Article first published as Book Review: The Last Israelis by Noah Beck on Blogcritics About: The Last Israelis by Noah Beck is a short novel taking place mostly on a submarine. The doomsday scenario, a threat to the State of Israel, is the “ripped from the headlines” type of novel. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one eCopy of this book in PDF format— use the Raf­fle­copter form at the end of the post to enter. 263 pages Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Language: English ASIN: B008HEFVI2 My rating for The Last Israelis – 4 Buy this book in electronic format Thoughts: The Last Israelis by Noah Beck (website | Facebook) could be considered a military thriller, there are some plot twists and action, however the author approaches the story more on an intellectual side. The setting is a chance for the author to engage in intellectual debates between characters of different backgrounds. The novel does have good characterization; the author builds up each character so there is some background to the debates and the reader understands who each person formulated their ideology over a lifetime of various experiences and family history. What follows is a very interesting and balanced look at Israel…

Many parents and teachers know how difficult encouraging a child who is a reluctant reader to read can be. There are many strategies to help your child develop an interest in reading, but be patient, it may not happen overnight. Most experts recommend coming up with hands on activities that get your child involved with books and storytelling. Using a variety of interactive activities to help make reading fun for children is the first step to raising a budding book lover. Studies have shown that carving out 20 or 30 minutes to read aloud to your child every night is an important part of raising a strong reader. Once children become independent readers, they can use some of that time to read to you. Parents may wonder what kinds of books they should have around in order to spark their children’s interest. A key part of raising a book lover is to have a home with lots of books in it! Children should be able to choose from a home library of their favorite volumes and a rotating selection of new possibilities. Common advice to parents of young children is to get a library card. In my experience this has…

I love graphic novels. As much as I read many people assume I’m a book snob, OK – maybe, but I do appreciate the graphic novel format. I haven’t been able to figure out the eFormat of graphic novels yet. I read a few on my nook but had to transfer them over to the computer, it simply didn’t work for me but it’s getting better. The story telling in graphic novels takes much talent and work. One cannot simply draw a picture of men in tights, it takes thought, articulation on at least two fronts (writing and drawing), sometimes three (color) and even more. Even though comics have a reputation of being for kids, many comics and graphic novels (a long comic or a collected series) are actually for adults. Believe it or not many graphic novels are written in college level English and several comic book series are the longest running publication using college English (The New York Times is written in 8th grade level English). That being said – below are a few graphic novels I found which are free (at the time of this post). Authors: If you’d like your book to be fea­tured on Tight­wad…

About: The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway is a work of realistic fiction. The novel is a quick but somber read and takes place during the 1990s siege ofSarajevo. 256 pages Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover Language: English ISBN-10: 1594489866 My rating for The Cellist of Sarajevo – 3 Buy this book in paper or electronic format More Books by Steven Galloway Thoughts: The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway is a book which is has all the right parts but for me, didn’t come together. The imagery is astounding, the characters are believable and the story telling is both haunting and poetic. After 250 pages (or so) of build up there is … nothing. The tension in the book is felt on every page, as someone who followed the events in 1990s I certainly understood the story and the context for which it was told. However, even if one is not familiar with the context, the much larger universal themes and values in the book, such as human life, decency and appreciation of the small things in life are represented. As you can tell, I really don’t know what to think of this book – it is by no means bad, but a very elegant…

Dur­ing the sum­mer vaca­tion, our daugh­ter (7 and going into sec­ond grade) is assigned to read a book a day and write a “read­ing response”. Here is her second response (she read more book but we don’t fight her about doing the videos). Please leave her a nice encouraging comment. Buy this book from Amazon.com More Books by Bob Scotton

1 ) Hogarth Press was created in 1917 by Leonard & Virginia Woolf (whose anniversary happens to be today). This was on Virginia’s 33rd birthday and the couple reached another pivotal decision – to buy a bull dog (eventually named John). 2) The company was established in the Woolf’s dining room, they named it after their home in Richmond, VA. 3 ) The couple was rejected from St. Bride’s school of printing, the reason: they were not trade union apprentices. Not ones to give up easily, the visited the Excelsior Printing Supply Co. where they found machines and material for their hobby. Leonard Woolf described the moment in his autobiography “Nearly all the implements of printing are materially attractive, and we stared through the window at them rather like two hungry children gazing at buns and cakes in a baker shop wind”. 4 ) The owner of the shop sold them a printing machine, type, chases and cases. Instead of a proper apprenticeship he sold them a 16 page pamphlet. 5 ) The business grew from a hobby and Hogarth Press started to use commercial printers instead of the handpress they had. 6 ) Besides Woolf’s works, the press also…

Reviewed by Ren Zelen Buy this book in paper or electronic format While Vampires and Zombies have been jamming the highway to the bookshelves and multiplexes, Werewolves have largely been left to idle by the side of the literary road. With Glen Duncan’s protagonist, Jacob Marlowe, you get more than you bargain for: not just a man but a werewolf, not just a werewolf, but an existentially philosophical one. The novel is, ostensibly, a diary. The tale begins after a ‘feed’ “Two nights ago I’d eaten a 43-year-old hedge fund specialist,” Marlowe states with what will be his trademark insouciance, “I’ve been in a phase of taking the ones no-one wants.” We learn his backstory, a 19th-century costume tragedy, by means of his journal entries, composed in breaks between violent action and meaningless fornication. Two centuries of living have endowed him with a vast reserve of cultural expertise and a linguistic style that moves between the wisecracking cynicism of his noir namesake and the syntactical flourishes of the 19th century literary gentleman. Marlowe imparts the contents of his inner life and his impressions of the modern world in a series of dryly succinct verbal morsels: the topography of Wales is…

This very compelling account is not only about the murder, but a small lesson in history to put everything in context. The struggle of the US Air force against the MiG fighters, the birth of the Israeli Air force, as well as the mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries, as well as sections devoted to how Middle Eastern terrorism operated in the 70s.

I figured I’ll do something a bit different today then I usually do and instead of looking for books by a particular subject or genre, I’d see what I can find from the NYT Bestseller’s list. While there aren’t many free books from this supercilious prestigious list, there are some good bargains. Enjoy! Please note: The prices for the post are cur­rent at the time of the post, please pay atten­tion to make sure they haven’t changed before purchase. Authors: If you’d like your book to be fea­tured on Tight­wad Tues­days please email me. The Hunger Games Tribute Guide by Emily Seife Digital List Price: $7.99 Print List Price: $7.99 Kindle Price: $1.60 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet You Save: $6.39 (80%) The New York Times bestselling Hunger Games is now a major motion picture — and here is the ultimate guide to the all the tributes in the 74th annual Hunger Games!Here is the ultimate guide to the twenty-four tributes participating in Panem’s 74th annual Hunger Games. Follow the tributes’ journey from the reaping to the Games, with a look at all the highlights along the way–the Tribute Parade, the stations of the Training Center, the interviews, and…

A fictional alternate history book published in 2007. This book has won several science fiction awards: the Nebula Award for Best Novel, the Locus Award for Best SF Novel, the Hugo Award for Best Novel, and the Sidewise Award for Alternate History for Best Novel. It was shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel and the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel.