Thursday, 1 December 2011

Award-Winning Historical Novel Explores Classical Greek and Roman History, in the Critical Period Following the Death of Alexander the Great

Award-Winning Historical Novel Explores Classical Greek and Roman History, in the Critical Period Following the Death of Alexander the Great.
The Central Character is the Brilliant Young King, Pyrrhus of Epirus.  

"Writing with great style, Dr. Crouch brings this ancient age to life once more; maintaining an expert balance between historical accuracy and creative imagination. Dr. Crouch succeeds splendidly in conveying a compelling interpretation of the lives and loves, the achievements and aspirations of great men in a great age."
  ~ Dr. Eoghan Maloney, lecturer in ancient history at the University of Adelaide
 
The phrase "A Pyrrhic Victory" refers to a victory that comes at such a cost that it threatens to destroy the victor. In the debut volume of the new series by this name, author Ian Crouch transports readers to the Mediterranean in the early third century BC where they meet Pyrrhus, the young disinherited king of Epirus, a region of northern Greece.

Pyrrhus is a central figure of his age, the world left behind by Alexander the Great, which in the next century will become the world of the Romans. His struggles and alliances take him from Asia Minor to Greece and then to Egypt, where he is groomed for the great role that will be his to play when he becomes first the protegé and then the son-in-law of Ptolemy, Pharaoh of Egypt. Along the way, soldiers, battles, and luxuries of all kinds bring the ancient classical world to riveting life.

Pyrrhus' eventual return to Epirus with his queen Antigone sees him reinstated as king, a powerful ruler stable in his position, a figure of admiration. Yet Pyrrhus is a warrior at heart, and the Romans are nearing their time of greatness. Can he remain at rest for long in a peaceful Greece? The book's title, The Shaping of Destiny, hints at the answer to this question.

Dr. Crouch comments, "The great days of Greece and Rome are the crucible of the history of the Western World. I have tried to bring that history to life and demonstrate how the Greek struggle for liberty produced the unrivalled heights of drama, poetry, and philosophy all subsequent ages have enjoyed."

For Dr. Crouch's efforts, The Shaping of Destiny received the Gold Medal for Historical Fiction in the 2011 Independent Book Publisher (IPPY) Awards.


Author: Dr. Ian Crouch is a medical practitioner living in Adelaide, South Australia. Since his early days in medical school, his abiding interest has been Greek and Roman history. He is currently at work on the second volume of A Pyrrhic Victory, subtitled Destiny Unfolds.




CaptainD - Book Reviews Blog
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Monday, 7 November 2011

Go on an interactive reading adventure on the iPad with Sock n Boots!

Los Angeles, California - Sock n Boots Worldwide, a burgeoning children's book publisher, has today announced the release of Sock n Boots Adventures for iPad devices running on iOS 4.1 or later. Sock n Boots Adventures is a dynamic storybook app that updates three tales from the critically acclaimed Sock n Boots book series and turns them into interactive mobile adventures. Each story - starring the quirky duo of Sock and his wise friend Boots - includes scores of dynamic elements, animated thrills, and chances for kids and parents alike to interact with the app's two heroes! Not to be outdone, the app gives users a chance to tell each Sock and Boots adventure they way they'd like, as well as offering a fully featured coloring book! Sock n Boots Adventures is currently available for download on the Apple App Store for $0.99 in the Entertainment category.

Released to universal acclaim by children, parents, and pundits alike, the Sock n Boots book series has established itself as a perfect catalyst to bringing young readers and their parents together with stories that both entertain and encourage kids to gain a passion for reading. Sock n Boots Adventures for the iPad takes three of these beloved stories and turns them into full-fledged interactive spectacles where users can touch and hear the story unfolding in front of them via vibrant professional animations and audio narration. The app gives users the power to enjoy each of its three included stories in three equally unique ways as well. What remains constant though is these stories' power to engage children together with parents and encourage them to work together and bond while experiencing Sock n Boots Adventures.



Stories can be played like a movie if users want to simply lay back and enjoy, with the help of automatic audio narration where they get to control the pace, or as a conventional storybook where they read along themselves while playing around with the interactive elements included on every page! Advanced readers that create their own Sock n Boots adventures can share what they make via Facebook, and let friends know how they feel via Twitter as well! An education word association game is even included to help beginning readers.

For the uninitiated, the Sock n Boots series stars a mischevious Sock and his wise best friend Boots, following the pair's misadventures as they learn valuable real-world lessons and connect with children all over the world. A quest for knowledge lies at the heart of each story. Accordingly each Sock n Boots story begins with a question, and through the character's whimsical journeys answers are always found, and important lessons instilled within the reader in the process. The iPad serves as the perfect platform to engage young readers and help parents or grandparents connect with their kids regardless of whether it's through a story told at bedtime or as a daytime activity including the whole family.


Device Requirements:
* iPad
* Requires iOS 4.1 or later
* 57.6 MB


Pricing and Availability:

Sock n Boots 1.0 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category.

http://www.socknboots.com/


Based in Los Angeles, Sock n Boots Worldwide is a children's book publisher focused on helping kids, parents, and teachers bond through the magic of reading.


CaptainD - Book Reviews Blog
Check out my Barnes and Noble Nook review
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Tuesday, 25 October 2011

My Most Popular Book Reviews on Epinions

I was just looking at which of my book reviews had been quite successful on Epinions - so I thought I'd link to them here, to... um... hopefully make them even more successful. I've only listed book reviews with over a thousand page views.


It would appear that I've written 152 book reviews so far. I'm currently 69th in the all-time "Most Popular Book Reviewers" list on Epinions. Since I'm not very prolific with writing book reviews these days, I guess I'll never get into the top fifty.

CaptainD - Book Reviews Blog
Check out my Barnes and Noble Nook review
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Tuesday, 11 October 2011

Press Release: Great new read along book app from the author of Bed Hog

Appburgh is pleased to announce Tails 1.0, their latest iOS book. One of the best ways to encourage children to read is through humor. This interactive rhyming story will surely provide readers with a few giggles as they see what their world would look like "If people had tails." Written and Illustrated by Georgette Noullet. Colorful animated illustrations with hidden sound effects will keep the reader reading this book app over and over again.


Moon Township, Pennsylvania - "Kids would have fun hanging high in the air, laughing and playing, giving grown-ups a scare!"

One of the best ways to encourage children to read is through humor. This interactive rhyming story will surely provide readers with a few giggles as they see what their world would look like "If people had tails."

Children will wonder what the world would be like if we all had tails. What a wonderful world it would be if we all had tails and could swing from the trees.

Colorful animated illustrations with hidden sound effects will keep the reader reading this book app over and over again.

The narration options will allow them to read and have book read to them all by themselves for hours of entertainment.

So dive in and purchase the latest children's book app available on the Apple iTunes store. Most of all you will have fun discussing what the world would be like if people had tails with your child. There answers will definitely surprise and entertain you. Have fun.

Narration Options:* Read it to me - adult narration with accompanying text
* I'll read it - silent reading with all word display

Additional features:* Animated characters
* Hidden sound spots

Written and Illustrated by Georgette Noullet. Another quality mobile App brought to you by Appburgh.com

Device Requirements:* iPad
* Requires iOS 3.2 or later
* 49.6 MB

Pricing and Availability:Tails 1.0 is $1.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Books category.

AppBurgh: http://www.appburgh.com/APPBURGH5.html
Tails 1.0: http://itunes.apple.com/app/id468420529


CaptainD - Book Reviews Blog
Check out my Barnes and Noble Nook review
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