Hey check it out! The New York Times has an article this morning about the booming sales of romance e-books. And best of all, it treats the romance genre with respect! The growing trend of positive representation of romance in the news is something I love to see. Talk about a great start to my morning.
Here's the link: Lusty Tales and Hot Sales: Romance E-Books Thrive. It's not a long read so hop on over there.
Ok, back to writing my final paper for my Grammar and Usage class. Sounds fun right? It's on gender biases in the English language and due at 1pm today. I still have quite a bit to go. Ek! Wish me luck?
Showing posts with label e-booking it. Show all posts
Showing posts with label e-booking it. Show all posts
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Digitize Me
It’s been a bit longer than I wanted to go without posting something, but three weeks isn’t as bad as my seven month hiatus, so I still have hope for reviving The Romance Girl’s Guide.
Today I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon of doing an e-reader review. Almost all the romances I read (as in 99%) are mass market paperback. Admittedly, I’m unlikely to switch to reading mainly digital. I love holding books, looking at their covers (yes, even the awful ones that give our genre a bad rep), flipping through the pages, turning to the back and reading the uselessly vague blurb, and even the clutter as the books spill off the shelves into boxes and across the floor. I know that sounds sarcastic, but I mean it. As a librarian’s daughter, raised around books all my life, I love the physical experience. Am I a format snob?
Despite all this, I definitely see the value of owning an e-reader. Going on vacation and trying to stuff a suitcase with the books I want to read has always been a pain, and bringing back the books I buy and absolute headache. And despite my ongoing defense of the genre, there are just some days sitting on the bus I don’t want to be seen with that cover. On top of that, more and more there are romances that aren’t even being published in print.
For my high school graduation I was given a first generation Kindle. Even with my hesitations about digital printing, I was incredibly excited. Since then I have only used it to read a small handful of books. This hasn’t been because of any unhappiness with the Kindle, but mainly because I already have a huge pile of TBR books that I already own and a really bad habit of walking into a bookstore and not walking out empty handed (I do not seem to be alone on this). Also, my freshman year of college I left it at home and decided not to ask my mother to mail it across the country. And if I’m truly honest, there has always been some ignorance on my part about the vast world of digital printing. Now years later my Kindle has collected dust and has trouble keeping a charge.
A few days ago a friend of mine lent me her Nook for some pleasure reading. I have NookStudy on my laptop for rented textbooks, but I had never used the actual reading device. I have to say I liked it. So I’ve decided to do a comparison between my experiences with my outdated Kindle and my friend’s Nook and see how they match up.
My favorite aspect of both the Kindle and the Nook was the screen. Neither had backlighting, and text size could be easily adjusted, so my eyes were never strained. Personally I think this is the most important aspect of an e-reader, as what I really want to do is read my book without any distractions. A slight distraction with the Kindle was the placement of the page turn buttons. They take up the entire side of the reader, so if I wasn’t careful where I rested my thumb, I was suddenly flipping through pages. This wasn’t too big a problem as my Kindle was in a case, but I can see how this would have been a problem for someone who was just holding the Kindle itself. I liked the page turn buttons on the Nook much more. The small solid buttons just required one firm push.
I was impressed with the battery power of the Nook. After reading an entire book the charge didn’t seem hugely affected. I won’t comment too much on my Kindle. It never seemed to be able to keep a charge for long periods of time, and definitely can’t now, but that might have more to do with age and my inability to learn about power settings.
Personally I found the Kindle easier to navigate. It uses a keypad and buttons, whereas the Nook used a small touch screen at the bottom portion of the device, which didn’t always seem to respond to me or do what I wanted it to do. Maybe it just took practice.
I asked my friend and found out shopping from the Nook is just like shopping on the Kindle. However, she said she always had trouble downloading books from a wifi location, a problem I never had.
If someone came up to me today and asked, “Whaddya think? Should I get a Nook or a Kindle?” I really wouldn’t have an answer. I’ve had great (if limited) experiences with both, and haven’t even gotten to check out the newer Kindles. What I can say is that, while I still love my paperbacks and clutter, I should get over my fear of the unfamiliar and start exploring the world of digital publishing, beyond the obvious stocked shelves of Amazon and BN. After all, a book is a book, and I love ‘em any way I can get ‘em.
Today I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon of doing an e-reader review. Almost all the romances I read (as in 99%) are mass market paperback. Admittedly, I’m unlikely to switch to reading mainly digital. I love holding books, looking at their covers (yes, even the awful ones that give our genre a bad rep), flipping through the pages, turning to the back and reading the uselessly vague blurb, and even the clutter as the books spill off the shelves into boxes and across the floor. I know that sounds sarcastic, but I mean it. As a librarian’s daughter, raised around books all my life, I love the physical experience. Am I a format snob?
Despite all this, I definitely see the value of owning an e-reader. Going on vacation and trying to stuff a suitcase with the books I want to read has always been a pain, and bringing back the books I buy and absolute headache. And despite my ongoing defense of the genre, there are just some days sitting on the bus I don’t want to be seen with that cover. On top of that, more and more there are romances that aren’t even being published in print.
My favorite aspect of both the Kindle and the Nook was the screen. Neither had backlighting, and text size could be easily adjusted, so my eyes were never strained. Personally I think this is the most important aspect of an e-reader, as what I really want to do is read my book without any distractions. A slight distraction with the Kindle was the placement of the page turn buttons. They take up the entire side of the reader, so if I wasn’t careful where I rested my thumb, I was suddenly flipping through pages. This wasn’t too big a problem as my Kindle was in a case, but I can see how this would have been a problem for someone who was just holding the Kindle itself. I liked the page turn buttons on the Nook much more. The small solid buttons just required one firm push.
I was impressed with the battery power of the Nook. After reading an entire book the charge didn’t seem hugely affected. I won’t comment too much on my Kindle. It never seemed to be able to keep a charge for long periods of time, and definitely can’t now, but that might have more to do with age and my inability to learn about power settings.
Personally I found the Kindle easier to navigate. It uses a keypad and buttons, whereas the Nook used a small touch screen at the bottom portion of the device, which didn’t always seem to respond to me or do what I wanted it to do. Maybe it just took practice.
I asked my friend and found out shopping from the Nook is just like shopping on the Kindle. However, she said she always had trouble downloading books from a wifi location, a problem I never had.
If someone came up to me today and asked, “Whaddya think? Should I get a Nook or a Kindle?” I really wouldn’t have an answer. I’ve had great (if limited) experiences with both, and haven’t even gotten to check out the newer Kindles. What I can say is that, while I still love my paperbacks and clutter, I should get over my fear of the unfamiliar and start exploring the world of digital publishing, beyond the obvious stocked shelves of Amazon and BN. After all, a book is a book, and I love ‘em any way I can get ‘em.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Review Dump
I know I haven't posted anything in a while, so I'm just doing a review dump for all the books I've reviewed in the past month.
5 stars
My high rating of Unlawful Contact is seriously boosted by the sex scenes between Marc and Sophie. This book gets seriously spicy.
The opening to the novel is when Marc (then known as Hunt) and Sophie first speak at a graduation party. He’s two years older, attractive and very popular. Sophie has just lost her parents, is alone and teased. Of course, Hunt sees past that all. The scene where she loses her virginity to him is one of the most romantic love scenes I’ve ever read. I think this is what really sold me on the book. It’s every girl’s fantasy. Almost every woman can remember wanting that “perfect” guy to notice you. There is something cathartic about having Sophie getting to live that fantasy.
The suspense aspect of the novel plays out well. There are more twists and turns in Marc’s past and the conspiracy against him and his sister than I can count. It was also great that Sophie didn’t immediately fall for him again when they see each other. She’s pissed and she should be. It made her character seem more real and made it more interesting to watch them fall for each other a second time. While the first chapter was hot, the sex scenes in the book become more erotic.
Some moments in the plot did seem to drag, especially when it came to progress in their investigation or Sophie’s job as a reporter. Nothing was ever slow or dull enough for me to want to put it down though. The only thing which did get under my skin a little was the complete care bear ending. Every character got everything they wanted. Within months all the good guys got of scot free while the bad guys got put away for life (not that it isn’t a good thing, just not very realistic based on how trials go). It just got a bit to warm and fuzzy for me.
I’d recommend this for anyone who likes romantic suspense and is looking for something that sizzles.
5 stars
During the first few chapters, I came very close to setting this book down and never picking it up again. Lady Irene Wyngate is determined not to marry, and insists on making this clear to everyone. It’s great that she’s an independent heroine, but I just couldn’t envision some woman talking to the ton at a ball and spouting out why she would never marry. While I liked that she was a modern, independent thinker, her talking openly about it didn’t jive with her deire to be considered proper.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the book. Her not wanting to marry (and the reasons she doesn’t want to marry) set up for good tension between her and Gideon. I loved their sparring. It brought both characters to life. And there were several wonderful, sensual love scenes.
At first I didn’t know what to make of the plot since it focuses on the fact Gideon was kidnapped as a child and grew up in the slums of London. It’s a somewhat odd plot, but it provided enough twists and surprises to keep everything moving.
While this is not one of my favorite romances overall, I came to really like both the hero and heroine.
4 stars
Overall I enjoyed Knight of Desire. It definitely passed the put-down pick-up test. Most of the story is told from William, our hero’s point of view. I enjoyed watching his feelings and understanding of Katherine evolve. While there is a lot of action, William and Katherine’s relationship changes very slowly. The main conflict in their relationship is their lack of trust, so the book is rife with misunderstandings. They weren’t the wall-banger, TSTL types of misunderstandings but I did start to find them tiresome. William spent most of the book either confused or oblivious, but is never an overbearing ass-hat hero. I found Kate’s character more off-putting. She is clearly a strong woman able to endure a lot of hardship, but she didn’t seem active in making her and William’s relationship work until way into the book.
I was a bit hesitant about this book since it’s my first medieval romance, but I’m glad I got it. I think my decision may have been influenced by its gorgeous cover and the rave reviews it received a few months ago. There wasn’t too much detail and realism about the time period, but this worked for me since I find too much realism distracts me from the story. It was a fun read and I’m really excited for the next book in the series, Knight of Pleasure. The hero, Stephan, is introduced in this book and became my favorite character, so I’m thrilled he gets his own story.
3 stars
When I saw this was one of the harelquin freebies, I just had to get it. I mean really, have you taken a good look at that cover? It cracks me up! I don't know if I should start with the two fat, oblivious babies... or the way he's holding them like two wiggling footballs he scooped up off the ground while gazing optimistically into the horizon... or the strange jaw buldge that suggets a jaw tumor. I mean it looks like some oddball in a suit picked up some kids at the supermarket and brought them home to his wife. "Hey honey, I'm home. And look what I brought with me- two pudge identical tots! Now I can go one and fufill my dream of being the best baby collector in America..."
Ok, I'm done, but you still got to admit it's a truly snark worthy cover. As a book it was better than I expected, which isn't saying much since I expected it to be similar to the cover. It read more like a Harelquin Presents than a Silhouette Desire. That's were the most the secret baby and I-must-punish-you-for-lying-to-me plots come out. However, Nick Falco wasn't nearly as much as an asshat than Harlequin usually makes there hero's, so that was a pleasant surprise. Jenna, however, really got on my nerves. She was intent on martyring herself for her children, because her life could never be complete without them! To say the least, no depth.
Despite all it's shortcomings, this book was a freebie, so there's no harm in downloading it, if only to look at the cover some more.
5 stars
My high rating of Unlawful Contact is seriously boosted by the sex scenes between Marc and Sophie. This book gets seriously spicy.
The opening to the novel is when Marc (then known as Hunt) and Sophie first speak at a graduation party. He’s two years older, attractive and very popular. Sophie has just lost her parents, is alone and teased. Of course, Hunt sees past that all. The scene where she loses her virginity to him is one of the most romantic love scenes I’ve ever read. I think this is what really sold me on the book. It’s every girl’s fantasy. Almost every woman can remember wanting that “perfect” guy to notice you. There is something cathartic about having Sophie getting to live that fantasy.
The suspense aspect of the novel plays out well. There are more twists and turns in Marc’s past and the conspiracy against him and his sister than I can count. It was also great that Sophie didn’t immediately fall for him again when they see each other. She’s pissed and she should be. It made her character seem more real and made it more interesting to watch them fall for each other a second time. While the first chapter was hot, the sex scenes in the book become more erotic.
Some moments in the plot did seem to drag, especially when it came to progress in their investigation or Sophie’s job as a reporter. Nothing was ever slow or dull enough for me to want to put it down though. The only thing which did get under my skin a little was the complete care bear ending. Every character got everything they wanted. Within months all the good guys got of scot free while the bad guys got put away for life (not that it isn’t a good thing, just not very realistic based on how trials go). It just got a bit to warm and fuzzy for me.
I’d recommend this for anyone who likes romantic suspense and is looking for something that sizzles.
5 stars
During the first few chapters, I came very close to setting this book down and never picking it up again. Lady Irene Wyngate is determined not to marry, and insists on making this clear to everyone. It’s great that she’s an independent heroine, but I just couldn’t envision some woman talking to the ton at a ball and spouting out why she would never marry. While I liked that she was a modern, independent thinker, her talking openly about it didn’t jive with her deire to be considered proper.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the book. Her not wanting to marry (and the reasons she doesn’t want to marry) set up for good tension between her and Gideon. I loved their sparring. It brought both characters to life. And there were several wonderful, sensual love scenes.
At first I didn’t know what to make of the plot since it focuses on the fact Gideon was kidnapped as a child and grew up in the slums of London. It’s a somewhat odd plot, but it provided enough twists and surprises to keep everything moving.
While this is not one of my favorite romances overall, I came to really like both the hero and heroine.
4 stars
Overall I enjoyed Knight of Desire. It definitely passed the put-down pick-up test. Most of the story is told from William, our hero’s point of view. I enjoyed watching his feelings and understanding of Katherine evolve. While there is a lot of action, William and Katherine’s relationship changes very slowly. The main conflict in their relationship is their lack of trust, so the book is rife with misunderstandings. They weren’t the wall-banger, TSTL types of misunderstandings but I did start to find them tiresome. William spent most of the book either confused or oblivious, but is never an overbearing ass-hat hero. I found Kate’s character more off-putting. She is clearly a strong woman able to endure a lot of hardship, but she didn’t seem active in making her and William’s relationship work until way into the book.
I was a bit hesitant about this book since it’s my first medieval romance, but I’m glad I got it. I think my decision may have been influenced by its gorgeous cover and the rave reviews it received a few months ago. There wasn’t too much detail and realism about the time period, but this worked for me since I find too much realism distracts me from the story. It was a fun read and I’m really excited for the next book in the series, Knight of Pleasure. The hero, Stephan, is introduced in this book and became my favorite character, so I’m thrilled he gets his own story.
3 stars
When I saw this was one of the harelquin freebies, I just had to get it. I mean really, have you taken a good look at that cover? It cracks me up! I don't know if I should start with the two fat, oblivious babies... or the way he's holding them like two wiggling footballs he scooped up off the ground while gazing optimistically into the horizon... or the strange jaw buldge that suggets a jaw tumor. I mean it looks like some oddball in a suit picked up some kids at the supermarket and brought them home to his wife. "Hey honey, I'm home. And look what I brought with me- two pudge identical tots! Now I can go one and fufill my dream of being the best baby collector in America..."
Ok, I'm done, but you still got to admit it's a truly snark worthy cover. As a book it was better than I expected, which isn't saying much since I expected it to be similar to the cover. It read more like a Harelquin Presents than a Silhouette Desire. That's were the most the secret baby and I-must-punish-you-for-lying-to-me plots come out. However, Nick Falco wasn't nearly as much as an asshat than Harlequin usually makes there hero's, so that was a pleasant surprise. Jenna, however, really got on my nerves. She was intent on martyring herself for her children, because her life could never be complete without them! To say the least, no depth.
Despite all it's shortcomings, this book was a freebie, so there's no harm in downloading it, if only to look at the cover some more.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Kindle: Wohoo!
Exciting news! I now have a working Kindle! I'm already fiddling with it and can't wait to start using it.
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