Great action books to share with your family

If you are looking for some great adventure books for everyone in your family, take a look at these curated by the Phraset review team.

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

by Judith Kerr

An autobiographical novel based on the author’s life When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is a sensitive and provoking look at a critical moment in history, told in approachable language for your middle-grade reader. Anna isn’t sure who Hitler is, this name she hears everywhere in Berlin, and she doesn’t understand why her father has left under the night. Her mother explains to Anna and her brother that they’ll join him soon, in secret, and over the next three years, Anna and her family live as refugees in Switzerland, France, and England. An essential companion to your child’s school studies, this book will also shed light on today’s refugee crisis.

Beyond the Bright Sea

by Lauren Wolk,

Simultaneously thrilling and beautiful, Lauren Wolk’s tale of 12-year-old orphan Crow and her journey of self-discovery will sweep your kids — and you — away. It’s the 1920s, and Crow has never known life away from Massachusetts’s isolated Elizabeth Islands. To boot, she knows only two other people: Osh, the man who rescued her from an abandoned boat, and their neighbor Miss Maggie. One night, the spark of a faraway, mysterious fire sends Crow down an unstoppable path of dangers and revelations. It’s a perfect book for starting conversations about the endless forms family can take.

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The best books of the past few years

Get reading with an exciting book curated by the review team at Phraset.

Underland by Robert Macfarlane (Landmarks, The Lost Words, The Old Ways)

The latest in MacFarlane's unofficial "series" of books on humanity's relationship with natural phenomena, Underland is a tremendous undertaking, often spiritual in its scope, detailing the many ways humans have created our connections with the world underneath the Earth's surface, from swathes of cave paintings within our remotest mountains to webs of grisly catacombs beneath our oldest cities to mines so deep and so silent it's the only place where scientists can listen for the breath of the universe. The winner of 2019's Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize, a UK-based award for nature books, Underland is a true masterpiece of naturalism, one that will have you in complete and total awe of our world.

Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi

Gingerbread is undoubtedly the weirdest book you'll read all year. Helen Oyeyemi's prose pushes and pulls in ways that make every sentence essential; skim too lackadaisically through a paragraph, and you probably missed a crucial detail. In this way, Oyeyemi's writing here feels almost refreshingly dangerous while recounting an unbelievable, hilarious, and wry story about three generations of Lee women hailing from the nonexistent (according to Google) farmstead countryside of Druhástrana, catapulting to Britain, and back. A story within a story (within an account), the novel asks you to trust in its methods -- talking dolls which might also be trees, the suggestion of wealth managing Stormzy, and, of course, the mythic Lee women's gingerbread recipe -- and wholehearted buy-in with few spoilers is the best approach to this cleverly reimagined twisting of the Grimm fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, which is practically unrecognizable in this form. Never without an ominous cloud hanging over it despite its whimsical airiness, Gingerbread is one of the rare finds where the first reading is a head-spinning delight. Still, a second and third turn would inevitably open the door to the novel's delirious true genius.

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Action-Adventure eBooks That Will Increase Your Heart Rate

It is with no doubt that reading is indeed beneficial for your health. It gives you new ideas that you can use to solve the problems that you encounter in real-life situations. Here are some of the best action-adventure books that will increase your adrenaline.

Ivanhoe - Walter Scott

In this eBook, Walter Scott talks about the beginning of time. Here, we will get to know some of the examples of historical practices in western culture. One of the Saxons in the nobles’ household, Wilfred supports King Richard with his life. The king decides to compensate him for all of the troubles he experienced while serving him. The story plot includes kidnapping and several instances of murder.

Kim - Rudyard Kipling

This book is about an orphan Irish young boy. He spends his entire life as a child in British India. Kim, the young lad discovers the Great Game that took place in India. He gets recognized as English and he is sent back to England. Kim gets schooled and trained as spycraft. He ends up being a professional spy working for his government.

The Beach - Alex Garland

This was one of the best classic adventure tales to be written. Garland writes about the importance of maintaining matters on small scale to solve problems. This skill helps him investigate the largest threats to society at large.

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Adventure quotes to share with your family

Here are some adventurous quotes to fire up your family for your next family holiday, weekend get-together, or just for the everyday.

My family is my biggest adventure.

“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It’s lethal!”

– Paulo Coelho

“Great things never come from comfort zones!”

Laugh like you are 10

Party Like you are 20

Travel Like you are 30

Think Like you are 40

Advise Like you are 50

Care Like you are 60

Love Like you are 70

Make today an adventure.

Traveling and family; the only two things in the world worth any cost or sacrifice.

And then there is the most dangerous risk of all — the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.

Any day spent with you is my favorite day.

Happiness is planning a trip to somewhere with someone you love.

Every day we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.

“Travel in the younger sort is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience”

– Francis Bacon

“Travel is Education”

“Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul.”

– Jamie Lyn Beatty

Not all classrooms have four walls.

It’s the little moments that make life great.

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Must-Read Adventure Novels To Sink Into Now

Action-adventure novels are exciting and the perfect way to get lost in fantasy. Here are just a few of the best adventure books to read now.

Escape from Baghdad by Saad Z. Hossain

This is the story of Dagr and Kinza, two men who have inherited a very important prisoner: the former star torturer of Saddam’s recently collapsed Ba’athist regime, Captain Hamid. He promises them untold riches if they smuggle him to Mosul, so they agree and enlist the help of Private Hoffman, their partner and U.S. Marine who undertakes to help them escape the authorities.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Hazel and her brother, Ben, live in Fairfold, where humans and the Folk exist side by side. Since they were children, Hazel and Ben have been telling each other stories about the boy in the glass coffin, that he is a prince and they are valiant knights, pretending their prince would be different from other faeries, the ones who made cruel bargains, lurked in the shadows of trees, and doomed tourists. But as Hazel grows up and puts aside these stories, Hazel knows the horned boy will never wake. Until one day, he does…As the world turns upside down, Hazel has to become the knight she once pretended to be.

The Liminal War by Ayize Jama-Everett

When Taggert’s adopted daughter goes missing he suspects the hand of an old enemy. He gathers friends, family, and even those who don’t quite trust that he has left his violent past behind. But their search leads them to an unexpected place, the past, and the consequences of their journey have a price that is higher than they can afford.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines—puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

After the sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan—and a 450-pound royal bengal tiger.

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Tips and Tricks to Write Your Action/Adventure Novel Pt 1

Are you an aspiring writer looking to write your next (or your first) action/adventure novel? That’s great! Here are some tips and tricks that may help along the way.

Shorter sentences make for a faster pace. A long, laborious, sentence, filled with unnecessary commas, pauses, and way too many details, makes for a long, slow, read. Short sentences mean action. Fast paced reading. No time to waste. It’s happening now. Understanding the effect of sentence length on pace is a valuable tool for any writer, especially if you’re you’re looking to throw some action into your story.

Actions need to be goal oriented. Everyone loves reading about an exploding building or a fast paced car chase, but action has to advance the plot, not just provide a shiny distraction. Writing action scenes are tricky, but if you hone that skill without having the action lead to a goal (the bad guys are blowing up the building to distract the cops from their true caper, for example) then the novel as a whole will lack substance, and the action will ultimately fall flat.

Don’t let your characters overthink. As mentioned above, the action definitely needs to be goal oriented, but when setting those goals don’t let your characters get too carried away in their thought process. Actions, not thoughts, are what audiences crave when it comes to action/adventure novels.

Looking for some action and adventure? Visit our online library at www.phraset.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices.

Tips and Tricks to Write Your Action/Adventure Novel Pt 1

Are you an aspiring writer looking to write your next (or your first) action/adventure novel? That’s great! Here are some tips and tricks that may help along the way.

Shorter sentences make for a faster pace. A long, laborious, sentence, filled with unnecessary commas, pauses, and way too many details, makes for a long, slow, read. Short sentences mean action. Fast paced reading. No time to waste. It’s happening now. Understanding the effect of sentence length on pace is a valuable tool for any writer, especially if you’re you’re looking to throw some action into your story.

Actions need to be goal oriented. Everyone loves reading about an exploding building or a fast paced car chase, but action has to advance the plot, not just provide a shiny distraction. Writing action scenes are tricky, but if you hone that skill without having the action lead to a goal (the bad guys are blowing up the building to distract the cops from their true caper, for example) then the novel as a whole will lack substance, and the action will ultimately fall flat.

Don’t let your characters overthink. As mentioned above, the action definitely needs to be goal oriented, but when setting those goals don’t let your characters get too carried away in their thought process. Actions, not thoughts, are what audiences crave when it comes to action/adventure novels.

Looking for some action and adventure? Visit our online library at www.phraset.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices.

Who Says Boys Should Have All the Fun?

When you’re ready for something different, here are two great action/adventure novels with alternative female leads. Who says boys should have all the fun?

This Is Devin Jones by Kristen Conrad. A Beverly Hills cop with a somewhat messy life, Devin finds herself recently dumped after a secret affair with a closeted leading lady of Hollywood and dealing with a dead body that turns up on the lawn of a washed-out Hollywood legend. Can things get any worse? Of course they can! While on a terrible blind date to the Hollywood Screen Awards Devin realizes that a madman has taken 25 of the biggest Hollywood stars hostage. Unarmed and with no backup, can she save the day, and herself? This Is Devin Jones is Kristen Conrad’s debut effort, and makes us wonder what Die Hard would be like with a strong female lead!

Shell Game by Benny Lawrence. Who says pirate fiction can’t be hilarious? Our story begins when Darren, a ruthless female pirate captain kidnaps Lynn, a poor damsel in distress in a remote fishing village in the middle of a civil war. In what may be a somewhat bizarre case of mistaken identity, however, it turns out Darren may not be as ruthless or morally bankrupt as Lynn had thought, and Lynn is by no means as helpless or innocent as Darren perceived her to be. As the adventure continues, Darren and Lynn encounter bounty hunters, ex-girlfriends and “slow death involving marmalade.”

Looking for action and adventure? Visit our online library at www.phraset.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more, accessible anytime from your favorite devices!

Novelizing the Video Game

We love action-packed video games, there’s no denying it. The thrill of exploring imaginary worlds, the adrenaline that comes from battling the forces of evil, for some hardcore gamers there’s nothing else quite like it. Even those of us who grew up in the era of 8-bit or earlier can’t help but get sucked into the latest titles on occasion. And while it’s to be expected that video games have inspired all sorts of other visual media, from movies to webisodes to extra content getting thrown into games, they’re inspired another form of media as well: books. Yes, video games have not only started serving as the inspiration for epic action-packed novels, they’re serving as the basis for the storylines too.

Assassin’s Creed, perhaps one of the most popular video game franchises of the last decade, has captivated fans with dozens of titles across multiple platform, even inspiring a major motion picture. It has also, of course, inspired no less than fifteen novels, an impressive feat for any franchise, video game or otherwise, and this not counting the graphic novels released under the Assassin’s Creed banner as well. Not to be outdone, titles like Diablo, Halo, Mass Effect, Resident Evil, StarCraft, Warcraft, and even Sonic the Hedgehog have inspired a combined body of works numbering in the hundreds of books, making the novelization of the video game a cultural phenomenon that can’t be ignored.

Looking for more action and adventure? Visit our online library at www.phraset.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more, accessible anytime from your favorite devices.

Is the Action Hero Here to Stay?

They may be getting older, but starts like Stallone and Schwarzenegger are in no way seeing their status decline. With movies like the Expendables franchise raking in the big bucks at the box office, it seems like there will always be a safe haven for the aging actions stars, even as new ones emerge in the changing film landscape. With studios reboot and reimagine a franchise, as seen recently with titles like The Terminator, Predator, and upcoming movies including The Crow and Commando, it seems our thirst for action is far from being quenched!

Superhero movies are only adding fuel to the fire, and with the millions of fans flocking to the big screen to see their favorite heroes come to life has come a resurgence of interest in the graphic novel. With titles and timelines being reimagined to better fit the films, the big names in the industry like Marvel and DC are enjoying a resurgence while breathing new life into the action hero.

The literary world is no exception! Tom Clancy continues to thrill us with tales of Jack Ryan, a character who has now come to life on the small screen, all while Dan Brown continues to tell the tale of Robert Langdon, already immortalized in several motion pictures. Younger readers are introduced to a new breed of action star like Harry Potter, portrayed in film by Daniel Ratcliffe, ensuring that the love of the action hero is developed at a young age. It would appear that the action hero is alive and well, and here to stay.

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Action Packed Activities for Your Winter

It may be cold outside, but that doesn’t mean the adventures have to stop! For those who are always on the lookout for a thrill, there’s plenty on offer over the winter to keep the adrenaline pumping. Here are three action packed activities you can enjoy this winter.

Snow football. You heard right, as if regular football wasn’t tough enough try your hand at running the ball in the snow. An amazing workout and a considerable challenge, snow football is one exciting activity that shouldn’t be overlooked this winter.

Snowbiking. No pedaling needed, and an adrenaline rush like no other, snowbiking is a unique adventure well worth trying this winter. With a seat and a handlebar like a regular bicycle but skis instead of wheels, riding a snowbike is easy to pick up for anyone who already rides a regular bike, and the brave ones who are ready to try bombing down a snowy hill by bike are sure to be rewarded with a rush.

Winter hiking. Sometimes you just need to get out and go! For those who don’t want to wait for warmer weather in order to enjoy a good hike, many hiking trails can be found that are operational over the winter. A perfect way to reconnect with nature well before the spring. Don’t forget to dress in layers and bring plenty of water!

Looking for more action? Visit our online library at www.phraset.com for a wide variety of action-packed ebooks, audio books, music, and more!

Could These Be The Best Adventure Books Ever?

If you have adventure in your heart, the next best thing to being able to get out there and explore, is reading about someone else doing it. There are lots of adventure books but we think we’ve tracked down the very best. Here’s a selection of exciting adventures from all kinds of terrain that are guaranteed to excite.

Kon-Tiki - Thor Heyerdahl

Convinced that the Polynesian islands were settled by natives from South America long before Columbus set sail, Thor Heyerdahl recreated the conditions to test the theory for himself. Taking to the waters with no more than a balsa log raft and a team of kindred spirits, they set sail on the Pacific Ocean. Traveling 4300 nautical miles over 101 days, Thor Heyerdahl and his crew arrived. A true tale of man versus nature, this story is nothing short of a triumph.

Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer

This story is about one tragic season where many mountaineers lost their life trying to reach the peak of Mount Everest. The author is one of the few survivors from 1996, which claimed the lives of 15 climbers. Excruciating in its honesty, Krakauer speaks with candor about what really happened and the mistakes that were made.

Wild - Cheryl Strayed

Not every adventure has to take place in a far-flung land and for Cheryl Strayed, it simply meant hiking along Pacific Coast Trail. At more than 1000 miles, this was no meager undertaking but the 26-year-old wanted the opportunity to heal her heart and experience the wilderness solo. Beautiful in its simplicity, this tale will inspire every reader to plan their own adventure.

If your appetite has been whetted for adventure, you’ll find many more at www.phraset.com. A great library with a vast range of titles, there are all types of exciting literary escapades just waiting to be discovered.