So, I have my Kobo now, and I feel like I've used it often enough to make a decision.
I love it!
The screen was larger than I had thought - I could have just taken out a tape measure and figured out the size sooner, but where's the fun in that?! - and I also find it very readable. The screen width is skinnier than the page of a paperback so I find I'm constantly "flipping" the page - but that just makes it seem like I'm reading faster than I am. I like the fact that you can adjust the font size, and that there are 2 fonts to choose from. I was brushing my teeth one night and changed the font size so I could read the chapter while the Kobo was resting on the counter. What? It was a good story!
The Kobo desktop application uploaded immediately once the Kobo device was plugged into my computer via USB, which meant no CD's or websites to find before using. The only instructions were a 4 panel fold out showing what the buttons meant, even though there are labels on the eReader. 100 classic stories were included on the device, including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and many other stories that I already owned. On the plus side, many stories were included that I had just never gotten around to buying, so you can imagine my excitement when I found it on there! And you'll have to, because I'm not uploading a video of me re-enacting it.
I also found that my Kobo was thinner and lighter than most books, so it really does fit well in my purse. I loved being able to eat and read at the same time, without having to find creative ways to keep my book open while still using both hands to eat. It's an art, really.
The website, so far, is easy to navigate: the home page highlights the newest releases and top 50 downloads, as well as categories (which then break down in to subcategories). There's even a Free eBooks page! Which, by the way, you don't need a Kobo to read them: you can use your computer! The Kobo that I refer to is just the eReader, which allows me to read my books on a smaller scale than my computer.
Downside? It's hard reading only one story at a time! With so many options to choose from, it's difficult to start a book and keep at it. Another downside is that if I want to read one of my hardcopy books (I'm pretty sure I made that phrase up, but it means a real book) I'll have to remember to bring it with me. And once I start downloading more and more books, it may be more difficult to remember which books I have in which format. I am a little worried about the potential for computer failure and losing all my stories, but a good friend of mine has suggested using a USB key or external hard drive for backup. And it makes sense.
I am still learning to use my device and haven't figured out any more of the perks/cons of it, or even if I do love it more than a real book. So please don't egg my house in the middle of the night because of it! Oh, and if you are interested in buying a REAL book, stop by my favourite book store: I'm sure they wouldn't mind siding with you against me for my sacrilegious use of an eReader.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
This story requires little introduction; however, you'll get one anyway.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was written in 1865 by Reverend Charles Dodgson, under the pen name Lewis Carroll. This story can be read on different levels - ranging from innocent child's story to a story written by a pervert with a drug problem who likes little girls too much. Some common FAQ's about the story can be found here, as well as some alternate explanations here. So I don't have to do it, a synopsis can be found here.
It had been a while since I'd last read it so I thought the story was incredibly confusing, as well as fun and nonsensical; fortunately, that seems to have been the author's intent. The writing was interesting with play on words running rampant, enabling a change of subject or change of context to what was being said. It seemed like just when I started making sense of the story, it would change again - out of the blue! Even the ending was abrupt: a deck of cards flying in Alice's face wakes her.
Earlier in the year I read The Looking Glass Wars, so I was finally able to contrast the real story with the spin-off. (Which I had meant to do shortly after I finished the book, I promise!). And just for fun, here's a link to the Johnny Depp movie (you're welcome).
Due to when the story was written, I know that there are social and/or political nuances that I've missed. Despite that, I really enjoyed the story and will be reading the sequel, Through the Looking Glass soon. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is on the Banned Book Club list of potential stories to read, so if chosen, I'll be one up on the others!
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was written in 1865 by Reverend Charles Dodgson, under the pen name Lewis Carroll. This story can be read on different levels - ranging from innocent child's story to a story written by a pervert with a drug problem who likes little girls too much. Some common FAQ's about the story can be found here, as well as some alternate explanations here. So I don't have to do it, a synopsis can be found here.
It had been a while since I'd last read it so I thought the story was incredibly confusing, as well as fun and nonsensical; fortunately, that seems to have been the author's intent. The writing was interesting with play on words running rampant, enabling a change of subject or change of context to what was being said. It seemed like just when I started making sense of the story, it would change again - out of the blue! Even the ending was abrupt: a deck of cards flying in Alice's face wakes her.
Earlier in the year I read The Looking Glass Wars, so I was finally able to contrast the real story with the spin-off. (Which I had meant to do shortly after I finished the book, I promise!). And just for fun, here's a link to the Johnny Depp movie (you're welcome).
Due to when the story was written, I know that there are social and/or political nuances that I've missed. Despite that, I really enjoyed the story and will be reading the sequel, Through the Looking Glass soon. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is on the Banned Book Club list of potential stories to read, so if chosen, I'll be one up on the others!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Wicked Lovely
Wicked Lovely, written by Melissa Marr, is Book 1 in a Young Adult series by the same name. It starred Aislinn, a normal teenager...who just so happened to see faeries, much to her chagrin.
Aided by Seth, her buddy-turned-boyfriend, Aislinn strives to figure out why faeries are suddenly paying attention to her. Eavesdropping on faeries who believed themselves invisible, Aislinn discovers that the gorgeous guy following her around is the Summer King, Keenan, who believes Aislinn to be his missing Queen. An unexpected friendship with Donia, the Winter Girl and also the last woman who tested to be the Summer Queen, enables Aislinn to understand that her mortality was surrendered when Keenan chose her. And this would have worked out fine if it weren't for Beira, Keenan's mother, the Winter Queen. Beira actively working to prevent Keenan from testing Aislinn actually helped convince Keenan and Donia that Aislinn was the Queen.
This was a cute story and the first one that I read on my new Kobo. One of my good friends is an avid reader of Melissa Marr's work, which is one of the reasons why I chose this story. I found Aislinn to be a great character and easy to relate to - even her relationship with Seth was delayed because she didn't want to be another notch on his bedpost. This book did hint at sex between Seth and Aislinn, but it was a decision that wasn't taken lightly by either parties. I found Aislinn to be a fair person who didn't let her prejudices against the faeries prevent her from helping them, despite the fact that she was totally screwed over by them. She was also strong enough to demand the right to live her life as she sees fit.
I loved Seth. He was patient with Aislinn as she discovered the potential between them. He was also strong, and self-assured, enough to love Aislinn in her new role as Queen. Keenan was annoying, whiny, and too pushy at first. He did end up growing on me, but I still thought of him as a little pathetic; however I'm definitely happy with the way the book ended. It was a happily ever after for everyone involved, I thought.
I also liked Ms. Marr's take on faeries and how they live in the modern world, but that they're invisible. It makes it interesting to think that they live among us, only unseen. It was also interesting to see how the author separated the courts into Summer, Winter, Dark and High Courts. I'm hoping that the next books will show the differences between the courts and how they interact.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series: Ink Exchange.
Aided by Seth, her buddy-turned-boyfriend, Aislinn strives to figure out why faeries are suddenly paying attention to her. Eavesdropping on faeries who believed themselves invisible, Aislinn discovers that the gorgeous guy following her around is the Summer King, Keenan, who believes Aislinn to be his missing Queen. An unexpected friendship with Donia, the Winter Girl and also the last woman who tested to be the Summer Queen, enables Aislinn to understand that her mortality was surrendered when Keenan chose her. And this would have worked out fine if it weren't for Beira, Keenan's mother, the Winter Queen. Beira actively working to prevent Keenan from testing Aislinn actually helped convince Keenan and Donia that Aislinn was the Queen.
This was a cute story and the first one that I read on my new Kobo. One of my good friends is an avid reader of Melissa Marr's work, which is one of the reasons why I chose this story. I found Aislinn to be a great character and easy to relate to - even her relationship with Seth was delayed because she didn't want to be another notch on his bedpost. This book did hint at sex between Seth and Aislinn, but it was a decision that wasn't taken lightly by either parties. I found Aislinn to be a fair person who didn't let her prejudices against the faeries prevent her from helping them, despite the fact that she was totally screwed over by them. She was also strong enough to demand the right to live her life as she sees fit.
I loved Seth. He was patient with Aislinn as she discovered the potential between them. He was also strong, and self-assured, enough to love Aislinn in her new role as Queen. Keenan was annoying, whiny, and too pushy at first. He did end up growing on me, but I still thought of him as a little pathetic; however I'm definitely happy with the way the book ended. It was a happily ever after for everyone involved, I thought.
I also liked Ms. Marr's take on faeries and how they live in the modern world, but that they're invisible. It makes it interesting to think that they live among us, only unseen. It was also interesting to see how the author separated the courts into Summer, Winter, Dark and High Courts. I'm hoping that the next books will show the differences between the courts and how they interact.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series: Ink Exchange.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Magic in the Storm
It seems like I'm ripping through these books, but the truth is that I read some of them and just waited a few days before posting. But I am finally caught up in the Allie Beckstrom series. And wow, did it ever end in a cliff hanger!
The magic in Portland is being drained and a wild storm is approaching. The Alliance is split into different factions and Terric, Shame's possible Soul Complement, has returned to help save the city. Allie is called away to hound a scene involving one of her Hounds and at the hospital learns that Greyson has escaped. Chase and Shame go to hunt Greyson while Zayvion goes to Allie to protect her on the off-chance that Greyson has found her there. When they arrive to help Shame and Chase, they learn that Shame has been attacked by Chase. Enlisting the help of Terric, they attempt to locate her. In the process, Shame is manipulated by Chase to attack Allie and Zayvion takes a big hit, with his soul being sucked in to a gate. Terric and Shame, both injured, help Allie to keep Zayvion's body alive.
When Allie wakes up the next day, magic is gone. She learns that her step-mother's house has been ransacked for secret technology: disks that hold magic. She also learns that the Authority is behind it. Finally, there's a meeting in the park in St. Johns and Allie is ordered to ground the wild magic to the disks. And that's when all hell breaks loose.
Chase and Greyson crash the party, splitting the Alliance down the middle. With the help of Jingo Jingo (a death magic master), Greyson opens a solid gate and the only thing holding back the Hungers is the spirit of Cody. Allie's dad convinces Allie to rescue Cody and that Allie's mom, of all people, will protect him. Somehow, through the part of him still attached to Greyson, Allie's dad was able to talk to Allie's mom to strike a bargain. Anyhow, Allie also learns that by closing the gate, Zayvion will be permanently stuck and will consequently die. So, what does she do? She goes in. Of course.
Umm, yeah. She has the same reckless attitude and she's still being manipulated by her dad, but at least her heart is in the right spot, even if her head isn't. So, needless to say, I will be reading the next book, even if it's just to see what happens next. Sometimes I really hate reading series.
The magic in Portland is being drained and a wild storm is approaching. The Alliance is split into different factions and Terric, Shame's possible Soul Complement, has returned to help save the city. Allie is called away to hound a scene involving one of her Hounds and at the hospital learns that Greyson has escaped. Chase and Shame go to hunt Greyson while Zayvion goes to Allie to protect her on the off-chance that Greyson has found her there. When they arrive to help Shame and Chase, they learn that Shame has been attacked by Chase. Enlisting the help of Terric, they attempt to locate her. In the process, Shame is manipulated by Chase to attack Allie and Zayvion takes a big hit, with his soul being sucked in to a gate. Terric and Shame, both injured, help Allie to keep Zayvion's body alive.
When Allie wakes up the next day, magic is gone. She learns that her step-mother's house has been ransacked for secret technology: disks that hold magic. She also learns that the Authority is behind it. Finally, there's a meeting in the park in St. Johns and Allie is ordered to ground the wild magic to the disks. And that's when all hell breaks loose.
Chase and Greyson crash the party, splitting the Alliance down the middle. With the help of Jingo Jingo (a death magic master), Greyson opens a solid gate and the only thing holding back the Hungers is the spirit of Cody. Allie's dad convinces Allie to rescue Cody and that Allie's mom, of all people, will protect him. Somehow, through the part of him still attached to Greyson, Allie's dad was able to talk to Allie's mom to strike a bargain. Anyhow, Allie also learns that by closing the gate, Zayvion will be permanently stuck and will consequently die. So, what does she do? She goes in. Of course.
Umm, yeah. She has the same reckless attitude and she's still being manipulated by her dad, but at least her heart is in the right spot, even if her head isn't. So, needless to say, I will be reading the next book, even if it's just to see what happens next. Sometimes I really hate reading series.
Kobo
Have you ever heard of Kobo? Or how about Kindle? These little gadgets are eReaders and they work a like an iPod - only for books. You download a book to your computer and then upload it onto your eReader. With differing storage sizes, you can carry up to 1000 books - on a device that is about the size of a (skinny) paperback novel!
And I'm getting one! I've ordered the Kobo eReader (read specs: here) and it should arrive in about a week. Soo excited!
One of my reasons for ordering it is that I simply have too many books. I have 3 book shelves crammed with them (granted, one does contain textbooks) and many of the books that I buy are just to try them out. In a house where bookshelf space is at a premium, I should be reserving those hot spots for my favourites, not just handing them out to whatever fits.
Another reason is because I like to read several books at once, depending on what I'm in the mood for. And now I can carry hundreds of books at once, while taking up much less space in my purse. This is really going to help when I go travelling, especially since hardcovers take up way more space than paperbacks.
Another perk: getting new release novels up to 50% less than what you'd be paying in-store. Also, there is more privacy offered when you buy a book online. I get razzed at work when I buy a romance novel, so if I was interested in something more exotic, I can buy it and no one else would know.
I have a hard time getting rid of books once I've bought them. I usually buy them for a reason, so why would I get rid of it? Well, with an eReader, the story would only use up storage space, and if I only paid $3 (or less!) for a mediocre story, I wouldn't hesitate to delete it.
One of my cons for buying an eReader was that I was worried it would read like a computer screen. And I hate reading off of a computer screen. Having done it for many years during University (and again in College), it just reminds me of doing research. But, since this little device isn't as wide as my computer screen, I'm hoping that it'll be easy to read.
Another con was that when I browse books, I honestly judge them by their cover. If it looks interesting, I pick it up and read the synopsis. If it intrigues me, I buy it. Simple as that. However, if I'm browsing books online, I'm worried that I'll be missing out on some great stories simply because they aren't on that page. Or maybe I don't have the patience. Or that I'm simply looking for something specific. Or that there are too many choices.
After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to get one. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Like I said, I read a lot and despite an initial price of $150 (plus tax), I think that in the long run it'll allow me more freedom buying books and not having to worry about storing them. I can keep up with some of my series that are just taking up space at a lower price.
Don't get me wrong, I'll still buy books at my favourite book store! I'll just be more picky about the books I buy. And I'll think of them more as an investment, instead of a passing fling or fad.
PS - Did you notice Kobo is just "book" rearranged?
And I'm getting one! I've ordered the Kobo eReader (read specs: here) and it should arrive in about a week. Soo excited!
One of my reasons for ordering it is that I simply have too many books. I have 3 book shelves crammed with them (granted, one does contain textbooks) and many of the books that I buy are just to try them out. In a house where bookshelf space is at a premium, I should be reserving those hot spots for my favourites, not just handing them out to whatever fits.
Another reason is because I like to read several books at once, depending on what I'm in the mood for. And now I can carry hundreds of books at once, while taking up much less space in my purse. This is really going to help when I go travelling, especially since hardcovers take up way more space than paperbacks.
Another perk: getting new release novels up to 50% less than what you'd be paying in-store. Also, there is more privacy offered when you buy a book online. I get razzed at work when I buy a romance novel, so if I was interested in something more exotic, I can buy it and no one else would know.
I have a hard time getting rid of books once I've bought them. I usually buy them for a reason, so why would I get rid of it? Well, with an eReader, the story would only use up storage space, and if I only paid $3 (or less!) for a mediocre story, I wouldn't hesitate to delete it.
One of my cons for buying an eReader was that I was worried it would read like a computer screen. And I hate reading off of a computer screen. Having done it for many years during University (and again in College), it just reminds me of doing research. But, since this little device isn't as wide as my computer screen, I'm hoping that it'll be easy to read.
Another con was that when I browse books, I honestly judge them by their cover. If it looks interesting, I pick it up and read the synopsis. If it intrigues me, I buy it. Simple as that. However, if I'm browsing books online, I'm worried that I'll be missing out on some great stories simply because they aren't on that page. Or maybe I don't have the patience. Or that I'm simply looking for something specific. Or that there are too many choices.
After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to get one. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Like I said, I read a lot and despite an initial price of $150 (plus tax), I think that in the long run it'll allow me more freedom buying books and not having to worry about storing them. I can keep up with some of my series that are just taking up space at a lower price.
Don't get me wrong, I'll still buy books at my favourite book store! I'll just be more picky about the books I buy. And I'll think of them more as an investment, instead of a passing fling or fad.
PS - Did you notice Kobo is just "book" rearranged?
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