The dictionary definition of ”fact” is ”something known to exist or to have happened,” whereas ”faith”generally is described as ”belief not based on proof.” There are 10,000 religions worldwide, eighteen of which are major Christian religions, and among Christians there are 9,000 separate denominations. Each of those religions and denominations has its own belief system–its followers act on faith–even though, as author Jack Gage points out, ”all the adherents of these different belief systems inhabit the same world, with the same physical facts, with access to the same knowledge.” So how and why did so many religions come into existence? And how do the various religious explanations–whether Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, or any other–for how the world and the people in it began stack up against scientific fact? Buy this book in from Amazon.com* Q&A with Author Jack Gage: Can you tell us about the journey that led you to write your book? Although I got my first college degree in Business Administration, and the second a Juris Doctorate in law, at heart I’ve always been fascinated by science and particularly astronomy. I was raised by my parents as an Episcopalian but the things I was taught there seemed inconsistent…

Author and futurist Jules Verne was born on this day, 8 February, 1828 (d: 24 March, 1905) in Nantes, France. Verne is considered the father of general Science Fiction and recently been credited with “fathering” the steampunk genre. Verne wrote some of the most famous books in the worked, such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey To The Center Of The Earth, and Around The World In 80 Days. Image from http://www.stars-celebrites.com/ Books by Jules Verne Verne is the second most translated author in the world (the first is Agatha Christie). Jules Verne wrote more than 70 books (54 of them compromising the Voyages Extraordinaires) In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Captain Nemo travels the world in a giant electric submarine, the Nautilus. Several modern submarines are powered by electricity, granted they’re not as huge as the Nautilus (with formal dining room, library, etc.) but they are not that different from the one Verne described. In 1886, the first electric powered submarine was name The Nautilus. One of the weapons described in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a gun which shoots balls in which “electricity is forced to a very high tension” and delivers a strong electrical jolt. A…

About: All That I Am by Anna Funder is an award winning novel by this Australian author. The book won the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award, Australia’s most prestigious literary award. 400 pages Publisher: Harper Perennial Language: English ISBN-10: 0062077570 The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book –to enter fill out the Raf­fle­copt­ter form at the end of the post. My rat­ing for All That I Am — 4 Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format* More Recommended World War II books on Man of la BookStore Thoughts: All That I Am by Anna Funder (website | Facebook) is a very good book, well written and interesting. That being said, it took me a while to get into it and, for me, a bit confusing and distracting. However, this is a profound book which I found that I liked a lot more after I finished. The story slaps the reader in the face, making them come to terms with the human condition of the past. The political turmoil described in the book is merely a backdrop to the people who are caught up in it, screaming and warning with no one to hear except the astute reader who knows how events will eventually unfold. The…

I recently read & reviewed Above All Things by novelist (and Poet Laureate for Lake Ontario) Tanis Rideout. The book tells of George Mallory conquering Everest

Mike Harris is taking the route chosen by many authors throughout history – by trying to make his Grandfather’s novels a self-publishing success. Are you ready to take a chance on an unknown author, and help make it happen for him? Self-publishing feels like a relatively new thing, doesn’t it? It’s thanks to the ebook revolution, it seems, that we have seen an explosion in self-published books. Amazon’s shelves are positively teeming with offers, some good, some bad, some extraordinary and some downright awful. But the truth is that self-publishing has been around for a lot longer than you’d think. Before the likes of E. L. James, Amanda Hocking and John Locke took over the best seller lists, authors of all walks of life were taking the DIY route, and for many reasons. The popular image of the self-published author is one of an egotistical brat who can’t really write but can’t take no for an answer. But the fact is that it wasn’t just those who had been rejected by one too many publishing houses who were doing it. Edgar Allen Poe, Alexandre Dumas, Mark Twain and James Joyce are just a handful of famous names who decided to…

Hy Conrad (web­site | Face­book) made the move from writing TV shows such as Monk to writing mystery books. I recently read his book Rally ‘Round the Corpse which I truly enjoyed. I was lucky enough to be able to ask Mr. Conrad a few questions about his history, writing and social media. He was kind enough to answer. Q. How long have you been a fan of puzzles and mysteries? What got you started? A. Like a lot of mystery lovers, I started in my teens with Sherlock Holmes. The characters and the atmosphere made the stories unique. But Arthur Conan Doyle also established many of the great set-ups, including the small, intriguing mystery that blossoms into something important, e.g., “Why is a man, whose only qualification is his flaming red hair, hired to do useless clerical work?” If you don’t know the answer, you’re not a real mystery fan. I got my own start when a software developer asked me what kind of project might work on an interactive laserdisc. I answered, “Mysteries.” The result was the MysteryDisc and the start of my life in the genre. Q. Who do you think are the masters of mysteries among authors? A. I don’t read a lot of current mystery authors….

Article first published as Book Review: Rally ‘Round the Corpse by Hy Conrad on Blogcritics. About: Rally ‘Round the Corpse by Hy Conrad is a fictional mystery and it seems to be the first of a series. I jumped on the opportunity to read this book because Mr. Conrad is the writer for the TV show Monk which is, in my opinion, one of the best written shows on TV. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book –to enter fill out the Raf­fle­copt­ter form at the end of the post. 348 pages Publisher: Seven Realms Publishing Language: English ISBN-10: 0983735042 My rating for Rally ‘Round the Corpse – 4 Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format* More Books by Hy Conrad Thoughts: Rally ‘Round the Corpse by Hy Conrad (website | Facebook) is an enjoyable novel which is easy to read, doesn’t take itself too seriously and tells a story with humor and energy. I read the book with the author’s sense of humor in mind, as a fan of Monk I might have had an advantages over other readers since I thought that some of the lines which to others might sound over-the-top cheesy, were funny. ““Amy thought of her double bottom drawer as…

Buy this Star Wars Book in paper or elec­tronic copy* Andrew: Orig­i­nally pub­lished at: http://www.rancorslovetoread.com/2009/08/andrew.html 1/5 Rancors – Vonda McIntyre has garnered many accolades over the course of her writing career, including the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards. As such, I can only assume that Ms. McIntyre may have deliberately chosen to write The Crystal Star using simple language and short paragraphs, perhaps targeting a perceived audience of younger children. This book talks down to its reader, most painfully in the very long chapters dealing with the adventures of the Solo children. Names are continuously restated in place of pronouns, as if the reader might not have the attention span to remember which characters are present in a scene. Granted, the storyline does ultimately center around child characters to a large extent, but it feels underserved by being presented as if seen through the eyes of a child. The events of The Crystal Star revolve around an intriguing area of space in which a white dwarf star is orbiting a black hole and slowly being drawn in by the immense spatial forces at work. Parked near this black hole is Crseih Station, an unpleasant radiation-baked locale used by both the Empire and smuggling groups throughout the decades. Luke Skywalker…

Norman Mailer (31 January, 1923 – 10 November, 2007), one of the greatest American writers hailed from a middle class Jewish family to become one of the most provocative writers of the 1950s. Mailer wrote more than 50 books during his life and won the Pulitzer Prize Twice. Books by Norman Mailer Norman Mailer was born in Long Branch, NJ – however he grew up in Brooklyn, New York. As a 9 year old boy, Mailer wrote a 250 page science fiction story called Invasion from Mars. At age 16 Norman Mailer was admitted to Harvard. At Harvard Mailer majored in Aeronautical Engineering. However he won a writing contest sponsored by Story magazine and already has made up his mind to become a professional writer. When Mailer graduated college, the world was in the turmoil of World War II. Mailer joined the Army and served as a sergeant in the Pacific. After the war, Mailer did his graduate studies at the Sorbonne in Paris. During his time at the Sorbonne he wrote The Naked and the Dead which took him 15 months to write. Published in 1948 The Naked and the Dead became Norman Mailer’s success and…

Above All Things by Tanis Rideou is an interesting book to discuss, the story is multilayered, the narrative is poetic and the action is exciting.