Young Adult Fantasy books with homosexual protagonists

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a wave of diversity in Young Adult fiction, especially when it comes to embracing homosexual protagonists across the spectrum of gender and sexuality. Read on to discover some of our favorite examples of this welcome trend. Representation matters across all areas of media and culture, but it’s especially true when it comes to Young Adult work.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

This book is a tale of magic and identity set in a spectacular and imaginative setting that practically hums and buzzes with life. It is also a quintessential coming of age tale, featuring a young Bruja who must travel to a strange land to save her family. One balanced by an entertaining and deep cast of supporting characters and page-turning plotting.

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

Magical Realism has been a source of wonder and depth for decades, and this beautifully written book from Anna-Marie McLemore is no exception. Buoyed by an honest, and heart-swelling, depreciation of a blossoming young homosexual romance, this is a poetic and profound work with complex and relatable characters and deftly lyrical prose.

If you want to find a Young Adult fantasy that ticks all the boxes for you, why not head over to www.hublmedia.com and browse their tremendous selection of eBooks and audiobooks.

Two fantasy classic series you need to read in your lifetime

There are millions upon millions of books in the world with many released every single day, however, there are some classics out there that you need to read. If fantasy is your chosen genre, you need to add these books to your must-read list.

Lord of the Rings - As one of the best-written novel series of all time, Lord of the Rings is an essential book to read in your lifetime. Going by the title, the books follow the story of the ring. Long ago twenty rings existed: three for elves, seven for dwarves, nine for men, and one made by the Dark Lord Sauron in Mordor which would rule all others. Later he was killed and the ring fell to the bottom of the ocean. It’s found and the story unwinds from there with the aim to destroy the ring as it harms anyone in its power.

A Song of Ice and Fire series - Now made into the renowned action-packed TV series, Game of Thrones, the show originated as a series of books, and is worth the read. ‘A Games of Thrones’ is the first one in the series followed by A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. The series follows the different families in the seven kingdoms who are all after the throne. There’s violence, death, honor, and shock as you plod your way through the novels.

If you’re obsessed with fantasy novels, check out the large selection of books at www.hublmedia.com.

Mind-blowing Alternatives to the Traditional Christmas Tree

Melania Trump has left the world speechless with her decision to turn her back on the traditional and opt for blood-red, undecorated trees. However, if you’re looking for something a bit different there are lots of other options too. Here are just a few mind-blowing alternatives to the traditional Christmas tree.

The Floating Tree

Although it’s true that traditional Christmas trees look fabulous, it’s incredibly annoying having to constantly pick up pine needles. If you want to make a wow statement without all the mess, opt for a floating tree instead. This is essentially a low-hanging mobile with lots of baubles suspended at strategic heights to create a Christmas tree shape. When done correctly it’s a real winner and provides a very modern look for Yuletide decor.

Fiber board Christmas Tree

If you simply don’t have the floorspace for a full Christmas tree but still want to create the effect, opt for a fiber board Christmas tree instead. All you need is a bit of wall space where you can hang your board. Insert pegs into the board to wind your lights round and then add decorations as you see fit. Voila! An instant Christmas tree that won’t gobble up your entire room.

Modernist Scandinavian Tree

For a look that’s bold and very contemporary, try a modern Scandinavian tree instead. Made from black metal and adorned with simple gold stars, it has three tiers and a conical silhouette. It stands just like a Christmas tree but with a far sleeker shape and no additional decorations, it’s a great choice for a minimalist style.

To get more ideas about Yuletide, hop on over to www.hublmedia.com where you’ll find lots of different books to get you feeling festive. With thousands of books available online, you’ll never find yourself short of inspiration!

No more complaints: 4 Tips To Starting a Healthy Lifestyle

It’s so easy to list all the things we want to do, and so hard to actually do them. We’re all about getting a workout before work until the alarm goes off at five in the morning, then we’re all about listing complaints and reasons why not to get up. Everyone wants to be the cool instagramer that eats avocado and salads until they have to cook and actually drink those green smoothies. As soon as you have to commit to a healthy lifestyle it’s all complaints, complaints and even more complaints. Fear not! We have the perfect tips to turn those complaints into commitments:

• Start with small goals: consider it more as a transition rather than a change. Set realistic long-term goals and short-term goals. Give yourself something to work towards to, for example, rather than going for a 5k run start with a 2k walk and work your way up to your 5k goal.
• Don’t change everything at once: prioritize what area of your life you want to improve first: is it your diet? Is it how much sport you do? Is it your mental health? And build your new healthy lifestyle around that area, because it will all connect in the end. So don’t complain it’s too much.
• Do it with friends: it always helps when you’re not alone. So whether it’s going to the gym together or cooking with your roommate, it helps to stay committed if you do things together.
• Keep the hype up: whatever got you excited to change your lifestyle, make sure you work on maintaining your motivation for the first few weeks until it becomes a habit. Read articles, watch youtube videos, anything that keeps you far away from the complaints train that takes you back to the start.

We hope these tricks are enough to motivate you to start and maintain a healthier lifestyle. It’s important to avoid complaining about how hard it can be because a big ally towards you succeeding is your mentality. So, no more complaints, and if you’re looking for some more inspiration go check out our online library www.hublmedia.com for books on the healthy lifestyle you wish to achieve.

The Difference Between Mermaids and Sirens

Often confused the one for the other, sirens and mermaids are not the same creature. It’s true that both mythological beings are supposed to be beautiful women with magical abilities, they can both be either helpful and loving to humans, or deadly. So, what exactly are the main differences then?

• Origins: mermaids are creatures that you can find in almost any folklore around the world. Many civilizations were built near water and used mermaid as a way to explain the dangers you can find in the ocean. Sirens, on the other hand, have only ever been mentioned in Greek mythology.
• Appearances: both creatures are described as being part beautiful woman. Mermaids are half woman and half fish, whilst siren, on the other hand, are represented as half birds. Depending on what myth you read they are described differently, mostly they are portrayed as having a bird body and a woman's head, but others say they were women with bird-like wings.
• Beautiful voices: although modern folklore depicts mermaids as beautiful singers, that is only a recent feature for them. Sirens were always the singers and creatures with beautiful voices, who would use it as a weapon to lure and kill men.
• Evil nature: depending on what myth you read about mermaids, they weren’t always evil. Sometimes they are described as shy creatures that help sailors get back home. Sirens, however, have always been presented as forces of evil/

Hopefully, you can now understand the difference between these two creatures. If you wish to read about fantasy stories with mermaids or any other magical creatures, check out our online library www.hublmedia.com.

Beginners Guide to Meditation, Part I: The Brain

Meditation is the mental practice where you focus on one thing in order to achieve a state of mindfulness; during this state, we experience mental and emotional clarity. The way meditation works and benefits the body is as following: your brain functions on five major wavelengths throughout the day, the higher the frequency, the more hyperactive your brain is. Through meditation, you lower the frequency into ideally a state of calmness. Before venturing into the actual practice of meditation, here is an explanation on the five wavelengths your brain works in:

• Gamma state: (30-100 Hz), this is the brains most hyperactive state and where it’s capable of retaining the most information. During this state your brain is extremely stimulated which makes it easy for you to remember and learn new things, it’s a behavior encouraged during presentations in order to ensure that the public remembers the content. However, if your brain is overstimulated during this state, you might end up falling into a state of anxiety.
• Beta State: (13-30 Hz) our standard thinking stage. During this frequency, our brain is analytical and assessing situations. I suppose you can referer to this state as the state of ‘reason’. Your brain should usually be during this frequency throughout the day.
• Alpha state: (9-13) at this frequency, your brain begins to slow down. During this state, you feel that your brain, and most likely your body as well, begin to relax and enter a state of tranquility. It’s usually associated with daydreaming and we achieve it by taking part in activities that encourage mindfulness like taking a walk, doing yoga or even driving through familiar routes.
• Theta state:  (4-8 Hz) Most people achieve this state during meditation. At this frequency, your brain decreases its thinking and increases your awareness and intuition making it easier to visualize and solve problems.
• Delta state (1-3 Hz): people usually reach this low level of frequency during a deep sleep. However, you can actually achieve this through meditation, but it usually requires a lot of experience.

Meditation is a practice that ends up giving you the ability to identify and control the state your mind is in and lower your brains wavelength. In the next part of this article we will look into different ways you can meditate, but until then why don’t you browse throughout our online library www.hublmedia.com for books that inspire you to pursue meditation.

The Origins of Mermaids

Mermaids have been present in several cultures for thousands of years. From Poseidon’s children to Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘The Little Mermaid’, there have been multiple representations of these beautiful but deadly sea creatures. Civilizations that had no contact with each other had their own versions of mermaids, so, what caused all of them to create the same mythological creature?

• Fear of the Sea

Mermaids represent the duality of the sea; how it can be both beautiful and deadly at the same time. This is why most stories about mermaids are either romantic or horrific. Initially, mermaids were a metaphor for the ocean and symbolized all the terrors it could bring; the unknown dangers of the ocean and uncharted waters. Since most sailors didn’t actually know how to swim, mermaids became the reason why so many of them didn’t come back.

• Religion

Early civilizations were built around bodies of water like rivers or seas. Several early religions would use myths and legends as a way to warn people of the dangers that lay outside of cities. The first examples of mermaid-like creatures were actually how civilizations portrayed their Gods with the Babylonian God Ea being the first to be described as half human half sea creature. However, the first historical representation of a mermaid came from the Assyrian goddess Astargatis, who after accidentally killing a human dove into the ocean to hide from humanity. She turned into a fish but insisted on keeping her beauty, hence becoming the first ever mermaid.

• Culture

Varying cultures appropriated mermaids but had different connotations for them. Greeks and British people feared mermaids and saw them as forces of evil who would tempt sailors with their beauty only to later drown them. Persian culture as well Irish believed mermaids were good souled and shy creatures that would sing to the sailors in order to guide them back to land.

There are countless stories about mermaids that you can find in almost any civilization that lived by water. If you wish to read about mermaids and other fantastic tales, pop by our online library www.hublmedia.com and check out our selection of fantasy and adventure books!