A tale of a reading slump (and a Sony reader)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010Posted in: Azteclady Speaks, Sony Reader Rocks
I’ve bemoaned before the cursed reading slump that hit me months ago (yes, months–it’s a wonder I’m not crazier than I am, really, what with such long reading deprivation).
Well, I’m pleased as punch to announce that it seems to be ended–in the course of a week I’ve read a number of new books (not more of the wimpy re-reads I’d been reduced to *happy dancing*). Among these are:
Unbriddled by Beth Williamson
The Irish Warrior by Kris Kennedy
Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas
What the Librarian Did by Karina Bliss
and more! (quite a few, too many to list in fact!) *renewed happy dance*
Where does the Sony reader come in, you ask? Well, now that I’m back to reading, I’m faced with a wee problem. See, I don’t own a car.
*waits for shock to die*
So, I ride my bike back and forth to work, dragging a wonderful contraption called a bike trailer (google it, people, those things are the best thing devised since femenine products and disposable napkins). While the thing does have enough capacity for a number of items–which is great, since I do my grocery shopping with it–I try to keep it as empty of non-essential items as possible. After all, there’s no point in dragging a hundred pounds behind me if I don’t need to, right?
But, the reader in me argues, books are essential–what are you going to do if you find yourself on break (whether you want to be on break or not!) and there is no book in your bag? Or if you finish the one book in your bag during that break, what then? Or…
And that is when the Sony reader came to the rescue.
See, a while back (late last year, in fact) author Shiloh Walker held a giveaway for a Sony reader and, what with one thing and another, I was the winner. Having lusted after one of those for months, I was over the moon.
However, being techno-impaired, it took me a while to figure out how to get all my digital books into it. After much frustration and gnashing of teeth, I finally figured out how to get most of my digital library into the reader without issues and am now happily engrossed with Ann Bruce’s Parker’s Price.
Also in the reader are a number of digital ARCs for upcoming books that authors, ever generous, have sent me these past few months. With any luck, the reviewing slump will end soon, and you’ll be seeing more about these titles here.
RebeccaS
July 7
9:30 am
I have a Sony Pocket Reader and looooove it. Now if I can just stop wandering into physical bookstores and still picking up more stuff to read in addition to the ebooks! (I read mostly sf/f, and we have a specialty bookstore here in town that oh, gee, I keep getting dragged to…)
Ann Bruce
July 7
10:22 am
Welcome back to the land of the reading! Don’t you love the convenience of an e-reader? I read on my way to work, on my way home, while waiting in line, while brushing my teeth… (Is that last one TMI?)
How was What the Librarian Did? I’m tempted by it because once upon a time, I wanted to be a librarian. Then I found out librarians need a master’s degree and I crossed that off my list. Then I watched The Mummy and was willing to switch majors if I could have my very own Brendan Fraser.
Shiloh Walker
July 7
11:50 am
Gee.. that ARC looks familiar. And ya shoulda emailed me-I coulda probably helped some or pointed you to somebody who could. :OP
I had to run for help with my Nook.
Mireya
July 7
12:52 pm
Though I love my Sony reader (I have an older model, the PRS-505) it was to my dismay that I discovered their latest software update does not work in my computer. I am running Windows XP and don’t plan on upgrading, as I am planning on replacing it next year with a new gaming rig. Anyway, I can’t access their ebook store any longer for that very reason. If it weren’t for Calibre (David is a GENIUS for coming up with it) I wouldn’t even be able to upload anything to it. Other than that, ebook reading devices are awesome. I used to commute to NYC, a 1 to 1.5 hour commute by train. When I discovered romance and ebooks in 2003, I started using a device (my very first was a Franklin ebook reader). From that I “graduated” to a Dell Axxim (pocket PC). A year and a half ago I got my Sony. I don’t think I lasted long reading my ebooks using my PC, as when I realized that I could carry hundreds of books with me in one of those gadgets, I never looked back.
Now if Sony could put their act together and make their updates work for everyone … *sigh*
I guess that gives me the perfect excuse to justify saving some money to buy me a new one and the geek in me likez it =)
Ann, you should give tips on how you are able to read using your gadget while brushing your teeth LOL
Ann Bruce
July 7
6:02 pm
Mireya, I cheat and use my iPod Touch. It’s pretty awesome because I use it to read books, watch movies, surf the web, check e-mail, make all sorts of lists (greatest feature ever!), and jot down the occasional note for the current WIP. And it comes in a shiny, shiny package and fits nicely in my pockets or the palm of my hand.
theo
July 8
12:13 am
I’m so glad to see your reading dearth is over! (wish mine was…)
I intended to buy an iTouch, but managed to pour pop all over my beloved smartphone. Since I had to replace it, I decided to give the HTC EVO a try. I only have a few days left on the 30 day trial, but I can do everything I could have on the iTouch plus phone calls. I’ve loaded a few books, even loaded eReader’s app for it (not a lot out there for the Android) but am sorely depressed that Barnes and Nobel who owns eReader doesn’t have an app for Android! So I can either read in *.doc or *.pdf or I can buy from eReader. That’s it. *sigh*
Jury’s still out.
In the meantime, I’m looking forward to the new reviews!
HeatherHolland
July 8
11:35 am
Mireya, I have the Sony PRS-505, too, and rather than loading the books directly onto the reader, I just load them onto an SD card and go from there. In the two years I’ve had it, it’s only failed to recognize the card once, in which case I just reformatted the card and started over. I made a slip cover for the cover that came with the reader and included little pockets for extra cards (I like to keep them organized by genre on the cards which makes for much easier browsing when looking for a particular book). I absolutely adore my Sony, and it’s great for proofing, too.
Aztec, so glad you’re out of your reading slump. I’m currently in one, but that happens frequently with me. I did, however, just get a whole slew of new freebies (shorts) off Amazon (I can read those on my iPod Touch), so maybe something will spark my interest soon.
MIreya
July 8
12:21 pm
Heather, it is a software issue. Has nothing to do with the hardware at all. It happened with their latest update. I never had problems with any of their previous versions, and sadly, when I try to do a clean reinstall of a previous version, it automatically requires for me to download the newest version of their software. It is an issue that a number of people are having, and Sony has no clue how to solve.
HeatherHolland
July 8
4:54 pm
Yeah, they’re not real quick to fix things. The last Larissa Ione book was corrupt, and they STILL haven’t fixed it, and I know they’re aware of it, since I got a refund. I’m on a Mac so wasn’t aware of software issues, since it works fine for me. Hopefully, they’ll get it fixed soon. I know how aggravating it can be when a program won’t work due to issues on the distributor’s end.
Truth be known, when I go to get a new one, I probably won’t go Sony for a variety of reasons, although I do love my 505. I’m anti-Kindle, because I don’t want to be tied to Amazon, but I must admit that I do like the look of the black Kindle DX. It looks much, much nicer than the original forms and the screen is 9.7″, which I REALLY like. I played with a Nook, in store, and it was so slow that I crossed it right off the potential list then and there.
AztecLady
July 10
6:16 pm
Ann, I am actually writing a review for What the Librarian Did (this comment brought to you by procrastinators R us…) which I hope to have ready and posted by Monday.
Shiloh, the techno-idiocy is too profound for that (and the embarrassment of realizing that the main problem is that the books coming out funky in the reader are saved as .docx in my computer–which my old Word can’t read, hence the reader can’t format them properly).
(The ARC is purty, ain’t it?)
Heather, wish me luck..! The next one to review is Parker’s Price 😀
Ann Bruce
July 11
3:31 pm
So bribery does work!
AztecLady
July 11
3:42 pm
Ann, not only does bribery work, but the review for Parker’s Price is already written and scheduled to post on Tuesday! 😀