted on by Cynthia D. Griffin

The Goddess’s Choice: Book 1 of the Khronicles of Korthlundia by Jamie Marchant is available in paperback and on kindle.

I really fell in love with the characters in this book. I loved the main characters from start to finish, and I even liked a lot of the secondary characters as well. It is obvious that Marchant spent lot of time developing and molding people the reader can get deeply invested in. The other remarkable thing was that her book has a very large cast of characters, and she switches back and forth between them quite a bit. But Marchant does it in a way that is understandable and at just the right times.

This is a story of magic, legend, love, and lust of power. It follows the main characters of Korthlundia’s Crown Princess Samantha, and Robbie, a peasant farmer’s son with the magical power of healing. The Princess struggles against power hungry nobles who want to marry her and become her consort and the new king. Meanwhile, Robbie deals with persecution from his own people for being considered a demon because of his magic and skin color.

The danger at the palace increases as Samantha’s father, the king , becomes ill. And Robbie learns of a mysterious destiny he must fulfill while also learning more about his vast healing abilities. The two major story arcs are masterfully woven together to create a rich and unforgettable story.

If you love adventure, magic, love stories, and fantasies this book is for you. There’s a lot of action and intrigue that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

This is the first book in a series of four. I really look forward the reading the next book The Soul Stone.

Posted in book review, reading

Book Review: The Unseen World by Patricia Correll

Posted on by Cynthia D. Griffin

The Unseen World by Patricia Correll is available in paperback and kindle.

I really enjoyed this book, so much I zoomed right through it in less than a week. It had me hooked from the beginning, and the further I got into the story, I found it harder to put down. Finally today, I sat down and finished it. I usually leave my reading until nighttime, but I decided I needed some me-time just so I could finish the story.

This book is a fantasy set during the feudal era in Japan. It follows the story of a young teenage girl who lives in a poor village. She’s set to become a potter and marry a young farmer, but quite unexpectedly her life changes. Sanami discovers she is a descendant of a mysterious, but extremely power clan that has the ability to tap into mystical abilities and cross over into the supernatural unseen world.

This young girl makes a deal that has her relocating to the Imperial city to study her new found abilities for a year, before returning home to her betrothed. During that year, Sanami adjusts to being someone of importance and has many adventures into the unseen world. She also makes some new friends, and one in particular has her emotions reeling as she comes to terms with all the changes in her life, and the possibility of new love.

If you like great description and marvelous character development, this book is for you. Patricia does such an amazing job weaving a story that makes you feel like you are right there in it. The story is also a wonderful depiction of Asian myth and lore that makes for a captivating and fun read.