Oliver’s Twist

The Benefits of Reading Science Fiction Books

Science fiction is a type of fiction that primarily centers on the effects of real or imaginary science on the world or humans. It is commonly abbreviated as sci-fi or SF. In 1920s, Hugo Gernsback — an American publisher, made this term famous; thus, the formation of the Hugo Awards in honor for the Gernsback, an advocate of this literary genre. The usual content of science fiction novels is stories that showcase any part of science but with a touch of imagination. These tales strongly depends on scientific evidences, data, theories, and more.

There are many industries that science fiction has conquered. Popular examples of these industries are the film and literature. The former showcases various and award-winning sci-fi films, such as Avatar (2009), The Shape of Water (2017), Inception (2010), and more. The latter, on the other hand, exhibits fascinating sci-fi books, like the Illuminae that follows two teens leaving Earth in the middle of an invasion and The Brotherhood of the Wone where the daughter of a museum curator identified the tombs of their most powerful priests and uncovered one of the most powerful things in the world.

So, if you are into science fiction or you want to dig into this genre through reading, then you are on the right page! Listed below are the perks and benefits of reading sci-fi books that you should know:

They put your imagination to work

Since science fiction deals with not just technology but also space exploration, literary works under its category can help ignite your imagination. Reading sci-fi books can help you understand the fundamentals of science and discover new things pertaining to this subject by imagining what it is like living in space, being an astronaut, creating robots, interacting with extraterrestrial beings, and more. You can also travel into nonexistent world but your experience will feel real. It is like being in two places at once where your one foot is on the fictional realm while the other is stepping on the real world. Science fiction is really a great genre to delve in and exercise your mind for literature offers no limit when it comes imagining. You can cross different worlds using the bridges that science fiction built and experience the things that you never thought were possible.

They enhance your vocabulary

Reading is learning. Since sci-fi deals with technology, theories, principles, and other scientific things, it is undeniable that you can encounter unfamiliar words. These words can be scientific or technical terms that are common in the realm of science; thus, they are not usually used in your daily conversation. With that being said, you may list these words while reading and look up their meanings form your dictionary or online so that you will understand what the character or narrator is talking about. Science fiction is making you hit two birds with one stone, which reading represents the stone while learning and entertainment are the birds.

They teach you about science in a different approach

Science is an intricate and vague subject. There are a lot of theories, facts, and methods to get to know and learn. In school, your teachers taught you different branches of it, such as biology, chemistry, physics, ecology, and more. There are so much more into science than what you think that are waiting to be discovered. Through science fiction, literature found a way to become a teacher and gradually teach the readers about this system of knowledge that deals with different phenomena, artificial intelligence, inventions, experiments, and other things that makes the world more advanced and the people more knowledgeable. However, literature has a different teaching approach. It is an indirect way of teaching you on what this branch of science offer for it uses imaginary worlds, fictional characters, and flowery words. The only thing that it demands is your time and imagination.

They develop your concentration

According to the Digital Information World, the standard attention period of people has now become lesser than those of the goldfishes. From the average 12 seconds, it suddenly went down to 8. That is why putting your attention into a particular thing can be a little too challenging. However, reading can make you practice on how to lengthen your attention span. Science fiction is a genre that can help you with your concentration enhancement for it offers a lot of great and wonderful tales that will leave you hanging at the edge of you seat. The exciting events will hold you back from doing other things apart from reading. You will thirst for more chapters resulting to reading almost half of the book or finishing everything on one seating. Reading science fiction works can become both a test of concentration and a leisure activity.

4 Enthralling Thriller Films about Drugs and Thugs

Film has become one of people’s sources of entertainment and enjoyment. Aside from the delight that books, music, and other leisure activities bring, watching movies is more enjoyable for they tell a story visually. There is no need for people to imagine what the characters and the setting look like because they can already see it with their own eyes. What also makes movies a better source of recreation is its versatility and elements. These movies can be based on the writer or director’s original concept or they can be adaptation of some of the bestselling books.

There are many movie genres that people can choose from. However, one of the most all-time favorite and patronized film categories is thriller. There are just a lot of exciting and surprising events that thriller movies have to offer, which make viewers cling on the edge of their seats. So, if thriller is your thing and movies about gangsters, illegal substances, and mafias interest you, then you are reading the right article! Listed below are the thrillers about drugs and thugs that you might want to binge-watch.

American Gangster (2007)

American Gangster is a biopic crime movie fictionally based upon the crimes of Frank Lucas. It was directed by Ridley Scott and was under the production companies Imagine Entertainment, Scott Free Productions, and Relativity Media. The film was distributed by Universal Pictures and was released last 2007. It starred Russel Crowe, Denzel Washington, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin, Ted Levin, and other promising actors. It follows a henchman of a Harlem thug Ellsworth Johnson named Frank Lucas. When his superior’s life ended due to heart attack, Lucas took charge of the scene of the crime in Harlem. The story moves forward when Lucas started buying a robust type of heroin, which they called Blue Magic, from Thailand. These Blue Magic drugs were smuggled into US by the incoming Vietnam War troops. Lucas gradually became one of the most powerful and rich gangster in his area.

Limitless (2011)

Released last 2011, Limitless is one of the highest grossing thriller film. It was directed by Neil Burger and was based on the novel by Alan Glynn called The Dark Fields. It starred some of the renowned actors, such as Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, Andrew Howard, and Anna Friel. The film was under the production companies Virgin Produced, Rogue, Many Rivers Productions, Boy of the Year, and Intermedia Film and was distributed by Relativity. Limitless revolves around a writer who’s having a hard time on his career is named Edward Morra. He was presented with a nootropic substance named NZT-48 and it served as his silver lining. The drug provided him the skill to totally use his mind and widely enhance his way of living. The movie has garnered multiple responses, both positive and negative, from different film critics.

The Departed (2006)

The Departed is a remake of the the 2002 by Alan Mak and Felix Chong called Internal Affairs. It released last 2006 and was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was also under the production companies Plan B Entertainment, Vertigo Entertainment, and Media Asia Films. It starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, and Alec Baldwind. The Departed is under the direction of Martin Scorsee and one of the box office hit films. The movie was set in Boston and centered on an Irish Mob leader named Francis Costello and his mole named Colin Sullivan. Costello molded Sullivan for the purpose of deploying him into the Massachusetts State Police’s Special Investigations Unit. Moreover, the police also appointed a state undercover named William Costigan in order to sneak into the group of Costello. The time came when both parties — the police and the mob, realized the happenings, each undercover tried to reveal the true identities of one another before both of them are caught.

Goodfellas (1990)

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas is a film released in the year 1990 and was distributed by Warner Bros. It was based on a nonfiction book called Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi. The movie starred Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe pesci, Loraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino. It revolved around the ups and downs of the life of a gang associate named Henry Hill. The movie also showcased the people dear to him, such as his friends and family. During the years 1955 to 1980, he was connected with the Lucchese crime family in the City of New York. It also depicted how a young Henry was bewitched and captivated with the criminal life and gang existence in his home in Brooklyn. Moreover, Goodfellas earned more than 46 million dollars and garnered five awards.

5 Moving Poetry Books about Mental Health

Poetry is the type of literature that aims to arouse a centralized creative understanding of experience or a particular sense of perceptiveness using one’s emotions with the help of language and its meaning. It is a vague and intricate part of literature that showcases different kinds of emotions hidden in its text. What makes this genre beautiful is its capability to build images and communicate with the readers in the least number of words.

It has another approach of using words — language perhaps. It is not just mere storytelling with the use of narration; instead it is all about playing with words and maintaining ambiguity. This is what makes poetry intricate for it do not spoon feed the readers with its meaning but rather allows them to swim deeper into the text to find what it is all about. The world of literature is rich with inspiring and touching poems — some appears as anthologies while others are in the forms of books.

One of the most common themes that poetry tackles is mental health. It is where most authors and readers relate to and share connection with each other for almost everyone have experienced sadness, loss, grief, and other strong emotions that make them vulnerable. That said, here are some well-written and moving poetry books that you should check out!

Depression & Other Magic Tricks

Depression & Other Magic Tricks is a poetry book by renowned poet Sabrina Benaim. It was published last August 22, 2017 by Button Poetry. It is Benaim’s first published book. Although she just recently had her debut as an author, she is already a popular spoken poetry artist having performed in various platforms and had gained millions of views on youtube. Depression & Other Magic Tricks contains poems that tackle about mental health, family, and love. It chronicles the challenges and victories, and celebrations of both life and living. Included in this book is the famous poem of hers titled “Explaining My Depression to My Mother” that centers on how the persona is suffering from depression and telling all the things that she feels while dealing with her demons to her mother.

Perfect Flaws

Published last November 3, 2006 by AuthorHouse, Perfect Flaws is a collection of poems written by Timothy George Segrest. This book contains poems about the author’s personal experiences in life, especially when he was deployed into the war. The poem showcases both the horrors in his mind and in his mission as a soldier. There were a lot of demons from the persona’s past that he or she is trying to run away from in order to not relive every painful moment of it. Aside from it, this anthology also centers on how the persona’s mind starts to learn the methods on battling both depression and nightmares that bothers it. Moreover, Perfect Flaws also represent every person and their perceptions on the different stages of life. According to Timothy Segrest, “I guess this book is about something and nothing at the same time.”

Milk and Honey

Milk and Honey is one of the bestselling poetry and prose book authored by Rupi Kaur. It was published in 2014 by Andrews McMeel Publishing. It contains various poems that center on survival, which is divided into different parts. Each portion of the book has diverse relevance and connection to the life of the poet — although in poetry, not every author is the persona of the text. What makes this book a hit is its ability to send the message of every poem to the readers evoking a lot of strong feelings from them. Some of the important things that Kaur showcases in her book are being a woman, affection, violence, and abuse. Her writing style is also commendable for it traces back from her rich cultural heritage and her wish to be more connected to the readers. Her book garnered a mixture of positive and negative reviews but it has sold more than 3 million times.

Black Book of Poems

Published on May 21, 2017 independently, Black Book of Poems has been one of the best poetry books in literature. It was written by Vincent Hunayan and has reigned on the top of the bestseller chart for more than two years. Black Book of Poems appears as an anthology of well-written poems about loss, abandonment, depression, suffering, love, and religion. It received 491 ratings in Amazon and 1,391 ratings in Goodreads. There were many positive responses about this anthology. Some find it easy to read, direct, refreshing, and even humorous while others discovered the deepness and honesty of the text. Because of the book’s wonderfulness, it was included on Hilary Swank’s holiday wish list.

Live or Die

Live or Die is authored by Anne Sexton, which was published in the year 1966. It is considered as one of the classic American poetry books. Most of the poems in this anthology are in free verse, which means that it is not following a rhyming and meter scheme, while others are rhymed. The masterpieces contained in Live or Die was written by Sexton in a span of 5 years, which was from 1962 to 1966. The poems are laid down chronologically and most of the works depict an unstable mother and daughter relationship — pertaining to the poet’s relationship to her mother, as well as her daughters’ bond with her. It also tackles about how Anne undergo with her mental illness’s treatment.

Prominent Fantasy Fiction Villains

Villains are one of the important ingredients that can make a good literary work. They are amongst the many agents that arouse different kinds of emotions from the readers, such as hatred, fear, anger, disgust, and more. Black hat and antagonist are some of the synonyms of the term villain. They are popularly known to be as the bad guys in every story. In other words, they are the fictional characters that brings hardships and misfortunes to the protagonists. These evil characters are not only present in literature but also in film and theater.

Moreover, these characters are almost present in every story and in any genre, especially in fantasy fiction. The mentioned category is amongst the widely patronized genres, which is why authors are doing their best to shape up an evil to the core antagonist to make their stories effective. There are essential traits of an effective fantasy fiction villain that authors are applying to their works. That is why there are many bad guys in different work of fantasy fiction that are never forgotten by readers and still make them feel irritated when they remember them.

Literature showcase plenty of outstanding antagonists that are still being hated and feared by readers until today. That said, listed below are some of the most promising black hats that are conquering the literary world that you might get to know.

Dolores Umbridge

Dolores Jane Umbridge is a character in the 6^th Harry Potter book called Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. She is a short and sweet-looking woman who works as the Senior Under-Secretary in the Ministry of Magic. However, looks can be deceiving for Umbridge is cruel and strict, which is a complete contrast to her physical appearance. She came to Hogwarts as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and began changing the rules of the subject and the school with the use of her power and connection to the Ministry. She started putting bumps into Harry Potter’s life and began halting the happiness of other students. She is not an efficient professor for she is opposed on teaching the students about magic spells that would help them defend themselves, instead she commanded them to study and do paper works. She was motivated to make the lives of Harry and other members of the school, except Mr. Filch’s, more challenging.

Joffrey Baratheon

Joffrey Baratheon is a product of an incest relationship of siblings Cersei and Jaime Lannister, along with his sister Myrcella and Tommen. However, he and his siblings are unaware of their origin and they were introduced to be Robert Baratheon’s children. He is one of the antagonists in George R.R. Martin’s popular series called A Song of Ice and Fire or also known as the Game of Thrones. Joffrey is not the main villain but he is the bad guy that has been hated all throughout his appearance in the book and film. He is an abusive partner, ruthless king, and stubborn son but he was so much loved by his mother. He was the reason why Ned Stark was beheaded and Sansa Stark lived a miserable life. He was first engaged to Sansa but their engagement was broken after the death of both their fathers. Later on, he was married to Margaery Tyrell but immediately died after they were wed.

Sauron

Sauron is the main villain in the classic The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. He was also mentioned in the TLOTR sequel titled The Hobbit as the Necromancer. He is the ruler of Mordor, a land in the Middle-earth; but, he is not contented of ruling only one tiny part of their world. His discontentment turned into a huge ambition of having to rule all of Middle-earth. He is a title character and can do extraordinary things, like being a shape changer. Sauron can appear in different appearances as he wish, such as vampire, serpent, and more. He was not born evil for he was made. The Dark Lord shaped him into something vile by corrupting him, along with the Balroghs. He died later on after his encounter with Gil-galad and Elendil.

The Wicked Witch of the West

The Wicked Witch of the West is the primary villain of the novel The Wonderful Wizard of OZ by L. Frank Baum. She is a hostile and spiteful leader of her kingdom called the Winkie Country. Her castle was differently displayed in the film for it was a beautiful kingdom instead of a menacing one. She has an unreasonable fear of water. She formed a group along with the Wicked Witches of the North and South to vanquish the Land of Oz and get an equal portion of it to enjoy themselves. The Wicked Witch of the West is obsessed with power, making her greedy. She doesn’t care about the death of the Wicked Witch of the East for she is only interested on the thing that will give her more power, which is the Silver Shoes.

Four Reasons Why Typing is An Essential Skill

Typing pertains to the method of writing or entering words through pushing each key of different devices, such as computer, typewriter, laptop, cell phone, calculator, keyboard, and more. This process can be differentiated from other modes of putting text in a certain device, like handwriting and speech recognition. The encoded text can appear in different forms, such as letters, numbers, signs, and more. There are many techniques in typing. These methods differ in terms of their process and purpose. Examples of the said techniques are the touch typing, hunt and peck, hybrid, buffering, and thumbing.

There is a thing called WPM or words per minute which measures your speed and pace of typing. This is usually used by companies in order to test the competency and computer abilities of an applicant. However, it was invented so that it can compare and contrast the various languages and hardware boundaries all over the world. Moreover, typing has become a necessary skill as of the present. It is because the technology has become advanced and most businesses and schools has transitioned from using typewriters to computers.

Since typing has become one of the most widely used methods of writing, many books about it has emerged. Most of these books contain the basics of typing or insights on how to develop your typing skill. Examples of the said works are Typing for Beginners by Betty Owen, How to Type Fast by Brandon Nankivell, and Fundamental Keyboarding Skills From the Typewriter to the Computer by Denise Chambers.

Typing is absolutely one of the crucial skill that you should develop as early as now. Do you want to know why? Here are the reasons why:

It boosts your productivity

There are many tasks that require the use of computers. Creating reports, doing paper works, and writing other kinds of documents for either school or work purposes may can become a little too daunting if you do them by hand. Handwriting may delay the task and can be tiring. This is where typing comes into view and enhance the picture. Developing your typing ability can help you get these works done sooner than you expected for there will be no pen to hold and paper to scribble on. You only need your fingers to do the magic and you can already produce documents with complete and clear data.

It provides new career opportunities

Various job position often needs candidates that are tech-savvy. Since computers and any type of devices that helps lessens the employees’ workload are present in almost every office, it is already comprehensible that workers must have outstanding computer abilities. Employees are starting to look for applicants with excellent skill set, especially those that have knowledge on computers, gadgets, and software. That is why typing is essential for a lot of companies and businesses require their employees to have an advance skill in encoding text. It will help you enhance your abilities and shape up a better career.

It makes you get along with the competition

Whether it is personal or business competition, being one step ahead is truly important. There will be instances that the competition between your competitors becomes too much or the tasks that are given to you turn to be heavier than it was. In these situations, you really need to uplift your game to get on the competition and make the work done. Your typing skills will help you create essential documents or acquire appropriate data faster. There will be no need for you to grab a pen and paper for you will no longer handwrite these documents. It will also help you save time and effort in data gathering for you only need to type the keywords and you will get the results once you press “enter”.

It helps you communicate better

Communication can also be done using the computer. Nowadays, getting in touch with people can be easily done with the help of a gadget and internet. People from all across the world will be one message away for email and online messaging applications are already present. Moreover, both video and voice calls can be inconvenient sometimes because not all people are available for this type of conversation. There can be a lot of important things that people are dealing with and calls can delay their progress. Texting and chatting, however, can be one of the most effective type of communication. You only need your typing ability and enter the message that you want to tell that specific person and, viola, you can continue keeping the friendship or any type of relationship that you have with that person. You can also continue doing business with your business partners or clients through email or text messaging. Thus, typing is truly a necessary skill.

3 Young Adult Fiction Books to be Added to Your To-be-read List

Young Adult Fiction is a literary genre intended for teenage readers who are transitioning into the adulthood. These bookworms are called as young adults; however, that doesn’t mean that this genre is out of bounds for grown-ups. The common themes in this category are teenage romance, coming-of-age, friendship, family love, and conquering the world. The stories of YA fiction can be a little too familiar for these tales showcase the common teenage experiences of people, such as attending the prom, crushing a football player, being a cheerleader, sneaking out through the window at night, kissing a boy or girl, going to a crappy high school, and making friends with cool people.

However, as the readers go deeper into these young adult stories, they have come to realize that these books are not only about high school students having the best time of their lives but are also about more personal and darker stuff. The aforementioned things include but are not limited to domestic abuse, substance usage, depression, anxiety, broken family, poverty, and bullying. That said, there are truly more to these books than what they appear to be. That is why young adults are not the only readers that are hooked up to this genre but also the adults who wanted to relieve their teenage years.

There are many YA fiction authors that have popped out since the beginning of the literary world. Examples of these prominent young adult fiction authors from different eras of literature are Jane Austen, C.S Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Green, Jenny Han, Stephenie Meyer, and Jennifer Niven. Their works have always made it to the bestseller lists of every book stores in the world and have already touched the lives of many readers. That said, if you are looking for young adult fiction books to enjoy this spring, you are reading the right article! Listed below are some of the best YA fiction novels to keep yourself entertained this season.

Eleanor and Park

Eleanor and Park is the first YA novel written by Rainbow Rowell. It was published by Orion Books in April of 2012; however, this book is not only available in print but also in audio. The story revolves around two misfit teenagers named Eleanor, a red curly-haired chubby girl, and Park, a half-Korean boy. These two 16 year-olds met during Eleanor’s first day of school in their school bus. She immediately felt out of place for almost all of the seats are full. As the days went by, Eleanor was bullied in the bus but Park stood up for her. That is the beginning of their school bus turned actual romance. Park bring comic books every day and read them at the bus for he knew that Eleanor loves them. They gradually learns to love each other. However, it is not only their wonderful love story why readers grows to love this book but also about the deeper aspects that are hidden into the text. The said factors are child and domestic abuse, dysfunctional family, body shaming, and bullying.

Eloise of Westhaven: Not Just a Kid

Eloise of Westhaven: Not Just a Kidis the first book of the Eloise of Westhaven series by Jean Archambault White. It was published last September 19, 2013 by WestBow Press. The story follows a girl named Eloise Jackson who is the sole surviving person of her family after various life challenges put an end to each of her loved ones. She became an orphan at her young age where she forcibly left their family’s farm. Fortunately, she was adopted by the Cravits and has given the chance to restart her life. Eloise is a witty and charming teenager with a strong will to work. Thus, she began working as a nanny of two naughty children of a rich mayor. Her life was constantly being challenged but all through the struggles, she did not forget to ask God for guidance. One of the biggest threat to her almost perfect life is a gang of crooks that possesses some dark plans. Her true adventures started as she began to face these outlaws and stop their evil plans.

Stargirl

Stargirl is a young adult fiction novel published by Scholastic Inc. last August 08, 2000. It was written by American author Jerry Spinelli and was followed by the book called Love, Stargirl. It was even adapted into film, which was released on Disney+ last 13^th of March this year. The book revolve around the love story of Leo and Susan, popularly known as Stargirl. It was a bittersweet teenage love story for the free spirit and innate kindness of Stargirl hindered their relationship. Although Leo loved every weird thing about Stargirl, he was concerned about how others perceived her and how it would affect his social status. Stargirl changed herself to the person Leo, and other people, wants her to be at some point in their relationship; however, it didn’t last for she was not happy about it. Leo and Stargirl broke up at the end. Stargirl just disappeared one day without a trace and Leo was left on his own.

4 Science Fiction Movies to Binge Watch this Week

Science fiction is a widely patronized genre in film. It emerges on or in between 1900 to 1920s; thus, it began to rise early in the silent film period usually as short movies captured in either black and white or with color tinting. Technology began to progress as the years go by and, as a result, more enhanced quality of science fiction movies have been produced. Some of the early sci-fi movies that were brought to life were adaptations of classic horror novels, such as Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The list of wonderfully created sci-fi films, both adapted from a book and not, goes on as the years passed.

The popularity of sci-fi did not only stay in the film industry for it also transcended in the world of literature. There have been many literary pieces that were created in accordance to this genre. Some of the promising sci-fi works in the literary realm are Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker by Rae Carson, Artemis by Andy Weir, Recursion by Blake Crouch, The Last Emperox by John Scalzi, and The Brotherhood of the Wone by Len Stage. Some of them were adapted into well-produced movies and have received various praises from prominent movie and literary critics.

Since most of you are given the privilege to enjoy the comfort of your homes and keep yourselves safe from the dangerous threat to each of your health, we have collected four of the finest sci-fi films that you may check out. That said, listed below are the binge-worthy sci-fi movies that you can watch at any day of this week!

Ex Machina (2014)

Ex Machina is written and directed by Alex Garland, which was released in December of 2014. It is a mixture of science fiction and psychological thriller. This film was produced by Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich and starred by Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, and Oscar Isaac. The story revolves around a programmer who received an invitation from his boss to supervise the Turning test, a test that measures the ability of a machine to display intelligent behavior similar to humans, to an intelligent humanlike robot. This film have been nominated in more than 15 award shows, including Academy Awards, Austin Film Critics Association, British Academy Film Awards, Broadcast Film Critics Association, and more.

Annihilation (2018)

Annihilation is the movie adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s novel Annihilation. It was also directed by Alex Garland and was produced by Scott Rudin, Andrew Macdonal, Allon Reich, and Eli Bush. It was released on Febuary 13, 2018 and was distributed to North America and China by Paramount Pictures and internationally by Netlix. The movie stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny, Gina Rodriguez, and Oscar Isaac. This science fiction psychological horror movie centers on a bunch of scientists who set foot on an eerie isolated area called the “The Shimmer” where mutating flora and fauna caused by extraterrestrial presence are found. It has garnered various positive response from widely known movie critics, including Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, Chicago Sun-Time’s Richard Roeper, and Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers.

WALL-E (2008)

WALL-E is a 2008 animated science fiction movie produced by Jim Morris under Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was under the direction by Andrew Stanton while the story was by Stanton and Pete Docter. It starred Ben Burrt, Fred Willard, Elissa Knight, John Ratzenberger, Jeff Garlin, Kathy Najimy, and Sigourney Weaver. It was distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and was released in Los Angeles on June 23, 2008 and in the U.S on June 27, 2008. The film focuses on a lone garbage compactor robot on a futuristic, unlivable, and abandoned Earth. The robot was left to the planet to clean up the trash, but a probe from a starship called Axiom paid him a visit. The probe was also a robot, which was called EVE. WALL-E fell in love with EVE and he pursued her all over the galaxy. The film earned plenty of positive responses from movie critics, such as American Film Institute, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, IndieWire, Time’s Richard Corliss, Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips, and more.

Avatar (2009)

Avatar is a 2009 film that was directed, written, and produced by James Cameron. This epic sci-fi movie starred Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang. It was distributed by 20^th Century Fox but under various production companies, such as Lightstorm Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Ingenious Film Partners, and 20^th Century Fox as well. The movie was released in London on December 10, 2009 while it was released in the United States on December 18, 2009. It garnered a total $2.79 billion for box office. Avatar pertains to a genetically created Na’vi body controlled from the brain of a distantly found human is utilized to engage with the locals of Pandora. Moreover, the setting of the movie is on the middle of the 22^nd century when the human beings are colonizing an abundant livable moon of a gas giant found in the stardom of Alpha Centauri called Pandora. The goal of humans is to acquire the mineral called unobtanium by mining it. The growth of the mining system jeopardized the continued presence of a native tribe called Na’vi, a humanlike creatures indigenous to the area. Furthermore, the film was extremely praised for its amazing visual effects.

The 3 Factors that Contribute to a Person’s Criminal Behavior

Criminal behavior pertains to the demeanor of an offender that results in law-breaking. Theft, robbery, homicide, sexual assault, and violence are some examples of crimes that a person can commit. As of today’s generation, there are still a lot of crimes that are being executed. These gruesome events are products of different things, such as anger and revenge. Some of these events are planned while others just take place as a result of poor decision-making.

A crime has always been a horrible thing that shakes out fear from people. Nobody would want someone from their lives to end up in such a terrible situation. However, in the literature and film industry, true-crime has become a good subject for entertainment. This is not because it makes someone enjoy these types of pieces but because they inform and educate the readers and viewers. Examples of true-crime novels are The Witness by Wanda Draper and Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann while examples of true-crime films are Lost Girls and Foxcatcher.

There are many factors that contribute to one’s criminal conduct. That is why we are here to discuss the contributing aspects to one’s criminal behavior, like the ones written below:

Environmental

Environmental factors refer to any living and non-living things that influences the subject. These aspects include but are not limited to abusive family members and unsafe neighborhood. A person first handedly witness one of his or her family member being beaten or he or she is the one being physically abuse can definitely adopt those things and apply it to others. The tendency is that these abused kids may see violence as normal; thus, they would begin doing the same thing that happened to their house to other people. That would be a hard thing to put an end to, especially if the people he or she is living with are permissive and laid-back.

One’s childhood can also be one of the biological factors. It is where an innocent mind learns how brutal and ugly the real world is. During this time, a child is starting to meet other people and experience pain. The most common event that would lead to the young mind’s development of criminal behavior is being punished physically or seeing violence with his or her own eyes. That said, one’s family and home environment are absolutely influential to a person’s growth, mindset, and rational thinking.

Social

Social factors refer to anything that emerges from a community, culture, society, organization, religion, and government that affects the ability of a person to think and act rationally. Concrete examples of social aspects that leads to one’s showcasing of his or her criminal characteristics are peer pressure, delinquent social environment, violence at school, abuse of substance, addiction, gambling, and more. The mentioned factors can be found in different parts of the community and can happen to anyone.

Take for example being bullied at school, this will result to an individual’s strong desire to punish his bully. He may get obsessed to the idea of getting his payback in no time. That said, violent thoughts — such as beating and, worse, killing, will come to his or her mind. If there will be no one to stop him or her, the revenge will definitely put to success.

Psychological

The psychological factor is define as the things and methods that influences a person’s state of mind. This is where we can evaluate and identify the psychology of criminal behavior. There are various aspects that result to one’s development of this type of demeanor, such as trauma, sadness, and other events that lead to the formation of a mental illness. A person that is suffering a mental condition has a tendency to develop twisted ideas and put those thoughts into actions. The said mental illnesses can include depression, schizophrenia, insanity, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychopathy.

For better understanding, let us take for example a person that is diagnosed with psychopathy — which is characterized by lack of remorse, extremely manipulative, and inexistence of empathy. A psychopath is also known for inferior behavioral control, irresponsibility, and behavioral problems. That said, they have a big capacity to commit a crime not only for the purpose of revenge but can also be because of pleasure. According to the study titled Behavioral Analysis Unit-2 National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime Critical Incident Response Group Federal Bureau of Investigation edited by Robert J. Morton, some psychopaths become serial killers who kill their victims without considering the value of human life. Most of these type of criminals are motivated by their sexual desires who constantly stalk, harm, and murder their targets without feeling guilty. Thus, guild does not exist in their system, which explains why they can go for a killing spree and feel nothing odd about it.

Changing the Literary Game: 4 Best Fiction Novels with Animal Protagonists

One of the best agents of learning is literature for it do not only promote academic learning but also life lessons. Written or oral stories contain morals that both the readers and listeners can learn from and apply these learnings into reality. There are so much wisdom and knowledge that books offer, which can be benefited by readers of different ages. Literature is indeed a good avenue for learning and shaping-up one’s mind, belief, and principles. Moreover, it is also composed of different genres. These categories help the readers choose what kind of books they want to read and if these books are suitable for their ages.

Amongst the popular literary genres is fiction. It is the category where, as an author, one can mix both existing and non-existing things and form a wonderful story from it. The author can give human characteristics to inanimate objects, create worlds that people have not heard of, build an army of extraterrestrial creatures, give people extraordinary powers, and make animals do great things. Some of the widely patronized books of this generation are those with animal protagonists. So, if you are into this type of novels, here are the moving fiction books that you might want to read:

A Dog’s Purpose

A Dog’s Purpose is written by W. Bruce Cameron, the outstanding author of How to Remodel a Man, 8 Simple Rules of Dating my Teenage Daughter, which is followed by A Dog’s Journey. This novel was published in 2010 and was adapted into film in the year 2017. A Dog’s Purpose is, indeed, one of the most successful novels of all-time for it has garnered a lot of praise from prominent book critics, such as Temple Grandin, Kirkus Reviews, The Long Beach Post, Publishers Weekly, and Marty Becker. It was also claimed a place in the New York Times bestseller list for a total of 49 weeks. The book documents a dog’s experiences by living four lives, which was made possible through reincarnation, and the methods that he utilized in order to search for his purpose. The story was opened by a feral Beagle, German shepherd, and terrier mix puppy, he was soon named as Toby by Señora — the old woman who is the guardian of the Yard. Next, he was reincarnated into a Golden Retriever named Bailey and lived a bittersweet life with his human Ethan. Then, he died and was born again as Ellie — a German Shepherd that is trained to become a search-and-rescue dog. Lastly, he was reincarnated as named Bear but was later on renamed as Buddy, which is a Labrador Retriever.

William and Tibby Forever

William and Tibby Forever was published by Christian Faith Publishing, Inc last May of 2018. It is authored by Lynda Hamblen and has fallen into the category of both religious literature and fiction. The book showcases various tragic falls, courageous rescues, and bold “catnappings” that happened in the lives of William and Tibby. These two furballs are living together with their dear Second Mom, as well as her baby in a little gray house located on a hill. Although there are veterinarians and vaccinations, cat haulers, and lurking monstrous creatures in their garage, their lives are almost picture-perfect as peaceful as live on this world can become. The tranquil life of William and Toby came to an end when the former was killed. The next moment when William woke up, he found himself in heaven. This is where William began his journey of acquiring his halo. The task includes dealing with the oddness of other cats, withstanding temptations of Third Mom’s pets, and making amends with the awful Hon. Tibby, on the other hand, have to deal with the grief of William’s passing and fearless kitten Elvira. Their family also had fallen into a terrible situation when Elvira caught a life-threatening illness. Thus, because of their rollercoaster journey through life, both already learned that life is composed of both happy and sorrowful moments.

Stuart Little

Stuart Little is a children’s novel written by E.B White and was published by Harper Brothers in 1945. The illustrations in the book was illustrated by Garth Williams, as well as the book cover. It is White’s first literary masterpiece, which has lived into the hearts of children and adults until today. This books has garnered various praises from prominent book critics, such as Luvein Agosta , Anne Carroll Moore, and Malcolm Cowley. It was also adapted by different platforms, such as audio, film, television, and video games. This children’s classic centers on the adventure of Stuart Little, a boy with a mouse-like appearance. He was born into a normal family in the city of New York, the only abnormal thing was that Stuart only measures more than two inches high. Thus, making his family worry about the life that he is about to face. When he turned seven years old, he began to think, behave, and speak like a 16-year-old human. He also displayed an amazing ability in adapting and executing different works at home, like fetching his mother’s wedding ring from a sink drain. Stuart’s adventures began when he got trapped in a garbage bin and was brought to the ocean for disposal.

The Sheep-pig/Babe the Gallant Pig

The Sheep-pig is written by Dick King-Smith, which was originally published in November of 1983 by Gollancz in United Kingdom. The illustrations embedded in this novel are works of Mary Rayner. As this book paved its way to the lives of the readers, it was then re-published by Crown in 1935 but in a US edition and in the title Babe, the Gallant Pig. Aside from its US edition, it was also translated into 15 other languages with brand-new illustrations. In the year 1984, author Dick King-Smith received the 1984 Guradian Children’s Fiction Award while in 1995, the book was adapted into film. Moreover, the story centers on a livestock pig who is living alone in a sheep farm. She was a prize from a fair, which was won by Farmer Hogget. Since Farmer Hogget have a sheep farm, he definitely have no use for the pig. Thus, his wife decided to feed the little pig until she gets fat enough to become their dinner on Christmas. The piglet was named Babe and met the sheepdog Fly. They became peers and he taught Babe everything he knew about the sheep. Later on, Babe met Maa and learned that the sheep are not as dumb as Fly taught her. Later on, she became a sheep-pig and her adventure began.

Four Awesome Mystery Fiction Books to Read During Home Quarantine

Mystery, or mystery fiction, is a literary genre that is included in the scope of fiction in which the books and short stories that fall under this classification centers on mystery-solving. This genre is synonymous to detective fiction because both have the same objectives — which is solving a mystery or a crime, usually led by a detective. Mystery fiction is sometimes narrowed to the subcategory of detective tales wherein the element of puzzle and its solution are being focused, as an opposite to the tenacious detective novels which give emphasis on firm realism and action.

There is a handful of subcategories mystery fiction have, this includes but is not limited to amateur detective, hardboiled, true crime, legal thriller, historical mystery, caper, and comedy detective. Mystery fiction novels are typically characterized by an element of surprise, foreshadowing, jaw-dropping twist, unanticipated culprit, and deception. This genre has been an all-time favorite because of its unconventional elements. Readers of all ages have patronized mystery novels because of their unpredictable plots and characters. These mystery stories range from the classic children mystery series Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys to the adult mystery novels The Cuckoo’s Calling and In the Woods.

This type of fiction has been enjoyed by book lovers all around the globe from the 18^th century until today. That said, if you are one of the bibliophiles who are into mystery and crimes stories and is currently stuck in your home due to the imposed home quarantine, we have collected six best mystery fiction novels that will help you overcome the quarantine boredom. Please do not hesitate to check out the list below!

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third crime novel written by one of the most popular mystery-detective authors, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was published in 1902 by George Newnes; however, it was primarily serialized from August of 1901 to April of 1902 in The Strand Magazine. In the Sherlock Holmes series, this book has been preceded by The Final Problem and was succeeded by The Return of Sherlock Holmes. The story focuses on the Sherlock Holmes and how he solved the death of Sir Charles Baskerville. The deceased’s friend, Mr. Mortimer, came to the detective and asked for his help. He told Holmes about the urban legend of a frightful and diabolical hound that aimed to kill every Baskerville heir. The great detective observed and studied the case. Later in the story, the mystery was solved and what they believed to be a legend turns out to be both an attempted murder and homicide.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express is a crime novel authored by the remarkable mystery-detective writer, Agatha Christie. This book was published on the 1^st of January 1934 by Collins Crime Club. It has garnered plenty of positive reviews from Times Literary Supplement, The New York Times Book Review, The Guardian, and more. The novel centers on the murder that took place in a train called the Orient Express that was stopped due to a heavy snowfall. There were a lot of people that boarded the train and one of them is the Belgian retired police officer and private detective named Hercule Poirot. The detective took his time to put the puzzles together because all passengers that were interviewed, aside from the victim, have created solid alibis. Poirot continued his investigation and discovered that all of the passengers are connected to each other; thus, he began seeing the bigger picture and discovered that the murder was done out of vengeance.

The Numbered Cups Mystery by JB Clemmens

The Numbered Cups Mystery is the fourth book of the Lieutenant James Mysteries series authored by JB Clemmens. The first three books followed by The Numbered Cups Mystery are the Something Fishy in Manhattan, A Substitute for Murder, and Mystery at Pima Point. It was published last June 22, 2015 under CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. The story circulates upon the poisoning of the local celebrity writer named Walt Whitlock. The horrifying scene happened during a barbecue event at the Townsend house in a place called Winburg. Lieutenant James is the one assigned to the case; thus, he began investigating the scene. He discovered various cups that were numbered and the tainted bourbon. The victim’s cup has the number 5 imprinted on it. There have been suspicious people in the story, which are Lucy Trent who brought the bourbon, Oliver Townsend who argued with the victim and is his publisher, Eileen Forsyth who had her fingerprints on Walt’s cup, and John who is the victim’s college friend and who vanished after the event. James continued to investigate the case and on the process, he stumbled upon a dead woman’s will with a missing clause and a mysterious occurrence in a racetrack that helped him to point out and arrest the true suspect.

There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

There’s Someone Inside Your House is a mystery and horror novel written by the famous New York Times Bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. The book was published by Dutton Books in September 12, 2017. It is different from the bestselling young adult books, such as the Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and Isla and the Happily Ever After, written by Perkins because this is dark instead of giving the readers a heartwarming and light read. It has gotten various of good praises from MJ Frankling of Mashable, Christina Ledbetter from The Washington Times, and Booklist. The novel revolves around the story of Makani Young and the death of the students in her school. There are various questions that emerge while on the process of uncovering the murder, such as is the Makani’s past related to the crimes? Or who is the gruesome killer? The mystery, horror, and thrill that this book offer makes it a must-read!