Category Archives: Bookish Talk

The Sunday Salon: Summer is Almost Here!

Sunday Salon Button

I have been dealing with a ton of health issues lately. Some of it is lupus related, some not. All in all, it’s meant spending the entire weekend in bed. BUT, since I was in bed all that time I managed to finish The Passage and Wuthering Heights so I am a very happy camper. I haven’t written up my review of The Passage yet, but I must tell you that it was FANTASTIC. You must pick it up this summer.

My next book will be The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. You may have heard me say this before, but the publisher was kind enough to send me the book ages ago, but I’ve been waiting to read it with a friend so I put it off until now. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into it. Finally!

As for my TBR (to-be-read) list, I’ve put a huge dent in it. I am practically all caught-up with my reading commitments. I can comfortably say, “Hello Summer!” and finally sit down and create my summer reading list. I can’t wait.

This is the last week of school for my kids and also promotion week for my son who is promoting from 6th to 7th. There are lots of end-of-the-year parties to attend and last-minute details to deal with since summer camp begins right after. Sorting through which swimsuits still fit, which ones to toss, you get the idea.

Tonight we are ordering pizza and watching the Laker game. What do you have planned?

Fancy That! I’m a Traitor! (didn’t mean to be)

Okay, so you know how I got a Kindle for Mother’s Day? I didn’t say too much about it because I was speechless and not able to fully express its awesomeness. I did all my research and when The Hub asked me which e-reader I preferred, I went back and forth between the Kindle and the Nook.

BUT, when Kindle announced file organization and Facebook and Twitter integration with its 2.5 upgrade (which still hasn’t downloaded by the way), I decided to go with the Kindle. Plus, to be honest with you, I just liked the clean lines of the Kindle over the Nook. It fits better in my hand, and just seems to fit me better.

What I didn’t consider was this…

…that I would be betraying my beloved Barnes and Noble.  Yep, I am a traitor.

Now, I get that most of these devices are proprietary in nature and I knew that choosing the Kindle over the Nook would mean doing business with Amazon, but what I didn’t consider was the “pretty” factor. In between my long hours at work (definitely not during work, ahem) I like to browse B&N’s website. Their e-book site is so much easier to navigate and much prettier than Amazon’s e-book site (my opinion).

Now don’t get me wrong, my purchases are done wirelessly. I don’t purchase online and then sync up later, although I know that you can do that. BUT, I didn’t realize how much I would miss browsing B&N’s site. Also, when visiting a B&N store, I feel like a bit of a loser. Everyone is walking around with their Nooks looking cool and I am Nook-less. This is an entirely strange feeling for me because I LOVE my Kindle. Even with all this loser angst I am experiencing, I still wouldn’t trade my Kindle for a Nook.

So what am I saying? I am sorry Barnes and Noble. I didn’t buy your Nook, but I LOVE your website and still shop in your brick and mortar store. I can hope that Amazon does something with their site to pretty it up a bit. Visually, it’s BLAH. Do you hear me Amazon? Do something with the Kindle Books section, please!

Amazon

Amazon Kindle Book Section

Versus…

B&N

B&N Ebook Section

So if you are in the market for an e-reader, consider your shopping habits too. Where do you purchase your regular books from? Are you loyal to a particular store? Browse each site’s e-book section and see which one you like best. For now, I am happy to browse one site and buy from the other, but it’s still a bit weird for me.