Newcomers: A Selection of Articles - Glenda Browne, Sylvia Coates et. al.

Newcomers: A Selection of Articles For Those New To Indexing
Glenda Browne, Sylvia Coates, Joel S. Berson, Rohan Bolton, Jochen Fassbender, Jill Halliday, Michele Combes, Hilary Faulkner, Ann Hudson, Maureen McGlashan
Society of Indexers
Copyright: October 27, 2012

The Amazon.com product description:

Articles specially selected from The Indexer vital to those embarking on a career in indexing. Articles cover: the importance of indexes; choosing indexing as a career; indexing efficiently; choosing software; choosing training; producing a quote; negotiating with clients; and looks toward possible futures with new technology, embedded indexing, topic maps and XML.

Although Newcomers is only available as an e-book, it's well worth getting - even if you don't have an e-reader. The book is a collection of articles, mostly from about 2005 until the middle of last year (2012) covering various topics such as term selection, the editing process, negotiating contracts, the rise of embedded indexing (and the advantages and disadvantages of it), as well as some coverage of the various major indexing courses, software, and how some people got started with their indexing businesses.

Each article has a bibliography and endnotes, so if you're looking for good books to start learning about indexing, it might be worth combing through those to see what titles keep coming up. I did notice that both Indexing From A-Z by Hans Wellisch and Indexing Books Second Edition by Nancy Mulvany were regular occurrences.

Overall, I found all the articles to be thorough, interesting and useful. Some of them covered things that I've been wondering about, such as how people figure out how they're going to charge and how much to charge. Others went into more detail than I've seen to date on issues like embedded indexing - something that I've been seeing references to, but don't know much about to date.

I'll be honest and admit to skimming over the articles that discuss some of the various courses that newcomers can take - I'm in the process of taking a course right now. On the other hand, if I'd gotten this book back in November, I'd probably have found that to be the most useful part of the book. Timing is everything.

I'm probably going to be coming back and checking these articles again a few times as I get going, and perhaps even after that. This is the first collection they've come up with. I sincerely hope it's not the last.

Kobo Vox - Longer Term Impressions

It's now been several months since I posted both my First Impressions review of the Kobo Vox and my Further Impressions. Since then, I've added a couple of tutorials: Installing the Overdrive Media Console and Installing the Amazon Kindle app.

While I've been a fan of the Kobo e-reader from day one, since I got the Kobo Vox, I haven't even charged up the old Wi-Fi model once. As far as I'm concerned, low battery-life and all, the Vox trumps the older models completely. I can't say anything about the Touch model though.

 I've done a fair bit of reading on it too. Both of Michael R. Hicks books - through the amazon Kindle app, which works like a charm - and several others too.

Daylight or night, it works wonderfully with all kinds of lighting - definitely better than my smartphone screen.

Reading back, I noticed that I commented on the Live Wallpapers having a tendency to slow my Vox down back in my Further Impressions post. Maybe it was just that one wallpaper, because I've since been running a spectacular one, with no problems in the last couple of months. Finding and installing the wallpapers though has been a challenge, because most of them are linked from the Android Marketplace, which it seems, the Vox still has no access to. On the other hand, I haven't tried in recent months, but at the same time I haven't heard otherwise either.

The libraries have been a bit of a disappointment though. Nothing to do with the Overdrive Media Console app or how it works however. That side of things has worked - no problems. It's just that the libraries don't seem to have the kind of books I'm interested in reading - mostly science fiction or fantasy novels.

Loading on non-Kobo E-books is still an absolute breeze. Drop the e-pub file onto your micor-SD card and insert it into the Vox. Open the Library, and your e-reader does the rest of the job for you. Believe me, about half my library is on there from that method.

The feature I'm starting to take more advantage of now though is the Pulse, that social aspect of reading which has been integrated into the Kobo Vox interface. Surprisingly, at least with the super-popular books like Game of Thrones, it's lots of fun, because you can keep track of who else is reading the book at the same time, and how many times the book has been read. Not to mention reading other people's comments about the book. It's possible to read all the comments at once (choosing one option will let you avoid spoilers too) or to see comments and "likes/dislikes" for particular pages. It's kind of neat to know that somebody has commented for the same page you're reading. I'm thinking of it a bit like a world-wide book club for the book you're reading. Unfortunately, it only works with the books you buy from Kobo.

At the same time, I'm integrating Facebook into my reading a bit more. I only just managed to get the Facebook app (the screen just past the home screen) to let me log in properly, and I've been finding that the Facebook integration with Kobo is a bit finicky, and not always letting me do things like posting quotes. On the other hand, that could be my unfamiliarity with both Facebook and that segment of Kobo usage talking.

On a different topic, recently Dark Horse Comics has announced a partnership with Kobo to bring their graphic novels to the Kobo Vox. Even though I haven't tried reading a full graphic novel on the Kobo Vox, I have seen what they look like. It's spectacular! The pages are vibrant and clear, with readable text and crisp images.

Overall, I've had nothing but good experiences with my Kobo Vox over the past several months. Certainly the "new gadget" appeal has never worn off in my eyes.

I have however, noticed a change in how I read, using the Vox as compared to reading a paper book or even on the older Wi-Fi model. Before, I would read in longer segments of time, even hours at a time. Now, when I'm reading on the Vox, I find myself switching over to playing a game after only a few minutes of reading. Just the temptation of having the games available?

In Her Name: The Last War - Michael R. Hicks

In Her Name: The Last War
Michael R. Hicks
Imperial Guard Publishing
Copyright: 2011

The Amazon.com product description:

THE LAST WAR is a trilogy collection of the complete text of the novels IN HER NAME: FIRST CONTACT, LEGEND OF THE SWORD, and DEAD SOUL.

FIRST CONTACT

Led by Commander Owen McClaren, the TNS Aurora is embarked on an extended survey mission, searching for new worlds that could support human life. Drawn to an uncharted star system by the discovery of potentially habitable planets, the crew of the Aurora discovers something entirely unexpected: the planets are already inhabited, but not by humans. Approached by gigantic alien starships, Aurora's crew makes ready for humanity’s very first contact with another sentient race.


LEGEND OF THE SWORD

Six months have passed since the destruction of the human colony on Keran by the alien Kreelan Empire. Earth and other human worlds band together to form the Confederation of Humanity to provide a mutual defense against the alien invaders.

Unfortunately, not all human worlds want to join the Confederation. Some, like Saint Petersburg, would rather see it destroyed. With a powerful navy built in secret and armed with nuclear weapons, Saint Petersburg is preparing their own offensive against the Confederation when the Kreelans attack.


DEAD SOUL

Three years after the brutal first contact encounter with the alien Kreelan Empire, the human Confederation is desperate for a victory. With over a dozen worlds under siege by legions of Kreelan warriors, President McKenna orders the Confederation military to deliver a victory to give humanity hope.

Roland Mills, Valentina Sikorsky, Ichiro Sato and his wife Steph, along with the irrepressible General James Sparks are once again at the sharp end of the spear in a mission to take back the colony of Alger’s World from the alien invaders before it’s too late.

In Her Name: The Last War is the second omnibus edition by Michael R. Hicks. The first one, reviewed here, is simply called In Her Name. This one can't really be called a sequel though, as it's set a century or so before the first trilogy, which detailed the end of the war between the Confederation and the Kreelan Empire. The Last War on the other hand, covers the first contact between humanity and the Kreelans, as well as the first years of the war.

After reading the first In Her Name trilogy, I found myself sympathetic to both sides in this conflict, something I rather liked with this series, rather than it all being one-sided. Some of the best classic science fiction - Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein comes to mind as an example - portrays a war for humanity's existence from just the one point of view. In this one, you've got numerous human points of view - my favourites were Steph and Ichiro - as well as a range of different Kreelan perspectives, some of whom are quite familiar from the other trilogy. As a result, I found myself with an even better understanding of how their culture worked.

For example, a true picture of their technological level, and how things such as ships and the like are made, as well as more about the Kreelan pattern of life, something I found to be quite intriguing.  It's interesting to see a culture with a high technological understanding deliberately choosing to live in ways we consider to be low-tech - riding and pack beasts and the like, but at the same time using starships and shuttlecraft etc.

Michael R. Hicks writes some very good, fast-paced military science fiction. As with the previous trilogy, this was a book that I couldn't put down - to the point that I was getting frustrated whenever I had to charge my e-reader up again. And I didn't want the book to end either. All of the characters, even those who showed up for just a short time felt real, and regardless of which side they were on, I found myself rooting for them.

In terms of reading order, I don't think it really matters which of the two trilogies you read first, as they both seem to stand independent of one another and are separated by a fair span of time. Which is rather nice, as it's refreshing to be able to read one and not find myself going "no I can't read this until I've read that".

To my mind at least, this book is suitable for a wide range of readers, from teens onwards. Yes, there's violence, but that obviously doesn't seem to matter - look at The Hunger Games. The violence is about the same, and there isn't much else that people can object to. So, if you like science fiction, especially military science fiction, I'd have to say give In Her Name: The Last War a try. I definitely consider this book to be worth five stars, and I'm sure I'll be re-reading it in the reasonably near future too.

In Her Name: Omnibus Edition - Michael R. Hicks

In Her Name: Omnibus Edition
Michael R. Hicks
Imperial Guard Publishing
Copyright: 2008
978-0615208534

The amazon.com product description:

This trilogy collection contains the first three novels of the bestselling IN HER NAME science fiction & fantasy saga: EMPIRE, CONFEDERATION, and FINAL BATTLE...

EMPIRE

This is the coming-of-age story of Reza Gard, a young boy of the Human Confederation who is swept up in the century-long war with the alien Kreelan Empire. Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress. Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race. Enduring the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza and a young warrior named Esah-Zhurah find themselves bound together by fate and a prophecy foretold millennia before they were born.

CONFEDERATION

Banished from the Kreelan Empire, Reza is once again a stranger in a strange land as he returns to the human Confederation. Befriended by a marooned Confederation naval officer leading a desperate fight against the Kreelans on a distant colony world, she reunites Reza with Nicole Carré. With their help, he fulfills his childhood dream of becoming a Confederation Marine. Reza will need all the help he can get, for dark forces are at work at the heart of the Confederation, and Reza becomes a pawn in a lethal power struggle that leads him back to the planet Erlang. There, a heartbreaking reunion awaits him, along with the discovery of an ages-old power that the Kreelan Empire will stop at nothing to control.

FINAL BATTLE

Reza awakens in a hospital on Earth after having been in a coma for months. Charged with murder and high treason, he finds himself the scapegoat for a daring plot to assassinate the President of the Confederation. Escaping with the help of Jodi Mackenzie, who is now hunted for what she knows about the death of the president, Reza discovers that something is deeply wrong with the Empire: the warriors have lost their will to fight. Compelled to step into a trap set for him and Jodi, the two once again find themselves bound for Erlang. But this time it is to meet Tesh-Dar, who has been captured. When Reza and Jodi are taken prisoner and sentenced to death, they can only watch as a human armada gathers for a strike against the Kreelan homeworld. But the human fleet - and humanity itself - will be doomed to utter annihilation unless Reza can reach the Empress in time...

What a good book. I'd finished reading the first book, In Her Name: Empire, a couple of weeks before the omnibus edition went free for a day, and immediately started reading the whole thing again on downloading that.

Any book where you can start to re-read it so soon after reading it for the first time is bound to be good, and this one was no exception. Even with the familiarity with the characters, plot etc for the first third of the omnibus edition, the story was compelling me to keep reading.

From the first chapter, Reza's experiences are gripping - all the way through to the end of the first book: Empire - I couldn't just stop reading there, and continued right into Confederation. Confederation and Final Battle felt more like one longer book combined rather than two separate books.

Elements of this Michael R. Hicks work reminded me of several other science fiction authors I liked: David Weber (specifically his co-written series with Steve White), John Scalzi and Robert Heinlein, so in that sense it fits the style of "classic science fiction", but at the same time the story is still very fresh and original.

It did take until part way through the second book to really get a good mental image of what the Kreelan looked like though, which bugged me a bit at times I have to admit. Other than that though, I have no complaints about any of the three books.

In fact, I found that I couldn't put In Her Name down easily at all, and was just waiting for the chance to pick up my e-reader again as soon as I could. Only problem is, I'm having trouble saying anything about the book other than how much I enjoyed it.

The Kreelan are an intriguing race, with a lot of history behind them - Their empire has been around thousands of years longer than any of our civilizations, but one of the things that makes them so unique is their adherence to The Way, something that is is developed throughout the book. The Way is on;y one of the mysteries surrounding the Kreelan. There's also the question of why the Confederation has only seen female warriors, in fact female anythings among the Kreelan to date.

I repeat: In Her Name is five star science fiction, and a book I'm sure to be re-reading. Thankfully there's more books set in this world, including another omnibus edition: In Her Name: Final Battle, and a new release, In Her Name: From Chaos Born. I'm looking forward to reading these titles too.

Free Kindle E-Book: In Her Name Omnibus Edition

Free for an unknown amount of time, the omnibus edition of In Her Name is a book I'd jump at. In fact, I have. I've already read the first book - free from the author's website, but I'm going to be glad to read it again in here.

The amazon.com product description:

This trilogy collection contains the first three novels of the bestselling IN HER NAME science fiction & fantasy saga: EMPIRE, CONFEDERATION, and FINAL BATTLE...

EMPIRE

This is the coming-of-age story of Reza Gard, a young boy of the Human Confederation who is swept up in the century-long war with the alien Kreelan Empire. Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress. Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race. Enduring the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza and a young warrior named Esah-Zhurah find themselves bound together by fate and a prophecy foretold millennia before they were born.

CONFEDERATION

Banished from the Kreelan Empire, Reza is once again a stranger in a strange land as he returns to the human Confederation. Befriended by a marooned Confederation naval officer leading a desperate fight against the Kreelans on a distant colony world, she reunites Reza with Nicole Carré. With their help, he fulfills his childhood dream of becoming a Confederation Marine. Reza will need all the help he can get, for dark forces are at work at the heart of the Confederation, and Reza becomes a pawn in a lethal power struggle that leads him back to the planet Erlang. There, a heartbreaking reunion awaits him, along with the discovery of an ages-old power that the Kreelan Empire will stop at nothing to control.

FINAL BATTLE

Reza awakens in a hospital on Earth after having been in a coma for months. Charged with murder and high treason, he finds himself the scapegoat for a daring plot to assassinate the President of the Confederation. Escaping with the help of Jodi Mackenzie, who is now hunted for what she knows about the death of the president, Reza discovers that something is deeply wrong with the Empire: the warriors have lost their will to fight. Compelled to step into a trap set for him and Jodi, the two once again find themselves bound for Erlang. But this time it is to meet Tesh-Dar, who has been captured. When Reza and Jodi are taken prisoner and sentenced to death, they can only watch as a human armada gathers for a strike against the Kreelan homeworld. But the human fleet - and humanity itself - will be doomed to utter annihilation unless Reza can reach the Empress in time...

Caught In Crystal - Patricia C. Wrede

Caught In Crystal
Patricia C. Wrede
Open Road
Copyright: 1989 (2011)
Kindle Edition

The amazon.com product description:

In the magical world of Lyra, an innkeeper is forced to confront her darkest secret
For more than a decade, Kayl has run a modest country inn. She opened it with her husband, and they managed it together until a summer illness took him away, leaving her alone with their two children. The three of them get by, living happily together as the years pass, but everything changes the day a sorceress asks for a room.

Her name is Corrana, and by her silver brooch Kayl knows that she is a member of the order of Sisterhood of Stars, a coven of witches that Kayl left after a secret mission went horribly wrong. Kayl is sure that Corrana has come to take her back to the life she had renounced years before. Now, to save her family and her world, she will have to unlock a side of herself that she buried long ago.

Caught In Crystal was offered to me through NetGalley. Now that that's said, on with the review. This is the first book in the series about the world of Lyra. It's also an edited re-print, IIRC. One of the neatest things I found in this edition was the preface, where Patricia C. Wrede discusses the process of writing, and also how she rewrote the first chapter of Shadow Magic, another of her Lyra novels, and one that I've read. Basically, the chapter is there, in it's original form, with the new version marked, and some explanation of why she made the changes she did. I found it fascinating.

Caught In Crystal flowed, grabbing me each time I started to read it - and that was when I was in front of my computer, reading through Adobe Digital Editions. Not my favourite method. Despite that, I found that I couldn't put the book 'down' as it were, and had to keep reading, especially as I came towards the end of the story.

Patricia Wrede has created a very intriguing world with Lyra - multiple races living together, not always in harmony and some intriguing forms of magic, all blend with a sense of history that left me wanting to read more. Caught In Crystal is set fairly early in that history, giving the background that I wanted back when I was reading Shadow Magic.

Definitely a book I'm going to recommend.

Friday Favourites - Your Favourite Aspect Of E-Books?

Friday Favourites - a chance to rave about a favourite reading/book related topic each week.

Sometimes you just want a chance to rave about some favourite aspect of reading that doesn't really come up during regular blogging posts - that's what this is about. I'm willing to bet that at least some of those will come up one week or another.

This week I'm asking what your favourite aspect of e-books is.

Please leave either a link to your response or your response itself in the comments.

For myself the first thing that comes to mind is the sheer portability of some of the e-ink e-readers out there. The last for weeks and weigh very little. As a result, I'd have to say that my favourite aspect of e-books is portability. I can have a dozen or more books at my fingertips, so there's always going to be something that I want to read there. And, I haven't taken up half my baggage space with books the way I used to when I travelled.

There is a second aspect that  I love too. This one comes from the people I talk to at work, where selling e-readers is one of my jobs. I've had several conversations with people who say how much they love the variable font size, that it's making it easier for them to read again. I love it that the e-readers can open up the worlds of books to people who have a hard time with paper for various reasons.

So, what's your favourite aspect of e-books and e-readers?

Book Rambling: E-Books and Paper Books

I've been thinking a bit lately about my buying patterns when it comes to books. First off: I do have two e-readers (Kobo Vox and the older Kobo Wi-Fi), so I'm not adverse to e-books in any way, shape or form. And yet, I still buy far more actual paper books than e-books. What's more, sometimes it seems like I'll read those paper books first too.

Yes, I'll buy the paper books even though the e-books are often less expensive. Case in point: the book A Great And Terrible King: Edward I and The Forging Of Britain by Marc Morris. I will admit that I contemplated buying the e-book which was distinctly less expensive ($9.99 on Kindle, or 11.19 for the Kobo, compared with almost $24 for the hardcopy book on the Chapters.ca website). Pre-Vox, I wouldn't even have considered the e-book, because I would have a harder time taking notes from it. Now, though, with the ability to highlight and take notes, that's less of an issue now.

But, for this book specifically, I went with paper, because I know of someone else who would probably like to read it. And, I don't really want to loan out my e-reader (I'm usually reading a couple of things on there).

The other times I go for paper over e-books without even thinking about doing otherwise are when I already have the rest of the series in paper form (often even in hardcover format), such as with the novels by Mercedes Lackey, J.R. Ward, Patricia Briggs or Kylie Chan. Although, I will admit to duplicating the first of Kylie Chan's books (White Tiger) for the Kobo, as well as having it in paper. The price was too good.

Those are all the reasons I've gone for paper over e-books, so now to go the other way:
The book's just plain not available anywhere around in paper format (Stray by Rachel Vincent. It wasn't even in the local libraries).

Or, there's the e-book only cases: Ravens of Falkenau comes to mind there, Jo Graham's book of short stories. A lot of authors seem to have short stories available as e-books, which is another plus.

And, you can't forget all of the free e-books available. Be they limited time promotions or permanently free. I've found quite a few good ones now and again.

The biggest reason is, of course Travel. That's where the e-book readers really shine. Especially if you're a faster reader. It's ridiculous to take a stack of four or five books with you with the costs and restrictions on luggage. With the e-reader, that's all you need, along with maybe one book for the plane (for the times they ask you to power down the e-reader). Much less of a space requirement.

So, for me, I'm not ready to commit to one format over the other (and my ability to read e-books continues to expand, as I an now able to read kindle books on my e-reader, as well as Kobo.

What are your preferences for books? paper or e-books?

Kylie Chan's White Tiger for 99 cents

Kylie Chan's novel White Tiger, the first book in the Dark Heavens trilogy is available as an e-book for 99 cents from both Amazon.com and Kobo.

This is a book I picked up on impulse back in September and absolutely couldn't put down. I've been raving about it ever since too. After that, I was waiting eagerly for the next two books, Red Phoenix and Blue Dragon to come out, and buying them as soon as I saw them.

At $0.99, this is possibly your best chance to try a refreshingly different  urban fantasy novel. I honestly feel that I can't say enough good things about White Tiger and it's sequels.

Lets put it this way. I have the paperback edition of White Tiger and I bought the e-book as well. To me, it's money well spent.

Dragon Rite #1 - Kristie Lynn Higgins

Dragon Rite #1 Catching Black Fire and The Breaking Dawn Riders
Kristie Lynn Higgins
Pandora Project Publisher
April 2011

The Amazon.com product description:

Candidates assembled to participate in the Dragon Rite, a ceremony to bond with a dragon hatchling. For the candidates to complete the first part of the Dragon Rite, their dragon must attain Breaking Dawn, a hatchling's first flight.

Cara, a girl born into slavery, has a chance to break free of her harsh life. Does she have a chance to become a dragonrider or will destiny deal her an even harsher fate?

 I ran into this title while searching to see if the Harper Hall trilogy by Anne McCaffrey was available in e-book form, and thought it looked neat.

For the most part, I found Dragon Rite to be an interesting short story, although it felt more like the first chapter or so to a longer story - there's clearly more story to be told, going by the ending - rather than a completed story in and of itself.

However, there were a fair number of spelling errors to be found - mostly things where one world has been substituted for the right word - "reins" for "reigns", etc. Aside from that though, I have to say I liked the story, though I don't want to give too much away - Dragon Rite is a short story after all, and not a full length novel. I'd like to see more set in this world though.

Kobo Vox Installing Overdrive and Borrowing Library Books

Edited in response to a question in the comments as of January 2, 2012

Like the Kobo WiFi and the Kobo Touch, you can read library books on the Kobo Vox. It's just done somewhat differently. Where with the previous Kobo e-readers, you would download the book to your computer and then load it onto the e-reader through Adobe Digital Editions, with the Vox you have to download an app.

Here's the up-side though, Overdrive, the makers of the app have it linked from their website, bypassing the Android Marketplace completely. Thus, it's a breeze to download to the Kobo Vox and install.

I googled Overdrive, then found on their site the Overdrive Media Console, selected the operating system (Android), chose to download it directly from them, and then agreed to the user agreement. From there, it took less than a minute to download.

To install, I've found that the best way is to bring down the notifications screen and then touch (I keep wanting to say "click") the file you've just downloaded. From there, follow the prompts.

The newly installed Overdrive Media Console app can be found under "All Apps".

Once you've opened Overdrive Media Console for the first time, the shelf will be empty except for the welcome option. You'll have to choose your libraries, which is one of the options you'll get in the menu from the button at the bottom of the screen. Go to "Get Books", and it will ask you to choose your libraries.

You can either use your postal code or browse for libraries. I tried the former and got told there were no results which I know is not true, as I've borrowed for my old Kobo before. So, I'm browsing to find libraries. It will bring it up by country. Narrow it down, until you find your libraries in the list. Save the library, and start browsing or searching.

Once you've found a book you want, add it to your cart and either keep searching for more books or proceed to check-out. Apparently, you can have a maximum of five titles out at any one time.

The first step in the check-out is to choose the library that issued your library card from their drop-down menu. Then, you have to type in your library card number. I found that doing it with no spaces worked. Choose your checkout period and confirm the check-out. Hit download, and now discover a quirk you didn't know about. You need to have an Adobe ID to use the book. Easy enough to get, and you might already have one.

The books you borrow will be stored and accessed within the Overdrive Media Console.

If you've checked out books on your computer, you can still get them onto the Kobo Vox:

First go to the "Get Books" option in the menu. Select the library you checked the book out from and go to the "My Digital Account" option.

Log in.

Go to the My Bookshelf option and from there you can download the books you've checked out.

Kobo Vox Further Impressions

I've had my Kobo Vox for a little over a week now and I'm still loving it for reading.

No, the backlit screen isn't quite as easy to read on as the e-ink of the Touch or Wi-Fi models, but it's not bad at all glare-wise, and in the evening it's actually kind of neat - I've taken to reading while waiting for my ride after work and things when I'm standing outside.

Pages turn really easily (occasionally too easily as I accidentally turn two pages once in a while), and books load quickly. That is, when I don't have one of the Live Wallpapers activated. Those are incredibly neat, and the ones that come with the Kobo don't slow it down any at all. The one that I found and downloaded on the other hand, it slowed things down quite a bit, enough that I reverted back to the static images.

For browsing the web, you've just got to get used to the mobile versions of the websites. Something that's not bothering me much, I have to say. It's really handy though, having access to my e-mail all of the time. Just have to figure out better how to use the Vox for typing up blog posts and the like for it to be even more perfect.

I love the ability to highlight and make notes (and then to be able to jump back to them in an instant). That's going to make finding quotes and things a breeze for book reviews.

Not having access to the Android Marketplace on the other hand is proving to be frustrating! Nearly every site that says it has an Android app you can use has it linked to the marketplace so I can't download it. On the other hand, I'm not that familiar with the Android system yet, so I haven't really tried all of the tricks out there to get them in other ways (or any of the tricks really, although I've seen a couple of tutorials).

Overdrive, the way to access the libraries, at least in Canada, though does have the app in a way you can download it straight from their site. That's something I've got to try in the near future, though that might end up being after Christmas.

Loading on non-Kobo e-books is a snap! If you have a micro-sd card and adaptor that is. I just copied them onto there and then once the card was inserted, imported the books into the Kobo Library, where they show up in the list just like any other book. And highlighting and note-taking both work fine in non-Kobo Epubs as well.

Music seems to stay on the SD card, although both photos and e-books seem to be imported right onto the Kobo. At least I'm sure of that with the e-pubs, but not quite so sure for photos (need to try things with them before I can say for sure). I also need to do some experimenting with playing video on the Kobo. I've heard a few too many contradicting things to really know what works and what doesn't.

My biggest gripe is with the charging cable that comes with the Kobo Vox. Because the battery life is so short, I tend to charge it quite regularly, and when sitting at my desk, the cable is just barely long enough to reach me from beside the desk. I think it's only a 3 foot wire - which also leaves me limited in where I can put the Kobo while I'm charging it. Guess I'm going to have to daisy-chain an extension cord or two in the near future.

Still, I'm loving the experience, even though I'm grumbling a bit here.

Writing Horses: The Fine Art Of Getting It Right - Judith Tarr

Writing Horses - The Fine Art Of Getting It Right
Judith Tarr
Book View Cafe
Copyright: November 2010

The amazon.com product description:

How far can a horse travel in a day? What does a horse eat? When is a brown horse really a sorrel (or a bay, or a dun)? What do tack and withers and canter mean?

In this long-awaited and much-requested book based on her "Horseblog" at Book View Café, author and horse breeder Judith Tarr answers these questions and many more. She looks at horses from the perspective of the writer whose book or story needs them as anything from basic transport to major plot device, and provides definitions, explanations, and links and references for further research--leavened with insight into the world of the horse and the humans who both use and serve him.

How fast can a horse run? What happens when a foal is born? How have humans and horses evolved together over the millennia? And above all, what mistakes do writers most often make when writing about horses, and how can the educated writer avoid them?

Here is a guide to the fine art of getting it right. 

I first read and reviewed Judith Tarr's guide to writing about horses back in February. Back then, I enjoyed the read on my e-ink Kobo E-reader. This time I was reading on the Kobo Vox, the new tablet style colour e-reader. Partly because of the surprise I had when I opened the book out of curiosity, I have to admit. This wasn't on my planned reading list at all. I'd just thought "I wonder", and decided to see if the images were in colour or not. They were, and at the same time, I found that the humour in the writing was even more apparent.

Not only that, but the little tidbits of information I didn't have, but would find useful as a writer were also more numerous than I remembered. Maybe it was the addition of the ability to highlight passages that made me keep an eye out for them more. All sorts of things that aren't always there in the riding manuals - genetics of which colours certain breeds don't have, for example and what kinds of personality traits are more suited for certain kinds of tasks - war horses etc.

And, there's several sections on how certain kinds of stables are run - breeders etc. That kind of thing is just not there if I'm remembering rightly the books I have. All of that, plus suggestions of how to write certain kinds of things - possible plot ideas to interwork, how things would be done in a lower technology society etc, are all very useful.

As I noted in my last review, the fact that my e-reader doesn't cope with links is rather frustrating with this book - it's littered with links to sites for specific breed registries, podcasts on various horse-related subjects etc, and I can't even mark down the url to go look from my computer because it's not listed anywhere. That, honestly, is my biggest gripe with Writing Horses: The Fine Art Of Getting It Right.

It's certainly an enjoyable and thought-provoking read though.

Bookstore Lore - Tom Lichtenberg

Bookstore Lore
Tom Lichtenberg
June 2010

This is a bit of a weird one for reviewing. On the Kobo Books website, it's a free e-book, but at the same time, the complete contents of the book are also available as a single post blog: bookstorelore.blogspot.com. Whichever way you opt to read it, this is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time.

Now, a good part of that might be because I work in a bookstore, so I've had similar questions asked of me many a time, but some of them are so far out there, it's almost unbelievable. On the other hand, given human nature....

There's questions like:

Do you have this book? It's about this big and the cover's red. 

Or, my perennial favourite:

Do you work here?

Even if you don't work in a bookstore, anyone who works retail might just get a giggle out of the read. And, it's short. E-book form in a medium font, the book came out at about 60 pages, including the introduction. If you liked Malled by Caitlin Kelly, you might really enjoy this little gem.

Booking Through Thursday - Interactive

This is the question of the week over at the Booking Through Thursday blog:

With the advent (and growing popularity) of eBooks, I’m seeing more and more articles about how much “better” they can be, because they have the option to be interactive … videos, music, glossaries … all sorts of little extra goodies to help “enhance” your reading experience, rather like listening to the Director’s commentary on a DVD of your favorite movie.
How do you feel about that possibility? Does it excite you in a cutting-edge kind of way? Or does it chill you to the bone because that’s not what reading is ABOUT?

I've got mixed views on this subject actually. I'm expected to sell e-readers and e-books as well as paper books, and I love my e-reader. I also love my paper book collection (both hard and soft cover). To me the E-book popularity has its' advantages (and quite a few of them), such as the availability of titles. There's no more "not available in stores" or "sold out" on books that are e-books.

Also, some of the features that are available now - the built-in dictionary in the Kobo, for example are great, and the way it keeps track of page numbers in multiple books. At the same time though, the current generation of e-readers to my knowledge still have issues with things like footnotes/endnotes. That is one place where I'd like to have more interactivity.

For the most part though, the features mentioned in this question are ones that I can't see much use in - music, videos, etc (aside from say biographies of musicians, dancers, movies stars and the like). My own imagination is plenty good enough, at least for novels. The idea of glossaries that you can flip back and forth to easily is like properly done footnotes though. That's one I'd like to see.

The other thing I've found about e-books that I don't like is that once you've bought the book, you're stuck with it. If you don't like it after all, that's too bad. With paper books, you can pass them on - to a friend, or to a used book-store or the like. The latter is the one I do the most, and get a lot of books in return. All of which relates to something that MizB notes in her answer to the same question on her blog, Should Be Reading, about the eventual fate of used bookstores - something I hope never happens.

Writing Horses - The Fine Art of Getting It Right - Judith Tarr

Writing Horses - The Fine Art Of Getting It Right
Judith Tarr
Book View Cafe
Copyright: November 2010

The amazon.com product description:

How far can a horse travel in a day? What does a horse eat? When is a brown horse really a sorrel (or a bay, or a dun)? What do tack and withers and canter mean?

In this long-awaited and much-requested book based on her "Horseblog" at Book View Café, author and horse breeder Judith Tarr answers these questions and many more. She looks at horses from the perspective of the writer whose book or story needs them as anything from basic transport to major plot device, and provides definitions, explanations, and links and references for further research--leavened with insight into the world of the horse and the humans who both use and serve him.

How fast can a horse run? What happens when a foal is born? How have humans and horses evolved together over the millennia? And above all, what mistakes do writers most often make when writing about horses, and how can the educated writer avoid them?

Here is a guide to the fine art of getting it right. 

 I got given a copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer's program, and it wasn't for the Kindle, so if some of the things I mention in here do work better there, please correct me.

First off, I have to say I really liked reading Writing Horses. The chapters flowed together well and made sense - but then, Judith Tarr is a professional writer, and one who I've enjoyed reading many a time, most recently with her short story in Finding The Way and Other Tales of Valdemar.

One thing that's made very clear is that the author knows horses and has had a wide range of experiences with them, from riding to breeding and training. As I understand it, Writing Horses: The Fine Art Of Getting It Right is based on blog posts that Judith Tarr has written, which is where a lot of the informal style of the chapters seems to come from.

Although the book seems to be written mostly for those who've had little experience with horses, I found that it had plenty of tidbits for people with more experience as well (In my case several years of riding lessons years ago, and lots of reading). Much of it was basic, but, as I said, there were things in the book that a lot of the horse-care books I have didn't cover, such as some of the genetics and alternate terminology (eg, for Western riding, most of what I have is focused on English style). And then there's the bits such as on breeding and training too.

If you're interested in writing, the book is neat for another reason too - the way it's written serves to possibly spark ideas to work from as well. Possible problems to resolve - eg. horse health issues and the like.

Now, I was reading this book in e-pub format on my Kobo e-reader,and I found a couple of things that were slightly frustrating. Possibly they come from the book being formed from blog posts but perhaps it's also a limitation of the e-reader I'm using. Specifically I'm referring to the links scattered through the text. Some of them looked to be quite interesting potentially, but I couldn't get to them. There's no access to that kind of thing on the Kobo, and the urls weren't actually given anywhere for me to check them later on my computer. Same thing in the further references section. But, it's a minor thing really given the rest of the book, which is packed full of information and well illustrated with photos to boot.

Overall, I found Writing Horses: The Fine Art Of Getting It Right to be a very useful resource for anyone who likes horses and likes writing.

Overtime (Short Story) - Charles Stross

Overtime
Charles Stross
Tor Books

The amazon.com product description:

Introduced to readers in the novels The Atrocity Archive and The Jennifer Morgue, the Laundry is a secret British government agency charged with preventing dark interdimensional entities from destroying the human race.  Now, in "Overtime," the Laundry is on a skeleton staff for Christmas — leaving one bureaucrat to be all that stands between the world and annihilation by the Thing That Comes Down Chimneys. Written especially for Tor.com’s holiday season, Charles Stross’s novelette is a finalist for the 2010 Hugo Award.

I've never read anything by Charles Stross before, but looking at the blurbs on the backs of his other books, I'd thought they looked interesting. So, when I got a chance to download this one, I didn't think twice (I don't think I even read the blurb).

It was only when I started reading the story and going "what?" that I realized that it was part of an established universe. Overtime is a Christmas themed story, and a funny one, given the way the author plays with all of the Christmas traditions we take for granted. The story also made me curious about the books set in this world. I may well have to check them out further. Not to mention the other books Charles Stross has written.

Being a short story, I'm not sure what else I can say without spoiling the story. However, I will note that it had me laughing out loud on the transit system while reading it, and the poetry is hilarious. Doesn't everyone have to play with that old chestnut "The Night Before Christmas" at least once?

Pegasus - Robin McKinley

Pegasus
Robin McKinley
Putnam Juvenile
Copyright: November 2010
978-0399246777

The amazon.com product description:

A gorgeously written fantasy about the friendship between a princess and her Pegasus.

Because of a thousand-year-old alliance between humans and pagasi, Princess Sylviianel is ceremonially bound to Ebon, her own Pegasus, on her twelfth birthday. The two species coexist peacefully, despite the language barriers separating them. Humans and pegasi both rely on specially-trained Speaker magicians as the only means of real communication.

But its different for Sylvi and Ebon. They can understand each other. They quickly grow close-so close that their bond becomes a threat to the status quo-and possibly to the future safety of their two nations.

New York Times bestselling Robin McKinley weaves an unforgettable tale of unbreakable friendship, mythical creatures and courtly drama destined to become a classic. 

I've read and enjoyed a number of Robin McKinley's other books before, especially The Blue Sword (one of my favourites) and Chalice. As a result, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy of Pegasus. The e-book version was the easiest - and worked out to be very readable.

Pegasus is a story that works for more than just teens, just as The Blue Sword was (is). The world (shared by humans, pegasi and other magical creatures) is well written and makes a lot of sense to me as a reader. I loved the sense of history that the passages from the old notebooks added to the story. The land itself is beautiful, described with rich colours and detail.

Sylvi is a character I think I could quite get to like as a person, while some of the mages...
And the pegasi. The one thing about them is that even after finishing the book, I don't have a good mental picture of what they look like. Beautiful, yes, but it sounds like their proportions are all different than those of horses (which is what I was visualizing when I started reading the book). Not that it made any difference in my enjoyment of this novel.

I think I remember reading that there is going to be a sequel to Pegasus, but I can't remember where, though I believe it was on Robin McKinley's blog. I really hope there is one, as Pegasus leaves a lot of issues unresolved at the end. I know that I'm definitely looking forward to reading more in this world.

Recommended for anyone from an older child through teens and adults if you like fantasy.

Trio of Sorcery - Mercedes Lackey

Trio of Sorcery
Mercedes Lackey
Tor Books
Copyright: November 2010
978-0765328519

 The amazon.com product description:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mercedes Lackey presents three exciting short urban fantasy novels featuring three resourceful heroines and three different takes on the modern world and on magics both modern and ancient.

Arcanum 101:  Diana Tregarde, practicing witch, romance novelist, Guardian of the Earth. Studying at Harvard, Diana is approached by Joe O’Brian, a young cop who has already seen more than one unusual thing during his budding career. The distraught mother of a kidnap victim is taking advice from a “psychic” and interfering in the police investigation. Will Diana prove that the psychic is a fake? Unfortunately, the psychic is not a fake, but a very wicked witch—and the child’s kidnapper.

Drums:  Jennifer Talldeer, shaman, private investigator, member of the Osage tribe. Most of Jennie’s work is regular PI stuff, but Nathan Begay brings her a problem she’s never seen before. His girlfriend, Caroline, is Chickasaw to his Navaho, but that’s not the problem. Somehow, Caroline has attracted the attention of an angry Osage ghost. Thwarted in love while alive, the ghost has chosen Caroline to be his bride in death.

Ghost in the Machine:  Ellen McBridge: computer programmer extraordinaire, techno-shaman. The programmers and players of a new MMORPG find that the game’s “boss,” a wendigo, is “killing” everyone—even the programmers’ characters with their god-like powers. A brilliant debugger, Ellen discoveres that the massive computing power of the game’s servers have created a breach between the supernatural world and our own. This wendigo isn’t a bit of code, it’s the real thing . . . and it’s on the brink of breaking out of the computers and into the real world.  

 A book with a new Jenny Talldeer story and a new Diana Tregarde? I just had to read it. Never mind the third one. Trio of Sorcery turned out to be just as good as I'd hoped.

The first story in the book, that of Diana Tregarde was easily as good as her three novels: Children of the Night, Burning Water and Jinx High. It had more or less the same feel, and was easy to read and get the gist - even though it's been years since I read the three Diana Tregarde novels. Arcanum 101 is the first Diana Tregarde story as I understand things, so the other three books stand on it, not the other way around.

Drums, the Jenny Talldeer story was a bit more difficult in that way. It's set after Sacred Ground, and again it's been a heck of a long time since I read that book, so I had more than a few "Who?, What?, Why?" moments as I read it. Even so, it made for a great read, once I'd remembered the characters and their relationships, just sucking me into the story. I believe it would be perfectly possible to read this story without the knowledge of  the original novel, but that does help.

The first two stories were the ones I was the most excited about, but Ghost in the Machine turned out to be just as good as the other two, and I'm now hoping that Mercedes Lackey comes up with some more books/stories set in this world. The explanations for magic, and the problems it create fit pretty well in my mind, and certainly made for an interesting take.

Overall, three very good novellas, and a book I'm sure to read again (probably after reading the others first). I loved it.

Finding The Way - Ed. Mercedes Lackey

Finding The Way And Other Tales Of Valdemar
Ed. Mercedes Lackey
Daw Books
Copyright: December 2010
978-0756406332

Amazon.com Product Description:

In March 1987, a young author from Oklahoma published her first novel, Arrows of the Queen. This modest book about a magical land called Valdemar was the beginning of a fantasy masterwork series that would span decades and include more than two dozen titles. Now readers can take a journey to the world of Valdemar-including Tanya Huff, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Fiona Patton, and Judith Tarr-each adding their own special touches.

Finding The Way And Other Tales Of Valdemar is the latest anthology of Valdemar/Velgarth related short stories. It's become an annual thing to buy now for me. Some stories I enjoyed more than others of course. Unfortunately, the edition I have, I bought for my Kobo e-reader. Not a problem, except it was somehow formatted so the whole book was just one chapter. So, no easy list of authors and story titles for me to refer to now.

But, there were a number of repeat guests: Judith Tarr, Tanya Huff etc. Even some of the characters are repeat guests from Changing The World etc. Again, there are two stories with Ree and Jem, both good stories, and stories which set the scene for future stories and anthologies. And the same thing with the story about the Haven Watch. Realistic, and a story that made sense to me - although, thinking about it, it's rather similar to the Watch as Tamora Pierce writes it in the Beka Cooper books. It makes sense though, the cultures would be rather similar.

This time I quite liked Judith Tarr's story. It just worked well, and stood out in my mind. That and Mercedes Lackey's stories are my two favourites for this book, I have to say.

On the other hand, there weren't any introductions to the stories for who the authors were and the like. I remember commenting last time that I really liked those, and I missed reading them this time. At the very least, they made for an extra chuckle, and sometimes they sent me off to find new titles to read. Hopefully next year the introductions will be back.

Either way, Finding The Way is a good book for any Valdemar fan, but perhaps not so much for anyone who isn't familiar with the world Mercedes Lackey has created and opened up to other authors.