Re-kindling the flames

I'm talking about: the Amazon Kindle

I realized that I have never properly talked about one of my purchases this year on this blog, though I’ve certainly talked about it to friends and tried to enable people with it. Last April, I caved and bought myself an Amazon Kindle 3, which was the most recent model out at the time, now more known as the Kindle Keyboard.

What, ebooks? Tolerable, I suppose

When the Kindle first came out, with the much-touted e-ink technology, I was skeptical at best. I loved my paper books, and in the years following that first release and up until my decision to get one, I was firmly in the paper-book-lover camp. No newfangled technology was going to tear me away from my paper books! I liked the tactile feel of turning the pages, the scent of paper. I spend a lot of my time looking at text on screens and have tried reading ebooks, but it never caught on.

When I started getting into audiobooks, my penchant for still buying the paper books after listening to the audiobook firmed my belief that nothing was ever going to make me give up my paper books. My attempts to read ebooks on my iPhone didn’t help, either–my head hurt after a while, I got dizzy, the eye strain felt uncalled-for when I knew I could stare at computer screens for hours and not be bothered.

So what changed?

Coincidentally (or maybe not so much), the same guy who got me hooked onto audio books, got me hooked onto the Kindle. He brought his Kindle 3 to show us one fine day.

First impressions: definitely handsome enough to tempt me

I was very impressed with the Kindle 3, when I first saw it and held it in my hands. It was light, almost felt like a toy, but felt fairly solid enough for me. I could quickly see myself bringing one everyday and not minding the negligible weight increase (especially when this comes at a time when I was full into reading Wheel of Time. Yep).

But the definite selling point was the e-ink technology. I tell you–photos do not do this fabulous screen justice. I had to see it myself to be completely won over. Go ahead, open a book, any book. That page you see there? Pretty much the same thing you see on the Kindle screen. It was amazing. It was amazing. I’ve seen a good number of tech gadgets, and I’m not easily wowed. But this one?

It was love at first sight.

The stars also aligned for me then: while the Kindle is not released for Singapore, a friend was coming from the US in a month’s time. I had a long trip coming up. I had a little extra money that I didn’t expect.

And so a Kindle 3 came home to stay.

Brightened by the exercise

I had my Kindle in my hands in May last year. My friend handed the box over to me, and I couldn’t wait until I got home–I opened it right then and there. And there it was, in all its beautiful glory. There was a note on the screen that told me to connect the Kindle to my computer to get started. I couldn’t help it–I started with opening the box, well, I should just finish it off and remove the plastic screen protector, right?

So I lightly picked at the corners of the screen…and then another corner, since I was unsuccessful…and then I realized that there was no plastic covering. That note on the screen is not printed on a piece of plastic and taped onto the Kindle, it was on the Kindle itself. You can’t believe how embarrassed I felt, and what a good laugh I had out of it.

Seriously, folks, the e-ink is that good.

Kindle text vs book text: a comparison (click to see full image, 1632x1224)

PICS OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN! Well, the comparison shot with this post might help (click it to enlarge). I took it with my iPhone camera, but it’s a good comparison shot–the focus in near the bottom half of the photo, which is unedited except for halving the size of the actual shot. No other manipulations on sharpness or contrast. Apologies for the slightly yellowed book pages–it was the nearest one on hand (A Writer’s Workbook by Caroline Sharp, which embarrassingly I have not gone through properly yet).

I’ve had my Kindle for well over half a year now, and I think it’s still one of the best purchases I’ve done. Previously I tended not read at all. I was mourning the lack of time, but also quite unwilling to add 300-400g to my everyday bag for a book I may or may not have any downtime to read that day, and disliked ending up with books with battered covers and corners.

But being able to bring the Kindle everywhere with me changed all that. I could read whenever I wanted, I kept my book near me at all times. When I read on the way home, I am more likely to continue reading when I get home than not. The lack of a backlit screen does not faze me at all–it never deterred me when I loved paper books and it doesn’t deter me now.

Nowadays, I would probably prefer the Kindle or Kindle Touch over the Kindle Keyboard, mostly because I use the keyboard so little that I can let go of that feature in favor of a smaller overall gadget–and I will admit to trying to use the Kindle screen as a touchscreen for a while there (blush). But in no way do I feel that I paid too much for the more expensive Kindle 3 (“Kindle Keyboard”), it was well worth the price then and it would be well worth the price even now.

But does that mean I’m giving up on my paper books? Not at all. Like my “audiobook situation”, I still buy paper books of ebooks I read that are amazing. They are fabulous, and sometimes, I am plainly in a paper book mood, that the Kindle can’t satisfy. But all the other times–most of the time–the Kindle answers all my hobby reading needs.

If you’re in the same boat that I was–unable to read from backlit screens, wanting to read on the go but unwilling to bring along heavy books–I very strongly suggest you take a look at the Kindle. It’s a fabulous gadget and I am so, so pleased that I bought one.

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Recap week: reading in 2010

Reading in 2010 has been rather run-of-the-mill. As a longtime reader, I don’t think there is one single event in 2010 that I might say was specifically huge for me as a reader.

That’s not to say that I didn’t do any reading! There have been a number of memorable books–specifically, series–that I got lost in this year.

Interestingly, this was the year of the audio book for me. My Audible.com membership (started in February) is one of the best reading-related “investments” (so to speak) I’ve done. I never thought I’d enjoy audio books as much as I’ve grown to! I’ve revisited such old loves like The Old Kingdom Trilogy due to Tim Curry’s wonderful narration, and discovered new lands and characters.

I started The Wheel of Time in 2010. I have quite a long way to go, but starting this epic journey is one of the best things I’ve done reading-wise. I’m a sucker for amazing world-building, and Robert Jordan’s world is amazingly complex, with realistic characters. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a ride worthy of its wheels.

I discovered The Hunger Games trilogy in 2010, which is also the same year the last book was published–I can only be thankful that the wait for the final installment was not as bad for me as for some others! It was actually my first audio book purchase! It’s a wonderfully-written YA series that I couldn’t put down, with memorable characters that tugged at my heart.

In 2010, I discovered Naomi Novik and the Temeraire series. Yet another fun-filled ride interspersed with such heart-rending moments, this series was a fabulous find and one I’m quite annoyed to find is not as easily found in Singapore! Her writing is fabulous and she’s quite a darling.

Three new wonderful worlds in 2010. Now that’s not too shabby ;)

This week is recap week! Stay tuned for piecemeal recaps of how 2010 went for me.

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Books and reading meme

Books books books!

It’s an old book meme, but what the hey, everything is a cycle ;)

1. Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?

I love trade paperback. I will go for mass market paperback over hardbacks as well; hardbacks are heavier and just generally clunkier than the others, which I dislike.

2. Barnes & Noble or Borders?

Never ‘been in a Barnes & Noble store, sadly. So I will instead make a choice between: Borders, Kinokuniya, Page One and Popular/Harris, which are the biggest bookstores in Singapore (if I’ve missed any, let me know :O!). I’d have to say Kinokuniya, although I think I am biased because I am a member (yay discounts!) and they have lots of manga (granted, I don’t read a lot of manga, but still!).

Although frankly, I will go inside any book store and enjoy myself just as much.

3. Bookmark or dog-ear?

Bookmark! I used to dog-ear as a child, but not anymore. Actually, I hardly ever bookmark, too; or if I do, I use stuff like scrap pieces of paper lying around. Usually, I just repeat the page to myself, and go off; I don’t mind if I reread a bit of what I’ve previously read (while skimming to get to where I left off), as it helps refresh the memory as well.

Oh wait. Putting down a book? What’s that?

4. Amazon or brick and mortar?

Brick and mortar! Really only because it’s usually cheaper, as there’s no shipping involved.

5. Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?

Oh my. Neither! I arrange my books a number of ways, really; I first segregate by general genre, which usually mean:

Nonfiction
Classics
“Real” fiction (har har)
High fantasy, or any fantasy not included in…
Children’s/YA fantasy
Manga

(Recently I’ve had a number of books with magical realism in them, and naturally they fit in between the “real” fiction and fantasy books.)

After that, however, I group together roughly by author/series/height. For authors that have some books in another of my genres, I usually try to keep them closest to that boundary, but keep his/her books together as much as possible. And yes, height. Height is important. Having books roughly sloping downwards from left to right on my bookshelf looks very pretty.

6. Keep, throw away, or sell?

Keep, or give away to people. That said, I really have a couple of books that I should give away or something. Maybe I’ll take another stab at bookmooch, or just post on this blog.

7. Keep dust jacket or toss it?

OMG. Keep! How, oh how can you toss the dust jacket?!

8. Read with dust jacket or remove it?

Ew, remove to read. It will get all wrinkly!

9. Short story or novel?

Usually novels, but I enjoy short stories a lot as well. I should actually look for short story anthologies more.

10. Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?

Ohh, tough one, but I’ll go with Harry Potter. Lemony Snicket is oodles of fun, though!

11. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?

Stop when tired, mostly because when the chapter ends I usually just need to know a liiiiitle more… and I never get to the end of it. So I just end up stopping when I can’t read anymore (i.e., I need to do something NOW, or I can’t keep my eyes open, or…shock horror, if the book bores me.)

12. “It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?

Ooooh tough one! Tougher than Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket. I like both, but “It was a dark and stormy night” is much more gripping. “Once upon a time” definitely won’t sway me, though. I love me my Lloyd Alexander and CS Lewis.

13. Buy or borrow?

Buy! For unknowns I would rather borrow, but usually also end up buying them in the end.

14. New or used?

Depends on how “used” is “used”, so generally new, or looking-new.

15. Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?

The books I get are usually recommendations or products of browsing; I look at reviews only when I’m interested enough in the book to possibly buy them. Recommendations are a given; as for browsing, I love pretty covers and interesting titles.

16. Tidy ending or cliffhanger?

Both are fine, as long as it’s the right ending for the book. Things don’t need to be resolved to be RIGHT.

17. Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?

Any! I can (and will) read at any time of the day I feel like reading. Recently, however, that’s mostly at night.

18. Stand-alone or series?

Either! Series books, if they are good, are absolutely fun. They can be a little more stressful though, as I have a complex about finding individual books in a series in the same edition as all the other books I have. T_T I actually have a couple of duplicates because I *couldn’t* wait until the proper edition is out, but bought it later on when it became available.

19. Favourite series

This is torture! Let’s see. I love Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles because while it’s simple and enjoyable, it’s full of beautiful insights. I love C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia for pretty much the same thing, with an emphasis on how it mirrors my faith. I love Stephen King’s Dark Tower saga for the sheer scale, magnitude, and depth of the piece; it’s truly epic. I love Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom Trilogy because it’s damn enjoyable; Yoko Kamio’s Hana Yori Dango for being absolutely fun and absolutely heart-wrenching at the same time; the Nancy Drew series for memories! There are plenty more but I should stop ;)

20. Favourite children’s book?

I’d say a cross between the Chronicles of Narnia, and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. I have not read the latter in years, but it remains close to my heart. And the only reason I’m not including Prydain Chronicles in this list is because I’m actually unsure if it’s classified as for children or for young adults. I would enjoy either at any age!

21. Favourite YA book?

Again with the fine line between children’s books and YA books. So I’ll just pick among those that I’m rather positive is YA. Hmm. I’ve been staring at my bookshelf for a while now, so I’ll just pick the first one that came to mind: Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom Trilogy. They’re a bit dark, hence more suitable for young adults. (Don’t ask me to pick which in the trilogy!)

22. Favourite book of which nobody else has heard?

It would be difficult to define “nobody”, so I’ll just pick two books that I don’t hear a lot of people mention: Arlene J. Chai’s Eating Fire, Drinking Water, and F. Sionil Jose’s Ben Singkol. Most literate Filipinos would probably have read at least one of the two; they’re both set in the Philippines and are both fabulously written.

23. Favourite books read last year?

Oooh. Let’s see, from my list last year:

Celestine Hitiura Vaite’s Frangipani (I love magical realism, and the story is fabulous)
Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series (like the overall story; yes, I cried too, but could really use better writing)
Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series (which I’ve yet to finish! sob. want rest of the series plz!)

24. Favourite books of all time?

I’m not even gonna try. But I need to give special mentions to a couple not yet included in the post, like Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. And oh, oh, Janet Fitch’s White Oleander. And Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale. Oh, must include Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series, and of course Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus Trilogy. And Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone. And Jude Deveraux’s Remembrance, as well as Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook. And–okokok. Stop.

25. What are you reading right now?

Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I actually have a draft entry on it, but I can’t seem to finish it. Er, both the book and the entry. I’m trying!

26. What are you reading next?

Lyndall Gordon’s Charlotte Brontë: A Passionate Life.

27. Favourite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old?

I actually have difficulty with recommending books to people, of any age, unless I know more about the person or they specifically ask me with details on what sort of book they’re after (and sometimes I still have difficulties!). Books are quite personal entities to me, and everyone has a different way of reacting to books and stories in books.

So, I will cop out and pass on this question! Next!

28. Favourite book to reread?

This changes at various points in time. Right now, however, I seem to keep coming back to any one of The Old Kingdom Trilogy. I’m really glad I brought them along when I moved to Singapore.

29. Do you ever smell books?

Of course! I love the smell of new books. :D I refrain from smelling old dusty books because, seriously, who wants dust up their nose?

30. Do you ever read Primary source documents? Like, diaries or letters?

If you’re talking originals, or copies without any commentary on them (like, stuff to look up in libraries and whatnot), then no, I haven’t. I am quite interested in them however, when it comes to certain people I take an interest in, like favorite authors (Charlotte, Jane), popular heroes (Rizal), etc.

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Bookmarks

One of the things that I like buying are bookmarks. I especially like pretty, unusual bookmarks, even though this sort usually means that the book will be taking a beating along the spine (and thus don’t get used too much). I have the ordinary sort, such as this one shown here, given by Caroline. They come in interesting designs and are great also for quickly marking where you are to get a bite to eat or something–I stick the bookmark just below the line I’m leaving, with the length perpendicular to the page, so that I can easily get back to reading after a few minutes.

The downside is that they’re usually made of thick paper or board, and sticking it into the spine isn’t usually going to be very good for the books in the long run. Of course, I have even thicker variety, such as this one of a poor pig becoming roadkill (how morbidly cute is that), given by my sister (click on the photo for a bigger image). I use it for my planner, as in the photo. It does eat into the space a bit, but people who see it while I’m using my planner as usually have a few words to say about it.

Another example is the portable ribbon sort, such as this one, which I bought myself (click on the photos to view bigger images). The bookmark itself is an elastic cord looped around itself, with a kind of tail for the “ribbon”. The book goes inside, as in the photo. This is even more saddening for the book, but for prayer planners like this one it’s good–it’s easy to find the right page in the morning when you’re still groggy ;)

On the up side, I don’t use bookmarks all that often — I can use random paper lying about (the most usual culprit are receipts), and more often I just remember the page number (or thereabouts), and I’m good to go. I usually read a few paragraphs to a page back to get my bearing again when picking up on reading anyway.

I wonder if bookmark usage is something I take for granted–that everyone else uses bookmarks the same way I do, or maybe there’s some technique in bookmark-fu that I haven’t yet found out. How do you use bookmarks?

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Reading-related memberships

I finally caved and got a two-year membership at Kinokuniya. I should have done this earlier, but I kept putting it off because I kept telling myself that books are cheaper in the Philippines. Which is true, but then the selection generally isn’t as good. I finally went and got the card, telling myself that I’ll be able to make up the membership fee since I’ll be getting:

All of Kamio Yoko’s Hana Yori Dango,
All of Takaya Natsuki’s Fruits Basket, and
Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series

…among others. Just getting all of Hanadan within two years actually makes up for the membership fee already! I bought a couple of things today and already got a discount of a bit over six dollars.

I remember when we were children, our parents got us memberships at one Armchair Reader, which is an interesting library concept: it was a pretty comfortable, borderline posh place (well, pretty usual nowadays with Starbucks dotting the cities, but as ignorant kids the huge cushy armchairs were posh) with shelves upon shelves of books of pretty much whatever genre. A membership apparently granted you free stay at the “library” for however long, where you can read whatever books that you liked, and then discounts for borrowing books. Our parents would leave us there while they do “grownup stuff” (like look for paints, lights, household fixtures, etc). I still have fond memories of the place and feel sad they shut down a long time ago.

I’d have to say, though, that aside from these two and the usual school library memberships, I haven’t been part of anything else that’s reading-related. That’s kind of sad, although as a kid I don’t seem to have suffered adversely from the lack of it.

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Books vs Movies

This Thursday’s Booking Through Thursday is Books vs Movies:

Books and films both tell stories, but what we want from a book can be different from what we want from a movie. Is this true for you? If so, what’s the difference between a book and a movie?

Interesting question, and I was actually talking about this in brief with Faye recently. I’m not a book purist, and I think that on average, I do enjoy movie/TV adaptations a lot, certainly on varying degrees of enjoyment. To me, a movie generally has to be more compact, but that’s because it has a lot of power to convey more in a short period of time, since movies and TV shows are highly visual. Show, don’t tell, is definitely the rule. It’s easier to reach a lot more people with movies, because they’re so much easier to stomach — what’s two hours, after all, in one day, in one week?

Books, on the other hand, require a bit more patience than a movie (since it won’t end after two hours I’m sure, unless it’s a very short book or you’re an amazing speed reader) but a well-written book can go so much deeper than a movie has time for, which I feel is great. It gives one the leeway to imagine as one wills, which can give a more powerful impact to the story than a movie, with its “set” visuals, can give. Those imaginings are highly personal, tainted by one’s own preferences, and one can definitely end up enjoying a book more than a movie simply because of the highly personal nature of one’s imagination.

Going back to the book versus movie debate, I sometimes even like it when adaptations deviate from the book, as long as the premise and spirit is the same, and this definitely has a lot of bearing on the skill of the actors and the screenwriter. For example, there was a bit of flack about the BBC 2006 Jane Eyre adaptation being rather, well, “forward”, but I thought it worked well, and I enjoyed the TV mini-series immensely. The 2005 Pride and Prejudice adaptation was also rather different, but it was admittedly pretty (even though I’ve found a lot of ways to poke fun at the movie).

This isn’t always the case, though. Just recently, since I had just finished reading Eragon (and Eldest), I tried watching the movie. Oh shock horror. I couldn’t get past Saphira flying down from the sky suddenly full-grown and wise. (Maybe I should have stuck to it more, since I later on found out that Rachel Weisz had voiced Saphira.) While I don’t think Eragon is omgamazingfabulous, the movie felt quite botched together. Roran not going off to find money to wed Katrina is alright, but everyone knowing about the new farm-boy dragon rider? Uh, no thank you. I don’t think I want to know how else they managed to make a rather stereotypical, predictable fantasy epic worse.

But naturally, there are also exceptions for me when a movie is better than a book. I quite enjoyed the 1999 Mansfield Park adaptation more than the book, even though I’m a staunch Jane Austen fan. Sadly, this is the only one example I can give of a movie being better than a book, but then my sister would say the same about Lord of the Rings (she couldn’t get past Fellowship of the Ring) — something we obviously disagree about ;)

Your mileage may vary.

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Fifth sentence of page 123 (tagged by Tina)

Finally getting around to that book meme Tina tagged me with a good couple of days ago. I kept putting it off because I have five, read it, five draft posts still waiting to get posted.

The rules:

Pick up the nearest book.
Open to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.
Tag five people and post a comment on Tina’s blog (she’s the one who tagged me) once you’ve posted your three sentences.

I started reading Eldest by Christopher Paolini just yesterday, as I wanted something not very intellectually or emotionally taxing, and I had previously picked it up at the last MPH warehouse sale (book haul coming soon).

They soon left the buildings and found themselves crossing the barren fields at Tarnag’s base. Beyond those, they reached the stone quay that edged the still, gray water.

Waiting for them were two wide rafts tied alongside a pier.

I am now tagging:

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Eragon

I just finished Christopher Paolini’s Eragon, after resolving to read it since it’s been turned into a movie (no, I haven’t watched the movie, and yes, I heard it wasn’t good). As a YA fantasy novel, to me it was pretty typical: fast-paced adventure, magic, dragons, a likeable protagonist who is coming of age. It was an enjoyable read, and I’ll definitely be picking up the next installation soon.

(Spoiler warning! I will be talking about some plot elements that affect the ending of the book.)

I don’t exactly know if I feel it’s doing a good bit of foreshadowing or if it’s too much. I obviously haven’t read Eldest, but already I feel like it’s going to be a no-brainer. For one thing, Angela the witch’s foretelling of Eragon’s future felt like… wait, already? So we already know there’s a near-death, someone who’s family will betray him, and there’s a noble love on the horizon.

I felt the near-death would be Brom right off. I mean, seriously, who else was it going to be? Who else (who’s still alive) was close to Eragon other than Roran, Brom, and Saphira? If Saphira dies, there goes the story. There was a chance it would be Roran, but I felt that Brom would make more sense, more impact.

And besides, there was the whole thing about the betrayal of someone who’s family. That instantly pointed to Roran, but! We skip to the end of the book, where we, omg, find out about Murtagh’s past. Murtagh Son of Morzan who, when sparring with Eragon, was his equal in every respect, even when they tire. There was mention of them being so alike each other, but yet differing in beliefs. Let’s not forget Murtagh’s mother, who came from an unknown village, who mysteriously left when Murtagh was three, and returned just as mysteriously.

Oh, what’s that about Eragon’s mother? His mother, who had become apparently rich, went home to Garrow five months pregnant with Eragon, gave birth, and then pleaded that he be raised there, and then disappeared. I mean, seriously? You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to put, omg, two long-lost brothers together and, in the end, have them face each other in a heart-rending, emotional battle between good and evil! Not to mention battle for the heart of a noblewoman, Nasuada, apparently. There was a stray thought about it being Arya, but you never know. Would that be possible in Eragon’s world?

Okay, maybe I’m wrong about some of these points. I don’t even know what I think about all these guesses of mine. I feel like, what, why is this so easy?? I don’t know if I enjoy it, making all these guesses.

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On Reading Challenges

I’m moving along well with the challenges I’ve taken on. As it stands, I’m right on target with 50 Books for 2008, ahead of myself with New Reads for 2008, and on time with What’s in a Name. I have to thank Carrefour for the book sale they had a week or two back… I ended up picking up a few titles (at just S$5!) which fit the latter’s requirements.

I have to admit, being on challenges adds a bit of motivation for me personally, mostly because I love seeing that progress bar fill up slowly. It tells me where I am, and how I’m doing… not to mention it’s forcing me to keep reading a book even if before I’d have decided to leave it “for a while”… and then I invariably end up not reading for a while, because I keep thinking, “but I’m reading something else right now!”

I have this… compulsion to finish books.

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Watch the Skies, and free ebooks from Tor

Saw this around (from Lenneth’s post, actually): Tor Books has a promotion called Watch the Skies, which seems quite mysterious but has free digital books as part of it! Obviously this deals with the science fiction and fantasy genre, and the next book (at the time of this writing) is Old Man’s War by John Scalzi, 2006′s winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

This sounds promising, so I signed up — I love me some SF/F.