How E-Readers are Changing the Way Some Read

I think technology is amazing. I still remember diligently planning with my friends and family where to meet up after school, in the mall or anywhere in general. It felt like a game of Clue. Meet me by the clock tower at 4 o'clock with the homework assignment. This was the day when there were no cell phones (smart phones? I was happy if it even came in color!), GPS systems, Kinect, e-readers, etc.

I know not many people look at and wonder what Braille is and wonder why some books have large typefaces on it, but it's because some people are visually impaired. Even though I'm an avid fan of paperback books and I do not own an e-reader, I do appreciate how the e-reader has revolutionized the way people read today.

I think it's wonderful that people created a way for blind and visually impaired people to join the fun. Please see the video below, and know that paperback or e-reader, everyone should at least have the ability to read.

the cab ride

rain splattered against the cold window

my breath fogging up the glass as I said

my address and slumped against torn navy blue

leather, thick purse straps falling down, down

and it hit with a thud and she’d ask what do you

have in there, anyway? rocks? but I’d always

laugh it off, but now I wish I’d showed her what

I kept, my cosmetics, knock-off Coach wallet

and a journal with her faded picture skotch taped

to the first page, I wanted to throw it at her

see! you know I love you, best friend, but

that time is now long gone. Watching the meter

run, run with blood pumping through my veins

ragged gasps for air, sweaty brown locks sticking

to the back of my neck, tear streaked cheeks,

she said I was going to be a runner one day,

maybe even beat her time. Well, all I know

is that I did beat her time, but not

in the way she intended. The cab stopped. I went

to pay but he refused. It’s on me, he said, before

driving back the twenty miles to the city.

-Madeline Wahl

In My Mailbox #5

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme brought about by The Story Siren. It's a fun way to share what you're reading, reviewing, about to read, etc. All images below are from Goodreads.

On the Bookshelf:

Looking for Alaska by John Green

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers

What's in your Mailbox?

Want Books

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now.

I want Pie by Sarah Weeks.

Goodreads summary: From the award-winning author of SO B. IT, a story about family, friendship, and...pie!

When Alice's Aunt Polly passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily surly cat Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice.

Suddenly Alice is thrust into the center of a piestorm, with everyone in town trying to be the next pie-contest winner ... including Alice's mother and some of Alice's friends. The whole community is going pie-crazy . . . and it's up to Alice to discover the ingredients that really matter. Like family. And friendship. And enjoying what you do.

So why should I want Pie, you may (or may not) ask? I'll tell ya anyway. Pie looks like a delicious read and I am a huge fan of pie and books with cats involved. Especially when a cat inherits a recipe and is in charge of the protagonist? Hilarious.

Plus, in a small way, this book reminds me of one of my favorite television shows that ended before its time: Pushing Daisies.

I LOVE that show so much, and Kristen Chenoweth is gorgeous and so talented. Plus, I adore Lee Pace (who played the main character Ned) and it helps he was in my other favorite television show, Wonderfalls.

*sigh* Why do all of my favorite television shows get cancelled after a few short seasons? Oh well.

What's on your Want Books list?

Book Trailer Thursday! Love, Meg by C. Leigh Purtill

Book Trailer Thursday is a weekly feature started by Once Upon A Twilight, and features a book trailer for a new or upcoming release! My Trailer: Love, Meg by C. Leigh Purtill.

What's your book trailer:

In My Mailbox #4

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme brought about by The Story Siren. It's a fun way to share what you're reading, reviewing, about to read, etc. All images below are from Goodreads.

I didn't have that much time this past week to go into finding new books, so I'm including a few that are around the house that I've been meaning to read for ages but I haven't been able to.

For Review:

Everything! I've been very behind this week on my reading and reviewing. So, what I had listed for review last week is the same for this week.

To Read:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, Vladimir Nabokov

Heat Wave by Richard Castle

What's in your mailbox?

Waiting on Wednesday #4

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine where bloggers post spotlights on upcoming releases that they're eagerly anticipating.

This week, my pick is See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles. Publication Date: May 8th 2012 by Candlewick Press

Goodreads Review: Starting middle school brings all the usual challenges - until the unthinkable happens, and Fern and her family must find a way to heal.

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she's not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn't know he's gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there's Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone's world. He's devoted to Fern, but he's annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn't for Ran, Fern's calm and positive best friend, there'd be nowhere to turn. Ran's mantra, "All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it's true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same.

What's your Waiting on Wednesday pick?

The perfect date

Wax dripped from lit candles, smelling of autumn leaves

and apple cider, into a small clear glass jar on a table

set for two, pearl-white china plates and wine glasses

atop a warm mahogany wooden table with a dark red

tablecloth adorning the intimate setting. Oil paintings

from local artists lined the walls in gold frames and

crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, accentuating

the antique setting as if taken straight from an old

Victorian house. The waiter, in a crisp tucked-in white

shirt with ironed black slacks, would present the courses,

first of which a spinach salad with fresh strawberries,

walnuts and her favorite dressing, second, a medium-rare

steak with buttery mashed potatoes, lightly salted, third,

a slice of warm molten chocolate cake, drizzled with

caramel and as the live string violinist played, they’d

share dreams of traveling to Europe in their youth and

become owners of a little bakery in the city. She sips

her iced water glass, smudging her lipstick, before

closing her netbook and putting it into her purse and

placing a few wrinkled dollars for the bill and tip.

Another restaurant, another false hope.

-Madeline Wahl

Teaser Tuesday #3 - Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser Tuesday pick is: Hope was Here by Joan Bauer

Back of book summary: One new life . . . coming right up! When Hope and her aunt move from New York City to small town Wisconsin to run th elocal diner, Hope's not sure what to expect. Luckily, she's used to thinking on her feet 0 she hasn't become a terrific waitress by accident. And when G.T., the diner's owner, decides to run for office against th ecorrupt mayor, Hope's drawn into G.T.'s vision of th efuture. Because, after all, everyone could use a little hope to get through the tough times . . . even Hope herself.

"There's something about diner setup that soothes the soul. Something about making good coffee in a huge urn glistening in fluorescent light, something sweet about filling syrup pitchers and lining them on the back counter like soldiers ready to advance. It gives you courage to face another day." - pg. 61

What's your Teaser Tuesday pick?

Book Review: Pieces of Me by Charlotte Gingras

Goodreads Review: Mirabelle's art teacher tells her she has talent, but what good is it doing her? Almost fifteen and friendless, Mira is plagued by dark thoughts. Her body seems to be changing daily. Her mother is domineering and half-crazy and her father — well, he's her ex-father, mostly out of Mira's life and awkward when he's around. Then she meets free-spirited, confident Catherine, a knockout who makes the boys' jaws drop. Not only is Catherine good at art like Mira, she also knows about kissing boys. Mira has never kissed anyone and doesn't understand the hungry way boys are beginning to look at her. Now that Mira's finally found someone she can talk to, her dark thoughts are vanishing. But as her friend encourages her to come out of her shell, Mira finds that her new-found confidence can still be shattered in an instant. Only after Mira faces a betrayal and a tragedy can she begin to put the fragmented pieces of herself together.

My Review: Did you know that Pieces of Me was initially published in Canada in French under the title La Liberte? Connais pas ... and it won the Governor General's Literary Award?

Me neither. Did you know that Pieces of Me was initially published in Canada in French under the title La Liberte? Connais pas ... and it won the Governor General's Literary Award?

Me neither. I don't normally come across books written in another language first, but I definitely will be looking for foreign books in the future. Mirabelle has such a unique outlook on life and her words are poetic. Hailing from a small town with a half-crazy mom (portrayed perfectly) and a father who left when she was young, Mira is figuring out who she is and gathering the pieces of herself.

Through heartwarming experiences, like having Cath as a friend and expressing herself through her art, we see Mira's world through her intelligent, yet lonely eyes. I loved reading this book. It was as if I could feel Mira's loneliness and desperation for a friend filling me up like a balloon.

She eventually overcomes her loneliness and comes to grip with her life after she goes to therapy and tells her secrets to a blind woman whom she helped on her first day. Each action by Mira is clear, and yet there's subtle undertones that create depth to her life and meaning.

Her relationship with the 'birdman' is interesting. He's her art teacher, and she views him as more than a teacher, but as a potential serious love interest, which I thought was a bit bizarre. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of stories out there that have the teacher/student relationship so that aspect is believable, but I guess it was a bit weird for me to read through it.

There were a small few loose ends that I would've liked to have been tied up, but in reality it's all good. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. The imagery was beautiful and the characters were unique.

Rating: 4/5

Want Books: Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including

Want Books? is a weekly meme hosted at Chachic’s Book Nook and features released books that you want but you can’t have for some reason. It can be because it’s not available in your country, in your library or you don’t have the money for it right now.

So, I'm still a newbie book blogger and as I was looking through other various book blogs to see their designs, their reviews, etc. and I came across Sophisticated Dorkiness with a review on this book. The book title, in case you can't see it above, is Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at SEa and the Beachcombers, Oceonographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them.

I'm hooked. I want this book RIGHT NOW. As in, if this book miraculously apparated comfortably into my lap I'd rejoice and ignore my other books and start reading it immediately. Then, I'd wonder where my letter to Hogwarts is. Once a Harry Potter nerd, always a Harry Potter nerd.

Alas, I have dozens of other books, if not hundreds, on my to-read list. I guess I should be glad, in a way, that I have no idea where to even look for this book. Ebay? Amazon? Barnes & Noble? Who knows. Maybe someone out there just donated it to a used bookstore and this little book is waiting for me to come pick it up and bring it home. And I'd pray that no one dog-eared its pages.

One day, Moby Duck, I will find you. And maybe read you while I take a bubble bath. With an actual rubber duck. And a glass of wine because that's apparently how girls read books in chick flicks.

What books do you want?

Goodreads review: A revelatory tale of science, adventure, and modern myth. A New York Times Notable Book of 2011. One of NPR's Best Books of 2011. One of Janet Maslin's Ten Picks for 2011.

When the writer Donovan Hohn heard of the mysterious loss of thousands of bath toys at sea, he figured he would interview a few oceanographers, talk to a few beachcombers, and read up on Arctic science and geography. But questions can be like ocean currents: wade in too far, and they carry you away. Hohn's accidental odyssey pulls him into the secretive world of shipping conglomerates, the daring work of Arctic researchers, the lunatic risks of maverick sailors, and the shadowy world of Chinese toy factories.

Moby-Duck is a journey into the heart of the sea and an adventure through science, myth, the global economy, and some of the worst weather imaginable. With each new discovery, Hohn learns of another loose thread, and with each successive chase, he comes closer to understanding where his castaway quarry comes from and where it goes. In the grand tradition of Tony Horwitz and David Quammen, Moby-Duckis a compulsively readable narrative of whimsy and curiosity.

Book Review: A Corner of the Universe *Contains Spoilers*

Goodreads/Barnes&Noble Review: A 2003 Newbery Honor Book

The Barnes & Noble Review
Bringing back memories of her extraordinarily moving yet quietly told novel Belle Teal, Ann M. Martin (who also pens the popular Baby-Sitters Club series) takes us back to the 1960s, where we spend a not-so-typical summer with one girl and her mentally ill uncle.

Hattie Owen enjoys peaceful Millerton summertimes with "houses nodding in the heavy air," being in charge of Miss Hagerty's breakfast tray at her parents' boardinghouse, and drinking lemonade on the porch after supper. Yet this year, it's different -- Hattie's uncle Adam is coming home. Returning from a Chicago school that's just closed and whose existence is kept quiet by adult family members, Adam is a 21-year-old man with a child's mind, having a knack for talking quickly, a savant-like ability for remembering weekdays, and a passion for I Love Lucy. Hattie and Adam wind up spending precious time together -- including a visit to the recently arrived carnival with Hattie's new friend, Leila -- which makes her feel soulfully connected to her uncle, especially when he declares that she's "one of the people who can lift the corners of our universe." But when Hattie takes Adam on the ferris wheel one night, it sets off dramatic events that lead Hattie's family to strengthen its bonds and changes her life's outlook forever.

A novel with a flavor similar to Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixieor Kimberly Willis Holt's When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, this absorbing look at a shake-up of one family's small-town normalcy will bring you to tears but leave you feeling ultimately triumphant. Martin paints her characters masterfully, letting Uncle Adam's unsure energy carry an unpredictable foreboding beneath the story while Hattie builds a gradual rebelliousness against the denial and unspoken truths that surround her. A powerful work that presses all the right emotional buttons and touches on all-too-human themes, A Corner of the Universe is one book that should not be missed.

Matt Warner

My Review: As with all of the other YA books I review on this blog, they are random. They are books that have caught my interest in some way, whether it's the cover, the content or the author. This book is a Newberry Honor Book (good sign) and the author, Ann M. Martin, wrote the Baby-Sitters Club series (another good sign). Those two pluses, coupled with an interesting concept and a unique story line, seemed to spell success.

But for me ... not so much. I did enjoy Hattie and her family, but I felt like there wasn't enough to keep the book going. I agree with Hattie about the time frame, which is also the first paragraph in the prologue:

"Last summer, the summer I turned twelve, was the summer Adam came. And forever after I will think of events as Before Adam or After Adam." - A Corner of the Universe, prologue pg. 1

So while reading, it was Before Adam or After Adam. Adam is an interesting character, and it's never disclosed what exactly he has, although the reader can surmise that he's mentally-ill. I could feel the tension between the adults whenever Adam was in the room, and viewing Adam from a child's perspective was brilliant. Hattie doesn't consider her 21-year-old cousin as mentally-ill. Rather, he's another friend in her life.

But there wasn't anything that could keep the story moving. The only thing that was exciting, the only changing event, was the arrival of the carnival and Hattie's new friend who worked at the carnival who left as suddenly as she came into the story. Half of the story was based around Carmel's Funtime Carnival but I think it's all external. There are cases where Hattie's choices directly influence the next scene, but there's too many of them where they're coincidental.

**Spoiler**

When Hattie breaks the rules and tells Adam to sneak out of the house so they can go to the carnival at night, I can see that happening. That's believable. What's coincidental and annoying, however, is when they go on the ferris ride and it breaks down. Yes, these things do happen, but I don't like how it was completely by chance. Then, there were a handful of times where Adam seemed to like Angel Valentine. Cute comments. Adam staring at her breasts. Then Adam walks in on Angel and her boyfriend making out (perhaps more). Adam leaves and is missing. They don't find him. They've looked everywhere. Until, they find his body. Adam killed himself.

Hattie's convinced at first that Angel killed him because she had a boyfriend and Adam caught them doing inappropriate things while in the boarding house even though they aren't allowed to.

It's a nice puzzle and every piece fits into it perfectly, but some of the pieces seem extremely smoothed, like it's too easy for it to be placed. I liked how she tied in 'A Corner of the Universe' into the story. Also, I don't like books where halfway through I'm wondering, "Sooo what's going to happen next?" I like character choices, which this one is, but I feel like there needs to be a plot running alongside it. Even a loose plot. Having a carnival plop in the middle of a small town, for me, doesn't count.

It's an interesting read but I don't think I'll read it again. It's interesting to note that Ann M. Martin had a mentally-ill uncle as well, but she never met him because he died before she was born.

Rating: 3/5

Feature & Follow Friday #2

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly event hosted by Parajamlee and Alison Can Read where you meet and follow different bloggers.

I'd like to feature a fellow book blogger, NOVEL D'TALES. I really enjoy her Authors Not-So-Anonymous interviews and I like reading her reviews. Take a second and look at her blog when you have a chance! :)

And, there's a question:

Q: What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get your hands on any particular book?

A: Hmm. The craziest thing is probably attend the midnight release of each of the Harry Potter books starting with, I think, book number four. I'd have Harry Potter parties at my house and my friends would read the books into the night and sleep over.

I don't think it's crazier, but it was probably more desperate. My favorite baking blogger, Bakerella, came to Orlando and I HAD to have a signed copy of her cake pops book. Her book signing was from 12 - 2 p.m.

One problem. I'm late. As in, ohmygoodnessit's2o'clock late. So, I run upstairs to the table and I ask here how she can sign the book. She tells me that there's a table next to the door (which I completely missed) and that I would need to buy it first before having her sign it.

Keep in mind, there's no one else there. I'm the LAST person there. I completely missed her speaking to everyone and missed all the cute little gifts everyone gave her. I'm flying down the escalator, determined to buy two copies of this book (one for me and one for my sister as a holiday gift) praying that Bakerella doesn't hate this crazy late girl running to buy her book.

Of course the line is slow. Finally, I run upstairs and she signs them with a smile! Hooray! And my boyfriend was there as well to witness this entire scene, and I'm FAMOUS!

Ha, not really. Bakerella posted pictures from her book signings on her blog, so I guess being on a Flickr slideshow on her blog is cool, right? ... Right?

Fine, just me. But if you haven't seen her blog, you need to do it RIGHT NOW. But don't do it if you're hungry and have a sweet tooth. Like me, every day of my life. My favorite is the s'mores cupcakes. Yes, I went there.

I don't know if that counts as the craziest (I can imagine much worse on a Black Friday) story, but for me that's probably the most desperate I've been to have a book.

Success!

Bakerella & me! :)

Happy Birthday Edgar Allen Poe!

Today is Edgar Allen Poe's birthday!

There are numerous websites where you can read his material online for free. I happen to love Project Gutenberg so you can see The Works of Edgar Allen Poe Vol. 1 http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2147 and Vol. 2 here http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2148.

The best part is? You can download it on HTML or on your Kindle! FREE! Yes, I know, it's exciting. Thrilling, even.

Random fact about me, involving Poe: This past year, I worked at Universal Orlando Resort's Halloween Horror Nights as a scareactor, and my job is to scare people. Literally. It's quite fun, actually. Yes, I do feel bad when some people get scared. No, I haven't gotten punched in the face (though it does happen). Yes, the costumes are awesomeeee.

Anyway, this was the entrance to Nevermore: The Madness of Poe at Universal Orlando Resort.

(Photo Credit: Orlando Informer)

And this is a picture from inside the house! When I walked through, I could hear heartbeats and I saw life-sized black ravens and lots of other interesting costumes.

From Universal Orlando Resort's media page: "One of the haunted houses at Halloween Horror Nights 21 is Nevermore: The Madness of Poe - The madness of Edgar Allen Poe's greatest works has come to life. Step into the mind of the iconic writer, where every turn of the page takes you closer to the brink of insanity."

And a final note to end on, apparently Poe had a visitor to his grave ever since the 100th anniversary of his death and this visitor would place a bottle of cognac and a few roses at the foot of his grave.

Sweet. Yet, eerie. It's very Poe.

Happy birthday Poe! You are missed and your stories will continue to scare me every time I re-read them.

Book Trailer Thursday! Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Book Trailer Thursday is a weekly feature started by Once Upon A Twilight, and features a book trailer for a new or upcoming release! My trailer: Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood. The trailer seemed interesting, but to me it's just a mix between Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Ella Enchanted.

Waiting on Wednesday #3

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine where bloggers post spotlights on upcoming releases that they're eagerly anticipating.

This week, my pick is The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus. Publication Date: January 17th, 2012.

Goodreads Review: From one of the most innovative and important writers of his generation: a brilliant, mesmerizingly dark new novel in which the speech of children is killing their parents.

At first it's just Jews--then everyone. People are leaving their families to survive. Sam's wife, Claire, is already stricken and near death. In a year or two, as she grows into adulthood, their daughter, Esther, too, will become a victim. Sam and Claire decide to leave Esther on her own, hoping a "cure" will miraculously appear. Sam's car is waved off the road at a government-run laboratory where horrific tests are being conducted to create non-lethal speech. Throngs bang on the doors to be subject volunteers; they're all carried out half-dead. When Sam realizes what's going on, he makes a desperate escape, vowing that if he dies it will be with his family, the only refuge of sanity and love.

Ben Marcus's nightmarish vision is both completely alien and frighteningly familiar.

What caught my eye was, of course, the cover. It's so colorful! But beyond that, the content seems completely unique. Parents leaving children? The child's voice being deadly? It's horrific, yet mesmerizing and I'm interested to see how it plays out.

Top 10 Tuesday #2

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and is an original/feature weekly meme that creates a, you guessed it, list of 10 different items. This week?

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To Someone Who Doesn't Read X

Julia wrote "Romance Novels" and the X is supposed to be a genre. I think I might change mine up and have it be a general category:

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To Someone Who Doesn't Read. Period.

1. His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. Amazing reads.

2. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

3. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

4. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

5. P.S. I love you by Cecelia Ahern

6. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Nifenegger

7. Another Fine Myth by Robert Lynn Asprin

8. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

9. Toxin by Robin Cook

10. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

What's on your list?

walking in place

I’m walking in place, one foot next to the other, to stagnant images and stalled dreams, stuck in the transformation between imaginary and real like a broken record player forever reciting half of a word. I wear the same clothes, listen to the same songs, and dance to the same beat with the same drink in the same bar. The air is stale and the sun less refreshing, like swimming too long resulting in wrinkled fingers. There’s a word balancing on the tip of my tongue, a ballerina pirouetting before a crowd which already knows the last act. Escape.

Teaser Tuesday #2

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser Tuesday pick is: Pieces of Me by Charlotte Gingras

"As a little girl, I was always careful to walk between the lines in the sidewalk because any time I stepped on one, it felt like my foot turned to ice. It's an awful feeling having a frozen sole."

- pg. 58

What's your Teaser Tuesday pick?