So now that Kobo has announced its new lineup, I’m pretty confident Amazon won’t be too far behind. I have some updates I’d love to see in the new lineup. My absolute dream device would be an eInk/LCD hybrid. I’d love to be able to switch between a tablet and eReader. I don’t think that’s going to happen, though. For eInk readers, I’d love to see audio support reinstated. I didn’t miss it when it disappeared from the Paperwhite, but at that point I wasn’t as heavily invested in Audible and audiobooks as I am now. I would also love to see full Audible integration as we have it on the Fire, immersion reading included. I would snap that baby up in a New York minute. I ADORE the Audible integration on the Fire, but I do prefer reading on eInk. In terms of the Fire, of course any improvement in specs and screen would be welcome. Not that the current Fire isn’t excellent. I would also welcome a better way of organising content. The Favourites drawer isn’t nearly flexible enough. I like Kobo’s idea of a Reading Mode where you can switch off all other distractions and optimise battery…
So now that Kobo has announced its new lineup, I’m pretty confident Amazon won’t be too far behind. I have some updates I’d love to see in the new lineup. My absolute dream device would be an eInk/LCD hybrid. I’d love to be able to switch between a tablet and eReader. I don’t think that’s going to happen, though. For eInk readers, I’d love to see audio support reinstated. I didn’t miss it when it disappeared from the Paperwhite, but at that point I wasn’t as heavily invested in Audible and audiobooks as I am now. I would also love to see full Audible integration as we have it on the Fire, immersion reading included. I would snap that baby up in a New York minute. I ADORE the Audible integration on the Fire, but I do prefer reading on eInk. In terms of the Fire, of course any improvement in specs and screen would be welcome. Not that the current Fire isn’t excellent. I would also welcome a better way of organising content. The Favourites drawer isn’t nearly flexible enough. I like Kobo’s idea of a Reading Mode where you can switch off all other distractions and optimise battery…
Something happened this week that doesn’t often happen to me – I gave up on a book. I had been reading Fire by Kristin Cashore, and I just couldn’t get into it at all. Her previous book, Graceling, was one I’d quite enjoyed. The world she’d created with Gracelings was fascinating. For some reason though, I just couldn’t enjoy the slightly different world of Fire with its multicoloured monsters and rather bland heroine. On Amazon though it gets a good 4.2 stars out of five and on GoodReads 4.11 so perhaps it was just me. Upcoming September releases There are a few good books coming out in September that I have on pre-order. First up is The Transfer – a Divergent Story by Veronica Roth. Ms Roth is releasing four short stories in the Divergent world and this first one in which the character of Four is given more screen time. I’m excited for Allegiant, the final book in the trilogy which is due out in October, so I’ll certainly be enjoying this additional material in advance. Despite having been out in the UK and Audible since March, the Kindle version of Luke Scull’s The Grim Company only gets its North American…
Something happened this week that doesn’t often happen to me – I gave up on a book. I had been reading Fire by Kristin Cashore, and I just couldn’t get into it at all. Her previous book, Graceling, was one I’d quite enjoyed. The world she’d created with Gracelings was fascinating. For some reason though, I just couldn’t enjoy the slightly different world of Fire with its multicoloured monsters and rather bland heroine. On Amazon though it gets a good 4.2 stars out of five and on GoodReads 4.11 so perhaps it was just me. Upcoming September releases There are a few good books coming out in September that I have on pre-order. First up is The Transfer – a Divergent Story by Veronica Roth. Ms Roth is releasing four short stories in the Divergent world and this first one in which the character of Four is given more screen time. I’m excited for Allegiant, the final book in the trilogy which is due out in October, so I’ll certainly be enjoying this additional material in advance. Despite having been out in the UK and Audible since March, the Kindle version of Luke Scull’s The Grim Company only gets its North American…
I recently came across a fun thing to do – a Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt. This was something created by BookTuber The Library of Sarah, and here’s her introductory video. My bookshelf is more virtual, but it sounds such an interesting idea, I thought I’d give it a go. So without further ado, let’s get started: Find an author’s name or title with the letter Z in it My bookshelf contains both ebooks and audiobooks. For this one I chose the audiobook of Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. This is a fun series – each time you think you’ve got to the heart of the matter, another layer is pulled away. Find a classic This one’s easy. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. A classic if ever there was one. Find a book with a key on it I struggled with this one for a bit. I was even going to suggest the Wheel of Time’s Winter’s Heart which depicts Rand working with the Choedan Kal which is the access key to huge amounts of the One Power. However, I thought that was stretching it somewhat. Eventually I found this: Find something on your bookshelf that’s not a book…
I recently came across a fun thing to do – a Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt. This was something created by BookTuber The Library of Sarah, and here’s her introductory video. My bookshelf is more virtual, but it sounds such an interesting idea, I thought I’d give it a go. So without further ado, let’s get started: Find an author’s name or title with the letter Z in it My bookshelf contains both ebooks and audiobooks. For this one I chose the audiobook of Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. This is a fun series – each time you think you’ve got to the heart of the matter, another layer is pulled away. Find a classic This one’s easy. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. A classic if ever there was one. Find a book with a key on it I struggled with this one for a bit. I was even going to suggest the Wheel of Time’s Winter’s Heart which depicts Rand working with the Choedan Kal which is the access key to huge amounts of the One Power. However, I thought that was stretching it somewhat. Eventually I found this: Find something on your bookshelf that’s not a book…
I received a free copy of Dream of Time by Nancy J. Price from Netgalley to review. It tells the story of modern day wife and mother Robin from San Francisco who, when she sleeps, inhabits the body and life of turn of the century Jennie diMedici. It relates her attempts to prevent tragedies and crimes using knowledge gleaned from her present day life. What I liked The basic concept. I loved the main idea and felt it was very well thought out and executed. Price wove Robin’s two lives together very well and I enjoyed her attempts to correct the past. I liked the way limitations were built into the time travel scenario so that Robin couldn’t just fix everything straight away. The fact that there were consequences in Robin’s present for the actions she took in the past also helped to up the stakes. The relationship with Travis. “Jennie’s” relationship with Travis was beautifully written and very touching. It felt very real, and I enjoyed watching them build up trust and love. The techniques they used for communicating across the years was particularly inventive. The Victorian setting. The Victorian setting for Robin’s alternate life was wonderfully described. It is…
I received a free copy of Dream of Time by Nancy J. Price from Netgalley to review. It tells the story of modern day wife and mother Robin from San Francisco who, when she sleeps, inhabits the body and life of turn of the century Jennie diMedici. It relates her attempts to prevent tragedies and crimes using knowledge gleaned from her present day life. What I liked The basic concept. I loved the main idea and felt it was very well thought out and executed. Price wove Robin’s two lives together very well and I enjoyed her attempts to correct the past. I liked the way limitations were built into the time travel scenario so that Robin couldn’t just fix everything straight away. The fact that there were consequences in Robin’s present for the actions she took in the past also helped to up the stakes. The relationship with Travis. “Jennie’s” relationship with Travis was beautifully written and very touching. It felt very real, and I enjoyed watching them build up trust and love. The techniques they used for communicating across the years was particularly inventive. The Victorian setting. The Victorian setting for Robin’s alternate life was wonderfully described. It is…
Kobo held a press event today entitled “Beyond the Book.” in which it announced three new variations of its popular Kobo Arc tablet and a new version of its eInk Kobo Aura. I hadn’t been expecting a refresh at this point as both their eInk readers (the Aura) and their tablet offerings (the Arc) were refreshed earlier this year. For me, the Kobo Aura seems very interesting. It retains the HD pixel density of the 6.7 inch Kobo Aura HD released earlier this year but reverts to the traditional 6 inch screen. It is priced at $150 as opposed to the original’s $169. I have placed my order – it took a while as the devices are newly up for preorder. The Aura will be delivered on the 11th of September. In addition to SD and HD 7 inch Kobo Arcs, the company is now offering a 10 inch tablet. The specs are higher on the new version. Check out http://goodereader.com/blog/ for full details. Personally, I won’t check out the tablet – I adore my Kindle Fire HD and see no need for another. Additionally, the company is also launching value added content with Beyond the Book, which will include links…
Kobo held a press event today entitled “Beyond the Book.” in which it announced three new variations of its popular Kobo Arc tablet and a new version of its eInk Kobo Aura. I hadn’t been expecting a refresh at this point as both their eInk readers (the Aura) and their tablet offerings (the Arc) were refreshed earlier this year. For me, the Kobo Aura seems very interesting. It retains the HD pixel density of the 6.7 inch Kobo Aura HD released earlier this year but reverts to the traditional 6 inch screen. It is priced at $150 as opposed to the original’s $169. I have placed my order – it took a while as the devices are newly up for preorder. The Aura will be delivered on the 11th of September. In addition to SD and HD 7 inch Kobo Arcs, the company is now offering a 10 inch tablet. The specs are higher on the new version. Check out http://goodereader.com/blog/ for full details. Personally, I won’t check out the tablet – I adore my Kindle Fire HD and see no need for another. Additionally, the company is also launching value added content with Beyond the Book, which will include links…