Getting ready for vacation, The Wool Serials by Hugh Howey and Kindle Singles

Today is the day before a short visit to Grandma's (my mom) house in Arizona. Time off from work, time to reconnect with Mom and let the girls play outside. Oranges to be picked and made into orange juice (this is a project done with Daddy and Grandpa), real Mexican food to be devoured, sunshine to be soaked in (although the grandparents will tell me that it isn't that warm for Arizona, it will still be a lot warmer than Ohio in February). Hopefully this will provide me with a lot of reading time. There are many books I need to get through (and by need I mean NEED--the pull of the book on my soul) including The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson and Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Wonder is a book for younger readers that my almost 10-year old wants to read, and I have heard from many that it is one that I need to read as well.

So today is the day before vacation. Swimming is over for a couple of months, lacrosse hasn't started (this are my older child's activities of choice), dance recital isn't until June (this is my younger daughter's activity of choice). Summer camps have been chosen (for the most part), summer activities have been partially planned, and spring activities have not yet begun. This is our down time, and I love it!

Instead of a review today, I'm going to talk about some great book-related, Kindle-related items you should be discovering and reading!

First off, The Wool series on Kindle--an awesome and intelligent look at a Dystopian society. If you have a Kindle, get reading. The first five chapters (the Wool books) are available in one read and are inexpensive ($5.99) and are so worth it. Wool Omnibus for Kindle at Amazon. The second part is three installments called Shift. The third installment was released a couple of weeks ago, so the Shift series is also available in one read for $5.99. Shift Omnibus for Kindle at Amazon. And the third and final part, Dust, will be out soon. If you can, sit down and read Wool and Shift together. I don't want to attempt a real review until the whole series is finished. 

"And so a life was lived accidental. It was lived because he wasn’t brave enough to do anything else." Third Shift, Hugh Howey.

Another fun thing available for Kindle are Kindle Singles. Singles are basically short stories that are usually inexpensive and brief. There are a number of bestselling authors who have found there way to Kindle Singles. Stephen King has written a number of them, and has collaborated with some known and unknown (at least to me) authors for some of them. Nelson DeMille (a favorite of mine) has used this format to tell an early John Corey story as well as a couple others.  Lee Child, David Baldacci, Richard Russo, Karen Slaughter, Chuck Palahniuk, Michael Connelly--the list goes on and on. There are many new writers finding this genre as well. Kindle Singles are awesome if you don't have time for a full book or if you just want a quick, inexpensive read. Most I have read are incredibly well written.

These are my deep-thoughts for today. Enjoy your Tuesday and find time to read!!!