Posted by admin on Aug 19, 2010 in
books,
geekery,
style 
As a voracious consumer of any type of fiction, I have a particular soft spot for science fiction, the fantasy end to be specific. Sure, I love Ben Bova, Philip K. Dick and Greg Bear, but my heart belongs to the wizarding worlds of Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan, Piers Anthony (hey, his puns rule), Pratchett and Anne McAfferty. The list goes on, as I feel that Mercedes Lackey must get a mention, Simon R.Green, Ray Bradbury, Craig Shaw Gardner, Robert Aspirin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, Melanie Rawn-Ok, I’m going to stop now, as I’m getting carried away.
Suffice to say, I really LOVE the genre, and with it, the cover art. A lot of fantasy features the usual dragons, castles, and damsels wearing thin strips of clothing, but the trend for the sexualized fantasy females has changed in the last year. I’m happy to note that a recent survey by Orbit Books showed that the way women are portrayed in cover art has drastically changed over the last year. Forget about the heroine teetering in impossibly high heels whilst wearing next to nothing, now we’re getting kick ass women wearing practical, OK more practical items of clothing.
The research shows that the clothes they are pictured in are now more appropriate to their activities, such as sensible footwear, loose clothes, and a sneer rather than a pout. We also have strong female characters taking center stage in many novels, who aren’t just nymphettes. Read more…
Tags: fantasy art, Orbit Books, science fiction women
Posted by admin on Jul 18, 2010 in
books,
lists 
Sorry for overwhelming you with information, but there hasn’t seemed a right time to publish my latest literary forays. Seeing as it’s now July, I better just go ahead and publish what I’ve read for the months of March-June, which explains why there is so much to wade through. This is really a record for me, I totally understand if you just look at the pictures and skip away to something more entertaining like a dog on a surfboard.
Before I launch into my latest selection of mini reviews let me also draw your attention to an amazing offer from Transworld. Called ‘The Summer Reading Challenge’, the offer gives keen readers a whopping four books FREE, and all you have to do in return is write a review of each book on your blog or Amazon. That’s all, nothing else needed whatsoever, and to get your free books you simply leave a comment on Between the Lines HERE and they’ll get in touch with you. There’s a choice of ten to pick from, and I promise you that Dan Brown is the bottom of the pile (in my opinion). Now for the reviews (please take a deep breath). Read more…
Tags: Brandon Sanderson, Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, Mistborn Trilogy, Terri Paddock, The Summer Reading Challenge, Transworld
Posted by admin on Apr 14, 2010 in
books,
lists 
I’ve been so busy the last two months I’ve read a really low amount of books. Still, amongst the random ones I selected I did discover one or two amazing new authors, as well as some texts that felt like I was wasting my time-on purpose. Read my mini reviews below. (And yes, I’m aware that it’s not April- the combined March/April version will be out soon.)
Martians Go Home, Frederic Brown
An alien invasion commonly sums up visions of explosions, violence and misery. The idea that aliens might invade and simply annoy had not really ever been dealt with before this quirky book. Aliens have appeared on earth and seem bent on frustrating people to death by invading their space with their presence and foulness, rather than with any weapons. Martians have landed, and they’re little green men who are insubstantial as they just zip from place to place and cause chaos by being inappropriate. Ridiculously entertaining and a very novel concept- this book was an accidental purchase that I haven’t regretted for a second. Read more…
Tags: And Another thing, anne enright, books, Douglas Adams, Eoin Colfer, science fiction, The gathering
Posted by admin on Feb 9, 2010 in
books,
geekery,
news 
Forget thumbing through novels filled with indescribable stains, the library of the future will provide you with germ free digital copies that can be easily read on your e-reader. The library of the future does away with fines and books that smell of toilets and trauma, instead you’ll have pristine digital versions that time out after 30 days. Whether you’re reading these novels on your iPad or your Nook, it doesn’t matter, as the future of eBooks is all about the software and less about the hardware. Sure, you need a screen of suitable size to peruse your novel on, but once you’ve made your initial purchase you’re sorted.
Once books are fully digitized and able to be rented online from public libraries we’ll know the era of the eBook has truly landed. We’re pretty close already, as so far there are three libraries in the UK that run a virtual lending scheme- Luton, Essex and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead with more scheduled to follow suit.
These schemes are by no means perfect as they have a limited selection of books on offer and the search functions could be majorly improved, but compared to sites which only offer free eBooks (those that are out of copyright) these sites are hugely progressive, as are the counties that have funded them.
Lending libraries mainly work by using a system called Overdrive, which has already been very popular in the USA. Perhaps it’s no surprise that eBook libraries are well established there as they have had eReaders for a significantly longer timer than us, with the major player in their market being the Kindle. The Overdrive system allows you to virtually check out books which you can then read on various devices till they ‘time out’, and then you can renew them. The limited selection of authors may have something to do with royalties, but a quick browse was reasonably impressive, with the latest releases from James Patterson, Meg Cabot, and um, Fern Britton on offer. Read more…
Tags: ebook, ebook library, eReader, essex library, library, overdrive, virtual library
Posted by admin on Jan 18, 2010 in
books,
technology 
It’s no secret that I’m a hardcore eBook fan, which probably has something to do with the fact that I speed read almost as fast as I talk. The variety of platforms to read eBooks on is expanding faster than ever as many companies are embracing the trend and we’re seeing a wide range of devices enter the market. The recent Consumer Electronic Show 2010 in Las Vegas had a large section dedicated primarily to eBooks and eReaders and I’ve rounded up the best of the bunch. They’re due out later this year, and will hopefully be (relatively) affordable.
The EnTourage eDGe
This device breaks new ground for the eBook market as it features a dual screen. The idea is that you use eInk on the left hand side to browse through books comfortably (eInk doesn’t cause the eyestrain that LCD does) and the other side to choose books and browse the web. The eReader part features a 9.7 inch screen and the LCD screen is 10.1 inches. I guess you don’t notice the difference when you close it, otherwise that would be quite ungainly. The eInk screen also lets you annotate books and write comments, and this will then be saved as a separate word document which lets you email it to peruse at your leisure.
The eDGe is compatible with ePub and PDF files, but they don’t currently mention any others which is a shame as it suggest JPEGs, DOCs and LIT files are all excluded. Though the eInk screen doesn’t show JPEG’s , they are displayed on the colour screen which might be a little confusing.
The colour touchscreen side is essentially a tablet style netbook, as you can browse the web, type emails and order more eBooks. You do this by opening a virtual keyboard and either using the stylus or your hand to type. MP3 files can be played so it can double up as a music player (nice for audio books perhaps) and there’s a video recorder included which is a little bizarre (hey- here’s a snap of me reading.. again) but a nice extra touch. The colour screen works by using my beloved Android OS (operating system) so you’ll be able to access a wealth of apps for the device. Is this really necessary for an eBook.? No, it’s taking eReaders away from their main purpose and making them a hybrid tablet mashup. Still, it’s innovative- if only the price wasn’t so high!
Currently $490 from Entourage (£300!)
Read more…
Tags: Amazon Kindle, Bookeen Orizon, ebook, enTourage eDGe, eReader, iriver story, Plastic Logic Que, Platic logic Que, Skiff ereader, Spring Design Alex
Posted by admin on Jan 17, 2010 in
books,
lists 
The last two months have seen a heightened level of reading time, due to holidaying, and thus a great many more books were consumed than normal. Due to a particularly helpful bittorrent, I managed to make my way through some of my favourite authors back catalogue, and can happily now add a wide selection of Philip. K.Dick novels to my mental library.
The Gathering storm, Wheel of Time , By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
I was completely devastated when Robert Jordan died, in part because it’s always a shame when one loses a great man due to the ravages of illness, and partly because I’d immersed myself in the WOT series for ten years now, and NEEDED to know what would happen to Rand et al. Jordan created a world of such density and scale that Sanderson, the new ghostwriter couldn’t manage to end the age in one book, needing three in fact to do so. This is the first book in the final trilogy and Sanderson has an acute wry style which picks up perfectly where Jordan left off. His turn of phrase is remarkably accurate, and the characters conundrums continue to be compelling and perplexing. Read more…
Tags: Ben Elton Meltdown, books, Kiran Desai, Marian Keyes, Philip.K.Dick, reading list, Robert Aspirin, Wheel of Time
Posted by admin on Nov 28, 2009 in
books 
Another month, another multitude of books that have been devoured. A stranger selection than usual.
Unseen Academicals, Terry Pratchett
Pratchett bravely tackles the eccentricities of football in his latest book, referencing the varying views on the popular sport. You see the wizards of the Unseen University learning to master it, and the street urchins displaying unfathomable skill which seems magical to the wizards. An interesting dissection of how sport crosses all cultural divides, and how it’s perceived by those not directly involved in it.
Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett
Deeply delicious, this book follows the unlikely tale of a hostage situation, where a house full of wealthy people are captured and then held for over 3 months. The relationships and entanglements that form out of this situation are strangely dark, yet sweet; and though the end is inevitably tragic the journey is unforgettable. Read more…
Tags: books, reading, Terry Pratchett
