Back from the Dead

It always happens. Everytime I get all enthuastic about blogging more and doing so with a hint of a regular schedule, I'll get excited and start composing dozen posts at once but which somehow never get completed or posted.

Part of the reason I believe is that when I start actually thinking too much about what I write I start to worry and get writers block.

So as an experiment I've decided to try to post without trying to compose the living daylights out of them , taking it back to what the original aim of the blog was, to get the thoughts out of my head and out to the world.

Since I originally set up the blog, a lot has changed in my life and I think I've had the chance to grow and mature since I posted the first post, a verse on one of my passions, reading and the authors that influenced me. While my tastes have changed somewhat since then, Reading is still a central part of my life though I'm not able to devote as much time as I was able to and still wish to a certain extent to to it, hardly a day goes by without me Reading some form of long form writing ( i.e. a Book).

What has changed is the way and medium in which I read. As I mentioned in a post earlier I've largly transitioned to Reading mainly in ebook format , with pBooks (Paper, I.e. Dead tree books) mainly being restricted to volumes not available in eBook format or which form a part of my collection.

Having said that eBooks are something that have been a part of my life since I got online on my computer for the first time in 1997, though only becoming more important when I inherited my first Pda an on old Compaq 3600 Pocket Pc 2002 device.

That became a constant companion as I reveled in the capability to carry dozens of books with me without having to worry about the weight. Still, while it was limited device with only a few hours of battery life even with the battery jacket, the real bottleneck that still kept pbooks a large part of my Reading was the limited availibility of ebooks and the sky high prices even if they were available.

While pricing is still an issue today (especially if you are outside the US) as is availibility ( again outside the US) it has improved to an extent such that many people can and choose to read exclusively in E.

Part of the reason for the growth in ebooks, especially over the last couple of years has been the availibility of dedicated eInk eBook readers which provide an experience close to paper but without many of the disadvantages of it (after all they have plenty of their own).

Still as a tech geek and as an avid reader I was quick to embrace the technology as I realised the advantages. The Readibility not to mention the long battery life quicky made a convert of me as once I gifted my first gen reader ( a Sony PRS-500) I was quick to het another one within a couple of weeks as I realised how much I missed the experience.

Now on my third reader I have to say that they have come a long way and have become easier to use and provide an experience that will appeal to most avid readers. Also the Market has exploded with dozens of devices being available to suit a wide range of tastes and requirement.

Now the dedicated readers have not sidelined the Reading of ebooks on multipurpose devices like PDAs and phones. In fact one of the post popular platforms for currently reading ebooks is the iPhone / iPod Touch platform with Reading apps having been downloaded thousands of times.

Myself, while I prefer to read on an eink display for longer periods of time, I do read regularly on my phone as there are times when I'll not be carrying my reader with me but I'll usually have my phone.

In fact I currently have 4 devices on which I read books regularly

- Astak 5" EZreader Pocket Pro
- iPhone 3g
- Nokia N800 Internet Tablet
- Laptop ( 13" Macbook Pro / Dell XPS 1210)

Each is used slightly differently and at different times depending on my mood and circumstance.

Well, I think I've rambled on enough for this post, so I'll end this here and hope to post again soon.

So Adiós Amigos and happy Reading.

Delays and Favourite online Bookstores.

Well, I have a dozen posts half written, but have not had time to finish and polish let alone post them.

So until then I thought might be worth it to mention some of the online Bookstores who have been very successful in parting me from my money :-).

First on the list is Fictionwise
With some of the best prices and selection (as they publish many new and upcoming authors themselves) it's the place I buy most of my books.

There are however a couple of drawbacks with how the site works. First to get the best prices you have to be a member of it's Buywise club which costs about $30 a year.

The membership gives you a straight discount of 15% on all list prices as well as credit for one book worth $10 so it actually only costs $15. Still there are regular offers when you can get the membership more or less free as you can get the cost of the membership credited back as Micropay which you can use to buy books.

That brings to another slight irritant in how Fictionwise works. They regularly offer discounts on the publishers suggested prices but require you to pay the full price and then credit you the savings back as Micropay. The irritating part is that you can not use the micropay to get books which have deeper discounts, well not unless you don't want the discount.

These are minor points, but should be kept In mind as how irritating this can be is very much dependent on your buying habits.

The other option I use frequently is BooksonBoard
Their prices are usually somewhere between Fictiowise's regular and club prices. So if you just want to buy a single book once in a while, it may work out cheaper.

This Is because BooksOnBoard usually offers the discounts directly on the purchase price, without you having to tie up your money in Micropay, or Reward dollars as BoB calls.

Still it's usually worth it to compare prices at both places as sometimes some books are cheaper at one or the other.

There are many other stores and you can find links to them at the Mobileread Wiki

eReading

I've slowly been transiting to digital reading as I run out of place to store books.
(There is only so much space in a house to store books, and I reached the limit ages ago. :p)

What does that mean ?

Well, it means that instead of buying a printed copy, i buy a eBook version and download it to my computer or reader to read.

By Reader I mean dedicated eBook readers like the Sony Reader, Cybook Gen3, Amazon Kindle, etc.

I'll be posting follow up post on the different readers available, and my thoughts on the pluses and minuses of each.

If you are interested in eBooks or Digital reading the best place to go for information and help is

Http://www.mobileread.com

And the Wiki there at

Http://wiki.mobilread.com

Relaunch

Well, Its been a long while since I've posted and since then I've gone through a lot of changes in my life and interests.

I'll be posting more regularly now, focusing on everything that interests me.

I'm starting off by posting a series of posts on Digital reading over the next couple of weeks.

Stay tuned

Clancys Conondrum

When Recently going over my Tom Clancy Collection, It got me thinking about how the nature of his books has changed.
Iin the Beginning while his books such as Hunt for Red October were quiet action paced, and not that much different from other thrillers out at that time, they did contain the elements that went on to become Clancy Classics, such as the depth in detail, the characterization and the multiple story arcs.

However it seems that over the last few years, he seems to be in a rut, churning out a lot of Fat detailed books, but loosing the tight well though plots that made even the thickest book a joy to read. What started in Debt of honor and in reached its peak in Teeth of the Tiger, has done what I thought was unthinkable a few years ago. It made me apathetic to his new books.

While I still enjoy his older books, with Red Storm Rising still on my all time favourite list (Having worn through 3 copies) No longer do I recommend his as one of my must read 'Authors', now just suggesting a specific book or two.

I've decided to now include a recommend for a Beg, Buy or Borrow with every Post, so Todays recommend is

Buy for Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy

Apologies

Hi People
Sorry for not posting past the original post but RL intervined after i set up this blog.
I'll be posting some of my musings that i wrote previously but did not get around to posting in the next few week, so pls bear, lion, hippo, whatever with me till then. 8->

BBusyBookWorm Signing off......for Now

Welcome

Hi People (Don't I Sound Important ;-) )
Before I start My posting, Lets have a short session of Who am I?

Hmm
Bought up on Ladybird
Encountered Enid Blyton at an Early Age
Devoured Hardy boys & Nancy Drew
Moved on To John Grisham
Visited WW2 with The Eagle
Plotted conspiracy With Jeffrey Archer
Satisfied my detail Fetish With Tom Clancy
Discovered science Fiction with Asimov
Enjoyed its original flavor With E.E. 'Doc' Smith
And Tasted its age with the later works on Heinlein
Obessed Over the Fate of Middle earth With Tolkin
Imagined the beauty of the Bellinum in David Eddings works
And the Scale Of the Wars Of Midkermia with Raymond Fiest
And Finally Discovered the Joy Of Satire and Wit with Pratchett

So Who Am I????????

BBusyBookWorm at you service. 8-)
posting For The First Time