Asterix and Tintin - The Best Comic Books of All Time

Asterix Comics:Written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo, Asterix Comics is a series of French comic books that was first published in the late 1950's. However, after the death of Rene, Uderzo took up both the tasks and has played an instrumental role in raising the popularity of the books.The main characters in the Asterix Comics are Asterix, a clever little Gaul, and his friend Obelix. The main plot is centered on their little Gaulish village that is the only one not under Roman conquest, much to the Chagrin of Julies Ceaser, the Roman Emperor.The Gauls have so far managed to avoid occupation thanks mainly with the help of a magic potion made by their druid, Getafix. This magic potion gives each villager superhuman strength and only Obelix is the one who doesn't need the potion as he fell into the potion cauldron as a child and hence it has a permanent effect on him.Asterix Comics or The Adventures of Asterix and Obelix have been translated into more than 30 languages worldwide and have also received numerous awards along the years. I personally love the Asterix Comics for their amazing sense of humor and tongue-in-cheek interpretations of various people and events.Tintin Comics: Tintin Comics or The Adventures of Tintin, created by the Belgian artist Georges Rémi who wrote under the pen name of Herg, is a series of classic comic books that have gone on to become one of the most popular comic books of the 20th century. Its popularity has soared with translations published in more than 80 languages and as per Wikipedia, more than 350 million copies of the books have been sold to date.The main protagonist of the comic books is Tintin who plays a young Belgian reporter. Accompanying him throughout the books and almost as famous as him is his pet dog Snowy. Also included in the books are some recurring characters that are essential to the story. Some of the major characters include the brash, cynical and grumpy Captain Haddock, the brilliantly intelligent but always-lost Professor Calculus. Inserting a dash of humor in the books with their clumsy antics is the twin duo of Thomson and Thompson, the incompetent detectives.The Adventures of Tintin always contained a few elements of fantasy, mystery and science fiction and the Tintin series are known for its slapstick humor and satire.

Best Fantasy Books of 2012

Each year the world of fantasy books has offerings from both favorite authors and promising newcomers, and 2012 is no exception. Vampire books and young adult fantasy are as hot as ever. If you are looking for something exciting to add to your reading pile, tuck into some of the best fantasy books out this year.1. The Wind Through the Keyhole, Stephen King. The renowned author may be known for horror books, but his Dark Tower series is one of the best fantasy series ever written and it has a fierce following. This installment stands on its own, so even newcomers to the series will be able to follow along. It's a story within a story within a story, with Roland telling his ka-tet about a time when he was hunting a shape-shifter and encountered a terrified boy whom he comforted with a story his mother had told him.2. 11/22/63, Stephen King. Out in paperback in 2012 is King's phenomenal time-travel story about a Maine schoolteacher who finds himself transported back to the 60s when he steps through a portal. He decides to use the opportunity to stop a trans formative event in American history- the assassination of JFK. What follows is an incredible journey rich in history, suspense, and love.3. Deadlocked, Charlaine Harris. This is the twelfth instalment in the popular Sookie Stackhouse series that inspired the tv series True Blood. Sookie investigates the bizarre circumstances surrounding the death of a girl at a vampire party.4. Fifty Shades of Grey, E.L. James. Erotic fantasy has taken mainstream book audiences by storm with the first instalment in a steamy new series that started out as Twilight fan fiction. A graduate student's chance encounter with a young billionaire leads to an affair to remember- complete with mystery, intrigue, and bondage.5. Hollow Earth, John and Carole E. Barrowman. This is the first book in a new series for young adults, but adults will find it equally captivating. Young twins discover they have the power to make their drawings come to life and enter the world of a painting at will- and that a secret society is bent on harnessing their power to enter the hidden realms of hollow earth where demons await.6. Picus the Thief, Robin Bennett. This was published in 2011, but it should definitely make your list in 2012. Picus finds himself trying to stop a vampire civil war while being chased by faeries and befriending a witch. Enter an imaginative world where the Hidden Kingdom is beginning to clash with the world of the humans.7. Wind haven, George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle. Fans of Martin's Game of Thrones series will love this. Set in the watery world of Wind haven, the story follows Maris and her quest to become, by merit rather than inheritance, one of the elite silver-winged flyers who fly across seas to deliver news and stories to distant people. But her success is short-lived when a revolution threatens her world and she is forced to make sacrifices.8. Insurgent, Veronica Roth. This is book two in the highly-acclaimed Divergent series set in a dystopian world. With the her world collapsing around her, Tris is trying to deal with the sacrifices she has had to make. But as she tries to uncover the secrets behind her society, she realizes that the sacrificing has only just begun.   

Book Cover for Self-Published Books

The book cover isn´t the only thing that will sell your book. The reader might look at reviews, at the blurb, and have a sneak peek at the contents. In order to get to that point, however, she needs to first pick the book up, or click on a link for it, or be enticed enough to read about it.Some may argue that the e-book doesn´t have the same use for a cover as a printed book. This is not true. The cover is what represents your book throughout your marketing endeavors; it will be there when you tweet about your book or post it on social networks, it will show on reviewing sites and blogs where you promote it.An amateurish book cover might not spell the end of your self-publishing career, but it can cause a potential buyer to pass your book in the virtual bookshelves. If you have a book cover that grabs attention, that raises eyebrows, you will gain buyers instead. A good cover can stay in a potential reader´s mind and even cause him or her to come back to buy your book.The first step to design a good book cover is to have a look at your favorite books. Think about what caused those book covers to grab your attention. You do not want to copy them, of course, but they may serve as inspiration. Keep your eyes open at covers within your genre, and if you see one that is especially attention-grabbing, remember it.Take a step back from your book and try to strip it down to its bare bones. What is it about? A good cover communicates the meaning of the book, together with its tone and style, with just one picture. If you have decided to hire someone to do the cover for you, make sure they know enough about your book to be able to capture this in the design.Title and author name fonts should reflect the genre and tone of your book, as well. Unconventional fonts can be used to your advantage, as long as it serves a purpose and does not cross the line. If it does, it will give your whole cover an amateur look. Keep it simple and readable - how is the reader going to remember and notice the title if she can´t even make it out?Do not include blurbs unless they are from someone whose opinion really matters. What your friends say about your book has no place on the cover and will only make it look cluttered. If the book is part of a series, however, the cover should say so.Experiment with the colors but choose those that fit together. Graphics should be kept simple and neat. Any good cover designer will know that less is more. This goes especially for e-books, where the first a potential reader will see is a small thumbnail of a picture where any cluttering details will work against their purpose.Try to convey the essence of the book in as simple a way as possible, and your cover will have a good chance of standing out in the ever-expanding crowd of online bookstores.

Books for IAS

Look forward to around 5-7 questions from Contemporary Indian history inside the IAS Preliminary each 365 days together with queries worth 50-80 marks in the Indian Administrative Service Mains examination.Economic Survey produced by the Ministry for Financial Affairs each twelve months just before the budget speech. This is an necessary book for Civil Service Preparation and contains a wealth of info on all topics of relevance for Domestic and International financial system in relation to Indian Administrative Service Prelims and Mains examination. The second portion of this guide contains useful tables with information in addition to reports concerning every aspect of the Indian Economy. Crack CSAT Paper 2 by Disha Professionals is by far the top book for CSAT Paper two and includes 100 percent of the new CSAT syllabus. This guide specially scores in the new subject areas that are added such as Decision Making Abilities, Interpersonal Communication along with Logical Reasoning and far more.

 For the purpose of taking care of Indian Polity, Our Constitution by S Kashyap is highly recommended. This publication for Indian Administrative Service is straightforward to read through, realize and remember. Our Constitution is beneficial for Preliminary and for IAS Mains as Ten-twelve Constitution-based questions are usually expected in the Prelims while Indian Administrative Service Mains test sees around 50-90 marks worth Polity questions.In order to study Geography Indian Administrative Service candidates have to have a great Atlas and have to look up NCERT text books additionally. Oxford Student Atlas is extremely advised for this purpose. The Maps are in depth, quite clear, and precise. With regards to NCERT text books you'll want to go by means of Class XI and XII NCERT books for Geography.IAS Preparation needs a good year book. The Manorama Year Book is pretty suitable for this objective. It delivers valuable understanding for present-day events as well as general knowledge. You can recognize the importance of this particular Book for Indian Administrative Service preparation from the truth that at the very least 25-35 questions in Prelims paper one tend to be enquired from current events and General Knowledge topics every year.