The Editor's Choice Awards 2013

Well in this Christmas season I'd like to spread some holiday cheer by presenting the first annual Book N Tech Editor's Choice Awards! In this post I'll show you the covers, title, and short blurb of the books I've chosen in their respective categories and the book of the year! For this year I really can't say I could choose an overall winner because that would be comparing apples to oranges in my opinion. All the books I received in the queue were great though! Sorry that you have to scroll so much! Also due to varying cover sizes there were some formatting problems.

Science Fiction

The book was a great read and my favorite in the science fiction category because of the main character Ack Ack Macaque. He's a real charmer for all the science fiction fans with his hard demeanor. Good job Mr. Powell on making an excellent science fiction novel all can enjoy. 

Check the review out: http://bookntech.blogspot.com/2013/10/hive-monkey.html

Buy the book! http://amzn.to/1cwcIyN

Action

A fun faced paced adventure action book that takes a comedic look at action, love, and all the other aspects of life. Some of my favorite parts are the various nerd movie references and Mr. Wood's writing style. 

Check the review out: http://bookntech.blogspot.com/2013/08/like-mind-review.html

Buy the book: http://amzn.to/19KNAlG

Non-Fiction 

Ah the infamous non-fiction "Jesus book!" Well lay your possible anti Christian thoughts aside this book provided kindly by BookCrash for free was amazing. Not biased toward Christianity at all or mean spirited it just tells a great story in 30 days for you to reflect on your faith and an amazing book trilogy.

Check the review out: http://bookntech.blogspot.com/2013/11/finding-god-in-hunger-games.html
Buy the book: http://amzn.to/19nKlCK

Steampunk

Probably one of my favorite steampunk adventures I have ever taken thanks to the amazing writing style the author Mrs. Hudson provided with the double life living psychiatrist Max Mason and his lovely assistant Amber. Some might argue the lack of backstory for the post apocalyptic (in so many words it looks like one) setting makes it feel rush I rather enjoy it. Can't wait for the next in the series to further the story!
Check the review out: http://bookntech.blogspot.com/2013/08/dr-homebrew.html
Buy the book: http://amzn.to/1c5ibqd

Dystopian

Iron Mountain (Arc)
Sadly still not out yet but this book was simply phenomenal. A great sequel the previously reviewed Flotilla by author Daniel Haight noted for his "dark humor and crackling narrative." The book really continued a great story for that I am eternally grateful! When the book cover and link to Amazon are available I will add them.
Check the review out: http://bookntech.blogspot.com/2013/12/iron-mountain-review.html
Go to the website: http://flotillaonline.com/

Thriller

Wow. A beautiful cover. Great story. Excellent ending. All of these aspects form to make Discretion a killer Christian (however you want to slice it) thriller that's worth your dollar. The writing style is consistent throughout the story providing a great adult story. Still would argue with the author that the extra added adult content is unnecessary but still a great story.
Check the review: http://bookntech.blogspot.com/2013/09/discretion.html
Go buy the book: http://amzn.to/19cHIxQ

Western

Remember the classic Mark Twain novel that you read in grade school and did your book report on? Well Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer come back in a surprisingly good novel that doesn't bear the marks of typical fan fiction novels.
Check the review: http://bookntech.blogspot.com/2013/10/redemption.html
Go buy the book: http://amzn.to/19eFS2H

Art

Looking for an amazingly done comic series that is perfect and fun for the whole family? Well artist Nick Seluk has done an amazing job by making Lars the Awkward Yeti and his various webcomic drawings some even featured in media campaigns like Taco Bell. The artwork shows for itself how amazing it is.
Check the review: http://bookntech.blogspot.com/2013/10/lars-awkward-yeti-book-review.html
See the interview: http://bookntech.blogspot.com/2013/10/interview-with-creator-of-awkward-yeti.html
Buy it! http://amzn.to/1dBohBo

Detective Thriller

Are you a big fan of the classic cop/detective thriller? Than read Broken Allegiance by Mark Young a former cop himself. The book is written from the point where you can tell they have been in involved in the business making it feel more genuine. Plus the author handled the book review request properly and very professionally. The review is coming shortly.
Check the review: pending
Buy the book! http://amzn.to/1hCQNWb

Short Story

MG Mason's novelette was an excellent detective cyborg story set in the future somewhere in Europe where Climate Change was real and times were hard. The book was a bit preachy on certain topics but it was easy to overlook and a really great read! No offense to the author but the original artwork (pictured) looks a lot better than the new cover but still the story was a great read. Hopefully there will be a followup.
Check the review: http://bookntech.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-weight-of-reason-review.html
Buy the book!: http://amzn.to/1cwoR78


And... that's a wrap! Congratulations to all the winners and I hope everyone has a great Christmas!
Book N Tech Book Reviewers
Ezekiel Carsella (senior)
Kevin Anthony (senior)
Mani Lea DeShong (new)
Emily Koons (new)

Drift Mania | Gameplay app review

Drift Mania is a free game you can download in the Windows Store for Windows 8+. I was impressed at how smooth it runs on a low end computer. The graphics are not bad at all and the game is fun to play if you like drifting. You can upgrade and buy cars with the money you get for drifting.

I give this app a 5/5 because it's free, fun to play, and smooth graphics.

Microsoft is shooting itself in the foot

       Well I recently got a Windows 8.1 Asus T100 tabtop and aside from the keyboard dock suddenly dying I really like it... along with everyone else I've shown it to. They all say, "oohhh Windows tablet" and refer to the commercials or the Microsoft Surface. Long story short, whenever they ask about a certain app I get scared because a) the official isn't in the store b) the third party version sucks c) probably won't come to Windows.

 

       Some of the prime examples are Instagram, Vine, Snapchat (big one in my school), Candy Crush Saga, Big Buck Hunter 2014, most AAA mobile games, and YouTube. Even though Windows Phone has either the officials or an excellent alternative to these none of those wonderful apps are there for me when I need them most. I love Windows 8 with the whole design language and compatibility with desktop apps (I'm surprised I only downloaded Office 2013 and Google Cloud Printer), but (unless Android virtual machine works) things like Bluestacks or Windroy can't work with my camera and are laggy complicate the problem further. My only Android a resistive screen Skytex Gingerbread tablet I've put through a lot (I typed a few papers in Google Docs on her) and even with a calibration app the screen is impossible to type on to the point I can't login to Snapchat.

 

       If Microsoft had Windows at least allowed Windows Phone apps to run on it or preferrably like it is rumored to unite the app stores that would be dandy. Then I could at least play Angry Birds Go! or other Windows Phone exclusives. Even with the announcement of Viber today (still a ripoff IMO because you have to have a smartphone to use it) the app situation looks bleak and the linkage of the Stores is really a stopgap solution. I mean no Soundcloud app? Still I'm glad they have a lot of the basics covered (still no fps games in store).

Iron Mountain review

Overview
     Remember the amazing Flotilla the novel I reviewed by independent author Daniel Haight? Well he's back with his latest installment in the Flotilla series featuring teen hero Jim Westerfield running all over the California coast from racist militia, drug dealers, and terrorists during an epic meltdown with his sister and some new friends. The book was a beautiful mix of tragedy, comedy, and dystopia without offending a soul or being conspiratorial.

Review
     Well this is a little teaser since... It won the Book N Tech Editor's Choice Award in the Dystopian Category! Good job Team Flotilla on the good editing job and the facts used (accurate weapons, emergency plans, etc) in the book which made the book vastly appealing to a prepper and book reviewer like me. The storyline was real and very relatable making me happy, happy, happy on the inside impatiently waiting for the third. All of the thematic elements come together to make a story that anyone would enjoy.

Rating
  5/5 Editors Choice 2013 winner this book is worth our beautiful modern designed award for many reasons, but the main is the highly relatable plot story, characters, and settings. It does what the book was invented for: put you in someone else's awesome adventure.

Despicable Me | Gameplay and App review

Many people know and enjoy the Despicable Me characters and now there is a game app for Windows 8.1 to enjoy them even more. In this game, you get to be one of the minions and dodge things, run away from Vector or whoever, and etc. The app is free and is a 140mb download and installation so you can get it easily. I give this app a 5/5 for it's unique character's, gameplay, and fun.

Bing Maps Preview (3D) | App Review

 

Bing has come up with an app called Bing Maps Preview where you can view anything on Earth in 3D. It is probably similar to Google Earth but this might take up a little less resources from the computer. You can find it in the Windows Store for Windows 8.1+. I give this app a 5/5 for it's ease of use and coolness.