Tuesday 24 January 2012

Tuesdays Treasures {24} - A Port Through Time

 Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures.  I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!
There are so many wonderful books out there hiding on shelves so I invite you to blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library and add your post to Learning All the Time Favourite Resource Link Up. 



This week ...
A 10,000 year journey from trading post to modern seaport
 
  • Format: Hardback
  • Number of Pages: 32
  • Vendor: DK Publishers
  • Publication Date: 2006
  • ISBN: 00-7566-2221-2
  • Author Dr Anne Millard
  • Illustrator: Steve Noon
I love the Through Time book series.  They are beautifully illustrated and lots of fun to look through. You could spend days on each page and still not see everything there is to see.  Each book picks one location and shows you how it develops from nothing to present day.  Some pages contain "cut away" images. The book finishes off with a brief historical look at shipping through the ages and world trade.

Other books available in the series are: A Farm through Time, A City through Time and A Street through Time.

What's your favourite history resource?

Blessings


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Friday 20 January 2012

Homeschool Mothers Journal {10}



The Home school Mother’s Journal began as a single post on a Friday morning over at The Homeschool Chick, and turned into a link-up for homeschool mothers across the blog-O-sphere to share a piece of their journey with one another each week. The link party is open from Friday to Monday so join me in The Homeschool Journal and lets encourage one another on our homeschool journey.

In my life this week…
 
In our homeschool this week…
  • Rock Candy !! I am so excited. I have been looking for a tutorial on how to do this. I was over at Julie's blog The Homeschool Balancing Act reading her HSMJ and she shared the link Education.com Activities. I decided to take a look and low and behold on the first page was the add. I just hope it is warm enough for our candy to form as we have had some wintry weather sneak in in the middle of summer!
  • We watched The Prince and the Pauper.  I know this story well but only realized this week that it was written by Mark Twain. I highly recommend this version to watch it is excellent.
  • We joined the Summer Reading Challenge at our local library. I discovered some Fitzroy Readers at our library that Sir N could read. First books we have brought home from the library that he could read to me.
  • We read The Light at Tern Rockand One Hundred Dresses. Both excellent reads with deep life lessons.
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
  • Be your students dictionary. When your children are writing and ask you how to spell something spell it for them. It is better for them to write it correctly than to improvise and learn the wrong spelling of the word which you then have to spend the next six months helping them "un learn". 
  • If you are looking for easy crafts to do with your children head on over to All Kids Network and have a look around.  There are summer, autumn, winter and spring sections as well as holiday crafts, Animal crafts and general crafts. Worksheets and colouring in pages. Great site to have in your favourites bar. 
  • Tips for dealing with Homework hassels by Connie over at Women Living Well while this post discusses homework it has some really great tips to equip homeschool moms in teaching their children.
I am inspired by…
  • Courtney's week 2 of The Gentleness Challenge over at Women Living Well. I find it incredibly difficult to be gentle with my tongue / tone when I am frustrated or tired.  This post is so encouraging.  I feel equipped to grow in the fruit of a gentle tongue after reading this.
  • Prayer is a Necessity over at Six Yates Wanderings. These words are so true:  " I so desire to do EVERYTHING that I want to do and in the end MY schedule ruins everyone else’s attitude" 
  • The Way Home based on the inspirational True Story. My heart was in my throat quite a bit as I watch this DVD and I am happy to say it has a very happy ending. I have been so encouraged watching this DVD and think you will be too.








Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
  • Cousin Day was fantastic.  We all got too much sun but the fun we had was memorable.  Little boys rolling down grass hills, testing how brave they were by walking into deeper water out in the tidal pool and seeing just how fast they could run down a steep hill! Lovely Memories Thank you Miss M for such a lovely idea lets do it again !
  • Our Art Co op started again today and we made snow globes.  I really struggled to find glycerin to purchase and just found out you can use corn syrup as a substitute over at Snow Globe Craft.
  • Today our split system air conditioner was finally replaced just in time for the next heat wave this coming week.  I am so grateful.
  • Counting down the months, weeks and days


My favorite thing this week was…
  • Sitting on the chair with Sir N and reading out loud.  
  • Listening to Sir N read the first three  Fitzroy Readers out loud to me.
  • Purchasing my second Kindle book! I was over at Little Homeschool on the Prairie and saw this post: Blessings at the Door and couldn't help myself.  This is Jennifer's first published book. I am so excited for her. It is available for purchase on Amazon in Paperback, Hardcover and Kindle. I just couldn't wait for the paperback to come in the mail so now it's on my kindle. I love what I have read so far.

What’s working/not working for us…
  • Too many late nights.  It's summer and the sun does not set till after 9 pm.  We end up being up far too late and I am exhausted.
Questions/thoughts I have…
  • I would love to be a part of a once a fortnight blog hop based on The Charlotte Mason Companion.  How would I start this ??  I would love to read other peoples insights on the different topics in Karen Andreola's book.
Things I’m working on…
  • I am learning to use Artisteer.  I love building websites but get frustrated with dealing in code because I do not use it regularly enough to know it well.  This software seems to be a WYSIWYG which is great.  I think I might try and redisgn my blog since I can't find a rose background that works for me. I found a tutorial on Youtube to make custom backgrounds for blogger.  I am keen to watch and learn when things quieten down around here.
  • Thanks to Jo over at Princess Warrior Lessons I found out that Blogger now supports threaded commenting, which means that it is now much easier to differentiate between whether someone is making a general comment on the thread, or responding to another comment on the thread. There are two little boxes to set on your blog settings and you are set to go!  So Easy.
I’m reading…
I’m cooking…
  •  Watermelon Jam (Tutorial to come it's a two day process and today is day two!)
I’m grateful for…
  •  New mercies each morning.
  • The new split system inverter air conditioner that was installed today.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…
  •  Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. -Eleanor Roosevelt


I was blessed by this short movie this week.  I was amazed by the hand of the Lord and how He blessed so many people.  My heart was touched for all the families in this Vimeo movie.


Blessings












This post is linking to:
Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and The Homeschool Chick pop on over to read what other homeschool Moms are doing. (Will update these links as soon as the linky is up later today)
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Wednesday 18 January 2012

East African Chicken

East African Chicken
Ingredients:
  • 1 small chicken
  • 2 teaspoons mixed herbs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Water
  • 1 cup of Basmati rice (or white rice)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 Onion finally chopped
  • 1 red capsicum chopped
  • 1 green capsicum chopped
  • 4 tablespoons of peanut butter
  • Optional (cream) 
  • Optional 1 punnet Mushrooms sliced.

Method
  • Put mixed herbs, salt, chicken in a pot cover with water and boil gently till chicken is well cooked.
  • Keep chicken stock to one side.
  • De bone chicken and cut up chicken, set aside.
  • Put rice and 1/2 the chicken stock in a pot and cook.  Add more hot water if needed.
  • In another pot add butter, onion and capsicum. Stir on low heat till onions are soft and tender.
  • Add in the peanut butter and thoroughly mix in.
  • Add in the chicken stock (and some cream for a more creamy flavour)
  • Add in the chicken. Simmer for 15 min for flavours to seep together.
  • Optional add in mushrooms and cook for 10 min.
  • Mix cornflour in some cold water and add to chicken mix to thicken
Serve on a bed of rice with a green salad.

I do not like peanut butter but I love this recipe.

Blessings









This post is linking with Growing Home Teach Me Tuesdays, Our Simple Country Life 3 Year Birthday Bash, Comfy in the Kitchen Featured Post Top 3 Link Up, Little Natural Cottage Natural Living Link Up, The Singing Sparrow Food Friday





This recipe contains peanuts.
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Tuesday 17 January 2012

Tuesdays Treasures {23} Vintage Novels

 Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures.  I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

There are so many wonderful books out there hiding on shelves so I invite you to blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library and add your post in the comments section. 

This week ...

Today I discovered a new blog I would like to share with you ...




This blog is hosted by Suzannah who in her words says:
Today we see an ever-widening gap between “Christian” and “secular” fiction. Yet for many years that distinction did not exist: Many if not most stories combined the high artistic excellence that today seems the realm of secular fiction with the high Christian standards that are becoming harder to find.
I believe that a steady diet of good stories is essential to teach, inspire, and refresh both young and old. I hope this blog will help you select great reading—great alternatives

So if you are wanting to know more about a particular vintage novel pop on over to Suzannah's pad and look up your author of choice or find someone new to read.

Blessings
Chareen

This post is linking to Learning All The Time Favourite Resources.
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Friday 13 January 2012

Homeschool Mothers Journal {9}


The Home school Mother’s Journal began as a single post on a Friday morning over at The Homeschool Chick, and turned into a link-up for homeschool mothers across the blog-O-sphere to share a piece of their journey with one another each week. The link party is open from Friday to Monday so join me in The Homeschool Journal and lets encourage one another on our homeschool journey.

In my life this week…
 
In our homeschool this week…
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
  •  No pearls of wisdom this week :)
I am inspired by…

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
  • We went to the local outdoor pool where Sir N attended the Vic Swim week.  It was good to see him grow in his confidence.
  • To the L family to celebrate a fourth birthday.
  • We went to the zoo and went for a bus trip around the Safari area.   
  • Looking forward to our ten year family reunion ...  


My favorite thing this week was…
  • Discovering a Look-Alikes book I have spent the last 10 years searching for at the library!
  • Watching Sir N play with a magnet and iron filings.

What’s working/not working for us…
  • Waking up too late in the mornings.  I find that I am feeling frustrated as I am not able to complete the things I set out to do as I constantly feel behind!
Questions/thoughts I have…
  • Years ago at a book sale I picked up two little books by Jim Arnosky.  I am really keen to get started on a Nature Notebook.  I ♥ his nature Notebooks and recently discovered that he has published the following book: Field Trips: Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird Watching and Shore Walking (Hardback) I wonder if I should invest in this book ?
  • I am thinking about a word that can help be stay on track with my Goals for 2012. I am leaning towards: COMMITMENT without commitment I will never attain my goals.
  • I want to make some water lemon rind jam and I have no idea where to buy slaked lime from in Australia.  Any ideas ??
Things I’m working on…
  • Planning to get walking fit to do an 8 km fun walk to raise funds for the Royal Children's Hospital in February.
  • Cover to Cover.  I am learning so much and am feeling so encouraged by His word.  It feels so good to be back in the word of God. Two of the things I enjoyed learning about this week are: The story of Melchizedek and Job and his framework for righteous living.
  • A Label drop down Tutorial.
  • Putting all the Christmas decorations away and finding better ways of storing / packing these items.  This year my favourite thing to use was cable ties.  They have helped keep my Christmas lights in order and the branches of my Christmas tree in neat orderly piles.
  • Callanetics.  Boy do I sleep well after a session of this!
I’m reading…
I’m cooking…
I’m grateful for…
  •  A husband who is a handy man and saves us hundreds of dollars each year by fixing / building what ever needs to be done here at home.  This past week he erected a kit set car port and saved us over $1 000 on installation. 

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…  

"Wis­dom is the right use of knowl­edge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a know­ing fool. But to know how to use knowl­edge is to have wisdom." ― Charles H. Spur­geon
Blessings








This post is linking to:
Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and The Homeschool Chick pop on over to read what other homeschool Moms are doing.



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Thursday 12 January 2012

BLOG DIY - Label drop down box

When I first started blogging and using labels  I quickly realised that my list of labels would be longer than my posts on each page! I love using labels because they help me find my way around my posts. I have recently started a new blog and the label list has been growing so I took some screen shots of the process I used to convert my label list to a drop down list.



I found a very easy add in for blogger on Blogger Sentral.  Here is a photo tutorial of the process described on Bogger Sentral to convert your label list to a drop down list.

Tutorial
  • Open your blog dash board
  • Make sure you have the Label widget installed on your blog before you begin. (Do this through Layout / Add a widget. )
  • Click on Template
  • Click on Edit HTML (You are doing this to back up your blog template in case something goes wrong.)


  • Click Proceed.

  • Tick the Expand Widget Templates box 
  • Click anywhere in the code and press Ctrl+A on your keyboard to highlight all (or use your mouse)
  • Press Ctrl+c on your keyboard to copy all the code.
  • Open Notepad and paste.  Now save and keep code.

Now you are ready to begin.
  • Highlight and copy the code.
  • Return back to your blog HTML page.
  • NB - Uncheck the Expand Widget Templates box 
  • Scroll to the bottom of the Edit HTML box
  • Look for the following code line    <b:widget id='Label1' locked='false' title='Labels' type='Label'/>
  • Replace that line of code with the code you have copied from Blogger Sentral by highlighting the line and clicking Ctrl + V on your keyboard OR  Right click paste after high lighting.
  • Click Preview before saving to check that the code is working.
  • Click Save.
  • Well done.  You have now accomplished the following change and added more space in your right hand column.

Happy Blogging and enjoy your new space!

Blessings





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Tuesday 10 January 2012

Tueaday's Treasure {Look-Alikes}

 Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures.  I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

There are so many wonderful books out there hiding on shelves so I invite you to blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library. 



This week ...
I am thrilled beyond measure to have rediscovered this book.  I have spent the last six years searching for it by sight because I could not remember it's title or author !  Most people have heard of or seen Walter Wick's Can You See What I See ? and I Spy books.  Well these are an eye spy with a twist !


Can you see the four recorders ? Onions ? Brussel Sprouts ? 5 shoes ?

 From the back of the book: Using every day objects in ingenious ways, artist Joan Steiner has created three dimensional scenes of more than 40 famous landmarks and familiar vacation locales. .... There are more than 500 look-alikes to search for.

  • Format: Hardback
  •  Number of Pages: 34
  •  Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
  •  Publication Date: 2007
  •  ISBN: 0-316-81172-6
    ISBN-13: 978-0-316-81172-9
  • Author: Joan Steiner

This is the first Look-Alikes book we borrowed from our library.

Here is another picture to whet your appetite for these books I found on the web:
The General Store
What types of books do you look at for fun ?


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Sunday 8 January 2012

Homeschool Mothers Journal


The Home school Mother’s Journal began as a single post on a Friday morning over at The Homeschool Chick, and turned into a link-up for homeschool mothers across the blog-O-sphere to share a piece of their journey with one another each week. The link party is open from Friday to Monday so join me in The Homeschool Journal and lets encourage one another on our homeschool journey.

In my life this week…
 
In our homeschool this week…
  • We were still on break ... back to school on Monday 9th of January.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
  •  "Do not let the endless succession of small things crowd great ideals out of sight and out of mind."- Charlotte Msson
I am inspired by…
  • The Word of God. I have been amazed by the things I have learned this week as I have started my journey of reading the bible from Cover to Cover chronologically. I have been so blessed by my Mothers insights.
  • Charlotte Mason.
Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
  • Our friends the L Family who have six children who blessed us with dinner and fellowship.
  • To pick up the new car port we purchased.
  • Bunnings to purchase the extra bits we needed to erect the car port.
  • My parents for lunch.
  • On Monday it was 40'C (104 F) and our air conditioner has died. I really struggle with such high temperatures. God was good and He helped my brother in law to source one for an excellent price including installation.
  • My brother in law and his children came over for dinner with us while my sister was at work.
  • My sister came up with a novel idea for family gatherings.  She called it Cousin Day.  She chose a few locations and dates for us to get together.  Sent out invitations.  We have to discover the location using our map books.  She has left us the clue in the invite.  She used the page number and grid location.  It's so much fun and I am so looking forward to our time out today ...

My favorite thing this week was…
  • Watching Sir N learn to use a hammer and nail.  He was so brave when he missed the nail and hit his thumb instead.

What’s working/not working for us…
  • We have a new basket to store the library books in. Sir N is being a trooper and keeping the books together in it. 
Questions/thoughts I have…
  • The design of my blog.  The paper does not match my title.  I am searching for a new back ground theme.  I found one that I have tried on my practice blog.  What are your thoughts ?  Do you know where I can find some new paper for my blog ? I also want a narrower header as I feel this one is far to wide and takes up much to much space at the top of my blog. Sigh, my scrapbook software wont work with Windows 7 grrrr.  Do you know of any FREE software I could try to make a background and header with ?  I really like the book and pen on  Coffee Desk and my heart is totally in love with White Fence Rose on Shabby Lane but it is too small for my space here.
  • I have been pondering the question of: Who are the sons of God that the old testament talks about in Genesis and Job ?  Whenever I have thought about God I think about a Son (Jesus) now I read plural sons.
Things I’m working on…
  • Finding a way to organise my day / week to accomplish my goals for 2012.  It is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
  • Reba Bowman just posted a great read link about Keeping Your Resolutions on Facebook (Dare for More Ministries).  Excellent short blog post with a multitude of links worth reading.
  • Daily bible readings and my new blog over at One Year Through the Word.  I am really enjoying my mothers insights. (She is blogging with me :-D ) Our aim is to read the entire bible chronologically in one year together.  I would love your insights and inspirations.
I’m reading…
I’m cooking…
  •  The same old recipe's I really need to find something new to cook that is cheap quick and easy.  Any recommendations ?
I’m grateful for…
  • Friends who so generously share of themselves on the internet. I would like to recommend that you pop on over to Walking by the Way and see the wonderful list of FREE Kindle classics for Children list. There are some wonderful treasures on this list.
  • Ten Ways to Love.  I am pleased I found this list.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…
  • We should always have something worthwhile to think about, that we may not let our minds dwell upon unworthy matters (p21- Ourselves) - Charlotte Mason

Don't forget to visit other Homeschool Mothers who are Journaling this week.

Blessings

Chareen

This post is linking to: The Homeschool Mothers Journal and Weird, Unsocialised Homeschoolers.
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Friday 6 January 2012

Ten ways to Love

I remember a few years ago reading The 5 Love Languages and being so excited to learn about the ways in which we express love and read expressions of love so we feel loved. ( I highly recommend this book to any couple it will open new avenues and broaden your understanding)
A few days ago on Facebook I came across this list and as I read it again today I realized that I had shifted my focus to expressing love via the love languages and had not used the tools available in the Word to express love more deeply and fully in my day to day activities.

I wanted to share it with you because it is a list of love in ACTION. Love is not a noun it's a verb. I like this list because it is taken from all over the word. 
10 Ways to love
  1. Listen without interrupting (Proverbs 18:13)
  2. Speak without accusing (James1:19)                     
  3. Give without sparing. (Proverbs 21:26)
  4. Pray without ceasing. (Colossians 1:9)
  5. Answer without arguing. (Proverbs 17:1)
  6. Share without pretending. (Ephesians 4:15)
  7. Enjoy without complaint. (Philippians 2:14)
  8. Trust without wavering (1 Corinthians 13:7)
  9. Forgive without punishing. (Colossians 3:13)
  10. Promise without forgetting. (Proverbs 13:12)

1 Corinthians 13 says love expresses itself this way:
  1. Be patient (verse 4)
  2. Be Kind (verse 4)
  3. Not envious (verse 4)
  4. Be modest and quiet. (verse 4)
  5. Is polite and respectful (verse 5)
  6. Forgives and keeps no record of wrongs. (verse 5)
  7. Rejoices in truth (verse 6)
  8. It protects (verse 7)
  9. It Trusts and is ready to believe the best of every person (verse 7)
  10. It perseveres. (verse 7)
Making this list has encouraged and equipped me.  I have been feeling very weary of keeping on keeping on in a situation and I see that love perseveres.  I feel like I have many more tools in my toolbox available to me now.

How do you express love in your day to day living ? What do you use as your plumb line and guide ?

Blessings


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Genre and Sub Genre {Myster / Crime} 5/5


Welcome to day 5 of Genre and Sub Genre.  I was poking around at the host blog for 52 Books in 52 Weeks and discovered an interesting page about genre and sub genre.  I have always wondered what the different genre classifications were  in books so wanted to share them here with you.

There are 5 categories so will share one a day this week.


Genre and Sub Genre categories

Mystery/Crime

  1. Amateur Detective: a mystery solved by an amateur, who generally has some profession or affiliation that provides ready access to information about the crime.
  2. Child in Peril: a mystery involving the abduction or persecution of a child.
  3. Classic Whodunit: a crime that is solved by a detective, from the detective’s point of view, with all clues available to the reader.
  4. Comic (Bumbling Detective): a mystery played for laughs, often featuring a detective who is grossly unskilled (but often solves the crime anyway, owing to tremendous good luck).
  5. Cozy: a mystery that takes place in a small town—sometimes in a single home—where all the suspects are present and familiar with one another, except the detective, who is usually an eccentric outsider.
  6. Courtroom Drama: a mystery that takes place through the justice system—often the efforts of a defense attorney to prove the innocence of his client by finding the real culprit.
  7. Dark Thriller: a mystery that ventures into the fear factor and graphic violence of the horror genre.
  8. Espionage: the international spy novel—here based less on action than on solving the “puzzle”—is today less focused on the traditional enemy spies than on terrorists.
  9. Forensic: a mystery solved through the forensics lab, featuring much detail and scientific procedure.
  10. Heists and Capers: an “antihero” genre which focuses on the planning and execution of a crime, told from the criminal’s perspective.
  11. Historical: a mystery that takes place in a specific, recognizable period of history, with much emphasis on the details of the setting.
  12. Inverted: a story in which the reader knows “whodunit,” but the suspense arises from watching the detective figure it out.
  13. Locked Room: a mystery in which the crime is apparently committed under impossible circumstances (but eventually elicits a rational explanation).
  14. Medical: generally involving a medical threat (e.g., a viral epidemic), or the illegitimate use of medical technology.
  15. Police Procedural: a crime solved from the perspective of the police, following detailed, real-life procedures.
  16. Private Detective: Focused on the independent snoop-for-hire, these have evolved from tough-guy “hard-boiled” detectives to the more professional operators of today.
  17. Psychological Suspense: mysteries focused on the intricacies of the crime and what motivated the perpetrator to commit them.
  18. Romantic: a mystery in which the crime-solvers fall in love.
  19. Technothriller: a spinoff from the traditional thriller mystery, with an emphasis on high technology.
  20. Thriller: a suspense mystery with a wider—often international—scope and more action.
  21. Woman in Jeopardy: focuses on a woman put into peril by a crime, and her struggles to overcome or outwit the perpetrator.
  22. Young Adult: a story aimed at a teenage audience, with a hero detective generally the same age or slightly older than the reader, pursuing criminals who are generally less violent—but often just as scary—as those in adult mysteries.

 Thank you to Writers Digest and 52 books in 52 weeks for the sub genre breakdown
 Blessings

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Thursday 5 January 2012

Genre and Sub Genre {Science Fiction / Fantasy} 4/5


Welcome to day 4 of Genre and Sub Genre.  I was poking around at the host blog for 52 Books in 52 Weeks and discovered an interesting page about genre and sub genre.  I have always wondered what the different genre classifications were  in books so wanted to share them here with you.

There are 5 categories so will share one a day this week.


Genre and Sub Genre categories



Science Fiction/Fantasy

  1. Alternate History: speculative fiction that changes the accepted account of actual historical events, often featuring a profound “what if?” premise.
  2. Arthurian Fantasy: reworkings of the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
  3. Bangsian Fantasy: stories speculating on the afterlives of famous people.
  4. Biopunk: a blend of film noir, Japanese anime and post-modern elements used to describe an underground, nihilistic biotech society.
  5. Children’s Fantasy: a kinder, gentler style of fantasy aimed at very young readers.
  6. Comic: fantasy or science fiction that spoofs the conventions of the genre, or the conventions of society.
  7. Cyberpunk: stories featuring tough outsiders in a high-tech near-future where computers have produced major changes in society.
  8. Dark Fantasy: tales that focus on the nightmarish underbelly of magic, venturing into the violence of horror novels.
  9. Dystopian: stories that portray a bleak future world.
  10. Erotic: SF or fantasy tales that focus on sexuality.
  11. Game-Related Fantasy: tales with plots and characters similar to high fantasy, but based on a specific role-playing game like Dungeons and Dragons.
  12. Hard Science Fiction: tales in which real present-day science is logically extrapolated to the future.
  13. Heroic Fantasy: stories of war and its heroes, the fantasy equivalent of military science fiction.
  14. High/Epic Fantasy: tales with an emphasis on the fate of an entire race or nation, often featuring a young “nobody” hero battling an ultimate evil.
  15. Historical: speculative fiction taking place in a recognizable historical period.
  16. Mundane SF: a movement that spurns fanciful conceits like warp drives, wormholes and faster-than-light travel for stories based on scientific knowledge as it actually exists.
  17. Military SF: war stories that extrapolate existing military technology and tactics into the future.
  18. Mystery SF: a cross-genre blend that can be either an SF tale with a central mystery or a classic whodunit with SF elements.
  19. Mythic Fiction: stories inspired, or modeled on, classic myths, legends and fairy tales.
  20. New Age: a category of speculative fiction that deals with occult subjects such as astrology, psychic phenomena, spiritual healing, UFOs and mysticism.
  21. Post-Apocalyptic: stories of life on Earth after an apocalypse, focusing on the struggle to survive.
  22. Romance: speculative fiction in which romance plays a key part.
  23. Religious: centering on theological ideas, and heroes who are ruled by their religious beliefs.
  24. Science Fantasy: a blend in which fantasy is supported by scientific or pseudo-scientific explanations.
  25. Social SF: tales that focus on how characters react to their environments Ð including social satire.
  26. Soft SF: tales based on the more subjective, “softer” sciences: psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc.
  27. Space Opera: a traditional good guys/bad guys faceoff with lots of action and larger-than-life characters.
  28. Spy-Fi: tales of espionage with SF elements, especially the use of high-tech gadgetry.
  29. Steampunk: a specific type of alternate history in which characters in Victorian England have access to 20th century technology.
  30. Superheroes: stories featuring characters endowed with superhuman strengths or abilities.
  31. Sword and Sorcery: a classic genre often set in the medieval period, and more concerned with immediate physical threats than high or heroic fantasy.
  32. Thriller SF: an SF story that takes on the classic world-at-risk, cliffhanger elements of a thriller.
  33. Time-Travel: stories based on the concept of moving forward or backward in time, often delving into the existence of parallel worlds.
  34. Urban Fantasy: a fantasy tale in which magical powers and characters appear in an otherwise normal modern context, similar to Latin American magical realism.
  35. Vampire: variations on the classic vampire legend, recently taking on many sexual and romantic variations.
  36. Wuxia: fantasy tales set within the martial arts traditions and philosophies of China.
  37. Young Adult: speculative fiction aimed at a teenage audience, often featuring a hero the same age or slightly older than the reader.
Thank you to Writers Digest and 52 books in 52 weeks for the sub genre breakdown


Blessings

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Wednesday 4 January 2012

Genre and Sub Genre {Thriller/Suspense} 3/5


Welcome to day 3 of Genre and Sub Genre.  I was poking around at the host blog for 52 Books in 52 Weeks and discovered an interesting page about genre and sub genre.  I have always wondered what the different genre classifications were  in books so wanted to share them here with you.

There are 5 categories so will share one a day this week.


Genre and Sub Genre categories


THRILLER/SUSPENSE
   
  1. Action: a story that often features a race against the clock, lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist.
  2. Comic: a thriller played for laughs, whether through a spoof of the genre or wisecracking interplay between the protagonists.
  3. Conspiracy: a thriller in which the hero battles a large, powerful group whose true extent only he recognizes.
  4. Crime: a story focused on the commission of a crime, often from the point of view of the criminals.
  5. Disaster: a story in which Mother Nature herself is the antagonist, in the form of a hurricane, earthquake or some other natural menace.
  6. Eco-Thriller: a story in which the hero battles some ecological calamity Ð and often has to also fight the people responsible for creating that calamity.
  7. Erotic: a thriller in which sex plays a major role.
  8. Espionage: the classic international spy novel, which is enjoying a resurgence with one important change: where spies used to battle enemy spies, they now battle terrorists.
  9. Forensic: a thriller featuring the work of forensic experts, whose involvement often puts their own lives at risk.
  10. Historical: a thriller taking place in a specific and recognizable historic period.
  11. Horror: a story—generally featuring some monstrous villain Ð in which fear and violence play a major part, complete with graphic descriptions.
  12. Legal: a thriller in which a lawyer confronts enemies outside as well as inside the courtroom, generally putting his own life at risk.
  13. Medical: a thriller featuring medical personnel, whether battling a legitimate medical threat such as a world-wide virus, or the illegal or immoral use of medical technology.
  14. Military: a thriller featuring a military protagonist, often working behind enemy lines or as part of a specialized force.
  15. Police Procedural: a crime thriller that follows the police as they work their way through a case.
  16. Political Intrigue: a thriller in which the hero must ensure the stability of the government that employs him.
  17. Psychological: a suspenseful thriller in which the conflict between the characters is mental and emotional rather than physical—until an often violent resolution.
  18. Romantic: a thriller in which the protagonists are romantically involved.
  19. Supernatural: a thriller in which the hero, the antagonist, or both have supernatural powers.
  20. Technological: a thriller in which technology Ð usually run amok Ð is central to the plot.

Thank you to Writers Digest and 52 books in 52 weeks for the sub genre breakdown
 Blessings

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Tuesday 3 January 2012

Tuesdays Treasure {21} - How to ruin your life by 40

 Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures.  I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

There are so many wonderful books out there hiding on shelves so I invite you to blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library and add your post in the comment form below. 

This week ...
In true Sonlight fashion they delivered this fantastic book with Core 300.  I am so pleased they did and I highly recommend that you add it as a **must read** for your teens.  I wish I had had this book when I was 16 years old.  

 

  • Format: Paperback
  •  Number of Pages: 176
  •  Vendor: Moody Publishers
  •  Publication Date: 2006
  •  Dimensions: 9.00 X 6.00 (inches)
  •  ISBN: 0802433227
    ISBN-13: 9780802433220
  •  Author: Steve Farrar

Christian Book says: Everyone has an internal alarm clock that goes off when they're about to make a bad decision. Some men and women spend their 20s hitting the snooze button. Steve Farrar gives them the wake-up call that they can't escape, so they can avoid the life-shattering consequences of foolish choices. Based on talks to university students, Farrar, in his forthright, no-nonsense style, helps young men and women fix their mistakes before they make them---and also shows how to recover from poor choices before it's too late

On the back cover: Inside this book you will find the wisdom you need to answer some of the most important questions you will face over the next several years:
  • Who will I Marry ?
  • What kind of job will I have?
  • How can I know God's will for my life ?
  • How do I handle doubt and temptation ?
  • What is my Life's purpose ?
  • What if I blow it ?
I give this book 6 stars out of 5. I am adding this book to my Contentment Reading Challenge list.

What is in your must read basket for teens ?

Blessings






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