Why I Only Read On My Kindle and The Wondrous Kate Atkinson

I never thought I'd be that person. I never thought I would give up real books and go completely digital. I mean, I love real books. The feel, the smell, the touch . . . but I've given it all up.

A few years ago I got my first Kindle. It was the same one as in the picture up there. And it rocked. It changed my world. Suddenly I really only had to think about a book and BOOM! there it was (well, I had to pay for it, but still . . .). But I continued to check books out of the library because Amazon wasn't, at the time, library compatible.

And then BOOM! again, Amazon became library compatible. And books prices dropped, and went up, and dropped again, but I could get books from the library (which has become a little tougher, but that's a different story) and I could get books at a pretty good price. And I could carry six or seven books with me (actually, six or seven HUNDRED, if you count the ones in my cloud) wherever I went. And I switched it up and got a Kindle Fire, then a Kindle Fire HD, and I could listen to my Audible and library books while driving. Or I could watch a movie, but that's a different story . . .

I have some great shelves with some beautiful old books, and I love the look of them. But I realize I like having my entire library at my fingertips. I also like being able to have some fun books in my library and not feel judged for reading what I call 'brain candy.' (I know the judgment is in my mind, but I still feel the judgment. Mostly from myself.) I like that if I read about a great book (on my Kindle, my phone, my laptop), I can immediately link to it on Amazon and purchase it right then. I don't have to drive anywhere when I'm out of reading material--it is instant gratification at its finest.

I am happy with my choice. I love my Kindle, and I love Amazon for providing me with books at the moment I need them. I also love that it has given so many authors a chance to be published, authors who may never have had a chance with an agent, a publishing house, and the traditional route.

The only thing that worries me about my Kindle and my choice is the zombie scenario (aka the end-of-the-civilized-world). How will I get to read if we have no electricity? I'm going to have to get a great generator just for my Kindle . . . .

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"What if we had a chance to do it again and again," Teddy said, "until we finally did get it right? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Kate Atkinson, what can I say. I am in love. I don't know how I am just discovering her. I began early in the summer (maybe May) reading "Life After Life" and I was hooked. This is the story of Ursula Todd, who dies at birth in pre-World War I England when the doctor is waylaid thanks to a snowstorm. Or, it is the story of Ursula Todd, born in pre-World War I England because the doctor got there in time. And the book goes on, trudging through different tangents, all telling us how different Ursula's life, and the lives of those around her) could have been if she had done things slightly differently. Atkinson does the wonderfully, mapping out so many different paths that it made me think about the small choices I make every day.

I have since gone on to read her Jackson Brodie series; "Case Histories," "One Good Turn," and "When Will There Be Good News?" They are considered mysteries, and I guess they are, in the most general way. Brodie is a police man who left the force to open his own agency, dreaming of retiring in rural France. The books have mysteries in them, but you follow Brodie and watch as his 'clients' lives unfold, and in the end you care more about their outcome than the solving of the mysteries. The BBC made these into a television show a couple of years ago, but I haven't gotten around to watching them. It has been shown on PBS as well, or so I have heard.

This writer will be on my watch list for years to come.

Vacation, Reading and The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson

It's a Saturday in early March in Arizona, sitting on Mom's back patio enjoying the sunshine. It has been a wonderful trip--Grandma got to take the girl's shopping, we all hit a wildlife park and got an African-style safari and today we are chillin' in the sunshine. We may hit a spring training baseball game, but we may not. This is the fun of vacation.

I have had a chance to finish two books while here and loved them both. Mom joked that she hasn't ever seen a book that I didn't like--but I have read many books that I don't like. I am a much more critical reader than I used to be, and I have realized I am a character-driven reader: if a character is well developed, I love the book. I think this is true for most readers.

On the plane and the first day we were here I finished "The Name of The Star" by Maureen Johnson. This was the perfect vacation read--if I were on my way to a beach, I would pack this book. Johnson does a good job of setting the scene and telling the story of Aurora or Rory, a Louisiana girl at a London boarding school for the first time who suddenly realizes she can see the dead. She is called into service when the Jack the Ripper murders are being re-created around her school, and it's up to her and The Shades, a band of sanctioned ghost police, to stop the killings. The story has the creepy factor, but its told with humor and feeling.

"Maybe that's what bravery is. You forget you're in trouble when you see someone else in danger. Or maybe there is a limit to how afraid you can get, and I'd hit it."

"The Name of The Star""  was set up for sequels, and I was happy to find out that book two, The Madness Underneath, is available. I like this set up--London is a city that has been built and rebuilt so many times that it has layers of 'ghosts'--and Rory can help the Shades in London for awhile. After that there is the possibility that she return to Louisiana and/or New Orleans, a city with its own history of ghosts.

Get The Name of The Star for Kindle from Amazon

This is a fun read and is highly enjoyable.  It's not high literature, but it's not suppose to be. The story won't make you think too hard, but it will whisk you away from your day-to-day for a few hours.

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!!!