September 2021 | Austin Macauley Publishers

Can’t Take Out Time for Extensive Reading? Get Your Hands on these Amazing Short Story Collections

The fast-paced world we live in keeps us busy all the time. It is no longer possible to sit for long hours reading a book or spending time watching a full 3-hour movie. People now prefer short and quick forms of entertainment more than ever. With everything becoming digital, it is now easy to read a short story on Kindle and other reading apps. If you are one of the many people who cannot take time out from your hectic schedule to read lengthy books and novels, you don’t need to worry as we have got you covered. We have compiled a list of some great short stories you can read while you are commuting to or from work, going to the gym or sipping your evening tea. So, without further ado, let’s check out our list of amazing short storybooks.

Evergreen

The first short story we have added to our list is the story of a girl who hates her name. Evergreen is her last name and her first name is known to very few people. She lives a different life and finds it extremely difficult to fit in. She is lost in her thoughts and dreams, even when she is around her mother or sister. Although she is different from other people and can hardly get along with anyone, she makes an effort to fit in. To read this interesting short story about an introverted girl who hates her name, buy this book here.

French Fries for Birds

This book is a semi-autobiographical book of poems and short stories. Narrated as seen through the eyes of a young Emirati woman, this book talks about the experiences of grief, loss, depression and other emotions that are difficult and often too much to handle. If you are always busy and in a rush, this book is a perfect fit to read on the go. You can buy this book here.

From the Perspective of a Pen

Our next pick for you is a beautifully written short story told From the Perspective of a Pen. With its carefully chosen words and impressive language, it will surely make it to the list of your favourite books. Buy this bundle of deep thoughts here.

New York Underground

This short story deals with the intricacies of human life and how one should spend his/her life in order to be triumphant in the eyes of God. This story talks about the multiple challenges humans face in their lives and suggests what needs to be done for overcoming those hardships. It helps the readers to understand the true meaning of living. Buy this thought-provoking book here.

My Morals Makes Me Beautiful

Our next pick is a book about morals and how it makes a person beautiful. The book is a collection of 25 short stories that give the reader a chance to go through the events and understand the basic morals of life. The book teaches about basic human qualities like love, courage, satisfaction, being just, vanity and respect. You can get this book here.

Once Upon a Time

A beautiful collection of 9 short stories, this book is all about basic moral lessons. Each story carries a moral with fictional characters like plants or animals making it an enjoyable and interesting read. The author used to tell these stories to her children to make them learn about the beautiful morals of life. Buy this interesting book for your young kids here.

The Red Juice

Set in the backdrop of the beautiful country of Morocco, this short story takes us in and out of the main character’s recurring dream in which he is standing near his father’s grave and can see a palm tree like a grey ghost, stretching its arms towards him. To read more of this gripping story of death, demons and despair, make a purchase here.

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes

The next book we have selected for this list is a story of a young girl named Yasmine. She is in that phase of her life where she dreams of doing extraordinary things but somewhere down the road, she loses her focus and ends up procrastinating and delaying things. One day, she wakes up from her dream to an alarm ringing. Would she be able to break free of the monotonous life cycle? To find out, grab a copy of this book here.

The Mysterious Shadow

This is the story of an ordinary child named Sophie Bethalion who goes to school every day. But one day on her way to school, a mysterious shadow catches her attention. After that day, Sophie often notices that mysterious shadow. What is that shadow and where does it come from? To find out, grab a copy of this fascinating book here.

Love Stories Short

The last pick from our list is this book of love stories filled with lessons. It has many valuable lessons for young minds who are more than often caught up in a wrong relationship. You can gift this book to the young adults around you. Buy this book here.

We hope that now you can easily manage to take some time out of your hectic routines and read these amazing short stories.

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10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day

Reading is arguably the most important ability one can have in the modern world. Each book you read opens up a portal of new information for you. Every time you read a book, your imagination gets a boost, and you learn something new. When you regularly start reading books, your critical thinking and analytical skills improve and somewhere along the way, you discover something fascinating about yourself. Well, if you are a person who doesn’t like reading books, you’re missing out on something that could change your life for good.

In this blog, we will look at some of the benefits of reading books. Hopefully, it will benefit you and motivate you to read more.

1. Reading Makes You Smarter, Sharper, and More Creative

Reading books makes you smarter. Through reading, you can understand topics that are of interest to you. Reading books ignites the imagination of the reader. They get introduced to fictional worlds, historical settings, and intriguing characters that stay on with them for a long time. Once you read regularly, it can become a hobby, and it eventually helps you understand yourself better. You start to understand the people around you, the society you live in, and the different aspects of life in a better way.

2. Improves Memory

Our mind is a machine that can learn, comprehend, and process so many thoughts at a given time. Reading is a fundamental skill needed to function in society. It improves memory because when we read, we compel the brain to get used to remembering characters, facts, details or situations. It won’t be wrong to say that reading is, indeed, a great mental exercise.

3. Lowers Stress level

In life, there are times when stress gets the better of you. Whether it’s work-related stress or any other worry, reading books helps you melt down your stress level. Reading is one of the fastest ways to relax your brain. Whenever you feel like you can’t handle stress, reading a gripping novel would be the perfect answer to it. Reading books will transport you into another world, leaving you stress-free and happy.

4. Builds Your Vocabulary Skills

By reading more and more, you get introduced to new vocabulary. There are so many words in the dictionary that you can only comprehend if you are an avid reader. It makes you a skilled conversationalist. You get to convey your feelings and emotions and understand the other person’s words in a better way. With an increased vocabulary, you will become a better communicator.

5. Brings a Positive Impact on Mental Health

Snuggling up a captivating read can do wonders for your mental health. It relieves you from mental worries and anxieties, fully immersing you in the magical world of books. Losing yourself in books is the ultimate remedy for mental problems. According to many types of research, people who read regularly are less likely to develop severe brain diseases in old age, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

6. Reading improves Compassion and Empathy

Reading books on different people, their struggles and setbacks, and their journeys can help mould your personality. You tend to get more emphatic and compassionate towards others. By reading books, you understand the pain and worries of the people in the book. You can better relate to those who are different from you. Books offer us a gateway to a magical place, ready to engulf us into its surreal world. Believe it or not, but even one book can change your mind and outlook for good.

7. Boosts Your Writing Ability

Just like reading improves your vocabulary, it also improves your writing ability. With every book you read, you learn a different style of writing. Well-written books are the catalyst to emulating a proficient writing methodology because you subconsciously get influenced by it. It’s a fact that you can’t deny. The more you read, the better your writing eventually becomes. Apart from enhancing your writing capabilities, it enhances your analytical skills, critical thinking, and decision making.

8. Upgrades Your General Knowledge

If you want to increase your general knowledge and be neck and neck with the most influential people in the world, you need to be a reader. Reading books helps you become aware of unknown topics, enabling you to hold a conversation with anyone. It improves your general knowledge that can be pretty useful when squirming your way through the challenges of life. Apart from that, a well-read person also gives off positive vibes to the other person, making them more desirable and appreciated.

9. Helps You to Relax

Reading is the ultimate de-stressor for you. It can help you unwind and bring a night of sound sleep. In addition to reducing stress levels, it brings inner peace and tranquillity. Reading spiritual and calming books can have a positive impact on your stress levels as it reduces blood pressure and anxiety. Reading is also a potent mood booster. So whenever you need a great sleep, it’s best to take out your favourite book and give it a read before you slumber.

10. Stimulates the Brain

Reading books stimulates the brain by forcing it to think and concentrate on the pieces of information you have in front of you. Just like dumbbells are needed for a physical workout, books are a tool to cultivate the mind. When you’re reading, you train your mind to become sharper, processing more information with each passing second. In turn, it improves your memory and analytical thinking.

You see, there’s a book for every person out there. Whether your taste lies in poetry, historical fiction or romance novels, you are bound to find a book that captures your attention and ignites your imagination.

So, take a break from the screen for a while. Get yourself a book, and bask in the mesmerizing feeling of reading a book.

If you want to connect with Austin Macauley Publishers, follow us on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you aspire to become an author, share your work with us by clicking submit. You can also send it to us by filling our Online Submission Form.

Expo 2020 Dubai Mascots Activity Book

The Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival is held every year to connect children with books and reading. The event this year was organised by Sharjah Book Authority with the main theme of ‘For Your Imagination’. It took place from May 19 to May 29, 2021. 27 authors from 15 countries participated, alongside 172 publishers. More than 500 activities were organised including theatrical shows, workshops, cookery sessions, panel discussions and a literary competition.

In this reading event designed for children, there were many new books launched. Expo 2020’s Dubai Mascots Activity Book was one such book that was launched in this reading festival. This book is about the 5 mascots who take the readers on a tour of Expo 2020. The main theme of Expo 2020 was “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, with three subthemes; Suitability, Mobility and Opportunity. For each pavilion, the expo has 5 mascots named Rashid, Latifa who are the guides and Alif, Opti and Terra, the expo’s guardians.

The Expo 2020 Dubai Mascots Activity Book is all about the adventures of these 5 mascots. Specially designed for children aged from six to nine years old, this book teaches about Science, Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Environment Preservation in a fun and interactive way. This book contains quizzes, fun challenges, and other activities, teaching the children about interesting technological advancements in energy, environment and space travel. Jade Robertson, the International Publishing Director of Austin Macauley Publishers, noted, “In creating this book, we want children to question what they see at the expo and the world around them. In doing so, they will develop their future skills. Encouraging enough for children to want to pick up, read and most importantly develop a basic understanding of the environment.”

So let’s check out everything this book has to offer.

EXPO’S MASCOTS:

The Exposition 2020 had 5 mascots for each pavilion. These mascots help you show around the expo and be your guides. The sibling duo, Rashid and Latifa are the guides while Alif, Opti and Terra are the guardians. So come on in and let’s explore what these mascots can have to offer.

Rashid

Rashid is a 9-year-old, smart for his age boy who is quick to learn and is full of enthusiasm. He is a caring little boy who can sometimes be cheeky. He loves discovering new things and finding out more about the world around him. He tries his best to look after the environment. He also has a liking for listening to the generations’ old stories of his family, looking up to the night sky and counting stars.

Latifa

Latifa is chatty, inquisitive and a smart girl. She is Rashid’s younger sister. She dreams of becoming one of the world’s greatest inventors. She passionately loves Science and Technology and is always on the lookout for learning something new. She also loves to figure out how to solve problems, puzzles and quizzes.

Alif

Alif is the guardian of the Mobility Pavilion. The leader of all the guardians, Alif has the responsibility of protecting the secrets of the wise Ghaff Tree Salama at the Expo 2020. He is designed to transform into any form of vehicle, Alif can swim, walk, run and even fly to take Latifa and Rashid to any path of discovery they want to go to.

Opti

Opti is the guardian of the Opportunity Pavilion and is also one of the three guardians tasked with the responsibility of protecting Salama’s secrets. Opti’s heart is made of pure gold and he offers Latifa and Rashid various choices during their journey of discovery. He has the special powers of opening portals through space and time.

Terra

Terra is the guardian of the Suitability Pavilion. She is a kind-hearted robot, who wants to feel more human than she actually is. She guides Latifa and Rashid throughout their adventure and makes sure they carry out their adventures in the best possible manner. Her mission is to protect the environment and nature. She has the secret power of turning invisible.

What the Activity Book Has for Children?

As this book is specially designed for children of age 6 to 9, by Expo 2020, it has various activities to help them learn about Science, Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Environment Preservation. There are puzzles, mathematical quizzes and other interesting activities.

Chemistry Quizzes:

It also has some activities teaching the basics of chemistry such as colouring the periodic table, while some other activities related to mobile application development. The children are taught about different types of energy through another fun-filled activity with the help of drawings and examples.

Maths and Computing Puzzles:

This activity book has some interesting quizzes and puzzles related to maths and basic computing, like coding. Children can also learn about computer applications development by solving puzzles included in this book.

Activities related to Water Conservation:

In an attempt to teach children about the sources of water and its conservation, there are a few activities that help them learn more about the importance of water and what they can do to save it.

Environment Preservation Activities:

Another very important message this expo-book gives to the kids in a fun way is to recycle the old items into new ones and are also taught about categorizing the products. By completing the puzzles, the kids will have learnt about more ways they can help protect the nature around them and be mindful of the products they use.

History and Culture of UAE:

Some other activities included in this book are designed to help the children and their parents learn more about the history, culture and important places in UAE. There is some useful information about the national bird Falcon, the National Day of UAE and some traditional days they celebrate in the UAE. In the end, the answers to all the puzzles and quizzes are given for the children to compare their results with.

In a nutshell, Expo 2020 Dubai Mascots Activity book is the best way to help children learn useful things in an engaging and fun way. With a variety of activities, the kids will be immensely interested in finishing this book and also gain valuable knowledge about important topics; such as Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Science and Environmental Protection.

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If you aspire to become an author, share your work with us by clicking Submit. You can also send it to us by filling our Online Submission Form.

Month: September 2021