My birthday isn't for another couple of weeks but you know how it is when you go out on a 'research' browse. Like the times we've gone to look at puppies with a deposit in our back pocket. Who ever walks away from a litter of puppies empty-handed? I digress. The Nano that I bought over four years ago to drown out my *cough* vocally-impressive neighbour turned out to be a turning of the tide for me. The beautiful classical pieces meant to provide a soothing background for reading sessions on the patio were hardly ever played. I had discovered the world of BBC podcasts and how exciting a thing it was! Why I don't have an English accent by now I'll never know, I must put in at least two hours a day while walking the dog and more if it's housework day.
While I miss the old technology, my Nano was beginning to do silly things...sometimes frustrating things. It was time for an upgrade. It wasn't love at first sight with the new device. I said quite a few bad words in the early stages, like when it was telling me that my password was wrong. Over and over again. How was I to know that the little arrow pointing up meant 'shift' for capitalization? Needless to say, the packaging sat on my dining room table for a couple of days until I had absolutely made up my mind to keep the %^#* thing.
Signing out the latest copy of iPod touch for Dummies (yes, that's me) provided me with little help initially. Once my podcasts were all sorted out though I was seduced by the idea that one must have as many apps as possible to fill in the lovely screen when it's turned on. The ability to download ebooks was a possibility but I've never been tempted to read stories that way. I like to travel long distances to scour bookshelves, get head spins from all the bending up and down, delight in the aroma of a sooty chimney from 1947 wafting from the pages of a cloth bound book. Then I remembered a site talked about in the blogsphere many moons ago called girlebooks. They had a copy of E. M. Delafield's War Workers and it was free. Hmmm...so after some flipping through my instructional book for dummies and some google searches and a lot of crossing fingers, hoping and praying, I was excited to the moon to find my download had worked!
I can't tell you how alluring the sensation is to simply click a few buttons and have a book on my shelf. Reading it is another thing, the screen seems way too small and I can't imagine getting through a whole book in that state. But nevermind, I am merely a USB cord away from adding Rebecca West's Return of the Soldier and some short stories by Katherine Mansfield. Just the thing when faced with nothing to do but check my cuticles or stare at the numbers whipping by while my husband pumps gas into the car. So far I've resisted the urge to add Angry Birds but who knows just how crazy I just might get?
For a woman with an inner-downstairs girl, born in the wrong century, and one of the last people walking around my community without a cell phone this is all ridiculously appealing. Not to worry though, I am still very much looking forward to a good 'down on my hands and knees' poke around the bookshops on Charing Cross Road next month.
Anyone have a favourite app or ebook site to recommend?
Thanks for that reminder about The War Workers, Darlene. I'd completely forgotten that I was meaning to read it online. But I can't imagine getting really engrossed in a book on any of these gadgets.
ReplyDeleteI wish a publishing company would reprint Delafield's writings, Mary, that would be my favourite way to read them. Something to ask Nicola about if she's 'in the office' at Persephone.
Deletegirlebooks.com. Lots of classics and 'forgotten' fiction, the ebooks are of good quality (unlike some other free ones) and most of them are free. Also, does your library have ebooks? You might also want to look into netgalley.com for previews of new books. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteIsn't the girlebooks site fantastic?! My library does have ebooks and you have no idea how many times I have moaned in the past when searching an author and they only exist in that format. A stop at the information desk is called for today to ask some questions. My next stop though is a peek at netgalley. Thanks so much, Audrey!
DeleteGirlebooks is fantastic! The main drawn for me was the many Elizabeth von Arnim titles they have. I have also been making great use of my library's ebook collection since I got my ereader in March but I don't know if you can read library books on your iPod (I know you can't read them on Kindles in Canada yet, which is why I bought a Kobo). I bought my first iPod this summer (yes, I am fully ten years behind the rest of North America), picking the decidedly uncomplicated iPod shuffle. All I use it for is audiobooks (again got through the library) and podcasts and I adore it!
ReplyDeleteHahaha, I am quite impressed that you held off iPod ownership for so long considering your youth, Claire. I do worry about the hearing ability of some youth who blare music through their earbuds loud enough for me to hear when I walk past.
DeleteThere are some titles available to use on my iPod through my library but I have some questions to ask. They disappear from your screen once your loan period is up but surely that can't mean from my iPod if I've downloaded it (she says scratching her head in wonder).
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI have an ereader. I use it for traveling. It saves on the weight of "real" books, but I am always wishing I was holding the actual book. It is a love hate kind of thing. Like you I read with all of my senses. Enjoy book browsing.
ReplyDeleteSome people buy a cover for their device that opens up like a book so it 'feels' better while reading. You're so right though, it is a love hate thing especially when it comes to out of print books. If reading a book digitally is the only way to access it then so be it but my preference is good old bulky paper and ink every time!
DeleteI am in principle totally opposed to Kindles, Kobos and the rest, but I have sometimes read books on my iphone, usually from girlebooks. Yes the screen is small but you get used to it, and it's certainly better than having nothing at all to read, so has been a blessing when I've been travelling and run out of real books. Nowadays though I tend to listen to audiobooks on it, and am increasingly addicted to them -- I have an account with audible.com. Have fun with the apps! a whole new world is waiting out there.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely understand the addiction to audiobooks, Harriet. I'm not ten steps out the door before heading back if I've forgotten my iPod while walking the dog. I NEED to be listening to something and have to remind myself to acknowledge poor Deacon every once in awhile with a 'good boy'.
ReplyDeleteYou made me smile when you wrote 'it's certainly better than having nothing at all ro read..'. I've dug out car manuals from the glovebox if I'm stuck waiting in the car. So sad.
GirleBooks is great. Do try Project Guttenberg - loads of free stuff on that - they're not the prettiest e-books you will ever see but they have thousands of items that you can't get anywhere else & it is all run by volunteers.
ReplyDeleteAli, Project Guttenberg is so chock full of interesting titles I had to drag myself away or be late for work yesterday! Thanks so much for that recommendation, definitely a site I'll be using.
DeleteI'm not a Kindle, Kobo or anything owner. Yet. Though I did download the free Amazon app Kindle for PC, so I read the odd ebook at my computer.(and the e-TBR list is piling up. A visit to girlebooks will no doubt make that worse.)
ReplyDeleteNot a troglodyte by any means, but I'm just kind of waiting for it all to settle down a bit more before committing to one perfect piece of hardware.
As for Apps.... forget Angry Birds. Try Whirly Words (there's a free version and a $2 version, with more words). Addictive, and perfect for moments of enforced waiting.
We circulate a few different styles of ereader at the library and were given the task of trying each one on for size. I can't say that I fell in love with any of them, Susan. Like you, I think the perfect device is still to be made. And Whirly Words will be downloaded straight away!
DeleteI love my e-reader most of the time & see it as a way to read books I can't find anywhere else. It's also a good way of buying books that don't have to be shelved! manybooks.net is another great free e-book site. They probably get a lot of their books from gutenberg but I found manybooks first so that's where I look first of all. Girlebooks is also excellent as you've already discovered.
ReplyDeleteHi Darlene,
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog from - I think - Lucy Worsley's blog. I think. Who knows. You know how it is when you're surfing around the internet all morning...
Don't know *why* I've never thought about uploading a book to my iPod Touch for, as someone mentioned, reading when out-and-about-and-nothing-to-do. My daughter gave me a lovely white iPod Touch and I don't really know much about it (might need to get that Dummies book) but I do have Kindle for PC with some books in its library. Hmmm....
Have just read through all of your posts that came up under the word 'tea'. Loving the Queen's Cake post. Must try that. Who or what is South Rider?
By way of background ... I'm an American expat, married to a Brit, living in England. We are in Surrey, not far from London. I just started a new blog in August, Tea in England. Would love for you to drop by.
In the meantime, I'm going to Google 'Queen's Cake'.
Kind regards,
Denise (formerly of Charleston, South Carolina)