Wednesday, April 29, 2009

J.R.R.Tolkien's eBooks Discounted This Week

This week we are discounting all Tolkien's eBooks.  The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings (individually and collectively) and the Children of Hurin.

             

It took six year to convince the J.R.R. Tolkien's estate to put these great books into eBook format.  That is "more than half as long as the author needed to complete his Lord of the Rings trilogy" according to the Associated Press (via USA Today).

"The Tolkien estate wanted to be absolutely confident that e-books were not something ephemeral," said David Brawn, publishing operations director at HarperCollins UK. "We were finally able to convince the Tolkien estate that the e-book is a legitimate, widespread format."

It's simple:

Monday, April 27, 2009

eBook And Publishing News . . .And Spring Fever

Most days I sit down to write this blog and the biggest problem I have is narrowing it down to just one or two topics.  This week, for some unknown reason, I haven't been able to find anything interesting enough to write about.

I seem to be in some sort of spring fever state which makes it impossible to focus on any of the list of possible topics:

Not one of them really caught fire with me this week; but PLEASE check them out for yourself.  There is some really interesting stuff going on I'm just too fevered to fix on anything!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout eBook edition

Olive Kitteridge may be the most honored book of 2008.  People, USA Today, The Washington Post Book World and even The Wall Street Journal named it the best book of 2008.  And then, early this week Olive Kitteridge was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

I decided, what the hell, why not give it another try.  I say another try because this book has been on my eReader for quite a while.

In fact I have read the first chapter at least three times.  Each time I hope that this will be THE time that I become engrossed and read more. . .

It would seem that this is a book I should love.  Elizabeth Strout is an amazing writer.  Amy and Isabelle is one of my all time favorite books.  This is a collection of thirteen loosely related stories about people and their humanity.  The language is beautiful and the characters are full bodied and three dimensional, the insights profound. 

So I tried again. 

This time I skipped the first chapter.  I thought maybe the problem was reading about Henry and his low level depression.  Perhaps it was the weight of his isolation and loneliness that put me off.  This time I started with Chapter 2: "Incoming Tide."  In this cheery chapter the low level depression has ratcheted up to actual suicidal depression. 

Third time is the charm right?  So I skipped over to the chapter entitled "Tulips."  I figured a story about those beautiful spring flowers had to be a little more cheerful.  I was wrong.

The writing IS beautiful.  The descriptions are vivid and often stark.  The characters fully dimensional and perhaps even sympathetic is some sort of way.  All of that is true.  And yet, one more time, I put the books down with a big sigh.  I just couldn't do it.

Perhaps I am just perverse.  Maybe it is my mood.  Maybe I just have no class. Whatever the reason I could not get into this book and stay there. 

Make up you own mind by reading a sample.  And then let me know what you think. 


At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town of Crosby, Maine, and in the world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize the changes in those around her: a lounge musician haunted by a past romance; a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive’s own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse.


As the townspeople grapple with their problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life–sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty. Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition–its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires.

 

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

eBook Discounts for Earth Day

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You might notice a theme here. . . All of us at eBooks About Everything are all about Green. . . not just today (Earth Day) but all year long. To celebrate we are giving a 10% discount this week on any eBook in the store. Use coupon code EARTH09 to get your discount at checkout. No more books on dead trees.
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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Careers eBook edition
by Parks, Barbara
The career opportunities of the future ? Green-collar jobs are on the rise according to Businessweek magazine. The Green Jobs Act of 2007 anticipates a growing labor need for thousands of green-collar workers with $125 million in annual funding for training and research.
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List Price : $14.95
Your price $11.51 (Using your 10% discount and $ .61 points in eBook Reward points)
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Shamus in the Green Room eBook Edition
by Kandel, Susan
Los Angeles writer Cece Caruso is thrilled that her biography of the legendary Dashiell Hammett is headed for the big screen. When the dead body shows up neither the ""facts"" nor the hunky star's alibi add up—Cece might end up pulling the plug on the movie—if someone doesn't pull the plug on Cece first.
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List Price : $14.95
Your price $12.78 (Using your 10% discount and $ .67 iin eBook Reward points)
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Haley's Hints Green Edition: 1000 Great Tips to Save Time, Money, and the Planet! eBook edition
by Haley, Graham, Haley, Rosemary
A budget-friendly, time-saving collection of green ideas. Because Mother Earth never wrote a guide for humans on caring for her, the authors of Haley¿s Hints now offer a collection of Earth-friendly tips for around the house
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List Price : $14.00
Your price $10.77 (Using your 10% discount and $ .57 in eBook Reward points)
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Before Green Gables eBook edition
by Wilson, Budge
A must-read for generations of book lovers. This remarkable, and heart-warming prequel to the classic Anne of Green Gables was specially authorized by L.M. Montgomery's heirs to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of the original novel.
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List Price : $22.95
Your price $19.62 (Using your 10% discount and $1.03 in eBook Reward points)
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The Gorgeously Green Diet (Mobipocket) eBook edition
by Uliano, Sophie
Sophie shows how to lovefood, live healthily, lose weight, and save money and the planet.Uliano offers three different lean and green eating plans: Light Green,Bright Green, and Deep Green. Each offers a cornucopia of the healthiestand most gorgeous food you've ever eaten.
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List Price : $25.95
Your price $22.19 (Using your 10% discount and $1.17 in eBook Reward points)
Our guarantee: If you have bought one of these titles from eBooks About in the last 15 days -- we will gladly offer you a rebate on the book; just contact us

Monday, April 20, 2009

As April Comes to An End -- Celebrate Reading!

April ends with two notable reading initiatives for you to check out. You won't be disappointed!

READ WITH KIDS -- Last year I wrote a longish piece on an organization called Reading is Fundamental (RIF). RIF is the oldest child literacy program in the US. There current drive is to log 5 million minutes spent reading to kids. Love of books and reading is perhaps the greatest gift you can give a child. So here's the deal: for a second year, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and US Airways are working together to help children nationwide discover the joy of reading. Starting April, adults are invited to join the 2009 Read with Kids Challenge and help collectively log 5 million minutes spent reading with kids. You’ll have the chance of winning a family vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort® and more great prizes. Get on board!

UNESCO WORLD BOOK DAY -- 23 April: The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia where on 23 April, Saint George's Day, a rose is traditionally given as a gift for each book sold. The success of the World Book and Copyright Day will depend primarily on the support received from all parties concerned (authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and private institutions, humanitarian NGOs and the mass media), who have been mobilized in each country by UNESCO National Commissions, UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations, Associated Schools and Libraries, and by all those who feel motivated to work together in this world celebration of books and authors.

wolrdbook

This is a symbolic date for world literature for on this date and in the same year of 1616, Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. It was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.

Friday, April 17, 2009

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. Lee

The Piano Teacher is complicated, eloquent, haunting and thought provoking.   Not one of the characters is particularly sympathetic, never mind likable.  The story jumps between decades with wild abandon.  The plot is violent and explores the highly disturbing, damaging nature of war and its aftermath.  It is the story of love and ultimate betrayal.

If that sounds negative, than consider my other observations. Janice Lee's portrayal of Hong Kong are so vivid you can almost smell and hear the market place. The description of life in Colonies is pitch perfect; the gossip, the intrigue and the boredom. The language is eloquent.  The plot is carefully constructed. The character development is extraordinary.

The story presents two snapshots of life in Hong Kong.  The snapshots are ten years apart. Life before the war life is circumscribed by social status and ritual.  The Europeans, especially the English have created their own alternative universe right on the top of Victoria Peak.

Once the war is over the survivors (of both the war and the occupation) are deeply scarred.  They emerge forever changed by the circumstances of incarceration. starvation and torture.  And yet, apparently nothing much has changed.  Life has more or less picked up exactly where it left off.  The colony is back in business and the rigid social structures and rituals have survived. 

Claire Pendleton, the piano teacher, provides a stark contrast between the cynicism of the old and the naivety of the new.  In the end, she effectively provides a focus and a rather harrowing catharsis.

This book is a real hybrid; part historical fiction, part romance and part mystery.  I suspect you will either love or hate it.  I, personally, loved it.

In the sweeping tradition of The English Patient, a gripping tale of love and betrayal set in war-torn Hong Kong

In 1942, Will Truesdale, an Englishman newly arrived in Hong Kong, falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But their love affair is soon threatened by the invasion of the Japanese as World War II overwhelms their part of the world. Will is sent to an internment camp, where he and other foreigners struggle daily for survival. Meanwhile, Trudy remains outside, forced to form dangerous alliances with the Japanese in particular, the malevolent head of the gendarmerie, whose desperate attempts to locate a priceless collection of Chinese art lead to a chain of terrible betrayals.

Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong and is hired by the wealthy Chen family as their daughter's piano teacher. A provincial English newlywed, Claire is seduced by the heady social life of the expatriate community. At one of its elegant cocktail parties, she meets Will, to whom she is instantly attracted¿but as their affair intensifies, Claire discovers that Will's enigmatic persona hides a devastating past. As she begins to understand the true nature of the world she has entered, and long-buried secrets start to emerge, Claire learns that sometimes the price of survival is love.

Read an excerpt here

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

eBook Discounts for April 15, 2009

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At least a few of us have been watching TV, some have read my blog, a few are headed to the future and at least a few are looking for a man.

Use Coupon code DH59Y at checkout to get these discounts.


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Always Looking Up eBook edition
by Fox, Michael J.
There are many words to describe Michael J. Fox: Actor. Husband. Father. Activist. But readers of Always Looking Up will soon add another to the list: Optimist. Michael writes about the hard-won perspective that helped him see challenges as opportunities. Instead of building walls around himself, he developed a personal policy of engagement and discovery. . .
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List Price : $19.95
Your price $15.36 (Using your 10% discount and $ .81 points in eBook Reward points)
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Tribute eBook Edition
by Roberts, Nora
Virginia's Shenandoah Valley is a long way from Hollywood. And that's exactly how Cilla McGowan wants it. Cilla, a former child star who has found more satisfying work as a restorer of old houses, has come to her grandmother's farmhouse, tools at her side, to rescue it from ruin. Sadly, no one was able to save her grandmother, the legendary Janet Hardy. . .
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List Price : $26.95
Your price $21.33 (Using your 10% discount and $1.12 in eBook Reward points)
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The Code of Love eBook edition
by Linklater, Andro
Andro Linklater skillfully weaves the many fascinating parts of this tale together into an unforgettable narrative. From the mesmerizing siege of Hong Kong, to the romantic roller coaster of a truly great love, to the unbelievable efforts of the mathematician who finally cracked the encoded diary, The Code of Love is storytelling at its very finest.
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List Price : $16.00
Your price $13.68 (Using your 10% discount and $ .72 in eBook Reward points)
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Buyout eBook edition
by Irvine, Alexander
One hundred years from now, with Americans hooked into an Internet far more expansive and intrusive than today’s, the world has become a seamless market-driven experience. In this culture of capitalism run amok, entrepreneurs and politicians faced with rampant overcrowding in the nation’s penal system turn to a controversial new method of cutting costs: life-term buyouts.
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List Price : $14.00
Your price $11.97 (Using your 10% discount and $ .63 in eBook Reward points)
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All the Rules eBook edition
by Fein, Ellen
The two bestselling phenomenons now together. First, The Rules I, has time-tested techniques for finding the man of your dreams. Controversial and effective, these 35 rules changed millions of women's lives all over the world. In their sensational sequel, The Rules II, the authors showed readers how they could follow The Rules in even the most difficult situations
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List Price : $9.99
Your price $8.54 (Using your 10% discount and $ .45 in eBook Reward points)

Our guarantee: If you have bought one of these titles from eBooks About in the last 15 days -- we will gladly offer you a rebate on the book; just contact us

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Amazon Says It Was Merely a Glitch

It was merely a "glitch" that de-ranked all those GLBT and erotica titles on Amazon.  This according to Patty Smith, Amazon's Director of Corporate communications:

There was a glitch in our systems and it’s being fixed

And I have a bridge for sale. . .

A Few Words About Romance, GLBT and Genre Fiction

All of this got me thing about romance and erotica and other genre fiction.  There is actually a historical perspective.

An article in the The New York Times last week entitled Recession Fuels Readers’ Escapist Urges started me thinking about genre fiction in general.  According to the article sales of romance so far this year are up 2.4%.

Add to that this factiod: 16% of all books sold in the first three months of 2009 were from the Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series!  A vampire romance!

We live in an increasingly complex and confusing world.  This latest economic downturn has shown us how illusive real answers can be.  So with all this confusion it is no wonder that people are escaping into genre fiction.  There is great appeal in happy endings, neat explanations and an alterative world.  Still, I can't help but think that there is something very wrong in our society when the most popular escape literature is about vampires. But I digress. . .

The point is that even if it is popular genre fiction gets no respect. Never has.  Probably never will.

During the great depression of the 1930's it was called pulp fiction.  Maybe because most of the books were printed on cheap paper. Maybe as a pejorative designation.  No matter.  However you think about it the fact is that the publishing industry looked down there noses because these books were sold in "non-traditional" outlets like bus stations and liquor stores. 

The writing wasn't necessarily eloquent. The vocabulary pedestrian and small,  The plots were formulaic. They were popular with the unwashed masses and they were cheap. All this made it easy to put them down as "not literature."

Because it was considered inferior, pulp fiction was under the radar of the Hays Commission; the enforcers of morality. An alternative publishing space opened up.  Many writers got there start churning out pot boilers for mass consumption.  Erotica, particularly gay and lesbian fiction, gained a venue.  And as the country moved into the 1950s Lesbian stories became increasingly popular. Over the years it has become almost mainstream.

So maybe, just maybe, I am paranoid.  Perhaps the whole dust up with Amazon is about disrespecting genre fiction and not about GLBT and erotica titles at all.

And I still have that bridge. . . .

Monday, April 13, 2009

Amazon Ranking and Censorship

Itopt is hard to overestimate the importance of rank to an Amazon author or bookseller. It is an objective measure of a book's popularity and salability.  Everyone wants to be #1 (or a least in the top 1000).

Readers use rank as an unofficial  guide reading guide.  Authors and booksellers use it as a quick calculator for sales --  If you rank 1-10 you can expect to sell a book every few minutes.  If you have a high ranking like 50,000 you might sell your books in a year or so.   Booksellers use rank as a buying guide when ordering inventory for their stores.

Rank is everything.

So what happens when Amazon "de-ranks" a title?  Pretty much, the books chances of being sold are 0. 

Last week Mark Probst noticed a curious thing.  His book, a young adult romance title, The Filly, mysteriously lost rank.

So he wrote Amazon and asked them why.  Here is their answer:

In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature.

Hence, if you have further questions, kindly write back to us.

Best regards,

Ashlyn D

Member Services

Amazon.com Advantage

thefilly Oh, did I mention that The Filly is a Western and that the romance is between two men? That other than being a "gay-themed" story it is strictly G rated?  It seems that all of the sudden Amazon has gotten into the business of censorship! 

With one simple algorithm change they have de-ranked GLBT titles and any of those where the publisher has labeled the books as erotica.  As of today Brokeback Mountain, Rubyfruit Jungle, The Well of Loneliness, some of the teen books by Alex Sanchez, and Heather Has Two Mommies have been de-ranked. 

I find this deeply disturbing and actually offensive.  Even if I personally do not read gay themed erotica, I will fight to the death to preserve your right to read it.

Mostly it has been the government who has indulged in this kind of censorship (aka book banning).  Now a major corporation has entered the culture wars and unilaterally decided what is appropriate.

Maybe you don't care about erotica or GLBT literature.  But if Amazon can abruptly affect the market for these books today; what or who will they decide to target tomorrow?

Friday, April 10, 2009

The Code of Love by Andro Linklater

Astonishing, amazing, remarkable, and incredible, all apply to Linklater's The Code Of Love. You could add fascinating, riveting, captivating and engrossing.  This is a true story that is a romance, a war story and a mystery all rolled into one. 

Linklater moves seamlessly between the story of Pamela and Donald Hill's romance, Donald's horrific war story as a prisoner of war and the saga of decoding Donald's journal. 

The early part of the book makes you feel as if you are living in England in the early 1940s.  He paints a picture of daily life that is vibrant and clear. 

He is equally clear when describing the world of ciphers and codes.  In easily accessible language he tells the story of Philip Aston's attempts to break the code.  This part of the story is fascinating all by its self.  An added impact comes from the realization of just how brilliant and disciplined Donald had to have been to create and use  such a code. 

In many ways this is a book that broke my heart.  Donald's fight for survival was heroic.  I marveled at his sheer determination and grit.   The courage it took to hold his mind and body together under appalling conditions and dreadful psychological trauma is almost unbelievable. He should have had a happy ending. . .Lord knows, he deserved it.

And yet, it was not to be.  He obviously suffered from a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which was unnamed and untreatable. In many ways his struggle to create a normal life, medicate himself with alcohol and bury the trauma are even more courageous than his basic survival.

If his story were not so familiar today I might have been able to shake it off.  But over the last few days I have thought about the veterans of the current war.  It is shameful that with all the information we have about PTSD our veterans are still untreated. They too, must struggle to create a normal life, medicate themselves and bury their trauma.  What a miserable statement about our society!

Reading this book, however, will remind you of what really matter in life: the power of love.  If you don't read another book this year, read this one!

An astonishing true tale of secrets, love, and war.

Pamela Kirrage, beautiful and impulsive, met and fell in love with the dashing RAF pilot Donald Hill just months before Hill was shipped off to the Far East to protect the British colonies against Japanese aggression. They exchanged rings the day before he left, a promise to marry as soon as he returned. Little did they know that five years would pass before they saw each other again.

The Code of Love tells the stirring tale of Donald's experiences in the front lines of the Pacific Theater and Pamela's war efforts back in England in a dramatic, deeply moving portrayal of the World War II era and its aftermath. On the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, they also moved into Hong Kong, where Donald had the misfortune to be part of a small group of officers in charge of a meager five planes. He spent the rest of the war in a POW camp, keeping a journal of the indignities he faced in complex, nearly unbreakable code. Meanwhile, Pamela was swept into the frantic swirl of a wartime society eager to live to the fullest. She cooked meals for secret agents and danced the nights away with handsome soldiers. But her love for Donald never altered, and the two married within weeks of Donald's release at the end of the war. The scars Hill bore from his years of emotional encoding would eventually wear away at their relationship, though never their love.

Andro Linklater skillfully weaves the many fascinating parts of this tale together into an unforgettable narrative. From the mesmerizing siege of Hong Kong, to the romantic roller coaster of a truly great love, to the unbelievable efforts of the mathematician who finally cracked the encoded diary, The Code of Love is storytelling at its very finest.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Weekly Specials -- eBooks About Taxes at 20% off!

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This is for those of you who waited till the last minute to do your taxes.  We are offering them at a whopping 20% discount.  With the discount and your eBook points you may want to get these now so that you can start planning for 2009!

Use coupon code C2MJ4 at checkout to get your discount on these titles.
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JK LASSERS 1001 Deductions & Tax Breaks for 2009 T by Weltman, Barbara
J.K. Lasser's 1001 Deductions & Tax Breaks 2009 will help you take advantage of every tax break and deduction you may be entitled to. It's clearly organized by subject matter so you can easily find situations that may apply to you. Each tax benefit is also clearly explained-along with the eligibility requirements for claiming the benefit-while planning tips and common pitfalls associated with the benefit in question are discussed in detail. New tax law alerts are also included throughout the book, so you can make the most informed decisions possible....

List Price: $19.95.  Your Price is 15.16 (includes a 20% discount and $.80 in eBook points)

JK Lasser's Guide for Tough Times: Tax and Financial Solutions to See You Through (Adobe Reader) by Weltman, Barbara
With the credit crisis, sluggishness on the stock market, and the fall in home prices, individuals around the country are licking their financial wounds and wondering what to do. Fortunately, help is still available in these rocky times - if you know where to seek it.

JK Lasser's Guide for Tough Times will show readers how to handle nearly every aspect of their lives given the current market:

  • home
  • investments
  • everyday spending needs
  • education costs
  • employment
  • medical issues
  • and more.

Yes, it is tough out there. But, with JK Lasser, life looks a little better.

List Price: $18.95.  Your Price is 14.40 (includes a 20% discount and $.76 in eBook points)

 

JK Lasser's Small Business Taxes 2009: Your Complete Guide to a Better Bottom Line by Weltman, Barbara
J.K. Lasser's Small Business Taxes 2009 contains a complete overview of
small business tax planning, and outlines the tax facts and approaches needed to maximize deductions and reduce payments to the IRS on 2008 returns and beyond.

Small Business Taxes 2009 is divided into four parts:

  • Organization
  • Business income and losses
  • Business deductions and credits
  • Tax planning for small businesses

List Price: $19.95.  Your Price is 15.16 (includes a 20% discount and $.80 in eBook points)

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Monday, April 6, 2009

eBooks, Blogs,Twitter and the Future of Digital Reading

My  favorite April Fool's joke this year was the announcement that The Guardian Newspaper was closing down their presses and set to start transmitting all news via Twitter.  The press release carefully noted that "experts" agree that you can tell any story in 140 characters. . .

brain I was still laughing about the Guardian faux press release when I stumbled upon an article by Gord Hotchkiss entitled The Wiring of the Digital Native

Mr. Hotchkiss argues young people are learning the language of digital technology from birth, the rest of us are trying to catch up as adults.  We may become quite proficient but will never have the fluency of the younger generation. In effect they are digital natives while the rest of us are immigrants. 

I know that my daughter and I have very different ways of finding and processing information.  She consumes her information in small rapid bursts. Google, blogs, tweets and wikis are her "go to" sources. She intuitively knows that all information is linked.  She also expects that she can easily find a community who knows something about anything she wants to know.  All she has to do is tweet.

I instinctively immerse myself in a topic and spend hours digging out the important bits. I know, intellectually, that information is linked but struggle to find out how.  Twittering doesn't occur to me because the idea that 140 characters is the key to communication is an anathema to me.

We look for, read and process information in very different ways. She has an ability to quickly grab information that I will never have. Her's was built in a connected world.  My abilities were honed in libraries with card catalogs, index cards and bibliographies. The pathways in our brains are incredibly different.

The implications for the future of education, publishing and reading are enormous.  In a world where readers believe that all information and people are linked, you can't help but wonder how long, one dimensional and analytical books will survive. 

Friday, April 3, 2009

I'm Perfect, You're Doomed: Tales from a Jehovah's Witness Upbringing eBook edition by Kyria Abrahams

The first half of Kyria Abraham's I'm Perfect You're Doomed is like taking a trip to strange land.  It looks familiar, the people sound the same but the culture is very different.  The inhabitants have peculiar superstitions and curious rituals.

Kyria takes us on a tour and explains.  In this land the Devil is hiding in Smurfs and lurking at yard sales. Only repeating the word "Jehovah" over and over again will drive out evil.  Inhabitants do not dance or smoke but alcohol is permitted.  The people do not celebrate holidays, value education or socialize with foreigners.

Growing up this was her world.  A world in which these beliefs were accepted without question.  And where it was hip to be holy and zealous.  Her (slightly twisted) sense of humor keeps you entertained and amused.

The tone change as she enters her teenage years and battles with OCD, her sexuality and a creeping apostasy. Her solution?  Get married!

From here on the story is like the proverbial train wreck. Disgusting and riveting.  Abrahams carefully chronicles her depression and loneliness as she attempts to replace the void left by her religion.  She is painfully honest about her ventures into adultery, alcohol and suicide. 

This book ends as she finally seizes responsibility for her life and begins to grow up.  I suspect that is a more interesting story in the long run.  Hopefully she will write it someday.

I was deeply affected by this book. I found it by turns disgusting, exhilarating, terrifying and hopeful.  With all those conflicting emotions it is hard to write a simple review.  In the end I was glad I read it and you will be too. 

Here is the publisher's note:

I'm Perfect, You're Doomed is the story of Kyria Abrahams's coming-of-age as a Jehovah's Witness -- a doorbell-ringing "Pioneer of the Lord." Her childhood was haunted by the knowledge that her neighbors and schoolmates were doomed to die in an imminent fiery apocalypse; that Smurfs were evil; that just about anything you could buy at a yard sale was infested by demons; and that Ouija boards -- even if they were manufactured by Parker Brothers -- were portals to hell. Never mind how popular you are when you hand out the Watchtower instead of candy at Halloween.

When Abrahams turned eighteen, things got even stranger. That's when she found herself married to a man she didn't love, with adultery her only way out. "Disfellowshipped" and exiled from the only world she'd ever known, Abrahams realized that the only people who could save her were the very sinners she had prayed would be smitten by God's wrath.

Raucously funny, deeply unsettling, and written with scorching wit and deep compassion, I'm Perfect, You're Doomed explores the ironic absurdity of growing up believing that nothing matters because everything's about to be destroyed.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Discounted eBooks - April 1, 2009

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Thought proving non fiction: thinking like men, thinking about food and thinking about business. Favorite Fiction authors: Trigiani and Cussler. Great reading for spring.

Use coupon code A9JG4 at checkout to get your discount on these titles.


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Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man eBook edition
by Harvey, Steve
When it comes to relationships, women can't figure out what makes men tick. Why? According to Steve it's because they're asking other women for advice when no one but another man can tell them how to find and keep a man. Steve lets women inside the mindset of a man . . .
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List Price : $23.99
Your price $18.46 (Using your 10% discount and $ .97 points in eBook Reward points)
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Very Valentine eBook Edition
by Trigiani, Adriana
Meet the Roncalli and Angelini families, a vibrant cast of colorful characters who navigate tricky family dynamics with hilarity and brio, from magical Manhattan to the picturesque hills of bella Italia. Very Valentine is the first novel in a trilogy and is sure to be the new favorite of Trigiani's millions of fans around the world.
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List Price : $25.95
Your price $22.19 (Using your 10% discount and $1.17 in eBook Reward points)
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Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table eBook edition
by Wizenberg, Molly
In A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, Molly Wizenberg recounts a life with the kitchen at its center. From her mother's pound cake, a staple of summer picnics during her childhood in Oklahoma, to the eggs she cooked for her father during the weeks before his death, food and memories are intimately entwined.
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List Price : $25.00
Your price $19.24 (Using your 10% discount and $1.01 in eBook Reward points)
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Corsair eBook edition
by Cussler, Clive With Jack Du Brul
For five novels, Clive Cussler has brought readers into the world of the Oregon, a seemingly dilapidated ship packed with sophisticated equipment, and captained by the rakish, one-legged Juan Cabrillo. And now the Oregon and its crew face their biggest challenge yet. Corsairs are pirates. . .
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List Price : $27.95
Your price $21.51 (Using your 10% discount and $1.13 in eBook Reward points)
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Rain eBook edition
by Fox, Jeffrey J.
RAIN is the first business parable written by bestselling business book author Jeffrey J. Fox. The parable follows a young New England paperboy, named Rain, as he learns the business of being in business and quickly becomes the best paperboy in town.
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List Price : $18.95
Your price $16.20 (Using your 10% discount and $ .85 in eBook Reward points)

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