Its 2011 and I am not off to a very good start on my reading agenda...so I thought I would list a few of my projected reads and some that I wish to read and some that I hope to read and some that I want to buy so I can read...phew.....April and Easter month of the egg....it is also my "B" day month and I have asked for a Kindle ....I do hope I get one.
I have done some research on the Kindle:
The Amazon Kindle is a portable e-book reader. More precisely, it is a software, hardware and network platform developed by Amazon.com and uses wireless connectivity to enable users to shop for, download, browse, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and other digital media.
I have also asked for an IPod to listen to some books off Audio.com. Has anyone used that?? It is a wonderful place to get those books you want to read but just don't have the time.
For its basic function, reading, after purchasing a book it should be a very pleasant and comfortable experience. It's compact, lightweight, and easy to use at a moment's notice. You should be able to take it with you anywhere. :)
There are some flaws. As many people have reported, it's extremely easy to accidentally push the "next page" bar, which runs nearly the length of the right side of the device. You may also accidentally hit the "Previous" and "Next" page bars on the left as well.
Buying books will be easy and they upload within seconds. In fact, in a stroke of marketing genius, buying books is almost too easy. To be fair,
Amazon does a good job of not only presenting detailed information prior to purchase, but you can download the first chapter of most books for free. This is a great way to quickly and easily either get hooked on a book or decide it's not for you. I love that feature... :)
Amazon is smart: your
Kindle will come pre-programmed with your name and and your
Amazon account. In other words when it arrives you won't need to do anything like configure or "log in" to the device or the
Amazon store. It will be set-up ready to go! How cool is that? Some might also argue that its a bit of a security risk, as anyone who can lay hands on your
Kindle can start spending your money??? The good news here is that your
Kindle's relationship to your
Amazon account can be managed via the web without the device. In other words, if you lose your Kindle, you can disassociate it from your account quickly.
Kindle offers subscriptions to major magazines and newspapers. For people who are religious readers of publications like
The New York Times,
The Wall Street Journal and others, this could be a very lucrative way of having the latest issues with you automatically and at all times
Remember, there's no monthly fee. Once you have a Kindle, you have a basic web browser that you can use for free. While at the airport, at the coffee shop, at your friends house, at the park or just about anywhere for FREE. did I mention that already? WOW!!!
A big fear is that "Experimental" means that
Amazon may take it away some day. Another fear is that they'll start charging a subscription fee for access. With a v2 browser, though, it might well be worth it.
Kindle also has the ability to play music while you are reading so you can use as an MP3 too, but there are a lot of limitations so don't throw your MP3 away just yet... my consensus is
A+ buy it.....
For April: Scrambled Eggs by Doris Riskin
Jake Wanderman's life is spinning out of control. The retired, Shakespeare-loving English teacher's wife leaves him without an explanation. Then his best friend asks him to help an attractive widow whose late husband was a member of the Russian Mafia. It seems there are stolen Faberge eggs hidden in the widow's home, and various people want them. Jake suddenly finds himself dealing with the New York police, the FBI, the KGB, and assorted mobsters. This fast-moving caper takes Jake from Sag Harbor to Moscow and back again. With a colorful cast of characters and enough action to keep readers on their toes, Riskin has all the ingredients for a very entertaining series.
For May: Black Flowers by E. F. Watkins
When a former employee of her husband's genetic engineering firm, Genesis, dies of a drug overdose on her front lawn, Allison Constantine is horrified. She can't forget the young man's final threats that "people like her" will soon "get what's coming to them."
In the days to come, Allie suspects she's being followed, and fears someone might try to kidnap her or her two small children. But who? A rival firm, hoping to extort technical secrets from her husband, David? A protest group that has accused Genesis of reckless experiments? Or a former Genesis president who supposedly killed himself two years earlier?
Probing the company's activities, Allie discovers a pattern of mysterious deaths by electrocution. She begins to fear that the greatest threat to her family may be Genesis, itself, if she dares to interfere with its terrifying secret plans for its executives, for society...and even for Allie's own children...
For June: Twilight Eyes...by Dean Koontz
I already have this book and I want to get this one read before the summer months....it is about Carl Stanfeuss who was born with "Twilight Eyes," a color his grandmother said foretold of psychic abilities. After murdering his uncle Denton at the tender age of seventeen, Carl flees Oregon, shedding his name to become Slim MacKenzie, and join up with the Sombra Brothers Carnival. Of course, it wasn't bad that he murdered his uncle ... because his uncle was one of Them. The goblins.
From his psychic abilities, Slim can see the piggish, doggish faces of the goblins hiding underneath the façade of normal humans. They live off the pain and suffering of others, gathering with glee at fires, accidents, shootings, and disasters.
The book has an explosive culmination that is suppose to keep you on the edge of your set??? We shall see. Koontz is one of my favorite authors alongside of King... One of the scarriest books I have read was "Whispers"
Since Koontz doesn't usually write in first person, which makes this a unique novel among all the others he's done. Its also an earlier novel of his, written before he developed a 'Stephen King' plot theme line. I am told that 'Twilight Eyes' is an adventuresome novel with a unique storyline and is well written enough to keep you up all night long. It came highly recommend. so if you are reading along with me..... Enjoy, but be sure to keep the lights on!
