Guess What I Got .... A NOOK!!!

I got a nice belated birthday present this weekend.  A Nook!!  I know there is an ongoing debate of the Nook vs. the Kindle, her is how I decided on the Nook.

The last week I saw that e-reader prices had dropped.  First the Nook and then the Kindle.  I had not looked at e-readers previously.

1. I was not sure I was ready to convert.  I have to say it is nice coming home with a book and cracking it open. 
2. I was not ready to shell out of $200 to be able to read, and on top of that have to buy items to read.  I am an avid library person.
3. I think subconsciously, I knew if I started playing with one in the store I would want one.

Once I saw this price drop, I started looking online at the different features of the Nook and the Kindle.  And then I went into the Barnes & Noble store to get some coffee and look around.  And I looked at the Nook.  Bad idea, from that moment I wanted one. 

But let's take a step back.  Let me tell you how I chose the Nook over the Kindle.  (And I am sorry to say the Sony e-reader was never in the running, so I did no research on that.)   If you look on the Nooks website it does give you some comparisons of the Nook and Kindle.  They both have the same screen E INK technology made by the same company, text size adjusting, built in dictionaries, ability to read newspapers and magazines, and ability to listen to audio books or music.  Books can be purchased on both the e-reader devices by their distributor, (i.e. Barnes & Noble and/or Amazon depending on the device).  

Now to the differences between the two.  With the Kindle you have access to everything Amazon carries.  I don't do not how much, if any books are free over Amazon.  (I have read there is none, but did not take much time to look into this.  So, don't take my word on it.)  On the Nook, I am able to download e-books from my library and load them on the device.  My library does not currently support the Kindle, and I believe there are very few that do.  I am also able to download books from Google Books, or other sources that carry free books.  And Barnes & Noble also has a variety of free e-books on their site. 

Honestly, that was the biggest selling point the Nook had for me, free books.  I love the library because of this.  Books can get very expensive. 

The other benefits I saw to the Nook are hardware benefits. They both have 2 gigs of memory out of the box,
approximately 1500 books.  Now that is a lot of books.  But say I become a speed reader, (doubtful, but hey),  with the Nook I am able to add addition memory with a mini SD card.  I read online, that many people use this as a way to organize their books.  The Kindle does not have this capability.  The other thing with the Nook, is the replaceable battery.  The Kindle is like the IPhone, it will need to be send to Amazon to be replaced if the battery dies.  

So my final decision was the Nook, and lucky for me, I came home Saturday from an appointment, and had one waiting for me.  I was extremely excited and broke it out.  It is far to early to do a review, but so far I love reading on it.  I will do a review(s) in the following weeks and months about my experience with it.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I always love a great mystery and a book that makes you think and use deduction.  That is exactly what The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is.  Just like many other people, I heard it is hard to get into.  It can take 100 to 150 pages to get going.  I was in the same boat.  But at about page 80, it all of a sudden took a turn for me.  I could not put it down.

There are 2 subplots in this novel.  First is the story of Lisbeth Salander, a young woman, who is extremely secretive, almost a recluse at times.  She works as a contractor for a private eye type of company. There is also the story of Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist who has just been convicted of libel.  He is convinced that a Wennerström, (the company which he wrote about when convicted of libel) is a corrupt company.  And still feels that he needs to let the public know about it.


Mikael Blomkvist decides to take some time off after his convection and is offered a job from Henrik Vanger to do two things, write a history of his family and his successful company and solve the mystery of his great-niece that went missing without a trace.  Mikael starts writing the family history and begins to uncover some interests finds.  He finds that there is so much information to go through and will need a research assistant.  A confidant of Henrik recommends Lisbeth.  They begin working together and develop a relationship that neither expected.

I thought this was a great book.  It was a good engaging story, with mystery and intrigue.  It was long but I did not feel like there was extra stuff thrown it.  I felt everything included was necessary, and I even wish there was more.  But I am sure that will be addressed in the next books.

Julie and Julia Review

I have been reading Julie and Julia by Julie Powell for about 2 months.  I finally decided to give it up.  I decided to read it because I saw the movie and thought it was cute.  This is one of the view times where I thought the movie was better.

The story is documenting a blog project that Jule Powell started.  She wanted to document her process through Julia Child's cook book in one year.  She had to cook everything in the cook book and in the process she documented her ups and downs. 

I started reading the book and immediately found it to be dense and wordy.  It seemed to be overwritten.  It should be a fun quick read but I did not find that.  I often put it down to start reading other books.  (I read 3 other books while I was trying to read this.)  Ultimately, I only read half of it and just decided to give it up. 

This yet another reason why the library is great. I don't feel guilty for spending money on a book then not enjoying it.

Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)

I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan

101 n 1001 List Update

It has been awhile since I have post anything regarding my list.  I have updated the list.  I have completed 14 tasks and there are many in progress. 

Day 15 — A fanfic

I don't know about you, but I had no clue what a fanfic was. According to thefreedictionary.com, it is "Fiction written by fans as an extension of an admired work or series of works, especially a television show, often posted on the Internet or published in fanzines."

I figured there would be a ton on Harry Potter and sure enough I found a website dedicated to it, http://www.harrypotterfanfiction.com/.

I just glanced at the site. I am not sure how I feel about the whole fanfic thing to be honest. I know sometimes I would like to know what happened to my favorite characters, but I think it is nice just letting somethings end on a high note.

Day 14 — A non-fictional book

My non-fiction selections tend to math and science oriented. There are of course other things thrown in, but that is what I tend to read.

So, I was trying to think of a non-fiction book that would be more interesting to a wider audience. And I came up with one Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer. This is a great book, and I would recommend it to anybody who wanted a great read.

Day 13 — A fictional book

I have been talking about Hunger Games and Catching Fire lately, check those out. I am also currently reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Wild Things. I will have updates on these when I finish them. You can also check out my goodreads book shelf if you would like to see more of what I have read.

Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy - Catching Fire

I just finished Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I enjoyed this book more than Hunger Games. Catching Fire is what happens to the winner after the Hunger Games. Below is my review with some spoilers if you have not read Hunger Games, so be aware if you don't want to know what happens.



After the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta are sent back to district 12 and are then told that they will go on a tour to all the other districts. Little does Katniss know, that she has started a rebellion in other districts. Katniss tries to everything she can do show her support to the nation and put an end to the rebellion. Little does Katniss realize that her actions did not work.

I would recommend this series to almost everybody. It is so a great story. I cannot wait for the 3rd book. Too bad I am number 128 in the hold list at the library.