Monday, December 26, 2011

Top 100 book apps: the Beatles Yellow Submarine by the Beatles

Since we believe in the digital future of books as a way to reduce eventually the footprint of books, we also believe in apps. Book apps are integral part of the digital age of books and we want to share with you some great book apps we find and thus we are assembling a list of the top 100 book apps.

In order to get into our list apps need to both book/ebook related and affordable - we choose only apps that are either free or cost less than $2.

So every Monday we will update you with a new app on out list of top book apps. Today we're happy to introduce you with a great musical book app. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beatles! Our app today is the Beatles Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. This app is for iPhone and iPad and it's free.

Here are more details about the Beatles Yellow Submarine app:

This enchanting illustrated book captures the same magical spirit found in the film. The Beatles’ journey to save Pepperland from the music-hating Blue Meanies is filled with surrealistic humor, wit, and clever references to The Beatles’ song titles and lyrics. In this iTunes exclusive, clips from the movie have been included throughout and can be viewed either embedded in the page or at full-screen. The book also contains interactive animations as well as sound effects and music clips. Download the book for free right here and enjoy it on iBooks on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.

Last week's book app - iStoryBooks

You can check top 100 book apps at http://www.ecolibris.net/bookapps.asp. As you'll see, this list is in work, but we promise to update it every week until we'll have all 100 book apps.

You're also welcome to check our list of 100 green apps.


Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Check our special holiday offer!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Happy Holidays from Eco-Libris!


Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or Festivus, we wish you a happy holiday!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!


Top 100 green apps - Green Schools Revolution: The Game

We are creating a list of the top 100 apps that will help you go green as part of our effort to promote a more sustainable lifestyle. Apps become an integral part of our life and a valuable tool and we believe we should also take advantage of them when it comes go greening up our life.

Every Friday we update you with a new app on the list, and today we're happy to introduce you with a fun app for kids!

Our app is
Green Schools Revolution: The Game from the Co-operative Group. This app is for iPhone and iPad and it's free.

Here are more details about Green Schools Revolution: The Game:

Have you got what it takes to be the ultimate Eco Warrior at home and at school? GREEN SCHOOLS REVOLUTION: THE GAME, from The Co-operative, is your chance to show off just how green you can be! Put your green knowledge to the test, saving water and energy as you go. Can you unlock the secret bonus round and make it to the top of the leaderboard?

Packed full of exciting levels, it’s a race against time to harvest carrots before the rabbit, turn the taps off to save the duck and save energy by turning the lights off. Can you do this faster than your friends, get the highest score possible, unlock the secret bonus level and become an Eco Warrior?

GREEN SCHOOLS REVOLUTION: THE GAME – play your part in the Green Schools Revolution!
Find out more about The Co-operative’s Green Schools Revolution programme at www.greenschools.coop

Features:
• Fun quizzes about energy, water and healthy living unlock 4 levels of green games
• Energy saving game – turn of the lightbulbs to save energy and gain points
• Be a water watcher – can you turn off the taps to save water and keep the ducky afloat?
• Harvest carrots on the farm, but be quick before the rabbit beats you to it!
• Unlock a secret round to boost your green points even further

Play against your friends and see your top scores on the Game Center leaderboard.

You can check top 100 green apps at http://www.ecolibris.net/greenapps.asp. As you'll see, this list is in work, but we promise to update it every week until we'll have all 100 green apps.


Last week's green app -
Every Body Walk!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Audiobook for the holidays - part 3: Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean (and a giveaway!)

Today we continue our series 'Audiobook for the holidays', where we review, recommend and give away 4 great audiobooks. In the last weeks we introduced you to Boomerang by Michael Lewis and Our Choice by Al Gore. Today we're excited to introduce you to an audiobook that might seems to be a tale about a dog, but is actually "an extraordinary journey" into the story of some of the most interesting parts of the twentieth century . And what a fascinating journey it is!

Our second audiobook on this series is:

Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend
by Susan Orlean, narrated by the author.

The audiobook is published by Simon & Schuster Audio. Here's an excerpt from the audiobook read by the author, Susan Orlean:



Here's more about "Rin Tin Tin":

Nearly ten years in the making and perfect for the holidays, Susan Orlean’s first original book since the celebrated bestseller The Orchid Thief is the publishing event of the season: a sweeping, surprising, and powerfully moving work of narrative nonfiction about the dog actor and international icon, Rin Tin Tin.

German shepherd Rin Tin Tin’s journey is the story of the twentieth century. From the discovery of Rin Tin Tin on a WWI battlefield in 1918, to the movies, radio programs, and the 1950s television show that would cement his legacy around the world, Rin Tin Tin traces the extraordinary history of the dog and his descendants over more than ninety years. Rin Tin Tin was a star (he received 10,000 fan letters a week); a worldwide sensation; a social figure (as the U.S. Army’s WWII mascot, he inspired thousands of Americans to donate their dogs for use in the war); and a baby-boom touchstone. He was also a real dog, and the book tells the epic love story between Rin Tin Tin and the remarkable people who devoted their lives to him and his legacy.

Rin Tin Tin is also Orlean’s meditation on the nature of heroism, loyalty, and memory, and how Rin Tin Tin has lasted for so many generations. “Rin Tin Tin could leap twelve feet,” she writes, “and he could leap through time.”

Here's another interesting video clip, where author Susan Orlean talks about the audiobook and why she chose to narrate her book:


The audiobook is available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/oPSvFS and on iTunes: http://bit.ly/t7uZBP

GIVEAWAY ALERT!!

We're giving away two copies of this audiobook, courtesy of the publisher, Simon & Simon audio!

How you can win? Very simple. All you have to do is to retweet this post on twitter with the hashtag #rintintin at the end of your tweet. We will have a raffle on Wednesday, December 28, 5:00PM EST between all the readers that will retweet by then. The winners will be announced the following day.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Newt Gingrich would probably not be interested in this prize, but how about you?

I read this morning on the New York Times on the attack ads on Newt Gingrich from other GOP Presidential candidates.

Among them (see picture) is a one showing Gingrich with Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California and the former House speaker, and Al Gore in the background, asks, “With allies like this, who needs the left?” (I guess they're referring to this "We Can Solve It" global warming ad campaign sponsored by Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection).

So my guess is that Newt Gingrich won't be interested in a signed copy of Al Gore's great audiobook "Our Choice", but how about you?

I'd like to remind you that we're giving away two copies of this audiobook, one of them signed by Al Gore, courtesy of the publisher, Simon & Simon audio! This giveaway ends tomorrow (Wed, Dec 21) at 5:00 pm so you still have time!

How you can win? Very simple. All you have to do is to retweet this post (or the review post) on twitter with the hashtag #ourchoice at the end of your tweet. We will have a raffle on Wednesday, December 21, 5:00PM EST between all the readers that will retweet by then. The winners will be announced the following day.

And by the way, if Newt Gingrich is still interested, he's still welcome to participate. We promise not to tell anyone :)

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Top 100 book apps: iStoryBooks

Since we believe in the digital future of books as a way to reduce eventually the footprint of books, we also believe in apps. Book apps are integral part of the digital age of books and we want to share with you some great book apps we find and thus we are assembling a list of the top 100 book apps.

In order to get into our list apps need to both book/ebook related and affordable - we chose only apps that are either free or cost less than $2.

From now on, every Monday we will update you with a new app on out list of top book apps. Today we're happy to begin with a great book app for children - iStoryBooks. This app is for iPhone and android and it's free.

Here are more details about iStoryBooks app: Free Interactive Children's Books for the new generation! iStoryBooks comes with free books that read itself to your little ones! Yes the books include text and audio. We publish a new book every 2 weeks. Kids can enjoy these books on their own or you can read to them.

When we publish new books they will appear automatically in the App. All books we publish are picture books with audio. We welcome your valuable comments and suggests. Please post your comments and suggestions, play games, puzzles and download coloring pages at facebook.com/iStoryBooks.

Type of books include children's books, story books, bedtime stories, toddler books, preschool books, nursery school books, kindergarten books and picture books with accompanying audio of the text in each page.

Some of our popular books include:

Fairy Tales
* Cinderella, the classic story about a beautiful girl named Cinderella who always hoped for the best even during hard times and eventually, her wishes come true!
* Snow White, the story of a princess who was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.
* Cenicienta, the spanish (espanol) version our most popular book Cinderella.

Animal Story Books
* The Blue Fox
* The Crow the Doves and the Mouse
* The Mean Lion and the Smart Rabbit
* The Crow, the Doves and the Mouse
* Three Little Pigs

Folk Stories
* Stone Soup
* Little Red Hen
* Little Red Riding Hood

Educational Books
* A to Z Animals, A fun book to learn alphabets with pictures of animals.
* A to Z Fruits and Vegetables - Junior/Preschool/Yummy Riddles - A set of three books to learn alphabets with pictures of fruits and vegetables.
* The World of Trucks - Big and Small - A fun book with pictures and engine sounds of Trucks of various sizes and shapes. Includes Fire Truck with siren and horn, Crane Truck, Garbage Truck, Tow Truck, Picukup Truck, Dump Truck, Road Train etc.
* The World of Dinosaurs - Big and Small
* National Monuments of America
* Things that go - Book with pictures and sounds of cars, trucks, boats and ships.

You can check top 100 book apps at http://www.ecolibris.net/bookapps.asp. As you'll see, this list is in work, but we promise to update it every week until we'll have all 100 book apps.

You're also welcome to check our list of 100 green apps.


Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Check our special holiday offer!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

The greenest Christmas tree - a book tree!






















If you can't decide yet whether to buy a fake or real Christmas tree, because you don't know which option is greener, we have an alternative offer for you - a book tree.

Yes, a colorful tree made of books! Sounds impossible? Just look at the photos sent to GalleyCat with great trees people made from books. And of course, it's not just a unique and fun idea, it's also the greenest tree you can have for Christmas!

To see more great photos of book trees, visit Galleycat flickr's page.

And if you still consider which tree to buy and want to know which tree is greener - plastic or natural you can read the answer here and also check this New York Times video:




Photo credit: galleycat, flickr

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!