Interesting post on Go To Hellman's blog. Linked below.
http://go-to-hellman.blogspot.com/2010/03/overdrive-to-offer-honor-system-ebook.html
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Currently eReading: 3/23/10
Title: The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Source: Downloaded from Overdrive, through Verona Public Library
LendMe Status: Not available, see special note below.
LendMe Status: Not available, see special note below.
Synopsis - from Barnes & Noble:
In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David Martín, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city’s underworld.
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Special Note:
Overdrive is a service provided by some libraries which allows patrons with valid library cards to check out ebooks, audio books, music and more directly to their computers or other portable devices. Ask your library if they have this service available!
Review: Wife of the Gods
Title: Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey
Source: Downloaded from Overdrive, through Verona Public Library
LendMe Status: Not available, see special note below.
LendMe Status: Not available, see special note below.
Here I say I don't usually read mysteries, and this is my second one in a row! That aside, I was too intrigued by the mix of traditional Ghanaian folklore, myth and beliefs with the modern world to pass this novel up.
This is the story of Darko Dawson. Dawson is a modern policeman in the large city of Accra, Ghana. A murder has taken place in a small town (where Dawson's Aunt and Uncle live, and where he visited as a child) that is still much ruled by traditionally practices and beliefs. While he's there trying to solve the murder he ends up finding much more then he may have bargained for when it turns out ghosts from his own past may play a part in the current crime.
The storytelling in this novel is wonderfully poetic with the Ewe and Ga (two languages spoken in the are the story takes place) phrases mixed in very naturally. I love novels where I end up learning so much about another culture to even include the language and intricacies of day to day life. I'm greatly looking forward to Quartey's next novel, due out in 2011, which will feature Darko Dawson again!
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Special Note:
Overdrive is a service provided by some libraries which allows patrons with valid library cards to check out ebooks, audio books, music and more directly to their computers or other portable devices. Ask your library if they have this service available!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Currently eReading: 3/17/10
Title: Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey
Source: Downloaded from Overdrive, through Verona Public Library
LendMe Status: Not available, see special note below.
LendMe Status: Not available, see special note below.
Synopsis - From Barnes & Noble:
A lyrical and captivating mystery that brings to life the majesty and charm of Ghana---from the capital city of Accra to a small community where long-buried secrets are about to rise to the surface.
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Special Note:
Overdrive is a service provided by some libraries which allows patrons with valid library cards to check out ebooks, audio books, music and more directly to their computers or other portable devices. Ask your library if they have this service available!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Review: Where's Billie?
Title: Where's Billie? by Judith Yates Borger
Source: .pdf from the author, for review purposes, now also available for purchase on Smashwords.com
LendMe Status: Not available, see special note below.
There are two very powerful voices at work behind Judith Yates Borger's main character, Skeeter Hughes: a mother first, and then a journalist. The question is - what happens when one trumps the other? As the story progresses, Skeeter realizes she's closer to the story she's working on then she had ever thought. Questions of ethics, loyalty, and family play heavily into her decisions, and often it's clear the right choices will have ramifications equal to the outcomes of the wrong choices.
Mysteries are not usually my main interest but I read a synopsis of this novel purely by chance, and I thought it was not only a really cool concept - but the author had a really great back story bringing her experience as a journalist to increase the authenticity of the writing. I could tell on every page of her novel, that Borger really infused her knowledge of the journalism business into her characters. There's also something special about reading about characters who live in similar geographic locations as you do. This novel is set in Minnesota and therefore a reader like me in Wisconsin can definitely relate to the winter scene and driving conditions that are present through a lot of the novel. Though I wasn't too thrilled that the Vikings were beating the Packers, I'll forgive it this time!
This novel is a great read, and I'm very lucky to have been able to read it on my Nook, especially under the circumstances! It combines family drama, and mystery - and the characters are all very real, readable and relatable. I would recommend it for people who like mysteries, or family drama - but many other lovers of modern fiction would enjoy the plot twists and greatly informed writing of this author!
Source: .pdf from the author, for review purposes, now also available for purchase on Smashwords.com
LendMe Status: Not available, see special note below.
There are two very powerful voices at work behind Judith Yates Borger's main character, Skeeter Hughes: a mother first, and then a journalist. The question is - what happens when one trumps the other? As the story progresses, Skeeter realizes she's closer to the story she's working on then she had ever thought. Questions of ethics, loyalty, and family play heavily into her decisions, and often it's clear the right choices will have ramifications equal to the outcomes of the wrong choices.
Mysteries are not usually my main interest but I read a synopsis of this novel purely by chance, and I thought it was not only a really cool concept - but the author had a really great back story bringing her experience as a journalist to increase the authenticity of the writing. I could tell on every page of her novel, that Borger really infused her knowledge of the journalism business into her characters. There's also something special about reading about characters who live in similar geographic locations as you do. This novel is set in Minnesota and therefore a reader like me in Wisconsin can definitely relate to the winter scene and driving conditions that are present through a lot of the novel. Though I wasn't too thrilled that the Vikings were beating the Packers, I'll forgive it this time!
This novel is a great read, and I'm very lucky to have been able to read it on my Nook, especially under the circumstances! It combines family drama, and mystery - and the characters are all very real, readable and relatable. I would recommend it for people who like mysteries, or family drama - but many other lovers of modern fiction would enjoy the plot twists and greatly informed writing of this author!
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Special Note: I have this novel under interesting circumstances, really, as it's not currently available for Nook. I took the initiative of contacting the author after reading a synopsis. She was nice enough to provide me with a .pdf version of her novel, which of course can be loaded onto the Nook, and read through the My Document folder. There's information in Barnes & Noble's FAQ detailing the process of getting documents onto your Nook.
Where's Billie? is currently available on Kindle, and in paper from Nodin Press through Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon.com and many independent bookstores and libraries. The author is working on making it available on Nook, and I'll update the status when it becomes available.
3/19/10 - Just got word from the author that Where's Billie is now available for purchase on Smashwords.com! It is available there in a variety of formats, including ePUB which is readable on Nook!
3/19/10 - Just got word from the author that Where's Billie is now available for purchase on Smashwords.com! It is available there in a variety of formats, including ePUB which is readable on Nook!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Currently eReading: 3/9/10
Title: Where's Billie? by Judith Yates Borger
Source: .pdf from the author, for review purposes.
LendMe Status: Not available, see special note below.
Synopsis - from Amazon:
Special Note: I have this novel under interesting circumstances, really, as it's not currently available for Nook. I took the initiative of contacting the author after reading a synopsis. She was nice enough to provide me with a .pdf version of her novel, which of course can be loaded onto the Nook, and read through the My Document folder. There's information in Barnes & Noble's FAQ detailing the process of getting documents onto your Nook.
Where's Billie? is currently available on Kindle, and in paper from Nodin Press through Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon.com and many independent bookstores and libraries. The author is working on making it available on Nook, and I'll update the status when it becomes available.
Source: .pdf from the author, for review purposes.
LendMe Status: Not available, see special note below.
Synopsis - from Amazon:
High school hookers, a principal as rotten as spoiled potato salad and reporter stuck in a dead-end beat all come together in a mystery that proves the suburbs aren’t that safe after all. Skeeter Hughes, morphs from leathery journalist to a mom on a mission when she learns her own daughter was nearly lured into the crime run out of the Mall of America. She ferrets out a missing exploited girl, nabs the pimp and a promotion, too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special Note: I have this novel under interesting circumstances, really, as it's not currently available for Nook. I took the initiative of contacting the author after reading a synopsis. She was nice enough to provide me with a .pdf version of her novel, which of course can be loaded onto the Nook, and read through the My Document folder. There's information in Barnes & Noble's FAQ detailing the process of getting documents onto your Nook.
Where's Billie? is currently available on Kindle, and in paper from Nodin Press through Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon.com and many independent bookstores and libraries. The author is working on making it available on Nook, and I'll update the status when it becomes available.
Review: Libyrinth
Title: Libyrinth by Pearl North
Source: Downloaded from B&N.com
LendMe Status: Available!
We've heard a lot of 'jokes' lately about the future of physical books, libraries and of reading, and this novel really put a different spin on these often foreboding predictions. The novel takes place in a futuristic society, but yet all that's survived is the books from our world. Some of the races have technology and electricity but others do not. This creates a "powerful" group and other subservient groups that is often common in fantasy or sci-fi novels. But, more importantly it's a comment on permanence and importance of the written word. I did not fail to note the irony in the fact that I read this novel on an eReader... :)
One of my favorite parts of this book is the way the author used quotes from the books that speak to Haly in the Libyrinth. They were integrated so well and such appropriate choices, the books really became another character instead of just a prop sitting on the table. The quotes acted as informative, serious, and sometimes funny interjections by these other "characters" that we knew from their own tales. Many of the quotes came from Anne Frank's diary which I thought was very interesting. The author used the connections between the themes in Anne Frank's diary and the story she was creating to further explain the oppression of the illiterate races as well as the beauty Anne found in life to support the story's claims that all races should work together and live in harmony. This, especially, worked very well I thought. Another key point to mention is that for the intended audience, I imagine many would be familiar with the diary and be able to connect with this story on another level because of it.
In the same way the author tied in quotes from the books in the Libyrinth, she tied in the events from our recent history integrated as events that the Ancients went through. The first few events that were mentioned, I sort of had to stop myself and think - oh yeah, this is supposed to be "Earth" just in the future, the world the author creates was so vivid and different from others I've experienced.
Although this novel was intended for a Young Adult audience, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am very glad I picked it up. It is definitely appropriate for YA readers, yet engaging and "adult" enough for anyone. It is a must read for librarians and anyone who loves to read! :)
This book was downloaded from Barnes & Noble and has LendMe capabilities. If you're interested in this ebook, and have a Nook - leave a comment with your email, and a title you're willing to trade, and I'll send it your way!
Source: Downloaded from B&N.com
LendMe Status: Available!
From the synopsis: "...Haly is a Libyrarian, one of a group of people dedicated to preserving and protecting the knowledge passed down from the Ancients and stored in the endless maze of books known as the Libyrinth. But Haly has a secret: The books speak to her."
We've heard a lot of 'jokes' lately about the future of physical books, libraries and of reading, and this novel really put a different spin on these often foreboding predictions. The novel takes place in a futuristic society, but yet all that's survived is the books from our world. Some of the races have technology and electricity but others do not. This creates a "powerful" group and other subservient groups that is often common in fantasy or sci-fi novels. But, more importantly it's a comment on permanence and importance of the written word. I did not fail to note the irony in the fact that I read this novel on an eReader... :)
One of my favorite parts of this book is the way the author used quotes from the books that speak to Haly in the Libyrinth. They were integrated so well and such appropriate choices, the books really became another character instead of just a prop sitting on the table. The quotes acted as informative, serious, and sometimes funny interjections by these other "characters" that we knew from their own tales. Many of the quotes came from Anne Frank's diary which I thought was very interesting. The author used the connections between the themes in Anne Frank's diary and the story she was creating to further explain the oppression of the illiterate races as well as the beauty Anne found in life to support the story's claims that all races should work together and live in harmony. This, especially, worked very well I thought. Another key point to mention is that for the intended audience, I imagine many would be familiar with the diary and be able to connect with this story on another level because of it.
In the same way the author tied in quotes from the books in the Libyrinth, she tied in the events from our recent history integrated as events that the Ancients went through. The first few events that were mentioned, I sort of had to stop myself and think - oh yeah, this is supposed to be "Earth" just in the future, the world the author creates was so vivid and different from others I've experienced.
Although this novel was intended for a Young Adult audience, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am very glad I picked it up. It is definitely appropriate for YA readers, yet engaging and "adult" enough for anyone. It is a must read for librarians and anyone who loves to read! :)
This book was downloaded from Barnes & Noble and has LendMe capabilities. If you're interested in this ebook, and have a Nook - leave a comment with your email, and a title you're willing to trade, and I'll send it your way!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Currently eReading: 3/1/10
Title: Libyrinth by Pearl North
Source: Downloaded from B&N.com
LendMe Status: Available!
Audience: Young Adults, though in the first few pages - adults would enjoy the novel just as much!
Synopsis - From B&N
In her debut novel, Pearl North takes readers centuries into the future, to a forgotten colony of Earth where technology masquerades as magic and wars are fought over books.
Haly is a Libyrarian, one of a group of people dedicated to preserving and protecting the knowledge passed down from the Ancients and stored in the endless maze of books known as the Libyrinth. But Haly has a secret: The books speak to her.
A powerful adventure that unites the present and future, Libyrinth is a fresh, magical novel that will draw in young readers of all genres.
Source: Downloaded from B&N.com
LendMe Status: Available!
Audience: Young Adults, though in the first few pages - adults would enjoy the novel just as much!
Synopsis - From B&N
In her debut novel, Pearl North takes readers centuries into the future, to a forgotten colony of Earth where technology masquerades as magic and wars are fought over books.
Haly is a Libyrarian, one of a group of people dedicated to preserving and protecting the knowledge passed down from the Ancients and stored in the endless maze of books known as the Libyrinth. But Haly has a secret: The books speak to her.
A powerful adventure that unites the present and future, Libyrinth is a fresh, magical novel that will draw in young readers of all genres.
Review: DEAD(ish)
Title: DEAD(ish) by Naomi Kramer
Source: Free Download from B&N.com
LendMe Status: Not available, but it is a free download from B&N, also available on Smashwords!
This fun-to-read short story takes us into the minds of three main characters who become inextricably linked. The first, and arguably the main character, is Linda - a newly-dead woman who is in search of her body so she can attain eternal rest. She inlists the help of Trent, a PI who conveniently believes in ghosts. The third character is Mike, Linda's boyfriend who - we find - has much more to do with Linda's death and her body's disappearance then he first lets on. Each of these characters are over-the-top, but one doesn't notice so much with the fast pace and ease of storytelling the author exhibits.
A fun read, with enough detail and character development to make the reader forget that they're actually reading a short story!
Source: Free Download from B&N.com
LendMe Status: Not available, but it is a free download from B&N, also available on Smashwords!
This fun-to-read short story takes us into the minds of three main characters who become inextricably linked. The first, and arguably the main character, is Linda - a newly-dead woman who is in search of her body so she can attain eternal rest. She inlists the help of Trent, a PI who conveniently believes in ghosts. The third character is Mike, Linda's boyfriend who - we find - has much more to do with Linda's death and her body's disappearance then he first lets on. Each of these characters are over-the-top, but one doesn't notice so much with the fast pace and ease of storytelling the author exhibits.
A fun read, with enough detail and character development to make the reader forget that they're actually reading a short story!
Currently eReading: 3/1/10
Title: DEAD(ish) by Naomi Kramer
Source: Free Download from B&N.com
LendMe Status: Not available, but it is a free download!
Source: Free Download from B&N.com
LendMe Status: Not available, but it is a free download!
Synopsis - from Barnes & Noble
Linda's had a bad day. First her boyfriend killed her. Then she woke up, still on this boring plane of existence, and with an odd obsession about her missing body. Mike won't tell her what he did with her body, and she can't find the stupid thing herself. There's only one thing she can do - torment the bastard until he coughs up the information.
Review: Dispatches from a Public Librarian
Title: Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas
Source: Free Download from B&N.com
LendMe Status: Not available, but it is a free download!
This piece was a compilation of Scott Douglas' Dispatches from a Public Librarian which were originally published in McSweeney's. It also included a few of his library-related essays. Although a short read, these dispatches cover a wide range of Scott's experiences while working in a Public Library. The stories range from funny, to sad, to terrifying - and each contain elements that anyone who has worked in a library - or many other public service positions - can relate to.
I had read many of these entries as posts on McSweeney's prior to seeing them together as an ebook, and I have to say, the experience was more enjoyable in this format, mainly because they were sequential and I had a whole bunch of them at my disposal all at once! Instant gratification and all that, sort of my thing when it comes to reading. Hence the love for the Nook, and ebook format, I suppose!
I am glad that Scott Douglas released this compilation, and I look forward to more in the future!
Source: Free Download from B&N.com
LendMe Status: Not available, but it is a free download!
This piece was a compilation of Scott Douglas' Dispatches from a Public Librarian which were originally published in McSweeney's. It also included a few of his library-related essays. Although a short read, these dispatches cover a wide range of Scott's experiences while working in a Public Library. The stories range from funny, to sad, to terrifying - and each contain elements that anyone who has worked in a library - or many other public service positions - can relate to.
I had read many of these entries as posts on McSweeney's prior to seeing them together as an ebook, and I have to say, the experience was more enjoyable in this format, mainly because they were sequential and I had a whole bunch of them at my disposal all at once! Instant gratification and all that, sort of my thing when it comes to reading. Hence the love for the Nook, and ebook format, I suppose!
I am glad that Scott Douglas released this compilation, and I look forward to more in the future!
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