fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Accessors
By: Jeff Shaw
Tags: Gamedevhq, Unity

Took a closer look at Get and Set Accessors. The C# survival guide has some good material in the Properties section: Properties — https://gamedevhq.teachable.com/courses/885507/lectures/16227344

This one on YouTube was also informative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjoVSAcf63w

We’ve been writing our own regular methods for doing Get and Set, and this is a streamlined built in technique to access and change variables across scripts. Using these methods helps to maintain OOP Encapsulation and keep a scripts variables private and access controlled in a standard means. The accessor structure defining the Get/Set are a little different from our regular Methods. It automatically enforces variable access type for Set without specifying. You maintain 2 diff variable definitions, one upper case (Public accessor) and one lower case(private). One of the interesting aspects is how in the cases of variables setup to use Get& Set accessors, the variable naming convention changes, and these variables are capitalized. This had confused me in the past for some time. While autoproperties appear cleaner, we can’t serialize these variables in inspector, you must assign them in Start. I’m starting to get a better understanding of how this all fits together and plan to review it with interns with some examples next week.

Still working on more debugging. The lives system is working pretty well, but still has some errors. Been continuing to clean up the code overall. I had 3 versions of camera shake, only one was used. Other stuff muddling the player script. A had too many Debug.Log comments I never cleaned up, and preened those from other scripts to more easily trace the current problem.
Game Dev in Progress… Day 38
By: Cristian Aspacio
Tags: Unity, Games, Game Development, Intern

Happy Aloha Friday and its finally the weekend!!! After developing for two weeks straight, we finally have an almost finished product! We still have to do some refactoring, as well ass adding in the Final Boss, but were on the homestretch.

Today was mostly spent putting together all the assets and code we have done over the last two weeks to create a fully fledged game. I also worked on making some final adjustments to the mid boss. Some of the changes I added was the logic for the damage calculation. In order to interact with the player bullets, I needed to add a collider on the mid boss and using an OnTriggerEnter to check if it’s being hit by the player. For the damage calculation, I simply used the code from the Enemy Abstract Class and refactored it to work for my mid boss. I added it so that the player is also taking damage from the enemies attacks. Here’s a clip showcasing Mid Boss V2:

In the afternoon, we started bug fixing and putting some final touches into the game such as adding in the audio on all the prefabs we had. One bug we found that was really annoying had to do with adjusting the rotation of the Final Boss. When we instantiated the boss, it wouldn’t rotate the right way and we tried everything to fix it. We tried rotating it manually inside the C# Script using transform.rotate, this didn’t work. We tried using another method such transform.Rotate() which also didn’t work. We decided to child it to an empty game object which sorted worked and then didn’t. There was animations done on the Final Boss to create unique movements and now those are messed up as well. We kind of gave up on trying to re rotate it and decided that Dylan will just re animate the entire boss sequence.

Other then that, we are on track in finishing up next week and hopefully being able to present it on Friday. I’m going to be on standby to help any of my other team members if they need assistance. I’ll also be play testing the game over the weekend to see if there are any bugs and make notes on gameplay. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful weekend!

_

Cristian Aspacio
Getting there
By: Aaron Black
Tags: Unity, Game Development

So, today was slow going for me. My focus was in other areas today but I will be catching up this weekend. My goal is to have my mobile game done and published by the end of the weekend. I am absolutely loving the way this game is coming together and can’t wait to see it finished. I still have so much to learn but I feel I have come such a long way in just a few weeks in my knowledge and skills with Unity and C#.

I had a proud moment as a game developer the other day as well. I was told by my daughters teacher that she has been going around school telling everyone that would listen that her Dad makes video games. She told them all about the games I have made so far and was talking like it was the coolest thing in the world. I know she is only five, so the bar for her level of cool has not been set to high yet, but it made me proud to be doing what Im doing. To tell you the truth, I feel the same way she does. This is a really awesome thing to be doing and I am proud to tell people that I am doing it. I absolutely love it and love the potential it has that I haven’t even scraped the surface of.

To top it all off, I have a live in game tester as well. My daughter sat at my computer playing one of the games I made and would not leave it for a good half an hour. She was getting so excited, throwing hands up, some ‘woohoo’s, and really loving playing it. She even tried out the mobile game I am working on now. It was great to see the excitement and even greater to see my daughter playing one of the first games I have made in what I hope is a long career in game development. I took a video of it so I can look back with her 10–15 years from now and watch where I came from.

That being said, I need to get to work and get this next game done and looking and playing good so I can publish my first game on the play store. I worked on the attack system today and will be moving into the loot system tomorrow with a shop and shop keeper, and the main menu and Unity ads. Hopefully I will be wrapping up the game by tomorrow evening if all goes well. I hope to be able to link to my new game on the play store in my next post!
How To Create A Custom Command To Group Selection In Unity Editor | Unity Tutorial
By: Ece Sefercioğlu
Tags: Technology, Game Development, Unity, Unity Game Development, Programming

How To Create A Custom Command To Group Selection In Unity Editor | Unity Tutorial Ece Sefercioğlu ·Dec 12, 2020

When we are creating lots of independent game objects in unity editor at one point we could think, “They would be better grouped!”. I thought this when I was modelling a ghost in ProBuilder part by part. Then I set out to find a way to create a command that groups selected game objects in Unity.

You can preview the demo here

After creating the script, now I think I use it more than 2–3 projects. I really believe it is an helpful add on for the projects. In the below video I explain my approach to create this group selection command in Unity.

Hopefully, this will be helpful. If there was a point not clear please let me know.

See you in next explorations.
Day 15: All Shook Up
By: Brittany Lumanlan Martin
Tags: Game Development, Unity, Unity Game Development, C Sharp Programming, Gamedevhq

It’s a late night here in my home office, and by home office I mean a papasan chair paired with a fold-out eating tray next to my bed. This is an entry for Friday, December 11 and the wee hours of Saturday, December 12 — the longest day of my short life in coding.

By now I planned on being in the early stages of Phase II. If I’m being honest, I thought I’d have started Phase II yesterday. Implementing a camera shake effect for every time the player takes damage proved to be an absolute brain scrambler of a task. I spent all day Thursday and Friday careening between various forums, YouTube videos, and the Unity Script API for solutions, but I could not for the life of me get any bit of code to stick the way I wanted it to. Frustrated, I took some time after the work day ended to have dinner and mull things over. I knew I wouldn’t be able to relax until I got the effect to work, so I hopped back onto my laptop and tried again.

This time around, I found an amazing tutorial by user @gamesplusjames on YouTube, which I will link below.

An actual 21 minute miracle gifted to me by the sweet, sweet world wide web.

The script written in the video made all my camera shake hopes and dreams come true. I had to tailor it to match the settings I wanted in my game, but it turned out beautifully. I then added an extra camera script that targets the player and follows it around the game — just to add some extra control over the view of the game scene.

It’s a bumpy ride out here in this nebula.

This week pushed me to my critical thinking limit, but I’m so proud of what I accomplished. Ease of a task is subjective — what may be simple for one programmer can prove somewhat difficult for another. I’m learning not to be so tough on myself for not immediately grasping every concept.

Now that I can breathe without the thought of the camera shake haunting me, I’ve found some great free assets to use to make a visual thruster-charge element in my game — the last section I have left to complete in Phase I. I’ll be working on this over the weekend so I can have a fresh start in Phase II by Monday. The end is nigh!
Togetherness — A Poem. Let wisdom echo through bereftness in…
Tags: Poetry On Medium, Unity, Spirituality, Poetry, Covid 19

Togetherness — A Poem

Photo by author of where I’m editing poem

I found a hole where my bank balance had been.

Mourning on-line figures,

I wondered at my safety in this world,

forgetting that my safety is in Your hands

that have entrusted me to think, plan,

assemble the emergence of my soul,

the plantedness of roots on earth

while I inhabit this foothold among the whole creation,

enjoined by the holy ones, I suppose, on every star,

to love.

(Yes, it must be).

So I am here, turned to the door

with royal designs in clear glass,

forlorn at my mistakes,

seeking your land of objectivity-detachment,

wanting your kiss of Spirit,

c e r t a i n t y (punctuation for ocean waves),

longing for a dove upon my head,

most of all for that home of Yours in me

to be opened, intensified,

knowing peace amidst sorrows,

detached in submission.

I know You, and You know writer and reader,

You are the one who gave us our being

out of love.

I forget, thinking of all my mistakes,

ultimately, who I am is more than my mistakes,

though I will do well to correct them.

May you reading, also, find the sides

that transform errors.

I am enough, enough as I can be, imperfectly

human, as are you, with soul wings

we choose how much to use and strengthen:

Yes, in all our ways

in all our moments.

We love to dance with You our beloved

the most Glorious dance,

that fulfills our every part —

I go to pray more

turning to You

hoping I’m not making it up (but I will, if it lifts),

that You hear and see as I give You my problems,

wanting fairness to glisten from them,

letting go to Your perspective,

not pride or ego.

You glance in love to the readers’

prayers reaching to their hearts,

Yes, to you, in your home by pastures, condos, sidewalks.

Thank you for giving us the elevators we,

of every hue, thought, path, can choose to

go higher and deeper into Your ocean of certainty.

You know our aloneness, our losses, our togetherness.
On Love
By: Richard S. Bogartz
Tags: Fear, Unity, Love, Reality

Love is the feeling of the reality of unity made possible by the illusion of duality.

The pretense of lover and beloved gives rise to the feeling of love because the truth of unity, which cannot be totally concealed, arises and reveals itself in the attraction that the apparent part feels for the illusory other part.

While the lover pretends that the beloved is other, the ground of their being, which is one, insists at the level of the emotions, and the thought arises that we are one.

Fear is the temporary condition in which the illusion of separation becomes so strong that the feeling of unity is completely suppressed.

Other seems to threaten self and the realization of the truth lies submerged.

Self appears to behold not-self and the risk that not-self will annihilate self looms, blocking the light of reality.

Ego is our vulnerability. The threat that other appears to present is the struggle of ego to maintain its illusion of separate existence. The reality is that we are fundamentally invulnerable while at the same time we constantly die again and again, arising anew as another. From moment to moment the ground of our being is unchanged and outside those moments: eternal; the apparent separate self is continually subject to modification while pretending to remain unchanged behind the name “I.”

We are love because love is the self-realization of our fundamental unity and that self-realization is what we are.

Consciousness aware of itself.

Love is like peekaboo.

The parent hides behind the hands, but the hiding is a public display that says “I am here” while it pretends to conceal.

Love pretends that unity is not here and then parts its hands to reveal that unity was hiding here all along.

The self plays peekaboo with itself.

What is fear of love? Fear of love is the memory of the temporary ascendance of the sense of separation and an accompanying pain that ego suffered.

But love removes the fear of love.

Love reveals the truth and self is the innocent victim that dies the death of purification.

Fear burns in love.

But love cannot be burned by fear because love is the truth and fear is an error.

Fear can conceal love for a time but love remains the fundament of our existence. We are love. We are one.

Trust is the hand extended toward the truth before the truth is in hand. Trust is the germ of the truth that makes itself known in secret. Trust is John the Baptist preceding Jesus. Trust points to the truth before the truth has arrived. Trust knows before knowing can be. Simply trust. Trust in yourself. Trust in life. Trust in the reality that is our life and being.

— Richard S. Bogartz
Integration of Huawei Reward Ads and Interstitial Ads in Unity
By: Manoj Kumar
Tags: Unity, Ads, C Sharp Programming, Huawei Mobile Service, Android

Integration of Huawei Reward Ads and Interstitial Ads in Unity

Ads kit is powered by Huawei which allows the developer to monetization services such as Reward Ads and Interstitial ads. Manoj Kumar Dec 11, 2020·3 min read

Overview

In this article, I will create a demo game and integrate Huawei Ads Kit. So the developer can easily monetise their efforts using Reward Ads and Interstitial Ads. I will cover every aspect of the game development with Huawei Ads Kit.

Service Introduction

Ads kit is powered by Huawei which allows the developer to monetization services such as Reward Ads and Interstitial ads. HUAWEI Ads Publisher Service is a monetization service that leverages Huawei’s extensive data capabilities to display targeted, high-quality ad content in your game to the vast user base of Huawei devices.

Prerequisite

Unity Engine (Installed in the system) Huawei phone Visual Studio 2019 Android SDK & NDK (Build and Run)

Integration process

1. Sign In and Create or Choose a project on AppGallery Connect portal.

2. Navigate to Project settings and download the configuration file.

Game Development

1. Create a new game in Unity.

2. Click 3D, enter Project Name, and then click to CREATE.

3. Now add game components and let us start game development.

4. Download HMS Unity Plugin from below site.

https://github.com/EvilMindDevs/hms-unity-plugin/releases

5. Open Unity Engine and import the downloaded HMS Plugin.

Choose Assets > Import Package> Custom Package

6. Choose Huawei > App Gallery.

7. Provide the AppId and other details from agconnect-service.json file and click configure Manifest.

8. Create Huawei Ads based scripts.

I have created AdsDemoManager.cs file in which integrated Huawei Ads which display Reward Ad and Interstitial Ad functionality.

Click on AdsDemoManager.cs and open in Visual Studio 2019

Result

Let us build the apk and install in android device.

Tips and Tricks

Download the latest HMS plugin. HMS plugin v1.2.0 supports 7 kits. HMS Unity Plugin v1.1.2 supports 5 kits.

Conclusion

In this article, We have learned how to integrate Huawei Ads Kit in Unity-based Game.

User can reward if the user watches ads and redeemed some points in Game.

Thanks for reading this article. Be sure to like and comments to this article if you found it helpful. It means a lot to me.
27 Books I read in 2020. Thirty boos I read in 2020 ordered in…
By: Riya Joseph Kaithavanathara
Tags: Books, Books And Authors, Readinglist, Reading, Reading Books

Thirty boos I read in 2020 ordered in the best to least order:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell Adultery by Paulo Coelho Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the world by Benjamin Alire Saenz In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren Fan Girl by Rainbow Rowell Faker by Sarah Smith The spy by Paulo Coelho Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco The Archer by Paulo Coelho The wicked deep by Shea Ernshaw The Demonologist: The extraordinary life of Ed & Lorraine Warren by Gerald Brittle The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale An Island Christmas by Nancy Thayer Our impossible Love by Durjoy Dutta The God of small things by Arundati Roy A season of Ghosts by Ruskin Bond The immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi The secrets of the Nagas by Amish Tripathi If it’s not forever, it is not love by Durjoy Dutta One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat Revolution 2020 by Chetan Bhagat The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond The girl in room 105 by Chetan Bhagat The House next door by Darcy Coates This is not your story by Savi Sharma
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
By: Book Lovers
Tags: Book Summary, Books, Classic Books, Books And Authors, Book Review

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Book Summary

An Apple Books Classic edition.

Hester Prynne lives in infamy. After committing adultery and bearing a child with a man whose name she refuses to divulge, the heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel is forced to wear a scarlet A to mark her shame for all to see.

Hawthorne’s American classic reflects the Puritan mindset of Boston in the 1600s, where public humiliation was acceptable punishment for a woman who bucked the norms. Never mind that Hester’s husband was widely believed to have died at sea and that Hester and her daughter are living a quiet life of good deeds in their little cottage outside town. Someone wants revenge-and will stop at nothing to get it.

The Scarlet Letter incorporates supernatural elements with historical fiction. It’s a dark tale of sin and redemption with an unforgettable heroine whose story continues to fascinate readers and inspire film adaptations.

https://bookpedia.co/book/395541288/the-scarlet-letter
Evangelist John Dye is Making a Difference in the World
By: Evangelist John Dye
Tags: Spirituality Or Religion, Self Improvement, Self Help, Books And Authors, Cookbooks

Evangelist John Dye is an Author, Model, Actor, Singer, Chef, Motivational Speaker and Spiritual Counselor that is constantly in touch with the needs of the people in accordance with God’s will & grace. Also an Expert & Consultant on many issues; he loves doing TV & Radio Interviews to improve people’s lives.

My books: Your Personal Destiny: A Complete Guide by Evangelist John Dye and 101 Great Recipes: A Cook Book by Chef John Dye are essential to whats going on in our world. Grab your copies at www.evangelistjohndye.com

Radio Interview: To spark your motivation watch & listen as: “People Of Distinction host Benji Cole of CBS Radio YouTube” Interviews Evangelist & Chef John Dye

Revjohndye other website: www.heartministriesonline.com
I Hate You — Don’t Leave Me by Jerold J. Kreisman & Hal Straus
By: Book Lovers
Tags: Psychology Books, Book Summary, Best Psychology Books, Books And Authors, Book Review

I Hate You — Don’t Leave Me by Jerold J. Kreisman & Hal Straus Book Summary

A revised and updated edition of the bestselling guide to understanding borderline personality disorder.

After more than two decades as the essential guide to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), this new edition now reflects the most up- to-date research that has opened doors to the neurobiological, genetic, and developmental roots of the disorder as well as connections between BPD and substance abuse, sexual abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, ADHD, and eating disorders.

Both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic advancements point to real hope for success in the treatment and understanding of BPD.

This expanded and revised edition remains as accessible and useful as its predecessor and will reestablish this book as the go-to source for those diagnosed with BPD, their family, friends, and colleagues, as well as professionals and students in the field.

https://bookpedia.co/book/397031176/i-hate-you-don-t-leave-me
“Like every true love, that of the reader is blind.”(JL)
By: Smrithi Amarendran
Tags: 2020, Books, Books And Authors, Design, Used Books

This year has been difficult for all of us. In one way or the other, COVID has managed to hold us hostage teaching us a new way of living. In addition to addressing my mental health this year, gaining some courage with feelings and understanding ‘NO’, I have tied tighter knots with books. There is this unusual love story I enjoy with used-books in particular.

Other than losing my shit when I see them, I tend to pick books by their covers. As a visual designer, a book cover is important to me like the charge on a 2% cell phone. Cover artists can lure you into a clandestine affair with the words inside. Like Jhumpa Lahiri says in her book ‘ The Clothing of Books’, “The right cover is like a beautiful coat, elegant and warm, wrapping my words as they travel through the world, on their way to keep an appointment with my readers. Books come to stand for various episodes in our lives, for certain idealisms, follies of belief, moments of love. Along the way they accumulate our marks, our stains, our innocent abuses, they come to wear our experience of them on their covers and bindings like wrinkles on our skin.”

Another guilty pleasure — messages scrawled inside books. I always insist people share a message with me in the books they give me. On hard days when everything seems frozen, these words shine through.

️I chanced upon a used-book fair last weekend, and after three hours of happy hunting, and one too many carted home, these were my favourites- a mint cloth- covered ‘Mimosa’, Walker’s poetry, Winnie the Pooh, twin classics from a 50’s library, a prize to David for perfect attendance, pet poems, books belonging to Edith Riddell, Geneviève O Sullivan, another that changed hands from Mary to P Dangerfield to Susan and now to me. A book cover engraved from England, calligraphy, butter paper and Shakespearean illustrations with enormous detailing that let you stare hungrily.
Hemmingway — The Master Of Clarity.
By: Jamie Styles
Tags: Literature Review, Hemmingway, Books And Authors, Reading Tips, Culture

Hemmingway — The Master Of Clarity.

Photo by sasan rashtipour on Unsplash

Early last week, I received some results for a university essay, I felt pretty confident with, the ideas I had put forward were original and exciting, written eloquently, and my conclusion was precise. However, I did not attain the mark I expected.

When I fail, for about the first hour, I feel hopeless; however, I try to reinvigorate myself and focus. I humble myself, reminding myself of how far I have come, how many ways it could have gone wrong so to allow myself to see how lucky I truly am. On Monday, I had my usual meeting with my study skills teacher. ‘There is nothing visibly wrong with the way you write. You have to learn for yourself, how to make your writing better’. She then gave me some strange advice, read Hemmingway. I wrote it down anyway, as I will try anything if it can help.

So the next day I bought the old man and the sea. It was clear to me, at the first turn of the page, that what I was missing was, clarity. Hemmingway, beautifully, describes the older man’s journey throughout the short story, but without very many grandiose terms and in an accessible way. A child or an adult could read the book and still have the same amount of enjoyment, still picturing the same extravagant Old Man. I realised at that moment; it wasn’t the content of my essay that was the main issue with it, it was the maze of ideas I had presented.

Moreover, the text taught me about my own creative, writing. Reading the words of Joyce, Eliot, Byron, Woolf and Shelley, really impacted my early writing. I loved the references in their work and have tried to mirror them in myself, referencing Homer, the bible, Yeats, Dante and so on. Nevertheless, not realising how pretentious and old fashioned, this method was. I was relying upon references to convey to the reader, my self-expression; that the words should have already established. I always had the image that references were a way of proving a deeper meaning to my work; however, I believe they have hindered it. Hemingway is the master of simplicity.

“Today writers want to impress other writers”.

I hope this short article has been exciting and if you want to read more about culture and self-development, read my blog.

www.b-less.me
Range by David Epstein
By: Book Lovers
Tags: Psychology Books, Book Summary, Best Psychology Books, Books And Authors, Book Review

Range by David Epstein Book Summary

The #1 New York Times bestseller that has all America talking: as seen/heard on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, Morning Joe, CBS This Morning, The Bill Simmons Podcast, Rich Roll, and more.

Shortlisted for the Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award

“If you’re a generalist who has ever felt overshadowed by your specialist colleagues, this book is for you.” — Bill Gates

“The most important business — and parenting — book of the year.” — Forbes

“Urgent and important. . . an essential read for bosses, parents, coaches, and anyone who cares about improving performance.” — Daniel H. Pink

Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you’ll never catch up to the people who got a head start. But a closer look at research on the world’s top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule.

David Epstein examined the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields — especially those that are complex and unpredictable — generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see.

Provocative, rigorous, and engrossing, Range makes a compelling case for actively cultivating inefficiency. Failing a test is the best way to learn. Frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers. The most impactful inventors cross domains rather than deepening their knowledge in a single area. As experts silo themselves further while computers master more of the skills once reserved for highly focused humans, people who think broadly and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives will increasingly thrive.

https://bookpedia.co/book/1435005899/range
An Inspiring Journey of Human Connection, and Words
By: Melissa Bee
Tags: Reading, Books And Authors, Inspiration, Writing, Engaged Writers

An Inspiring Journey of Human Connection, and Words

In March this year, I decided to write outside of my journal, revealing my thoughts for all eyes. At the time, I was scared out of my mind. Fear, doubt, and negativity, surged through the neurons in my brain, threatening to keep my words hidden in between the pages of black and white notebooks, forever.

My stories could have stayed bound, but here’s the thing — I traveled down that road all my life. I knew what that path led to, and it would bring me back to emptiness every time. I couldn’t do it anymore. Facing my fears have got to be better than this lonely writers road, I thought.

In moving forward along this frightening path, I met incredible people who showed me the ropes with their blessings and guidance. They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself and that will forever live in my heart. I continued to write on Medium, and little by little I learned and grew beside them— never stop learning, growing, and connecting.

In sharing the good and bad times through words with other writers, my path has been and continues to be, lit up by people who bless me with the gift of inspiration through their conversations, stories, and the books they have written.

It’s an incredible feeling when you share a common passion with someone, these people just get you, in a way that most don’t. Although being a writer is challenging in its own right, I learned that people can help melt fear away like sun-kissed snow, placing us within a punctuated paradise.
Reinvent Yourself: Achieving the Impossible Using Science | Elizabeth Otis | Book Review
By: Khyati Gautam
Tags: Self Help Books, Self Improvement, Books, Books And Authors, Book Review

I am a firm believer in the idea of the law of attraction. I am also very optimistic (:p) and heavily rely on the idea of self. It’s like if you can think of doing something, you can very well do it. You can find the strength within; you can go weak in the knees too. Not shoving down the toxic positivity, but maybe, you can heal on your own too!

Reinvent Yourself by Elizabeth Otis is a self-help book that focuses on drawing energy from within to change our lives. It is a book that makes you believe that you can pick the shreds of your disappointments and turn them into stepping stones to success. It is a book that emphasizes that there’s something within us that shines. We just need to remove the black veil of doubts that cloud our perception of ourselves.

The author makes use of scientific concepts to substantiate her points on reinventing oneself. She talks about frequencies that rule our lives. We all work on a specific frequency, and we tend to resonate with the matching one in the universe. So, if you align with someone’s frequency, you’ll get along well with them. But if you don’t, feel free to step aside and move on. On your way to leading a fulfilling life, you’ll come across several obstacles. The book points them out and presents ways to get over them.

Reinventing oneself happens when we look within. We got to connect with our internal self in order to connect with our outer world. Once you learn to become the bridge between your within and without — you can be well on your way to discover new knowledge and apply it to your life. The crisp presentation of the matter, complemented with a few illustrations, makes this book an interesting read. I also liked how the author tries to maintain an active conversation throughout the book.

If you’re looking for an exciting self-help book to discover yourself and haven’t explored this genre before, go for this one.
Identity | Arundhati Sahoo | Book Review
By: Khyati Gautam
Tags: Books, Book Blog, Books And Authors, Fiction, Book Review

Identity by Arundhati Sahoo is a contemporary fiction that brings out two ignored sections of society to the fore. It essentially comprises their life, their thoughts, the interplay of their ambition, and the treatment meted out to them, along with their journey to find themselves.

It is a story of Sane, a eunuch, and Sunny, a prostitute. The book follows how the two cross their paths, become integral to each other’s journey of fighting against the conventional world, and find themselves. I am both amused and amazed by their thoughts that occur in spurts throughout the book. They speak so much about a society that continues to oppress the trans community as well as the prostitutes.

Society looks down upon these two sections. They’re considered unholy and a disgrace to the civilizations. They have got no right to lead a respectable life, a life of dignity. The book attempts to put forth this point and discuss it thoroughly through Sane and Sunny. Amid the deliberation spanning the identities of these two human beings, we come across their beautiful relationship with each other. Their pure love is surely above the norms that drive them to discover their individual purpose and work for it.

I would take this opportunity to commend the author for weaving a lovely tale with an amazing wordplay. However, I found the transitions a bit too fast for me to hold on to them. The storyline got hasty at some points and turned out to be a little vague to me. Nevertheless, it is a good and mature read. Read it with patience.
Can I get your feedback on a landing page? Testing a new business idea on books and podcasts
Tags: Books, Podcast Recommendations, Books And Authors, Book Recommendations, Podcast

Can I get your feedback on a landing page? Testing a new business idea on books and podcasts Satluri ·Dec 22, 2020

Hi All, would love to solicit feedback from this community on our landing page for a new startup idea i’m thinking about. Any insights would be greatly appreciated! Click here!
80 Days since February 3 by Mehak Aggarwal - Book Review
By: Harsh Kaushik
Tags: Books, Books And Authors, Poetry, Book Review, Books Recommendation

This book is the author’s selection of 80 beautiful pieces she wrote after a horrific event that happened to her on February 3. At the beginning of the book, she mentioned that these writings were the only thing that helped to fight the trauma of the horrible mishap.

It’s a combination of feelings.. of desperation, of hope, of rage, of passion for life. It is a collection of poetry and expression that is exquisite and heartfelt. The expressions were penned down after the author had a very unpleasant experience in her own home, which she never anticipated.

She’s been sexually assaulted. It’s not like other traditional poetry books, it’s really interesting and fascinating. Though the poem doesn’t send you an image of the incident, nor does it mention it, but the way it’s written really grips your heart.

The expression touches a number of subjects from terror, anxiety, uncertainty, self-love, healing, regeneration. I loved how the author portrayed her mother as a permanent hero in our lives.

Every term is a feeling and a journey closer to healing the pain so that we can live life with a smile again.

My favourite lines from the Book :
Innovation Purpose Event
Tags: Books And Authors, Innovation Management, Industry 4 0, Innovation Workshop, Innovation Purpose

Defining your Why in a meaningful way.

Speaker — Dr. Ripi Singh, Author of “Inspiring next Innovation Purpose”

Preferred Webinar Time

Thursday Jan 21, 2021, 9:00–10:00 AM ET

Thursday Jan 28, 2021, 6:00–7:00 PM ET

Register Now
Crowdsourcing the Book Club Connection
By: Aimee Liu
Tags: Reading Groups, Publishing, Books And Authors, Books Recommendation, Book Club

Books

Crowdsourcing the Book Club Connection

How one group of Lockdown Authors expanded their reach to readers

Photo by Alexis Brown on Unsplash

We were falling into despair. Our first sales figures were showing up, and my fellow Lockdown Authors and I kept telling each other the same story: we’d received the best reviews of our careers, yet our 2020 books had reached only a tiny fraction of the readers who’d read our previous books. We were published by major presses and small indies. We were poets and novelists, YA authors, and nonfiction writers. We were getting starred reviews and blurbs to die for. Yet our books were languishing, our Amazon numbers tanking, and the only explanation was COVID. Several of our editors had told us this was the worst year in publishing history. A few of us were on the verge of turning out the lights for good.

But first, I had two thoughts that, combined, might help us all:

1. There’s power in numbers. 2. Book clubs are an author’s best friends.

Photo by Alejandro Barba on Unsplash

The best thing that ever happened to authors was the rise in popularity of book clubs. I’m not just talking about Oprah and Reese Witherspoon’s millions of avid club readers. I’m talking primarily about the small circles of friends who gather every few weeks all over the world to discuss the books they love. Those readers are the life blood of publishing, and we authors revere them. We’d also love to be able to reach out and speak directly with each and every group about our writing. But therein lies the rub.

How can authors find these groups? Most book clubs are private. They self-select their members and the books they choose to read. And some have never considered inviting an author to chat with them — because they never imagined that an author would want to! They may or may not track the latest Reese and Oprah picks. They may or may not pay attention to bestseller or book award lists. They may or may not subscribe to literary journals or magazines and websites that (often as paid promotions) “suggest” titles for book clubs. If they do, they’ll probably end up reading the handful of titles that major publishers have marketed to the moon and back.

But many book groups rely primarily on word-of-mouth to decide what they’ll read each month. And whose word in whose mouth is a personal affair! Unless authors also have a personal connection to a group, there’s no direct way to share the news about their new book or offer to visit the group for a chat. And that’s what gave me the idea.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl & William J. Winslade
By: Book Lovers
Tags: Psychology Books, Book Summary, Best Psychology Books, Books And Authors, Book Review

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl & William J. Winslade Book Summary

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl’s theory-known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos (“meaning”)-holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.

https://bookpedia.co/book/476023633/man-s-search-for-meaning
A speedboat, a girlfriend and a ‘foolish' Proposal!
By: David Francis Effiong -Dahel Consults
Tags: Books And Authors, Proposal, Relationships, Love, Engagement Ring

(Picture of a confused girlfriend)

Weeks before that day, I remember going to the mall with my younger sister to buy an engagement ring for my girlfriend. I told them to bring the best of rings. They did and I had to make a choice. I didn't even know my babe's ring size but I guessed it right.

I wasn't sure how I 'd propose. I just knew that I had to give her a 💍. That evening, I headed for the sea from where I also got the name "Aquaticus."

The next day, it rained as if the gods wanted to stop me from proposing to my lady. But then, even the gods couldn't stop me. I asked her to accompany me to the resort. She wanted to know why. I told her I was hoping to visit a tourist site just across the sea.

So we alighted the speedboat and made to see some monkeys, crocodiles and some skulls. We headed back to the boat and confusion was written all over her face. Then all of a sudden the speed boat stopped in the middle of the sea. We all got afraid as we heard the captain make a call for help.

While we waited, I started talking to Helen just so she doesn’t freak out. She has a phobia for a mass of water. I told her that I had come this far in life because I was able to let go of so much hatred inside me. I made her recall the times she stood her grounds to some of her friends and family members who seem not to understand why she was dating someone from another tribe. I kept thanking her and thanking her.

Then all of a sudden I remembered that a day before, I had met the captain and told him that I would love to propose to my girlfriend on his boat. He told me that I'd have to pay for a trip. I agreed. I told him to just stop the boat at the middle of the sea, and let fate do its thing.
Scandianov: A Feminist Utopia
Tags: Ideology, Books And Authors, Science Fiction, Ebook Reader, Fantasy

After being frozen for two centuries, Polaris wakes up to a new world. Unlike her Dystopian planet of origin, the new planet Eartha: a Utopian society ran by a female ruler provides a new type of lifestyle which offers a newly found freedom for its citizens — with different ideologies, political views, customs, and rules. The new system can irritate and even too good to be true for Polaris. Will Polaris be able to embrace her freedom on Eartha, or will she discover a dark side to this Utopian paradise?

Click link below to get your eBook now!!

https://www.amazon.com/Scandianov-Feminist-Utopia-Lizelle-Gutierrez-ebook/dp/B08QN4C63Y/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Scandianov%3A+A+Feminist+Utopia&qid=1608246663&sr=8-3
A Review of Beyond the Latch and Lever
By: Joel R. Dennstedt
Tags: Books, Books And Authors, Speculative Fiction, Book Review, Ibrfiction

A Review of Beyond the Latch and Lever

Sometimes, unsung heroes of the written word are the most instrumental in creating a final product worthy of its intended audience. Editor/Authors Susanna Skarland and Elle Blackwood demonstrate this to perfection in their clean, crisp collection of speculative short stories, Beyond the Latch and Lever. Editing involves more than just choosing submissions to a theme; it requires specific, experienced-based skills for retaining an author’s creative intention and individual style while adhering to the most important aspect of publication: an appealing and accessible read. When the editors are proficient, the transformative handling is transparent, and we are left with writing we can trust, stories that pop with interest, and a collection consistent with our expectations and desires. That is meant not to underestimate the writers, but to highlight the augmenting role of the editors.

In their work, Beyond the Latch and Lever, Susanna Skarland and Elle Blackwood also present their own contributions to a really good batch of stories — speculative in nature, thematic in selection. As one might imagine, each story deals with the symbolic (and literal) concept of the door as a passageway to a strange, unusual, and mysterious world, even if only to another room just beyond. Each story is fresh and vital. Each story contains the strange, unusual, and mysterious. Each story is told clearly and concisely, with the momentum derived from immediate engagement. Again, one suspects the writers and the editors of a deeply engaged collaboration. The result is a highly polished and professional work, truly worthy of its intended audience.

AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES
Book Recommendation Series: COVID-19 Books
By: Safen Roy
Tags: Read, Books, Books And Authors, Book Recommendations, Covid 19

Writer, journalist, and avid reader. Living in Bangkok and Dhaka and writing down cultural shocks from both. Interested in Asian literature.
Are You a Booklover?
By: John Kremer
Tags: Bookworm, Books And Authors, Lovers Rock, Bibliophile, Booklove

Are you a booklover?

A bibliophile?

A bookworm?

A reading horse (Danish)?

An ink drinker (French)?

A read-rat (German)?

A book flea (Indonesian)?

A library mouse (Romanian)?

Or a book-gnawing moth (Spanish)?

You can, of course, be anything you want!

Booklovers, bookworms, bibliophiles, and other lovers of books and words!

And check out these other great book ideas:
Eating in the Age of Dieting Paperback — 16 November 2020
Tags: Book, Eatingbook, Healthybook, Books And Authors

Eating in the Age of Dieting Paperback — 16 November 2020 Naman14 ·Dec 19, 2020

Rujuta Diwekar is amongst the most followed nutritionists globally, and a leading health advocate. Over the past decade, her writings have decisively shifted food conversations across the country away from fads and towards eating local, seasonal and traditional. Her mantra, ‘eat local, think global’, blends the wisdom of our grandmothers with the latest advances in nutrition science for sustainable good health for all.

This is a collection of some of her most-loved writings on:

- Diet trends and food myths

- Festival and seasonal foods

- Quick tips for good health

- Superfoods in the kitchen

- Foods for health problems

- Exercise and yoga

- Women’s and kids’ health
Mexican Gothic : By — Silvia Moreno-Garcia — GoBookMart
By: Gobookmart Review
Tags: Books, Books And Authors, Book Recommendations, Mexican Gothic, Book Review

Mexican Gothic : By — Silvia Moreno-Garcia

By — Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mexican Gothic is a grown-up Gothic horror novel set during the 1950s in Mexico. The story follows Noemí Taboada, a shrewd and stubborn socialite. However, her fabulous life is uprooted after her dad gets a letter from her recently married cousin, Catalina. Her letter doesn’t make any sense, yet it causes concern. She said that somebody is attempting to poison her and that she needs to save from a malevolent that is remaining hidden at High Place, her new home in the Mexican countryside.

Noemí’s dad enrolls her assistance by sending her to check up on Catalina and the family she wedded into. It isn’t very long before she understands how right Catalina was in her letter. High Place and its visitors are not inviting nor are they impending about Catalina’s well-being and their secrets. The Doyles — generally Howard, Florence, and Virgil — and stubborn. The lone relative who appears to be fairly ordinary is Francis, yet Noemí before long discovers that the High Place makes it difficult to trust anybody. What at that point results is an incredibly odd ride.

I think readers should ideal go into this novel without knowing too much about the plot to truly submerge into the story. Moreno-Garcia works admirably making a dreadful and haunting environment. She rejuvenates the setting in new manners that will astound you: the old decaying manor, a scary cemetery, clear and spine-chilling dreams. She even adds to this by seeing colonialism, race, and genetic counseling.

Furthermore, Moreno-Garcia keeps on making novel characters once more. While Noemí may appear to be inconsiderate or entitled some of the time, I adored her character. She carries on with her life for herself and stands her ground, even against the twisted inhabitants of High Place. As found in her different functions also, I profoundly appreciate the more slow form composing style that the creator utilizes. By one way or another it feels so calming and streams unimaginably well, and afterward you arrive at a point where so numerous insane things are occurring. The last 50% of this novel totally shocked me.

Mexican Gothic was my anticipated reading of this year, and I am happy to such an extent that it satisfied my hopes. Truly now, I will purchase and peruse anything she writes. I highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in gothic horror! Likewise, somebody should definitely adapt into a film or tv show.