I tried out the new NOOK...

I popped into B&N yesterday.

I tried out the new NOOK. Unfortunately, I didn't have my original NOOK with me to compare side by side. It struck me that the new NOOK is smaller and at feels lighter. I haven't found a comparison of the weights yet though.

It looks good. I like it. I still like my original though. If one were to be given the choice between the two I'm not sure how the decision would be made. The original model has the pretty color screen that shows book covers whereas the new model does not. However, the new model utilizes all if its space for reading by not having the pretty color covers.

I am still convinced that eInk technology is the best for serious readers who want to convert to reading ebooks. The new NOOK model us affordable and has a friendly user interface. I think it would be a great place for most people to start.

Prize awarded in honor of my site's 5,000th visitor!

My site played host to its 5,000th visitor this week!


I decided to post an award in honor of that.


Monica was the prize winner. She and I met through our mutual use of Sonlight curriculum about 4 years ago although we had previously known each other online through Sonlight's forum.


I wanted to pick a lovely gift that I thought she would enjoy.

I mailed out her prize today; a $50 value!

Both hardcover titles by Jeanne Marie Laskas:

Fifty Acres and a Poodle

and

Fifty Acres and a Family: The Exact Same Moon

Monica, I hope you will enjoy your books! Thank you for following my blog!

How do you read? Pencil in hand taking notes?

I've been thinking about this the last few days. 

I guess I'm a book nerd. There are worse things to be. 

Depending on the book, if I owned it there have been times that I've dog-eared it to death. Pathetic, huh?

When I would come across something unusual I would want go look it up at a convenient moment. There have been times when I would keep a small notepad with the book I was reading. Even so, I'd still have to find time later to look those things up. I've taken notes in my books too. 

I'd pine away "If only I could easily look up the definition of this word right now while I'm reading..."

We've never kept a computer in our bedroom, we've always had a study. I often read in our bedroom or our living room or outdoors. These days our laptop computer may or may not be where I'm reading. If it's with me I can use it to look things up. 


These days I make highlights and take notes as I read, using my ereader. My ereader has a browser if I really want to Google something. My iPhone 4 is more functional for Internet searches though but I usually have it with me!  

For definitions I use my NOOK's inherent dictionary. I take issue with it though. I wish it used a better dictionary. I've actually looked up many words that it has no definition for. I've complained to B&N but they've not made any changes. 

I didn't used to be like this. In school there was little that I hated more than reading. I hated it. Not anymore. These days I want to experience a goodbook to it's fullest. That might really be the issue though. These days I'm in charge  of choosing my reading. 

So...How do you read?

5,000th site visitor!

Be the first to comment on this post and you'll be considered to be my 5,000th blog visitor!
You'll also receive a small prize from me!

Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan

I really wasn't sure about reading this book but I enjoyed it!

~~
Here is the book blurb:

"Bibi Chen is dead.
And she wants to tell you a story.

Busineswoman, patron of the arts and socialite Bibi Chen has been killed in mysterious circumstances. Her death may or may not be linked to the disappearance of eleven American tourists in southern Burma. They are "Following Buddha's Footprints" along the Burma Road, on an expedition dreamt up by Bibi. But when her body is found just days before the departure date, they go without her. Robbed of their guide, it isn't long before the travellers stumble into difficulty with wary tribes and the military junta.

Seduced by notions of Shangri-La, and oblivious to the cautionary cries from the watchful presence of Bibi, they continue on their ill-fated journey, becoming ever more lost in the heart of the Burma jungle ~ where a desperate tribe await their saviour...

~~~

Since the book is about 13 people the author had to take the time to intruduce the characters to the reader and that took a while. I didn't have too much trouble remembering the traits of each character though, they were each different enough. As I read this book I experienced the same thoughts the author is investigating in her writing: all actions, even the best, have side effects which weren't intended and are undesired. Is it ever possible to truly choose the best option?

Amy Tan is also the author of The Joy Luck Club which I have not yet read.

I love seeing the differences between American and British versions of books.

My particular book happens to be a British version as I bought it while we were living there. I prefer its cover...but then again it's MINE and I do believe that affects our affinity to our books.

Developments with regard to ebooks and library lending...

This economy has hit hard. Everywhere.

I am the mom of five kids. When my husband and I sat down last year to really investigate our budget I was stunned to realize how much money I was spending on reading. We lived in England from August 2007 to December 2009. Our budget allowed us to pretty much do as we pleased while we were living there; we were so blessed. In 2010, back in the US, after we analyzed our budget for the year I found that I was spending as much as $80 a month on books sometimes. That's a lot of money. I decided, on my own, that I would reel myself in to some degree.                                    I'll remark on my success with that at the end of this post.

For now, let's get on with the topic at hand:

Ebooks and Library Lending

The propagation of digital books appeared to be the miraculous incarnation of eternal life for literature.


Then Harper Collins realized that there was an avenue that could be exploited.
The decided to limit the number of times an ebook could be lent.


HarperCollinsEBookRestrictions


At first thought, this seems reasonable...
A physical book will eventually wear out.


But how soon?
I began to wonder about actual statistics on this and decided to look for some real answers.
I found this wonderful video, created by two librarians. It substantiates that traditional books really do last longer than you'd have ever imagined. I know I'm amazed.


ChallengingHarperCollinsRestrictions


I no longer feel that Harper Collins' restriction holds water.
America's libraries do so much to aid in the education of our people.
I'll tell you that I don't generally support the raising of taxes in America. This country was originally created because of taxation without representation and so it boggles my mind that we've allowed ourselves to be taxed so heavily. One type of tax that I will always consider though is taxes that allow for library expansion ad renovation...
~~~
Now...I ask you...isn't that depressing?


And so, what can we do about this situation?


OpenLetterToHarperCollins


If you would like to contact HarperCollins directly, they have set up an email address:


Library.eBook@HARPERCOLLINS.com


Honestly, I do believe that publishers may experience a decrease in revenue due to the creation of ebooks and the quickly increasing population of ereader owners. I know that the cost of ebooks is actually a lot higher than I think many were led to believe they would be. I know it's caused me to recently decide that I'd like to find a way to analyze the cost of popular ebooks over time. I have a belief that as the initial popularity of a book slowly decreases, the price will also.


Perhaps this is a legitimate situation in which an independent agency should evaluate the market to determine how best to keep publishers, writers, and libraries in business...as well as making it possible for individuals, like me, to still afford to read.


Now...back to my personal success in lowering my reading-related expenses...


I've read 22 books so far this year.



3 were downloaded from Gutenberg
2 were books bought in 2010 
1 was borrowed from my sister
6  were borrowed from the library
4 were previous purchases
1 was a previous ebook purchase
5 were library ebooks
22

Have you wondered about reading books using a "smart phone"?

I bought an iPhone 4 about six weeks ago.


My second phone in about 15 months was about ready to die, as the previous one had.
I decided I needed a more reliable phone.


I mostly need a phone to be a phone; a way to be contacted reliably.
We have five children. That's enough reason, huh?


Of course as soon as I had my phone I downloaded all kinds of reader apps.
I am not more impressed by any one particular app than others. They all pretty much do the same thing; allow you to read books on the screen of your phone.


I read parts of Bill Bryson's "At Home" on my phone last month. I knew I could do that so I purposely left home without my NOOK once in a while so I would have to use my phone to read.


I found that I really do not enjoy reading on my phone.
It's just too small.
I also found that the lighted screen appears to be much harder on my eyes than the eInk screen of my original NOOK.


I am certainly glad that my phone can be used in that capacity.
I won't be switching to my phone for reading though. I'll only use it when it becomes necessary to do so.

October Sky by Homer Hickam

I love a good true story.  The movie, same title, is a favorite of ours too.





Homer H. Hickam, Jr. had dreams...and he wasn't about to remain in Coalwood, West Virginia. The town was dying, as do miners from the day they set foot into mines. Homer's father, however, was the superintendent of the mine. Fighting your father for the right to your own future can be a very big deal. Sputnik 1 raced across the "October Sky" and grabbed the interest of everyone but especially the interest of Homer and a few of his friends. 


Supporting the dreams of  Homer and his friends was Miss Riley, their chemistry and physics teacher. 

She urged them to enter a national science fair in 1960. The "Rocket Boys" won gold and silver medals for their work in propulsion. Later, Hickam served in the Vietnam War for the US Army. He worked as an engineer for the army and then for NASA. He was also a scuba instructor and has written about that as well as about war-related topics. Sky of Stone is another non-fiction book of his, a follow-up project to October Sky.  Hickam also works as an amateur paleontologist and to his credit are the finds of two tyrannosaur dinosaurs. He has written a fictional novel titled The Dinosaur Hunter. 

October Sky was made into a film in 1999. The film runs extremely true to the book. I was quite impressed by both. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the role of Homer Hickam. Chris Cooper plays his father, while Laura Dern plays Miss Riley. October Sky is also an anagram of "Rocket Boys", the initial title of Hickam's manuscript, which was changed by studio executives as the book was adapted to film. It was felt that the new name would bring with it a broader viewing audience. I imagine that proved to be true.

At Home by Bill Bryson

What an incredible book!


I have to say that I am a fan of Bill Bryson's writing. I qualify that because I once tried to listen to him read one of his own titles as an audibook. He writes with such great humor but, boy, did he put me to sleep when he read! I had figured he'd be an amazing reader of his own books. Ah well... 


I find him quite funny as a writer. He easily bounces from thing to thing. In this book he certainly has a million and one opportunities for doing so! The whole book is about ONE single topic, the home. The book explores from the time of the earliest homes on earth up to modern day. On the way he looks at just about every possible related topic too!


If you like conversations that meander from topic to topic then this is a book you should pick up!
Bryson begins atop the house he lives in and while tracing its past he goes from room to room in his story-telling. As he discusses the roles of each room he also discusses related topics to each room.





Let me see if I can think of a few of the things explored in the book:


telephones and their place in the home
heating of homes
home libraries
gardening by gardeners and then by homeowners and...even (gasp) women
mice and other pests around the house
and of course the bedroom


~~~I only wish I had the ability to go through my notes for this book and post more in-depth. Again, this was a selection I checked out from our library's ebook lending service. Once the lending period for the book you are reading expires...so do your notes. (Unless you choose to renew it and are able to.) Unfortunately, when my book went *poof* so did my bookmarks and highlights and notes.




At 512 pages this selection is a pretty hefty one. It isn't filled with quite as much humor as most of Bryson's books are. Still, I enjoyed it a lot.

The long weekend...

So, it's Memorial Day here in the US; a time to recall to memory those who have served for our freedoms. 


I don't have any thematically-related reading to do but I did recently finish reading The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. I am considering reading this at some point and might just begin it this weekend if I can get to that point: 
Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory 
by Ben Macintyre

Aside from that I need to work on finishing reading A Tale of Two Cities. I am only 1/3 of the way through so far but like it okay. I now recall having read it in middle school. It's funny that I managed to forget some of the titles we read but recall others... I didn't like reading anything back then. I wonder why some books stuck in my memory and others didn't...

I read a sample download of a book from B&N yesterday but it costs $12.99 to purchase. I haven't bought any books so far this year and am reluctant to break that trend. With my record so far it really stands out to me how much $12.99 is for one book. I think I will wait and request it from our library. They will purchase two books a month for each person making requests!

What are your reading plans this weekend?