September Reads

The Shelfari trick worked!  Regardless of the wonky widget, I did manage to keep track of what I read all month! 

 

Anyway...here we go...

 

Madelyn Alt - A Witch in Time:  One of my favorite series and I loved this last one.  The chemistry between Marcus and Maggie finally caught fire.  Five stars. 

 

Isabel Wolff  - A Vintage Affair:  This is one of the few times that B&N's hype got me.  Really enjoyed the book though, and the vintage clothes setting is always a hit with me.

 

John Levitt - Dog Days:  Not cozy.  Urban Fantasy series similar to the Dresden Files.  Loved it.

 

Amanda Lee - The Quick and the Thread:  Wonderful start for a new series... really  enjoyed it!

 

Simon R. Green - Ghost of a Chance:  Again, not cozy but urban fantasy. I liked a short story I read from his Nightside series, so when I saw a new series debut I had to try it.  It wasn't as good as I was hoping. Not bad, but too gory for my taste.  I had to skim some at the end.

 

Betty Webb - The Anteater of Death:  I adore this series!! 

 

Heather Webber - Deeply, Desperately:   What can I say?  Five star read, simply AMAZING.  Loved, loved, loved it

.

Jim & Joyce LaVene - Wicked Weaves:  First in the Renaissance Faire series, and I'll read the others, because I really enjoyed this one.

 

Hannah Reed (Deb Baker) - Buzz Off:  Loved it, can't wait for more of Story's ...well, story, LOL.

 

Simon R. Green - Something From the Nightside:  First in the Nightside series.  Enjoyed this one more than Ghost of a Chance, and will probably get around to the rest of the series.

 

Jana DeLeon - Trouble in Mudbug:  First in the Ghost-in-Law series.  I have not laughed so hard in a LONG, long time. I absolutely LOVED this, and can't wait to read the other two. HIGHLY recommended.

 

Betty Webb - The Koala of Death:  Yep, love this series, LOL.

 

Wendy Lyn Watson - Scoop to Kill:   Anything set in Texas gets points with me, but this would be a great series even if it wasn't for that.  Loved it.  Oh, and Wendy's a brat....read the book and you'll see what I mean.

 

Miranda James (Dean James) - Murder Past Due:   Another 5 star read...really enjoyed it and looking forward to the next installment.

 

Sheila Connolly - Red Delicious Death:  Soooo glad this series isn't done  yet, because I'm thoroughly enjoying them!!

 

Cleo Coyle - French Pressed:  All of these are really good - slowly working my way through the series.

 

By now you're probably wondering if I like EVERYTHING I read.  Unfortunately, no.  I had one book this month I couldn't even finish, regretfully.  I say "regretfully" because I really wanted to like it.  I started Alexander Campion's "A Grave Gourmet" right after I finished "Trouble in Mudbug"....and either it was too big of a shift, or I wasn't in the mood, or what, I don't know...but I still haven't finished it.  I've picked it up a few times, but I just can't get into it.

 

Current read is the new Rita Mae Brown - "A Nose for Justice".   This is the first in a new series.  I can see similarities between this and her other two mystery series - the tone is the same.  However, a whole different setting in these (Nevada as opposed to Virginia), and different subjects.  I'm enjoying it.

 

Veddy Interesting...

Found this on Nate the Great's ebook news blog, The Digital Reader. Nate is also a Mobile Read member, of course.  Here's the link, and then my take on it:  http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2010/09/23/amazon-planning-ahead-for-a-switch-to-epub/#comments
I haven't used the KindleGen tool,  but apparently it's meant to make conversion of files easier for people who are interested in publishing their books on the Kindle platform.  Now, it seems that instead of letting the author choose to leave out the source file when compiling the .prc file,  that option has been removed, effectively bundling the epub source with the .prc output.   What does this mean, you ask?  Well, according to both Nate and the original source of the news,  it *could* mean that Amazon is preparing to support epub.  Nate's logic makes sense to me, (if you read his entry, he can't figure out any other reason they'd change that option).  However, at this point I'm not sure if I want him to be correct, or not. 
My first reaction was, "Oh, hell yeah!!!  Epub at Amazon!  No more being locked out of books I want because Topaz is a pain in the butt to strip and convert!"   But then I thought again.  If Amazon switches to epub, I think you can effectively say goodbye to everyone else's epub ebookstores.  Like it or not, Amazon IS the 800 lb. gorilla when it comes to content again, even after last summer's squabbles with MacMillan and the more recent falling out with Penguin.  Even with the Agency Pricing Model saying you can't charge less than the publisher's set amount for an ebook, there doesn't seem to be anything that says you can't charge MORE...and a lot of ebookstores are doing just that.  But we all know Amazon won't....they'll charge exactly what the publisher says they have to, and not a penny more...and then they'll watch the competition vanish.  I don't see this as a good thing.   Plus that, if all that happens, and another round of Publishers vs. Amazon takes place, we'll all be left high and dry, and this time with no other choices.  At least with this round, we could still buy epub formats at B&N and the Sony ebookstore while Amazon and the publishers were playing "chicken".  As an ebook addict, that's not a place I want to find myself. 

Weekend musings

First up... yes, I know the Shelfari widget is still weird.  I'll probably end up taking the darn thing off, as it ONLY shows up in Internet Explorer.  Annoying, but apparently no one has a fix for it.  However, Shelfari *is* working for it's intended purpose, which was to help me keep up with what I've read this month.  Guess I'll have to use Shelfari for that, and Goodreads for everything else.  Seems counter intuitive, but whatever works, right?

 Saturday we went back to Bolingbrook to pick up my new glasses.  This is the first time I've had the antireflective coating on a pair.  I can't tell much difference, to be honest, except that these seem to pick up finger smudges badly.  But then, I haven't tried driving at night with them yet either.  I was also on a mission to see what ebook device displays were in the area, so we stopped at Bolingbrook's Best Buy. They said they'd just redone the store layout, and after a bit of confusion on the part of the clerk, we found that they have the Sony and the Nook display side by side...but no Kindle 3's in sight.  However, I did notice an odd bit of empty space next to the Nook kiosk, so I'm betting when the store gets K3's, that's where they'll be.   We came back through Dekalb, (which seems to be our route of choice these days), and stopped at Target, which did have the new K3, or at least a demo of it.  It's a lot smaller than I thought, and the texture felt odd.  Since a few people at Mobile Read have K3's now, and all say the texture is smooth, I wonder if they put something on the demo units to help them survive a bit better?   And of course, since we were next door, we stopped in a B&N. 
That's where the story gets good.  One of the "hidden" reasons I wanted a Nook was for the accessories.  Hey, I'm female, ok?  So they had this gorgeous leaf green leather cover with a quote by Martin Tupper that says, "A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever" stamped on it. I've also liked the attachment system of the Nook covers ever since I saw them.  Well, this is the first time they've had one of the Tupper covers actually in the store - so I tested it with the Sony.  It works!  The Sony is a tad shorter than a Nook, so there's some space at the top, but that doesn't bother me.  And even though the elastic at the top doesn't go down very far, the Sony stays put, even if you turn it upside down and shake it.  When I told Chris I'd been drooling over that cover for months, and he saw how secure it held the Sony, he bought it for me.  Yes, I am spoiled *happy smile*.  I also bought a matching Mighty Bright booklight (yes, they come in green). 

In other news (still ebook related, though)... I seem to have found a bug in Calibre.  It's being fixed as I type this, but I was pretty darn amazed that I actually reported something that turned out not to be me making a stupid mistake!  It seems that in release 7.18, they "broke" something that keeps count of the books on a Sony Reader.  Remember I was so thrilled because Calibre showed me what was already on the Reader so I didn't add duplicates?  Well, suddenly, Calibre started showing (2 books) for some entries.  I knew there was only one book on the Reader for those entries, so I posted about it at Mobile Read, and sure enough...it's a bug.  So now I'm looking forward to the next release of Calibre, and that being fixed, even though it's more of a nuisance than anything earth shattering. 

What I've learned from reading fiction

Over at Mobile Read, the question was posed, "What did you learn from fiction that you hadn't expected going in?"  Well, I was thinking about it, and realized just how much I've learned over the years I've been reading fiction.  I also realized that a good chunk of my success in Trivial Pursuit stems from reading one author. One author, you ask?  Yep, one.  Here's a list off the top of my head (as posted by me at Mobile Read).

I now know amazing bits of trivia about vintage clothing, jewelry making, archaeology, egyptology, Munich, needlework, the history of Virginia, forensic anthropology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the layout of the Oriental Institute in Chicago, witchcraft, ghosts, Revolutionary war history, the study of the occult, politics, scuba diving, landscaping, architecture, Bonnie Prince Charlie, and rose rustling.

The author is Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters.  If you don't believe me, start at the beginning with "Sons of the Wolf" and just keep reading.  You'll learn it all, too. 

Sound off!

Okay, I've had it.  This is just ridiculous.  So they want to build a community center that contains a place for islamic worship (NOT A MOSQUE!)  two blocks and around the corner from Ground Zero. (here's a map )  Why is this even being argued about?  What are we going to do, rope off a mile radius from Ground Zero in Manhattan?  Riiiight.  In a city where every metric centimeter is valuable real estate, that's about as likely as the Easter Bunny coming in November. 
This has absolutely nothing to do with the national tragedy that was  Sept. 11th, 2001.  It has everything to do with hysterical media making mountains out of molehills, and gullible people who are too lazy to do their own research falling for it hook, line, and sinker.

Keeping up

How do y'all keep up with what you read?  I belong to Cozy Mystery Korner, a Yahoo group dedicated to discussing cozy mysteries.  The in thing seems to be to keep up with what you read during the month and then post a list and your comments at the end of the month.  I tried it... and can't remember what I've read during the month well enough to do it!  This month I'm trying a new strategy though.  I signed up for a Shelfari account, and I'm only putting in it what I'm currently reading as I go.  I tried to get the widget to work on this blog, but all I get is a line of text - no idea what I'm doing wrong, I'll fool with it some more later, maybe. 
On a different subject:  Some really cute tubes came through one of my groups today.  I've always been a sucker for "four seasons" type graphics and these were adorable.  So I did something I haven't done in a while.. made some sigtags.  I kept it simple; the graphics didn't need much enhancing, they were pretty cute as they were. Here's the "Fall Wreath" one. 

Further reflections on ebook readers

As I mentioned in the last post, I bought a Sony Reader this weekend.  What I didn't mention was that until this weekend, Sony was a distant third for a contender in what I thought I would eventually purchase.  After nearly a week of loading it up with books and finding out the ins and outs of how it organizes things,  I'm kicking myself for overlooking Sony as a contender for ebook reading for so long.
To start with,  I never have been a big fan of Amazon.   But I really liked the look of the new Kindle 3, even enough to contemplate locking myself into Amazon for buying ebooks.  Now admittedly, Amazon is still the 800 lb. gorilla when it comes to selection, or they are now...but this last year what with all the pulling content from different publishers has got me spooked.  I'm not saying it was all Amazon's fault, matter of fact,  I was on their side in both instances, but it still left me gun shy.  I don't want to be locked into one bookstore if something like that happens again.
I've liked the form factor of Barnes and Noble's Nook ever since it came out.  The only thing I didn't like and couldn't get past there, was the way they differentiate between content bought from B&N and content you sideload onto the device.  The B&N content you get the cute little coverflow on the bottom LCD, everything else, you don't.  To be fair, I can see why they do it that way - they've got to make it enticing to buy from their own store.  But as a consumer, I just don't like it.
So, I'd been obsessing for months over "could I stand it or could I not and would I regret purchasing it" about both the new Kindle and the Nook. 

I've never been crazy about the looks of the Sony Readers.  And every display model I've ever seen in stores only reinforced that, as they tend to get beat all to hell and look pretty rough. I guess I'd look pretty rough too, if I was strapped to a display with industrial strength zip ties and everyone who came along had to touch me....ewww, okay, never mind, let's not go there!  But anyway, it doesn't make for an informed decision when you're looking at purchasing one. 
What I didn't know about Sony Readers though, until I got one, is just how neat of a gadget they are.  I also didn't know my last month or so of painstakingly adding all my books to Calibre was going to pay off in spades when I got one!  Yes, Sony Readers play very nicely with Calibre.  To the point I never even bothered to install the Sony software... I simply started loading the SD card up using Calibre.  It put them on the Reader in Collections, which turned out to be by series, which is perfect for me, because the vast majority of what I read is..well...series.  And when the Reader is connected to Calibre, it shows me what's already on the device, so I don't add duplicates. 
A few other neat features - handwriting support with a stylus:  this means that yep, I can get authors to autograph it!  It remembers where I left off reading and which book - I know, most ebook readers do that, but Calibre's ebook viewer is just a tiny bit flaky with that, and remember, that's what I've been using almost exclusively for book reading since March.  Any ePub with Adobe DRM (or unDRM'd, because let's face it, the second I buy an ebook the DRM comes off... I want to be able to catalogue it in Calibre, and Calibre doesn't support any form of DRM),  will work on a Sony, as will .pdf, .rtf, and .lrf.   Since I'd already settled on ePub as my format of choice months ago, it works out great for me.
Sony is more expensive than either Kindle or Nook right now, and from statements that have been made to the press, they don't seem to be in a hurry to change that.  For me, the advantages have already been worth the price difference that I paid (and remember, I got last year's model at a discount), but that might not be true for everyone.

All I know is that from being a distant third in my lineup of choices, Sony has gone to being number one with me.  When it comes time to replace this, guess where I'll look first?

Too much anticipation...

...will make you do unplanned things.  Like impulse purchasing. 
I've had a bad case of gadget lust for months now.  Part of it stemmed from us being on such a tight budget all summer, due to having two car payments at once.  Well, now that my car is paid off, (Hallelujah!)  there's a bit more wiggle room.
You would think that the new phone would have cured the gadget lust, but ohh noooo....y'all know me better, don't you?  No, I've been looking at and comparing ebook readers again; since the price drops and the new Pearl screens, I've been really tempted to go for a Nook...or even a new Kindle *gasp*.
Well, I was talking to Chris about the new crop of Sony Readers this morning.  I found out that the Sony Stores had floor models of the new ones in, and I wanted to see one up close and personal.  However, that led to Chris looking at the outgoing models, and finding out they were on clearance - and available closer than the nearest Sony Store - which is halfway across the state from us.  Illinois isn't that big of a state, but still....
Anyway, we went to go look at the older model (a 600),  thinking it'd be that or a Nook for me.  It ended up being the Sony, and now that I have it, it's charged, and I've been loading books onto it, I'm glad.  I love the collections feature, and I love that it treats sideloaded content exactly the same as it does things you purchase from the Sony Reader store.  The screen isn't the crispest out there, but it isn't awful, either.  All in all, if you find one on clearance at a good price, I'd say grab it. 

Texas girl seeks brisket...

As all of you know, I'm a native Texan.  As all of you also know, I now reside in Illinois.  I like Illinois (at least for nine months out of the year....winter goes on entirely too long up here for my taste).  However, grocery stores and butchers here think that all brisket must be corned.  What's a Texas girl to do?  Well,  I do have one customer who has taken pity on me, and when they make a smoked brisket, he and his daughter always bring me some.  But it's barely enough to whet my appetite...
So, I did find a reasonably priced piece of plain brisket today in our local corner grocery store.  I took a deep breath, and decided to treat myself. (22 dollar hunks of meat aren't usually in my grocery budget).   Not having a smoker, however, and being short on time to smoke a brisket for 12 plus hours, it's going to have to be the crockpot route.  It won't be *as* good, but I'm hoping it'll be at least acceptable to my taste buds.
I'm *loosely* using Pioneer Woman's braised brisket recipe, here:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/brisket_baby/   but of course I've taken some liberties.  I reduced the soy sauce,  omitted the garlic (because I was out), and increased the liquid smoke.  It's marinating in the fridge now; and I'll crockpot it (instead of bake it), probably tomorrow or Sunday.  May the gods of Texas food be with me....