The purpose of the Let's Read Some $#!7! stream(s) and videos are to introduce additional resources for the creation of video games and to promote literacy. Plus some extras.
Moving forward, they will only be recorded videos uploaded to YouTube and Buy Me A Coffee.
In addition, if a tip is made through Buy Me A Coffee, 15% of the proceeds, minimum, will go to Kids Need to Read to fight against illiteracy, inspired by the video below:
If you wish to learn more about Zoe Bee, click here.
Below are all the books I have read PORTIONS of on stream or in the YouTube videos.
All links below either are affiliate links or links to posts containing affiliate links.
Even though the purpose is educational, only a PORTION of the book(s) were, and will be, read for Copyright and DMCA reasons.
VIDEO FORMAT
For books, it will go as follows:
Read the summary on the back of the book (if applicable).
Read the "Forward" and "Preface" (if applicable).
If there is no "Introduction," read [part of] the first chapter.
Books Read So Far
Drawing Basics and Video Game Art by Chris Solarski
The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams
Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal
On Writing and Worldbuilding: Volume 1 by Timothy Hickson
How to Draw and Paint Fantasy Architecture by Rob Alexander
Virtual Cities: An Atlas & Exploration of Video Game Cities by Konstantinos Dimopoulos
The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer
Economic Facts and Fallacies by Thomas Sowell
Game Theory 101: The Complete Textbook by William Spaniel
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
The Viking Art of War by Paddy Griffith
The Ultimate Concept Art Career Guide by 3dtotal Publishing
Fiction Writer's Workshop by Josip Novakovich
13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin
The Book of Celtic Myths by Jennifer Emick
The Faerie Handbook by The Editors of Faerie Magazine
Vikings at War by Kim Hjardar & Vegard Vike
The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Shorter Seventh Edition) by Norton Anthology
Beginner's Guide to Creating Characters in Blender by 3dtotalPublishing
The Mermaid Handbook by Carolyn Turgeon
The Unicorn Handbook by Carolyn Turgeon
The Psychology Workbook for Writers: Tools for Creating Realistic Characters and Conflict in Fiction by Darian Smith
Write Great Beginnings by Sandra Gerth
What They Don't Teach In Art School - An illustrator's guide to making money in the real world by Will Terry
Line & Mass by Alberto Ruiz
Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel; 50th Anniversary Edition (Anniversary) by Kurt Vonnegut
The Hate U Give: Collector's Edition by Angie Thomas
Fantasy World-Building by Mark A. Nelson
Cute Chibi Mythical Beasts & Magical Monsters by Phoebe Im
Drawing Fantasy Chibi by Tessa Creative Art & Sarah E. White
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
The Affinity Between Us by Melissa Sweeney
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm
Artists' Master Series: Color and Light by 3dtotalPublishing
No Easy Target by Iris Johansen
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund
100 Plants That Heal text by Gérard Debuigne & François Couplan
Herbalist Primer by Anna Urbanek
Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price, Ph.D.
Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed for You by Jenara Nerenberg
ADD Stole My Car Keys by Rick Green & Umesh Jain, Ph.D.
All links in the Books Read So Far section are affiliate links.
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Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price, Ph.D.
We produce more value for our employers than any other generation of workers has. We consume more information in a single day than our great-grandparents did in weeks. Yet we feel lazier than ever. This is due to the “The Laziness Lie,” a centuries-old belief system that says our worth is determined by our productivity, our limitations are weaknesses, and no matter how much we do, it is never enough.
In Laziness Does Not Exist, social psychologist Dr. Devon Price tracks how The Laziness Lie spread through the United States during the eras of slavery and industrialization and embedded itself into society. Price outlines how our culture’s hatred of laziness has poisoned almost every aspect of modern life—from work, to school, to our relationships, to our views regarding social problems such as drug addiction, homelessness, and COVID-19.
Laziness Does Not Exist gives the reader tips and exercises to unlearn The Laziness Lie. Interviews with therapists and industrial-organizational experts provide practical advice on how to clarify your true values and learn to say “no” without shame. Throughout, Price offers science-based reassurances that despite feelings of guilt and “laziness,” each of us is already doing more than enough.Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed for You by Jenara Nerenberg
A paradigm-shifting study of neurodivergent women—those with ADHD, autism, synesthesia, high sensitivity, and sensory processing disorder—exploring why these traits are overlooked and how society benefits from allowing their unique strengths to flourish
As a Harvard- and Berkeley-educated writer, entrepreneur, and devoted mother, Jenara Nerenberg was shocked to discover that her “symptoms”—only ever labeled as anxiety—were considered autistic and ADHD.
Nerenberg’s not alone. Between a flawed system that focuses on younger, male populations, and the fact that girls are conditioned from a young age to blend in, women often don’t learn about their neurological differences until they are adults, if at all. As a result, potentially millions live with undiagnosed neurological differences, obscured by anxiety and depression. Meanwhile, we all miss out on the gifts their neurodivergent minds have to offer.
Sharing real stories from women with high sensitivity, ADHD, autism, misophonia, dyslexia, SPD, and more, Nerenberg explores how these brain variances present differently in women and describes practical changes in how we communicate, how we design our surroundings, and how we can better support divergent minds. When we allow our wide variety of brain makeups to flourish, we create a better tomorrow for us all.ADD Stole My Car Keys by Rick Green & Umesh Jain, Ph.D.
Do you suspect that you, or someone you know, has Attention-Deficit-Hyper-whatever-it’s-called? Y’know, the ADD that everyone keeps talking about? The one you figure is probably an excuse that slackers invented to cover up the fact that they are sloppy, lazy, forgetful and undisciplined?
Or maybe you actually have an ADHD/ADD diagnosis and optimistically assume, “I’ve pretty much got it handled. Anyway, I’m too old to change. At this point, it’s just who I am.”
Prepare to be surprised. ADD Stole My Car Keys will transform how you view yourself and ADD.
Authors Rick Green and Dr. Umesh Jain, reveal 155 common signs, symptoms, behaviors and challenges that people with ADD face. Through entertaining first-person stories you’ll discover the many ways this misunderstood mindset sabotages the lives of adults. ADD looks different in adults. It’s easy to miss or dismiss.
You may squirm, laugh, blush or gasp as you recognize yourself in these pages. Be warned: What you have always believed are your faults, failings and weaknesses may actually be the result of how your brain is wired. And there are ways to work with it.
While Rick and Dr. J explore the complex interplay between nature & nurture, they also offer proven strategies you can use to master the challenges of your particular type of ADD, so that you can create a life that you love.
Finally!
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No Easy Target by Iris Johansen
Margaret Douglas has worked hard to put her painful past behind her. Raised off the grid in an abusive home, her only escape was the nearby forest in which she sought refuge whenever she could. There, in the peaceful woods, she discovered a strange gift: the ability to understand animals and to communicate with them. And so those creatures became her only friends, her only joy during a desolate childhood. Now Margaret wants nothing more than to live a quiet life, close to the animals and under the radar. But her abilities have not gone unnoticed, and there are those who would use them for their own purposes. Determined not to be a pawn in anyone’s game, every time someone gets too close, Margaret uproots her life and outruns them.
When John Lassiter breaks into Margaret’s apartment, she vanishes again, but Lassiter has good reason to be persistent. As a CIA operative, he owes his life to his men, one of whom is being held captive by an unrelenting enemy—an enemy who has set his sights on Margaret. Which means that Lassiter must control her to use her as bait.
With danger in hot pursuit, Margaret finds herself matching wits with a man who refuses to stop or be stopped. Turning from the hunted to the hunter, Margaret must use everything she has ever learned to not only survive but also to defeat a great evil. And to prove once and for all she’s no easy target.Red Wolf by Liza Marklund
BENEATH A DARK WINTER SKY…DEATH WAITS PATIENTLY.
A journalist is murdered in the frozen white landscape of a northern Swedish town. Annika Bengtzon, a reporter at a Stockholm-based tabloid, was planning to interview him about a long-ago attack against an isolated air base nearby, and now she suspects that his death is linked to that attack.
Against the explicit orders of her boss, she begins to investigate the event, which is soon followed by a series of shocking murders. Annika knows the murders are connected. At the same time, she begins to suspect that her husband is hiding something, and nothing can counteract the loneliness that has crept into her life.
Behind everything lurks the figure of the Red Wolf, a cold-blooded killer with the soul of a lover. In the end, she must discover the truth not only about the murders but also about the lies that are destroying her own family.
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A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
With a new introduction by Anthony Arnove, this edition of the classic national bestseller chronicles American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official narrative taught in schools—with its emphasis on great men in high places—to focus on the street, the home, and the workplace.
Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People’s History of the United States is the only volume to tell America’s story from the point of—and in the words of—America’s women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers. As historian Howard Zinn shows, many of our country’s greatest battles—fights for fair wages, eight-hour workdays, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women’s rights, racial equality—were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance.
Covering Christopher Columbus’s arrival through President Clinton’s first term, A People’s History of the United States, which was nominated for the American Book Award of 1981, features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history.The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm
THE BROTHERS GRIMM, JACOB (1785-1863) AND WILHELM (1786-1859), were German academics, linguists, and cultural researchers, though they were legendary, of course, for their storytelling. They collected and recorded stories from the wide wealth of European folk tales, and their aim was to retell the tales exactly as they heard them. The work of the Brothers Grimm popularized such classics as Cinderella, The Frog Prince, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, and Snow White.
Originally titled Children’s and Household Tales, The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales contains the essential bedtime stories for children worldwide for the better part of two centuries. Accompanied by 40 color plates and 60 black and white illustrations from award-winning English illustrator Arthur Rackham, The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales is the perfect classic edition for your family’s bookshelf.Artists’ Master Series: Color and Light by 3dtotalPublishing
The Artists’ Master Series features experts from both the traditional and digital worlds. Drawing from a wealth of experience, in this book they fully dissect the theory and practice of using color and light to advance your art.
Expert Charlie Pickard goes beyond the basics to explore color theory. Advanced topics include color hierarchy, value keying, color constancy, and exposure. Discover how hue, value, and chroma enable you to create, mix, and control color. Next, he moves on to the vast subject of light. Using highly illustrated examples, complex concepts of shading, form, depth, and texture are decoded. Three essential material types – matte, specular, and transparent – are analyzed, instilling confidence to paint any object you encounter.
Respected artists Djamila Knopf, Guweiz, and Nathan Fowkes then guide you through extensive tutorials, specially commissioned to explore their use of color and light. Each artist breaks down their process, discussing the decisions made at every stage to achieve striking colors, believable lighting, immersive atmospheres, and realistic surfaces. All three artists work in contrasting ways, resulting in a wide range of approaches to putting theory into practice. Further insight is provided by the gallery artists, also experts in their fields, representing a range of styles, skills, and mediums.
This unique opportunity to study color and light so extensively offers a deeper mastery of the subject, and a single, comprehensive reference at your fingertips.
WARNING: CONTAINS NUDITY
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The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
THE UNICORN LIVED IN A LILAC WOOD, AND SHE LIVED ALL ALONE…
…so she ventured out from the safety of the enchanted forest on a quest for others of her kind. Joined along the way by the bumbling magician Schmendrick and the indomitable Molly Grue, the unicorn learns all about the joys and sorrows of life and love before meeting her destiny in the castle of a despondent monarch—and confronting the creature that would drive her kind to extinction.The Affinity Between Us by Melissa Sweeney
Kevin is framed for a murder that didn’t happen.
Nikki lost both of her older siblings and can’t trust her remaining family.
And Derek wakes up, memories lost, on an island inhabited by beings called “humans.”
From the birth of these three siblings, two tween Deities stir from their 500-year slumber and reintroduce themselves back into the world.If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
NO SECRET IS SAFE.
ALICE SUN HAS ALWAYS FELT INVISIBLE at her elite Beijing international boarding school, where she’s the only scholarship student in a sea of über-wealthy classmates. But she has a plan: be top of the class, attend a prestigious university, secure a killer job, and finally lift her family out of poverty.
Then her parents drop a bomb—they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship. But that’s the least of Alice’s problems because she has started uncontrollably turning invisible. As in completely, physically invisible.
Alice realizes there’s an upside to her strange new power—unparalleled access to the secrets of China’s most rich and influential teens. Soon, Alice has a new plan: offer her invisibility services to find out what her classmates want to know—for a price.
But between balancing schoolwork, a growing relationship with academic-rival-turned-business-partner Henry, and stealing secrets, things start to fall through the cracks. As the tasks escalate from petty scandals to actual crimes, Alice must decide if helping her family is worth losing her conscience—or even her life.
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Fantasy World-Building by Mark A. Nelson
When artists and designers create a fictional setting, the milieu must be completely fleshed out, explained, and designed. In this book, comic and gaming art veteran Mark A. Nelson explores and demonstrates his methods for fashioning visually stunning, believable environments for fantasy creatures and characters. Scores of images and step-by-step examples illustrate how variation and experimentation lead to fresh, original designs for otherworldly beings, their environments, and their stories.
Nelson discusses how to find ideas and borrow from history to add the strength of realism to a fantasy world. In describing the best ways to establish a habitat, he offers specifics about climate, terrain, flora, and wildlife. He shares insights into founding societies in terms of their means of survival, manner of warfare, spiritual practices, style of dress, and levels of technology. All visual creatives—illustrators, comic artists, and game designers—who work with imaginative material will take a lively interest in this source of inspiration and practical guidance.Cute Chibi Mythical Beasts & Magical Monsters by Phoebe Im
Chibi is Japanese slang for “short,” and the legendary monsters in Cute Chibi Mythical Beasts & Magical Monsters live up to this description with their roly-poly bodies that make them so loveable. Master this anime and manga drawing style with over 60 step-by-step tutorials of your favorite fantastical creatures, including dragons, mermaids, centaurs, unicorns, kraken, and more.
Instagram artist Phoebe IM shares her tips and tricks for drawing chibi creatures traditionally or digitally; coloring, shading, and highlighting; and accessorizing for added cuteness. There’s also folklore sprinkled throughout the book for some extra fun.
So, get out your drawing tools and start creating your mystical kingdom!Drawing Fantasy Chibi by Tessa Creative Art & Sarah E. White
Crack open your sketchbook, grab your pens and pencils, and get ready to turn your mythical illustrations into kawaii (cute) and chibi (small) creatures. With step-by-step instructions and easy-to-follow tips and tricks, this instructional handbook will help you bring a new level of anime style to your sketches.
Start with a few familiar fantasy creatures, like a unicorn, mermaid, and dragon, before learning how to transform ancient, lesser-known beings like the basilisk, oni (Japanese demon), and kraken into adorable chibi versions. Whether you’re a beginner or a drawing pro, Drawing Fantasy Chibi makes this fun, anime-style drawing easy, with workbook-style pages that provide a space for readers to try their hand at practicing each illustration multiple times before they master it!
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Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel; 50th Anniversary Edition (Anniversary) by Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world’s great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous World War II firebombing of Dresden, the novel is the result of what Kurt Vonnegut described as a twenty-three-year struggle to write a book about what he had witnessed as an American POW. It combines historical fiction, science fiction, autobiography, and satire in an account of the life of Billy Pilgrim, a barber’s son turned draftee turned optometrist turned alien abductee. As Vonnegut had, Billy experiences the destruction of Dresden as a POW. Unlike Vonnegut, he experiences time travel, or coming “unstuck in time.”The Hate U Give: Collector’s Edition by Angie Thomas
SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD STARR CARTER moves between two worlds: the poor black neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, Khalil’s death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Starr’s best friend at school suggests he may have had it coming. When it becomes clear the police have little interest in investigating the incident, protester’s take to the streets and Starr’s neighborhood becomes a war zone. What everyone wants to know is: What really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does—or does not—say could destroy her community. It could also endanger her life.
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What They Don’t Teach In Art School – An illustrator’s guide to making money in the real world by Will Terry
“You are an artist. You love to create. You want to make money with your art. This book will help you make the changes necessary to earn a living with your art.”Line & Mass by Alberto Ruiz
Line & Mass is a collection of drawings produced by Alberto Ruiz over the past 20 years. In several chapters, Alberto showcases some of his favorite pieces, sharing his personal approaches, anecdotes, aesthetic decisions, and technical notes on the creation of his artwork.
Those of you who are familiar with his work will quickly realize this book is 100% Alberto! Get a look at his way of expression: on 416 pages, there is plenty of room for that!
Alberto Ruiz is a former illustrator, graphic designer, and publisher. He quit the corporate art and publishing industries to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming an independent figurative artist, painter, and sculptor. He teaches figure drawing and human anatomy to artists.
The texts in this book are in English, French, and Spanish.
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The Psychology Workbook for Writers: Tools for Creating Realistic Characters and Conflict in Fiction by Darian Smith
Writers know that their characters and stories should be multi-layered and believable. Now here’s a simple workbook that uses the same knowledge that gives therapists insight into human behaviour to create fiction that hits the mark. Each chapter outlines an aspect of psychological theory as it can be used for writing and provides two worksheets to translate it into action – one to develop characters, one to develop the story.
Darian Smith is a prize winning fiction writer with a degree in psychology and a member of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors. He combines these two sides of his background to provide simple, easy to follow tools that make use of established psychological theory to help writers develop fully rounded, interesting, realistic characters and inject conflict into their stories.
Give your writing the benefit of over a decade of training and experience and discover how to have readers wanting more.Write Great Beginnings by Sandra Gerth
The beginning is the most important part of your book. The first chapter—probably even the first page—is what makes agents and editors accept or reject a manuscript, and it’s what makes readers decide to buy a book or pick another. But writing a compelling opening is hard because there are so many things a great beginning needs to do and so many mistakes to avoid.
In this book, Sandra Gerth draws on her experience as an editor and best-selling author to teach you where to start your novel, how to avoid common first chapter problems, and how to hook your readers from the very first page.
Each chapter of this practical guide includes concrete examples and exercises that will help you write an irresistible beginning.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Mermaid Handbook by Carolyn Turgeon
THIS SEDUCTIVE COLLECTION plumbs the depths of the mermaid’s realm, a world rich with myth, mystery, history, romance, and abounding natural beauty.
Gorgeous art and photography, fascinating stories and essays, do-it-yourself projects, and delicious recipes provide hours of reading and viewing pleasure for aspiring mermaids, and those captivated by these exotic inhabitants of the sea.The Unicorn Handbook by Carolyn Turgeon
THIS STUNNING COMPENDIUM brings you into the magical realm of the unicorn, a world resplendent with myth, lore, majesty, romance, and lush natural beauty.
Gorgeous fine art, photographs and illustrations, essays, do-it-yourself projects, entertaining tips, and recipes provide hours of reading, viewing, and musing pleasure for unicorn fans and aficionados as well as those who aspire to make his rare acquaintance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Shorter Seventh Edition) by Norton Anthology
Read by millions of students over six editions, The Norton Anthology of American Literature remains the best-selling undergraduate survey of American Literature. Now available in flexible one- or two-volume versions, this Shorter Seventh Edition—the most extensive revision ever—features 23 new and diverse authors, 16 complete longer texts, 6 new contextual clusters, and 40 new color plates. Under Nina Baym, General Editor, the section editors—three new to this edition—have considered afresh all selections and apparatus to make the anthology an even better teaching tool.Beginner’s Guide to Creating Characters in Blender by 3dtotalPublishing
Blender is the world’s premiere open-source 3D software, created by the best digital artists around the globe; and, as the software is free, all you need to get started is a copy of this book. Inside you will learn the skills required to create incredible characters, even if you are a complete beginner. Step-by-step projects, alongside an expansive introduction written in part by Blender foundation-certified trainer Pierrick Picaut, will walk you through the creation of multiple characters. This book offers all the information you need as you begin your journey into 3D character creation.
Features step-by-step projects by talented artists in the field
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Vikings at War by Kim Hjardar & Vegard Vike
Vikings at War presents a sumptuous depiction of how the Vikings waged war; their weapons technology, offensive and defensive warfare, military traditions and tactics, their fortifications, ships and command structure. It also portrays the Viking raids and conquest campaigns that brought the Vikings to virtually every corner of Europe and even to America. Viking ships landed on almost every shore in the Western world during the 350 years that followed the introduction of the sail into the region, from the 9th to the 11th century. Viking ravages united the Spanish kingdoms and stopped Charlemagne and the Franks’ advance in Europe. Wherever Viking ships roamed, enormous suffering followed in their wake, but the encounter between cultures changed both European and Nordic societies.
Employing unorthodox and unpredictable strategies, which were hard for more organized forces to respond to, the most crucial element of the Vikings’ success was their basic strategy of evading the enemy by arriving by sea, then attacking quickly and with great force before withdrawing quickly. The warrior class dominated in a militarized society. Honour was everything, and breaking promises and ruining one’s posthumous reputation was considered worse than death itself. If a man offended another man’s honour, the only way out was blood revenge.
Never before have the Viking art of war, weapons and the history of their conquests been presented together in such detail. With over 380 colour illustrations including beautiful reconstruction drawings, maps, cross-section drawings of ships, line-drawings of fortifications, battle plan reconstructions and photos of surviving artefacts including weapons and jewellery.
Vikings at War provides a vivid account of one of Europe’s most exciting epochs. Vikings at War was awarded the Norwegian literary prize ‘Saga Prize’ in 2012; currently in its fourth printing in Norwegian, this translation makes it available in English.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fantasy Mapmaker: How to Draw RPG Cities for Gamers and Fans by Jared Blando
Create maps that bring wondrous worlds to life!
75+ step-by-step demonstrations guide your way
While everyday maps get us from here to there, fantasy maps transport us to places beyond our wildest imaginings. It’s no coincidence that some of the genre’s most immersive titles, from novels to role-playing games, feature compelling map elements that lend credence to the imaginative worlds they portray. In Fantasy Mapmaker, professional gaming illustrator Jared Blando offers easy-to-follow directions for creating your own local maps in a fun, engaging fantasy style.
Above and beyond the basic hows of drawing, this book shows you how to lay out your realm thoughtfully, making the most of the narrative power of each and every element. You’ll come away with the skills to craft beautifully illustrated maps that look and feel authentic . . . the kind of maps that launch unforgettable journeys.Language Myths edited by Laurie Bauer & Peter Trudgill
This illuminating and highly readable collection of essays explores some of the myths, for example: standards of children’s speech and writing have declined; women talk too much; the ‘purity’ of the English language is under threat; some languages are more attractive to the ear or are harder to learn than others; the media has a detrimental effect on language. These widely held views are questioned and shown to be based on inadequate or false information, or simply, not to be true. Other essays explore spelling problems, attitudes towards accents, controversies over changes in language, and the belief that some languages have no grammar.
Written by a team of leading linguists, Language Myths contains many valuable insights and provides a fascinating introduction into the way language works.
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The Book of Celtic Myths by Jennifer Emick
Warriors, poets, scholars, and visionaries—from the depths of time the ancient Celts have fascinated us. Their right heritage lives on today. But who were they?
From the druids and fairies to King Arthur and Celtic Christianity, there is much to be learned about these natives of the British and Irish islands. Their stories are fantastic and stirring, and through them, you’ll gain a glimpse into what life was like during the Iron Age.
These legends, first told through song as people gathered around the fire more than 2,000 years ago, are now here for you to explore. Experience the wonder and wisdom of these mysterious people with The Book of Celtic Myths.The Faerie Handbook by The Editors of Faerie Magazine
THIS EXQUISITE ANTHOLOGY welcomes you into an enchanted realm rich with myth, mystery, romance, and abounding natural beauty.
Georgeous fine art and photographs, literature, essays, do-it-yourself projects, and recipes provide hours of reading, viewing, and recipes provide hours of reading, viewing, and dreaming pleasure along with a multitude of ideas for modern-day living and entertaining with a distinctive fairy touch.
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Fiction Writer’s Workshop by Josip Novakovich
The great paradox of the writing life is that to be a good writer, you must be both interested in the world around you and comfortable working in solitude for hours on end. Fiction Writer’s Workshop, Second Edition, is designed to help you foster a strong sense of independence—of being and thinking on your own, of becoming self-evaluative without being self-critical—in order to accomplish the same thing others seek in classroom groups.
The practical, insightful methods offered in this workshop will clarify your voice, broaden your perspective, and strengthen your fiction.13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin
Master Your Mental Strength: Revolutionary new strategies that work for everyone from homemakers to soldiers and teachers to CEOs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Viking Art of War by Paddy Griffith
Of all the warrior cultures in history, few had as fierce a reputation as the Vikings—the mysterious, seafaring Norsemen who ravaged, conquered, and explored lands from Near Asia to the New World. During the early medieval period, nothing could strike as much fear among sedentary peoples as the sight of a Viking fleet suddenly rising over the horizon, their distinctive, dragon-decorated “long ships” intent on delivering mayhem.
Carefully separating historical truth from legend, while closely examining the sometimes fanciful sagas of the Norsemen themselves, this stimulating investigation into the secrets of the Vikings’ success shows how they earned their fearsome reputation throughout the world.The Ultimate Concept Art Career Guide by 3dtotal Publishing
The Ultimate Concept Art Career Guide is an expert-led handbook to help you launch, sustain, and evolve a career as an artist in the entertainment industry. With helpful insights and encouragement from experienced freelance artists and leading industry professionals, learn how to create a winning portfolio, develop your online presence, and handle the ups and downs of an art career. Incorporating education and training suggestions, interview tips, and best practice advice, this guide is ideal preparation for anyone wanting to develop a career as a professional concept artist, and artists hoping to explore new career options or considering freelance work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Game Theory 101: The Complete Textbook by William Spaniel
Game Theory 101: The Complete Textbook is a no-nonsense, games-centered introduction to strategic form (matrix) and extensive form (game tree) games. From the first lesson to the last, this textbook introduces games of increasing complexity and then teaches the game theoretical tools necessary to solve them.
Quick, efficient, and to the point, Game Theory 101: The Complete Textbook is perfect for introductory game theory, intermediate microeconomics, and political science.Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
Today’s feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others?
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The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer
A stevedore on the San Francisco docks in the 1940s, Eric Hoffer wrote philosophical treatises in his spare time while living in the railroad yards. The True Believer–the first and most famous of his books–was made into a bestseller when President Eisenhower cited it during one of the earliest television press conferences.
Completely relevant and essential for understanding the world today, The True Believer is a visionary, highly proactive look into the mind of the fanatic and a penetrating study of how an individual becomes one.Economic Facts and Fallacies by Thomas Sowell
In this revised and expanded edition of Economic Facts and Fallacies, Thomas Sowell exposes some of the most popular fallacies about economic issues in a lively manner that does not require any prior knowledge of economics. These fallacies include many beliefs widely disseminated in the media and by politicians, such as fallacies about urban problems, income differences, male-female economic differences, as well as economic fallacies about academia, about race, and about Third World countries.
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How to Draw and Paint Fantasy Architecture by Rob Alexander
In this how-to guide you’ll find the essential art principles and techniques for drawing and painting fantastic buildings and environments, alternate realities, and ancient citadels—and you’ll learn the skills that make it all look convincing.
Step by step, learn how to use real-world architectural references to create extraordinarily fantastic buildings.
A texturing gallery filled with reference material will show you how to capture the differences in surface textures using a range of media, both traditional and digital. You’ll also learn to add details such as weathering, carvings, and smoke and fire damage.
Once you’ve developed a comprehensive approach to architectural details and have mastered the necessary rendering techniques, you’ll have everything you need to paint or render your fantasy creations effectively.Virtual Cities: An Atlas & Exploration of Video Game Cities by Konstantinos Dimopoulos
Immerse yourself in 45 spectacularly imagined virtual cities, from ArkhamCity to Whiterun, in this beautifully illustrated unofficial guide
Spanning decades of digital history, this is the ultimate travel guide and atlas of the gamer imagination. Game urbanist and designer Konstantinos Dimopoulos invites readers to share his vision of dozens of different game franchises like never before seen: discover Dimopoulos’s renderings of Half-Life 2’s City 17, Yakuza 0’s Kamurocho, Fallout’s New Vegas, Super Mario Odyssey’s New Donk City, and many more.
Each chapter of this virtual travel guide consists of deep dives into the history and lore of these cities from an in-universe perspective. Illustrated with beautiful original color ink drawings, and—of course—gorgeous and detailed maps by artist Maria Kallikaki, explore the reimagined worlds of nostalgic gems as well as modern hits. Series featured include The Legend of Zelda, Mass Effect, and Final Fantasy.
Sidebars based on Dimopoulos’s research tell behind-the-scenes anecdotes and reveal the real-world stories that inspired these iconic virtual settings. With a combination of stylish original maps, illustrations, and insightful commentary and analysis, this is a must-have for video game devotees, world-building fans, and game design experts.
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Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal
WITH 174 MILLION GAMERS in the United States alone, we now live in a world where every generation will be a gamer generation. But why, Jane McGonigal asks, should games be used for escapist entertainment alone? In this groundbreaking book, she shows how we can leverage the power of games to fix what is wrong with the rest of the world – from social problems like depression and obesity to global issues like poverty and climate change – and introduces us to cutting-edge games that are already changing the business, education, and nonprofit worlds. Written for gamers and non-gamers alike, Reality Is Broken reveals how we can harness the power of games to boost global happiness.On Writing and Worldbuilding: Volume 1 by Timothy Hickson
“What I hope is that this book, a codified version of the On Writing and Worldbuilding series, will serve as a valuable educational resource that offers clear points that you may not have always considered when putting together your story.”
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Drawing Basics and Video Game Art by Chris Solarski
Video games are not a revolution in art history, but an evolution. Whether the medium is paper or canvas – or a computer screen – the artist’s challenge is to make something without depth seem like a window into a living, breathing world. Video game art is no different. Drawing Basics and Video Game Art illuminates the connections between classical art and iconic video games, like Botticelli’s Venus and Nintendo’s Mario. Game designer Chris Solarski demonstrates how video games allow players to experience visual art in a new way. Solarski gives readers an introduction to basic drawing skills – light, value, color – as well as detailed instruction for using these methods to design complex characters and worlds. Games like Bioshock, Journey, Fable, and Portal 2 were created using the same theories of depth, composition, movement, and artistic anatomy as the masters of classical art. Drawing Basics and Video Game Art gives any game designer the right foundation in classical art techniques to create meaningful experiences for gamers.The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williams
Animation is one of the hottest and most creative areas of film-making today. During his more than fifty years in the business, Richard Williams has been one of the true innovators, and serves as the link between the golden age of animation by hand and the new computer animation successes.
Using hundreds of drawings, Williams distills the secrets of the masters into a working system in order to create a book that has become the standard work on all forms of animation for professionals, students and fans.
In this book, based on his sold-out worldwide Animation Masterclasses, Williams provides the underlying principles of animation that every animator – from beginner to expert, classic animator to computer animation whiz – needs.
This new expanded edition includes more on animal action, invention and realism, with sophisticated animation examples.
To expand the Opinions & Truth | O&T blog, I started The Weekend Game Show | WGS to educate on and discuss different aspects of game development, and to show why video games can take years to make, to prevent another Cyberpunk 2077 launch scenario.
My videos are available on Twitch, YouTube, The Titans' Discord, Steam, Rumble, and Odysee!
In addition, to provide educational material for game designers and artists, and some fun reads, I created a bookshop, powered by Bookshop.org, the Rendezvous Point (RP)!
Check it out here!
Also, I share educational quotes to promote literacy, the legitimacy of video games as an artistic medium, and regarding a Cause of the Month to raise awareness, while giving Artist Shout-Outs to human artists to combat AI's spit.
Want to learn more about the Artist Shout-Outs? Click here!
#createdontscrape
The Artists Shout-Out posts can be seen in the Gallery, Discord, and more!
Lastly, I am also an artist under the handle TitansMonriArt | TMA.
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