Wednesday 5: Ideal Bookshelf

A recent find:

Ideal Bookshelf

Artist Jane Mount paints your ideal bookshelf: the spines of books you love, or books that identify you, or... however you choose them, the books that would be on Your Ideal Bookshelf.

As soon as I read about it... I was pretty sure I knew mine:

1. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. This cover, in particular.

2. Speaker for The Dead- Orson Scott Card. Was pretty much the reason I majored in anthropology.

3. Beauty- Robin McKinley. My favorite retelling of my favorite fairy tale. And an ode to bookish girls everywhere.

4. Poetry's tougher- so many that I love have these skinny spines, hard to paint, I imagine. So... either Omeros, by Derek Walcott, or The Dream Songs, by John Berryman. Both ideal because I love the language, and because of the people who gave them to me.

5. A cookbook.  Jane Brody's Good Food Book. It may not be sexy, but these are my go-to recipes, many I grew up with.

Of course, having made this list... there would be a few others I feel weird having left out. So... use them as bookends?

All Creatures Great and Small- James Herriot. I love these books. If audiobooks count as reading, I've read this almost as many times as I've read The Westing Game, by now.

Gentlemen of the Road- Michael Chabon. The first book I reviewed for the Ledger. Without which, this blog wouldn't be here!

Short Reviews: YA edition

Throne of Fire: (Kane Chronicles #2)

Rick Riordan, and this book, were the jump-up-and-down-excited centerpiece of the Book Expo for me this year. I got this one signed on my birthday! Birthday wishes from Rick Riordan, too! Best birthday EVER! Definitely fun to read, and definitely a sequel. The series continues beyond this book, too. Write faster, Rick Riordan! Please?
Inventive characterizations of Egyptian gods, great magic system. I read this after listening to the prequel as a terrific audiobook, so I still heard the two readers' voices in my head, alternating Sadie and Carter chapters to continue the action.
Definitely works well in both audiobook and text formats. A fast, fun read, for kids,, and enough creative adventure to have adult appeal too I think. Maybe, it even scratches the Harry Potter itch, now that we live in a world with no new Harry Potter anything! (So weird!)

When the Stars Go Blue
Caridad Ferrer
Thomas Dunne Fiction 2010 $9.99 paperback
Another BEA grab. I'm a sucker for well written YA, and good adaptations of classical stories, also a sucker for dance narrative.
This book does a terrific job of hitting my sweet spot. Soledad Reyes, a strong, authentic narrator loves to dance, is close to her grandmother, and it's important to her to stay true to her Hispanic heritage.  After years of training as a dancer,  in ballet and other forms, including flamenco, Soledad gets the chance to be part of an extravagant band performance/competition. They're using her experience doing flamenco dancing and ballet, and her exotic look, to use her as the centerpiece of the performance, and the only girl in the band, really. Reading this, I could almost picture the performance, and I wish I could see more. Maybe this could turn into a movie?

A love triangle between Soledad, and two boys- one an all-American band guy, one a Spanish soccer player builds a reinterpretation of Carmen into character development and obsession/passion along interesting lines.

Stupid Fast
Geoff Herbach
YA fiction, 311 pages.
Sourcebooks

Stupid Fast captures the thoughts and voice of Felton Reinstein, a teenager whose sudden growth spurt catapults him from the dork everyone teased and called Squirrel Nut, to a jock, with a suddenly popular crowd of friends. The most fun part of reading this is seeing so completely inside his head- his scathing observations about his small town, self-deprecating humor about suddenly having hair growing everywhere, even a shy first romance. Well-written supporting characters, like his goofy kid brother, his new football friends, and even his mother, flesh the story out. Told in Felton's wry voice, the mental issues his mom deals with get their due seriousness, without turning into movie-of-the-week mawkish drama.

Delirium- Lauren Oliver
Set in an alternate (future?) America, this dystopian fiction sets up the idea that love is a disease, amor deliria, and it is eradicated completely and scientifically. Teenagers have "the procedure" and then go on to lead placid lives, paired with their ideal mate, peacefully, in a world free of crime... and a world free of passion. There's a definite whiff of The Handmaid's Tale going on here, in the dystopian setting that curtails everything about desire and love as "unnatural." But... it's not as skewed towards stifling women, maybe. Since both genders get the procedure.
It also reminded me of a short scifi story I'd been trying to remember: "A Defense of Social Contracts" by Martha Soukoup. I read it in Nebula Awards 30, ages ago.
Though she's trying to behave and wait for her procedure when everything will be okay, Lena (short for Magdalena, a nice touch) knows that her mother's procedure didn't work... so she's grown up under scrutiny, in case she turns out as "crazy" or rebellious as her mother.
The driving force of the book is, of course, things Not Going As Planned By The Carefully Ordered Society, and Lena finding herself in the center of the upheaval. As well-plotted as this adventure was-- I'm having trouble imagining what will show up in the sequel, which I understand is forthcoming.

Shag, Marry, Throw Off A Cliff: Books

Once in a while, the fannish corners of the Internet erupt in a discussion of Shag, Marry, Throw off a Cliff...

Here's how it works. Pick 3 celebrities. Then, decide what category each fits. Here, John Barrowman explains. Moderately NSFW. British gents discussiong shagging, and all.

Know what else fits into three categories? Books! And... they fall into similar parameters.

Marry: The books I know I want to linger over, keep on my bookshelves, to have and to hold, to read and reread, to pack into boxes and haul around if I move. Books I love, and want to lend. (So okay, either the analogy suffers there... or it's an open marriage? Lord... my parents read my blog!)

Shag: The books I spend time with, then never need to see again. Library books mostly. I read fast enough that some of them are, quite literally, one night stands. Nice, while they last, but don't need to revisit or re-read.

Throw Off A Cliff: I have been known to throw books. Against walls, mostly, as it's quite impractical to pitch them from a great height. Books I really hate, couldn't finish at all, or finish under duress.

There are no flaws with this reviewing system. Of course, there's more to say about each book, most of the time. But this covers the basics. And it amuses me....

Two from the Library: British Whimsy (And Wimsey)

I keep claiming that summer heat is no problem! Sure! Bring it on! Better than winter! I'm all good.

Yeah, last week, not so much. I don't think I posted! I read lots, but... no reviews. I also had An Awesome Librarian Friend In Town, so there were frolics to be frolicked, in addition to books to be read and heat to be avoided.

So here are two British authors people have been telling me to read for ages. Don't know why I resisted! Silly of me!

Feet of Clay- Terry Pratchett. Finished 7/17. Borrowed from the library, electronically, as a test case for the Nook. While I wound up not loving to read on the Nook's shiny screen, I did love this book. I remember reading a couple of Discworld books in college, at the urging of several friends. And they were fun, but not so much that I pursued it.
This, however, was fantastic! I giggled at Vimes and Angua and Carrot, and their silly guard antics. And little turns of phrase by Terry Pratchett slayed me, made me want to underline them, or at least tweet them. I can't remember any of them verbatim now, but I do remember giggling with delight. Must read more Terry Pratchett, definitely! Especially the Guards, I think.

Strong Poison- Dorothy L. Sayers. Finished 7/23. 261 pages. Library book.
Lord Peter Wimsey! And British whimsy! And a mystery. I've been told for years that I need to read Dorothy L. Sayers. To the many people who have said this: Yes. You told me so. I got this out of the library, and now I want to read much, much more! I giggled at Lord Peter's affable upper class goofiness, and his turns of phrase. The fact that I read this, and started watching Jeeves and Wooster, starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, in the same week... kind of makes me want to eat crumpets. And I definitely want a valet.

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For every book I read in 2011, I'm donating $1 to the New York Public Library. Donate now and they'll match your donation!

For Publishers/Publicists: ARCs closed til September 15

One of the best things about having a book blog is getting new books to read and review, from publishers and publicists. Some I request, and some are unsolicited (it's nice coming home to presents of books!)

However, due to a busy second half of my summer, with tons of traveling, I am going to have to be

Closed For New ARCs from Aug 12 to September 15.

Please do not mail books until after September 15. I will do my best to attend to review copies I have currently outstanding, and copies that come in before August 12th.

Thanks so much!

Bookstores Without Borders

It feels weird to mourn the passing of a chain bookstore.

If by "mourn" I mean... "go to the going out of business, 40% off sale."

And then feel like a vulture.

Because... clearly, what I need is more books. The BEA Book-Henge stack is... somewhat diminished? I have library books! I have three boxes of books I'd been storing at my parents' place. I have to find places for them.

So... clearly, not really in need of more books.

However...

UPDATE: The "liquidation sale?" not terribly impressive. 10% off fiction? Please... Talk to the Strand, I mean, the hand.

I'm really going to miss the crossword puzzles

So...

I have tried the Kindle.

I have tried the Color Nook.

I have made lists of all the things that are good about each, hoping to reach a decision.

In the process... I thoroughly confused myself! That was lots of fun!

I sat on a fence, thinking about how a Nook, though expensive, was cost effective... could access Kindle books even, and could use library books.

But... I didn't like the feel of it all that much, to my surprise. I didn't love the feel of reading on it. Too glowing? Too shiny? I know it was tough to read in bright sunlight. Reading in bed felt odd too, like being on the computer too long at night.

I found myself poking around and doing lots of crossword puzzles on it. Lots and lots of lovely touch screen crossword puzzles. I'm going to miss those.

But... I'm a book reviewer and book lover first, even before I'm a book blogger and Internet Scrabble/crossword junkie. And, although the advantage of a Nook is that it gives me access to lots of free books... the Kindle is nicer to read them on.

Watch: just as I settle into the world of the Kindle... some e-reader company is going to come up with a glorious hybrid of e-ink and gadget-friendly touch-screen that can read All The Books In Every Library Ever Instantly. That would be just my luck.

Auto Draft

Trying to be systematic: Nook vs. Kindle continues.

Now that I've had a few days trying out a Nook, seeing what it can do... I'm still undecided.

Well, that was the sound of the Internet (or at least those denizens of it who know me well) being unsurprised. It surprises me how much I like each, for different reasons. I've had a couple of days with the Nook, been reading Terry Pratchett, downloaded from the library. Been poking around Calibre, too, which is a neat e-book conversion software thing, and will be useful no matter which reader/platform I ultimately call home.

Let's try and break this down.
Both have:

• A store I can buy books from, no matter where I am, including free books and bargains on the classics.


• The ability to hold a ton of books and lighten my load. (though who are we kidding, I'll still jam bags with e-Reader + 2 other books on any given day, because WHO KNOWS?)


• Ability to listen to audiobooks on them. (This is why I cannot solve problems with a colorless Nook.)


• Loyal tech support from my friends, who are varied between Team Kindle, Team Nook, and Team iPad.

Incidentally, if you search for "Kindle" in the Nook app store... you get porn. Lots and lots of porn and kinky books. Yikes!!!!

Why I Love the Kindle:

1. E-ink is comfier, easier on my eyes, in a variety of lighting situations. Sunlight, corporate fluorescent, etc. Even with the blinky refresh thing!


2. Better for reading before bed, because it's bookish rather than a glowing screen.


3. I like the position my hands are in to hold the book, and just lean a thumb to one side or the other to turn the page.


4. Although it's a little... angular, and was odd at first, I like the way I can take notes and highlight what I'm reading. This is useful to me as a book reviewer.


5. Fewer apps mean it's just a reader, which is good- fewer distractions! As it is, the Internet and various shiny things get me reading less.

Why I Love the Nook.

1. Versatility- library books and Kindle and Nook and epub! Multiformat is useful to book reviewers as well as financially responsible.


2. Specifically useful to book reviewers in that it makes NetGalley and GalleyGrab plausible for me without too many tech gymnastics. Might cut down on book clutter in my place!


3. Lending books between friends is awesome, and communal, and saves money too. 


4. Touch screen crossword puzzles! LOVE!


5. Portable-computerness: email and Twitter and such, and still lighter than a book, easy to slip into my teeny bag. For someone who doesn't have a smartphone, this is an advantage.

Lingering questions:

Is there a useful way to take notes on things I'm reading on the Nook? Like a text based sticky function?

How, exactly, can you get Kindle to work with other formats, ie for GalleyGrab and NetGalley?

When/how will the library get compatible with Amazon and the Kindle?

I've heard rumors that Kindle's planning a new e-reader... if they release my perfect e-ink + versatile apps combo in 6 months, after I've bought an existing Kindle or Color Nook and dithered my head off, I'm going to be ticked!

Love Story: Didn't Love It

Love Story
Jennifer Echols
Simon and Schuster $11.00 243 pages. YA. I hope.

Erin Blackwell comes to New York to major in creative writing, leaving behind everything familiar- an affluent upbringing among Kentucky's horse breeding elite families. Her grandmother, furious that Erin won't major in business and take over the family farm, cuts her granddaughter off, leaving Erin to struggle to pay for college and hold down a job. Erin has only one familiar face in her creative writing class- the son of the stablehand, bound up in her family's history of secrets and a class divide. Trouble is- she's written him into her first story. And soon, they've got a weird, almost epistolary communication going, as their writing group workshops their overwwrought emotional stories, and in the class is reading between the lines.

Before I go into what didn't work for me about Love Story, I'll say this: I like Echols' writing overall. I like her prose style, whatever trouble I'm having with the narrative itself. I like how Echols describes things. Not too flowery, just easy to visualize. The strong muscles of a horse at the track, Erin absently over-polishing her boots while having a heated discussion, even Erin's odd roommate cutting out thousands of faces for an art project. And I like some of the supporting characters- I would have liked to see Erin's roommate Summer, and class antagonist, Manohar, given more complex roles to play. So, maybe I would like reading something else by Echols, with a different setup.

Additional disclaimer- maybe one reason this book made me wince was that it captured being 18 and in a writing class exceptionally well. Erin seemed bratty and thin-skinned, and self absorbed. Even before her classmates ripped into the story that set things rolling, she seemed defensive and bratty about having written a romance novel. Although she's cut off from her grandmother's fortune, I see a lot of the spoiled rich girl in her narration, and even in subtle actions, from saving her expensive face cream, to being careful to wear thrift shop clothes in order to disguise the money she comes from.

Onto the rest of the story--- Hunter, the stable boy, the love interest, the handsome enigma. Erin doesn't get out of her own head and her worries about writing, money, and one upping Hunter, enough to really pay attention to what Hunter's like, and that there might be a romance there. Or is there? It's hard to tell. Erin's narration overshadows things, casting them as bratty and fake, when maybe they could have been authentic. The artifice of the story's setup makes it feel contrived, and not in the gloriously campy way that makes reading a more traditional romance so much fun. Manipulations and secrets, even a scandal that, when Erin feeds it into a story, the creative writing class shouts down as cliche. Would this book work better for someone younger to read? Would Erin's voice gel perfectly with what a 19 year old thinks and does? I'm somewhat afraid to open my old journal notebooks to check.

I would have enjoyed this book more, if it seemed to be enjoying itself, playing the soap opera rich-girl-stable-boy romance for laughs and camp, or just a bit more arch and less earnest.

Thanks to Erica Feldon, Publicity Manager at Gallery Books, for sending this my way... I'm sorry that it really wasn't a book I enjoyed.

Books explore how technology, gadgets and the Internet shape our lives

Reviewed by Elizabeth Willse for the Newark Star Ledger. Original article here


The following books offer diverse perspectives on the role that technological gadgets and the internet play in our lives. Whether you read them on your e-reader or in printed form, they’re worth a look.

For a meticulous overview of the history of communication technology, there is Tim Wu’s “The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires” (Alfred A. Knopf, 336 pp., $27.95). Wu traces the cycle of each technological advancement from innovation to industry to giant, stagnating corporation. Though his analysis gets repetitive, his clear prose is so packed with historical detail that it stays interesting.

“The Offensive Internet: Speech, Privacy and Reputation,” edited by Saul Levmore and Martha C. Nussbaum (Harvard University Press, 304 pp., $27.95), collects academic essays about the legal and social issues raised by internet culture. The dense prose can be daunting, but opens necessary discussions about ethics in the digital age.

In “World Wide Mind: The Coming Integration of Humanity, Machines and the Internet” (Free Press, 256 pp., $26), science journalist Michael Chorost poses persuasive hypothetical situations demonstrating how existing and emerging technology could be used to come close to human telepathy — a concept that becomes even more intriguing considering his own experience growing up deaf, then adapting to cochlear implants.

Accessing the information our gadgets can provide is not as private as we think, as Robert Vamosi makes clear in his sobering, sometimes frightening book, “When Gadgets Betray Us: The Dark Side of Our Infatuation With New Technologies” (Basic Books, 222 pp., $26.99). From car locks to hospital records, he examines the security weaknesses created by our demand for faster, sleeker technology.

Of course, some people build businesses on the accessibility of secrets. Even though he has done jail time for his cyber crimes and credit card hacking, it’s hard not to like Max “Max Vision” Butler, the focal point of Kevin Poulsen’s “Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground” (Crown Publishers, 263 pp., $25). The capers of this misfit genius, and the FBI’s attempts to infiltrate credit card hacking rings, combine to make this a fast, fun read.

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder and central figure of “Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World’s Most Dangerous Website” (Crown, 285 pp., $23), by former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg, is mercurial and abrasively repugnant. Domscheit-Berg clearly believed in WikiLeaks’ mission; despite Assange’s slovenliness, explosive temper and secretive behavior, the author’s account borders on hero worship.

Two recent books take a closer look at Google as a company. Steven Levy’s “In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works and Shapes Our Lives” (Simon & Schuster, 432 pp., $26) is a solid view of Google, written by a journalist who has covered the company for more than a decade. It does a thorough, if sometimes dry, job of tracing Google’s evolution as a business.

For a more intimate, chattier view of Google’s rise, read “I’m Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 320 pp., $27), by former Google marketing director Doug Edwards. Joining the start-up culture of Google, Edwards has to toss aside everything he knows about traditional marketing. His sometimes bemused account of server upgrades, keyword searches and gourmet lunches brings Google’s culture to life beautifully.

Clearly written and comprehensive, Bill Kovach and Tom Rosensteil’s “Blur: How to Know What’s True in the Age of Information Overload” (Bloomsbury, 240 pp., $26) is an excellent guide to critical thinking and news literacy — and useful to have nearby when considering all these perspectives on technology.

Elizabeth Willse is a freelance reviewer from Manhattan.

Wednesday 5: 5 Chilling Reads for Scorching Days

A lot of the beach/summer book roundups I see focus on light, sunny stories, also with beaches. But what I really like to read on a gorgeous, hot day is a creepy book full of shadows and scares. I enjoy the cognitive dissonance of a sunny day and a dark, spooky tale.

Here are 5 books full of delicious shivers and outright terror.
1. Shadow Ballads, by Matt Spencer. This collection of tales has a seriously Lovecraft bent. The kind of stories that will have you checking under your bed (or your deck chair) for very nasty monsters. Matt Spencer shows himself equally at home with a ghoulishly atmospheric 19th century setting and more modern tales of terror. The contemporary scares in "Lambs of Slaughter in Blue and Gold" and "Voice of Reason" particularly gave me delicious shivers. And the quiet Vermont setting for "The Face in The Flame" gave the supernatural events of the tale that much more scary oomph!

Full disclosure- I've known Matt Spencer since we were both 16, at a writer's workshop at UVa. Even then, I knew he had a talent for the chilling tale, and it's great to see it getting a wider audience.

2. The Dead Path-Stephen M. Irwin I first read The Dead Path around last Halloween, and I can still remember some of the passages that spooked me. Spiders! Nasty, disfigured dead birds. Hallucinatory nightmares! I'll be under the bed if you need me...

3. The Haunting of Hill House- Shirley Jackson. This book is actually what inspired this particular Wednesday 5 theme. I remember that I read Jackson's creepy tale of a house turned evil, on a bright, sunny beach, with the waves lapping sweetly at my feet. Dark, spooky shadows on the page, versus lovely sunny benevolent weather kind of blew my mind, in the most delicious possible way.

4. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer- Michelle Hodkin.It's entirely possible that other readers will be less terrified than I was of the opening scenes of the book. Mara wakes up in a hospital bed, a scene described in excruciating detail, so that I can practically smell the antiseptic and hear the beeping machines. Eeek. I'll give Michelle Hodkin credit, here, and elsewhere through the book, for her evocatively scary descriptions, of the ordinary as well as the paranormal. And will be posting a full-length review closer to the publication date.

5. The Alienist- Caleb Carr. The excruciatingly scary last few scenes of this book made me wish I'd read it on a sunny beach, instead of alone, at night in my apartment. Mercifully, enough time has passed  since I read this that I cannot remember the specifics, but I remember really, really not wanting to turn the light out that night.

Read more Wednesday 5 Lists Here.

The Twelfth Enchantment is Enchanting

The Twelfth Enchantment
David Liss
Random House
August 2011
ARC from Random House, thanks to Lucy Gibson, who sent me a copy.

The Twelfth Enchantment is a combination of things I love. Historical fiction, set at the start of the Industrial Revolution in England, it encompasses a period of social history I find fascinating. Give me a good ballroom dance, a few pelisses and fans, and I'm happy. Even better: there's a well-constructed magic system, with a particularly scholarly bent. I knew David Liss did historical fiction, but I'm thrilled that he's making a foray into the supernatural- and I hope he continues to work with the juxtaposition of the two genres. And there's romance, too. Romance with banter! I feel like this book was made to order, just for me.

Onto the story: Lucy Derrick is a woman of genteel breeding, and really tough luck. Her father and beloved sister have both died, forcing her to live at the mercy of a mean and stingy uncle, with a marriage proposal from the odious Mr. Olson looking like her only escape.
Enter the enigmatic Miss Crawford, who suggests that Lucy might have more power than she knows. Power over her destiny, and those who have stolen what's rightfully hers. Learning magic is the key.

I'm impressed that the magic system Liss sets up is more nuanced than flashy wish-fulfillment. Lucy has to study hard, puzzling over Agrippa and other classical scholars, working symbols and charms carefully, to do what she wants to do with magic. I'm impressed, too, with the carefully constructed symbolism and rules worked into the magic charms. Lucy can only meet an adversary with the charms and spells she's studied and prepared, though she can improvise a little. That lets Lucy be a resourceful heroine, but not all-powerful.

Layers and layers of intrigue surround what Lucy has to do. It's not just a facile black-white quest of girl heroine taking down the big baddie. Much more well constructed as to motivations, and allegiances Lucy has to make, and has to question. Also, a few touches that feel as though they are references to fairy tales and folk lore that I just can't quite name-- they work seamlessly and timelessly.

Setting his story at the start of the Industrial Revolution, Liss uses the role of magic to raise interesting questions about historical attitudes toward industrialization versus nature, reason versus emotion. Having the characters play those out in the context of Lucy's adventure and magic, renews debates and discussions I vaguely remember from history and English classes. There are a few historical cameos as well. I might have giggled delightedly and said "Hi Byron!" to my book, when he entered the scene.

The Twelfth Enchantment is definitely in my sweet spot, with so many elements I know I like. I can see other fans of Lauren Willig and Marissa Doyle snapping this up as delightedly as I did. (Pro tip: clear your weekend. You won't want to do anything but read this, once it gets going.) Although Lucy's story feels decidedly finished by the end of the tale, I'd love to see Liss revisit this magic system and this time period in further novels.

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For every book I read in 2011, I'm donating $1 to the New York Public Library.

Beauty Queens! Pirates! Reality TV!

Beauty Queens
Libba Bray
Scholastic, 396 pages
Library book.

When their plane crashes on a desert island, the contestants of the Miss Teen Dream beauty pageant have to work together to survive in the wilderness. With just that, they'd be out of their congenial, sequined, baton twirling depth. Add a sinister corporation, and a few contestants who aren't what they seem to be, and things really get interesting. Did I mention the pirates? And the reality TV?

If any of the above makes you laugh, or if you've ever enjoyed Buffy the Vampire Slayer's combination of ass-kicking women and snark... this is the book for you. It sets itself up with plenty of pop culture, from a frame as a Corporation-sponsored Reality Show (with commercial breaks), to nods to boy bands and beauty products. The girls' approach to their beauty queen identity, and their reaction to being stranded, will vary from helplessness to awesome ass-kicking... and some transformation from one to the other.
Some of the ones to watch- Taylor, who really buys into the pageant queen ethos at the outset; smart-mouthed Adina, who really does not; Mary Lou, whose evolution is fascinating, and Petra, just because.

I wish this could get another life as a comic book or graphic novel, or even a television series, because there's so much that's visual, and paced like a TV show. With stronger, better female characters, and funnier dialogue, than a lot of what's on TV or in movies.

Great fun, and an ideal, summer read- a goofy adventure with some substance lurking under its snark.

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For every book I read in 2011, I'm donating $1 to the New York Public Library.

E-Reader Cage Match Round 2: Here Comes The Sun!

So, I have almost 2 weeks to test the Color Nook. This afternoon, it had its most crucial test:

Sunlight.

Couldn't have asked for a nicer day for this field test. Gorgeous blue skies, a soft breeze. Exactly the sort of day I'd slather sunblock, pop on the shades, and find a sunny park with my book. I know Kindle's e-ink can handle this kind of afternoon no problem.

So, I fired up the Nook with some good test cases: a Rizzoli and Isles short story and a Terry Pratchett novel. Thus far- no money spent. Hoping to keep it that way for the duration, until I've made a decision.

Shade/Some Sun: Nook functions well in the kind of dappled mostly-shade someone as pale as yours truly should sit in. It's a little shiny on the surface, which takes some getting used to.

Could I get used to it? Not sure! It did sort of make for some squinting while I was setting the book up to read.

Reading was fine, if a little glassy-surfaced.

Direct Sun: Bad news! My favorite sort of lovely, warm, basking sun makes the Nook screen all glassy and mirrored and flashy. I can see myself in this book. And not in a literary interpretation kind of way.

[caption id="attachment_3267" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Self Portrait, in Nook Screen! Boo!"][/caption]

Learning how to tilt and angle the screen cuts down the glare somewhat, but still, it impeded the reading experience.

I hear from Rachel, one of my guides through this Nook process, that there's a special anti-glare screen you can get for $15. Didn't hear about that in the store. Wonder if return policy applies to it + Nook. That might help.

Overall winner: Kindle

Round 3, Special Teams: Although not central to the experiment, I have also learned a few other neat things about the Nook.

There's a free crossword app. I kind of love the touch screen manipulation, and the fake handwriting font.

Rachel just lent me a book! I'll finally read The Hunger Games! (Book Blogger world stops in its tracks.)

So... I have discovered useful things. The shiny screen is very much not my favorite thing, but I do love the workings of the Nook. Remains to be seen if I get too distracted by its shiny toy possibilities to actually, ya know, read on it.

Winner: On the sheer number and variety of accessible options- the Nook Wins! Even before I root it, it has more going on than the Kindle. Not sure, as a reader, whether that's a good thing, though....

Get ready for The Next Test: Bedtime reading!

I have 13 more days- what other tasks should I set myself on the Color Nook to see if it's the e-reader for me? Any other battles I can wage against the Kindle?

E-Reader Cage Match Gets Real: Testing

I have purchased a Color Nook.

Don't get excited, people. It's not like I've become decisive, or anything. No. Here is the plan. I have been test-driving the Kindle, and there are many things I like about it.

So it's only fair to give the Color Nook a chance for a road test as well.

I can return it within 14 days for a refund.

So, let the games begin.

E-Reader Cage Match Time!

[caption id="attachment_3247" align="alignright" width="225" caption="2 E-Readers Enter! The "cage" is my laundry cart. Tina Turner was unavailable for comment."][/caption]

Setup:

A bit cheating, as the Kindle I've been experimenting on came pre-set with my parents' settings. But I'm not loving the setup for the Nook. I had to Google how to put my eNYPL Adobe Digital books on it. (Treat it like a USB device, attach computer).

And now I cannot download FREE Nook books without entering a credit card number, which is finicky to do, hunting and pecking numbers on a touch screen. Free books, people, what do you need my credit card for? Not entirely loving the "enter credit card number, on device I might be returning..." idea.

Verdict: Inconclusive (as did not set up trial Kindle)


But I have books, so time for the next test!

Sunlight!

Road Testing a Nook, and the NYPL!

After about a week of walking around muttering to myself "Kindle? Color Nook? Kindle? Color Nook?" and a couple of weeks really liking the e-ink screen on the Kindle (easy on the eyes!) I realize that there's no way to actually finalize this decision until I get a chance to hold, and read a Nook Color properly, in some form other than the weird tethered setup they have in stores.

"What," I asked at the Barnes and Noble store "is the return policy on Nooks?"

14 days.

This sounds reasonable and solves a lot of problems. It will give me time to do what I did with the Kindle: get hands on, and see whether I can immerse myself in the reading, rather than the device awareness.

The big things I want to know about a Nook are:

Is it nice to read in sunlight, or will I frown and squint?

Will having all those versatile Internet options distract me from reading?

Does the screen glow too much for an insomniac to read in bed?

 

I am also curious about using the library with the Nook, which is one asset it has over the Kindle. Already, I see it could get frustrating. Unlike my mental image of a digital library full of virtual books meaning easy access all the time ever, there's a certain limitation, and even physicality to library e-books. I think it has to do with licensing, and it baffles me.

So picking a book to download made me feel thwarted. There were a few false starts.

But I have lined up ePub editions of a mystery and a YA to serve as test cases of the Nook's library-capability.

And a couple of free chapters of e-books I know I'd like- a Rizzoli and Isles short story, a bit of Rick Riordan. Load those up, add sunshine, test.

Repeat x 2 or 3 days. Will see if I feel bookish enough. What's bookish, and what does it feel like? I couldn't even tell you. It's the reason I like reading, the relaxing, dreamy way a story goes, the way a book is different from the glow of a computer screen.

Because here's where I've been stuck for weeks on the Kindle vs Nook debate:

The Kindle is flat out comfier to read! I never expected to enjoy e-ink, but I do!

The Nook Color, however, seduces me with the whole Android underpinnings. The possibility of Kindle books AND library books AND NetGalley, for a device to access! So, while I'm dubious of a glowing shiny screen, and a reader thing that has the distracting Internet tagging along with it... I persist in thinking of the Nook because it gets me more books, possibly cheaply. A Kindle is just a Kindle, but a Nook can be a Kindle too.

And I think the only way to break out of my endless indecision is to get my hands on a Nook for a few days. I apologize to the store in advance, if I wind up returning it, and joining team Kindle.

And thanks to all on Twitter who have weighed in, as I dithered!

June Wrap Up: Halfway Through The Year

Big news! With Dad's grand total of books coming to 27 and mine at 74... we've raised over $100 for the New York Public Library.  Jaye is setting her book dollars aside for the Brooklyn Public Library, which also needs love.

In June, as the New York budget came under review, with some severe funding cuts in store for the library, I was tempted to write a mid-year check for the money we'd raised. The library dodged a bullet... mostly.

On to what we read:

An interesting bookish month! I read my first book on the Kindle. And liked it! Not that I have any shortage of paper books to read. My Book Expo stack is taller than I am. Still.

Elizabeth's Books: 12

1. The Little Women Letters- Gabrielle Donnelly. 360 pages. Odd chick lit, imagining 21st century descendants of Louisa May Alcott's March sisters. Took a while to grow on me. Finished 6/1


2. I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59. - Doug Edwards. Finished 6/3. 390 pages. Reviewing for the Ledger.


3. Fenced- Jane Yolen, illustrated by Michael Cavallaro. 160 pages. Finished June 8. AMAZING!


4. Fast Times in Palestine- Pamela J. Olson. Finished 6/16. BEA book. 371 pages. A fascinating memoir, taking a different look at life and travel in the Middle East than you might expect. It's not about spiritual realization but common sense experience. Loved it.


5. The Night Circus- Erin Morgenstern. Finished 6/17. BEA book. 384 pages. LOVED it! Amazing, wonderful story. Will not be able to blog til I finish just wanting to hug this book.


6. The Taker- Alma Katsu. 448 pages. Finished 6/20. Historical fiction, woven with the supernatural, about romance and obsession. Rather dark.


7. Stupid Fast-Geoff Herbach. Finished 6/23. 311 pages. YA from the perspective of a smartass kid who suddenly finds himself turning into a popular football jock. Really good grasp of the teenage boy voice!


8. Season To Taste- Molly Birnbaum. Finished 6/24. ??? pages. My first read on a Kindle. Fascinating foodie memoir, about a would-be chef who loses her sense of smell, then has to figure out the new normal.


9. The Throne of Fire: Kane Chronicles, Book 2- Rick Riordan. Finished 6/27. Also, started 6/27. A fast, fun Egyptian adventure.


10. The Future of Us- Jay Asher. 6/29. Meh.


11. When The Stars Go Blue- Caridad Ferrer. 6/28. An interesting take on Carmen, with dance elements, and well written YA.


12. Creating a Meal You'll Love- Mark Chimsky-Lustig. Food essays? Why, yes! Yes I think I will read the heck out of this! 6/27 Loved it. Of course.

Dad's Books:

1. Caleb's Crossing- Geraldine Brooks


2. Tears of Autumn- Charles McCarry


3. Worth Dying For- Lee Childs

Jaye's books:

---

For every book I read in 2011, I'm donating $1 to the New York Public Library.

Kindle vs Color Nook: The Dithering

It's coming time to give my mom back her Kindle. Picture me clutching said device to my chest and whimpering "Nooo! We likes our precious!"

I'm even getting used to the blinky e-ink screen. I remind myself to look away. I like turning pages with the push buttons. More than I thought I would.I like the matte screen. I don't mind the dopey toggle navigation.

Soon, they tell me, the Kindle will do library books too.

And yet... a color Nook has more bang for your buck. (Pro tip: you can also read Kindle books on it!) And library books. But... those are prone to reserve scarcity in much the same way as real physical books, in a way that mystifies me. Licensing is a thing, apparently, the number of digital copies, and how often they can be lent. Weird. A Nook apparently cannot buy books internationally, and, I think, needs more computer interaction than a Kindle.

The international thing is only a thing in the later part of the summer, for me... I'll be in Edinburgh for 3 weeks... and this is the first international travel I'm doing in a very long while. Something tells me I can load up enough books to keep me busy, ahead of time, if I commit to the Nook. Reading list: Sherlock Holmes, The Help, Fingersmith... Plus, not like they don't have books there. And an entire book festival.

As someone who spends a good while pondering what color shirt to wear some mornings, I'm somewhat surprised I've narrowed the e-reader debates down to two models this quickly.

Kindle fans and Nook color fans! Argue for your favorites.

 

Wednesday 5: 5 in World War II

I realize my reading has gaps, particularly in the direction of the classics. While World War II is one of my favorite periods for historical fiction, I've read embarrassingly little written in the time period itself. That said, here are 5 modern authors who make the era of ration books, "the boys in Europe" and victory gardens real and readable.

1. A Fierce Radiance- Lauren Belfer. What I loved best about this one was the way it made the scientific climate real and present. In the years before antibiotics, death was everywhere, from seemingly innocent things. A cat scratch, a childhood fever, a scrape from falling off your roller skates. So many people had lost someone, and were living with that loss, when the hope of a cure started to emerge... from mold grown in a laboratory.

2. Nothing But a Smile- Steve Amick- a fun romp of a historical romance. Wink Dutton is discharged from the army, wounded in pride as much as in body. He finds himself boarding with the wife of an army buddy, who's had a daring idea to raise money for her struggling photography shop. Delightful story.

3. Blackout/All Clear- Connie Willis. Technically two books, and written about time travel. Future people conducting research by living in England during the Blitz. Fascinating, intense reads, though. Best to have both when you start reading the first.

4. The Information Officer- Mark Mills. I knew when I was about halfway through this, that it was going to make the list. It's set on the island of Malta in 1942, which got battered by Italian and German bombs. Against the backdrop of a war that isn't going well, grisly murders of prostitutes unfold. Max Chadwick is an information officer, playing fast and loose with the facts to boost morale. But spinning this might be beyond him.

5. The Book Thief- Markus Zusak. The narrative worked more like poetry, with strange and gorgeous images. And the story made me cry.

So many books

Sometimes I think I spend more time plotting and scheming to acquire books, than I do reading them.

Library, Kindle, ARCs, even bookstores.... In my defense, I have plenty of love for indie bookstores. And the Strand. I love reading book bloggers' reviews... with a library browser window open. Lists and lists and lists of books.

My preciouss.... lovely, lovely books.

I still haven't read, or even acquired, the Hunger Games. Or the rest of the Game of Thrones books.

I think I'm waiting for the producers of Hoarders to call me for their all-books special.