Feeding the Hunger

A couple of different items to comment on tonight.

First, I finished the fourth, and my personal favorite, of the Thursday Next books Something Rotten. I absolutely LOVED-LOVED-LOVED the ending. What a unique twist involving a character that was introduced earlier on in the series. It was much better than the third one, and I am now confidant that I will be able to finish all five, if not before my vacation, then while in Florida. I know I say this with every post that involves this series, but really, you must at least consider reading this author. He also wrote another book (the first one I read) called The Big Over Easy which is also a detective novel, but it doesn't feature Thursday. Instead it has a rollicking cast of nursery rhyme characters where Humpty Dumpty is murdered and another detective (whose name escapes me at the moment) is investigating the murder. This book sat on my shelf for several months, recommended by my dad, but for some reason it just didn't appeal to me for quite awhile. In fact, I think I finally picked it up and started reading it because he kept pestering me about it. Needless to say, I'm so very glad I did as it has led me here. So buy a copy, set it on the shelf and when you eventually get around to picking it up, I hope you agree.

Secondly, speaking of my dad, I recently purchased a Kindle for a birthday/Father's Day gift for him. I bought the $79 version, since he wasn't all that keen on having an e-reader. He is going to be taking an extended vacation overseas in the fall, and I told him that if nothing else, it would be nice for that so he didn't have to pack a lot of books. So I have been playing with it to see the main differences between the Kobo and the Kindle. There are some features of both that I like and dislike. The Kindle is a little lighter and much easier to turn the page. There is also less pause when you do turn the page. Which is really a selling feature if you are a fast reader. However, I do not care for the way the Kindle organizes your library. The Kobo has all the books you have "opened" on the main page when you power it up. Maybe the Kindle CAN do this, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet. Also, it seems easier to find a book you want to get to on the Kobo as it has the alphabet listed at the top as a menu and you can arrow over the beginning letter. On the Kindle, you have to scroll through each page, or use the keypad to type in the name in a search. The Kindle also has page turners on both the right and left side of the device. Nice feature when someone is snuggled up right next to you. The Kobo has only one button located on the bottom right, and it is downright uncomfortable to use your left hand to turn the page. But, I really enjoy the fact that the Kobo has pre-loaded 100 classics on the e-reader. They are free to download from the Gutenberg Project, but it was a very nice convenience to have. And it has definitely inspired me to read more of that type of book. OH- one thing I absolutely HATE about the Kindle is all the advertisements. Yuck - yuck - yuck!!! Talk about distracting and cheap. Get rid of that!

Lastly, I have finally succumbed to the hype and started reading The Hunger Games. I don't know why it has taken me so long. Everyone, and I do mean every single person I have talked to, has said they are VERY good. I fought the good fight, and now I surrender. I opened it on the Kindle and then on the Kobo and used that book as my comparison novel. I will finish it on the Kobo as the Kindle is all packed away and ready for vacation.