In the last six months I've purchased two Sony Readers. A good example of compulsive buying. Do I really need them? The first was the Reader Pocket Edition which lets you access up to 350 books from anywhere. It has a 5 inch screen and is very easy to read even in direct sunlight. I was surprised though that it doesn't light up at night, so you have to have an external power source to read. You can purchase books from the Sony Reader Store, but also can download free public domain titles from Google Books, and there are over one million. The Sony Store has many new releases, but it doesn't contain too many previously released books which is somewhat of a disappointment. The positive is that prices for books are 40 to 60% cheaper than purchasing the printed edition.
Recently, I purchased the Sony Reader Touch Edition. One of the advantages with this edition is you can not only download 350 books, but it has memory expansion card slots so many more books can be downloaded. Quite the little library one can carry around on a device that is thinner, smaller, and lighter than most magazines. This one has a 6 inch touchscreen and with a stylus one can highlight text and write in annotations. Again, you need an external light to read in the dark although with this model they've attached one of those little reading lights you can buy in bookstores.
They, despite some limitations, are cool to use and it's easy to download books. But I didn't mention that neither Reader has colour print or visuals. At $199.00 and $299.00 How come? Maybe someone can explain that one. Economics?
Will I stop reading print books? No way. First of all, content is limited with the Readers. No where near everything in print can be purchased electronically. And like all electronic devices, when was the last time I charged it up on the computer's USB. Like my cell phone, I forget sometimes and, alas, nothing to read.
Will I continue to use my Sony Readers? Absolutely.
And while I have been playing away with my two Readers, I notice that Sony now has a Daily Edition Reader on the market. A 7 inch screen and you can download books (and daily newspapers) wirelessly.
I think I'll hold off on that one for awhile.
Anyone in the school is welcome to take a look at my Sony Readers.
Has anyone had a chance to look at Amazon's Kindle which is now available in Canada? It would be interesting to make some comparisons.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
NoveList (from EBSCO)
For readers, NoveList is an excellent database from EBSCO. There are several very useful links such
as Book Discussion Guides, Author Biographies, Award-Winning Book Links, and Recommended Reads.
If you like a particular book, the database will search out other books that have similar themes. You can access NoveList from the Library Home page at http://www.hsslibrary.com/ and then under EBSCO databases.
as Book Discussion Guides, Author Biographies, Award-Winning Book Links, and Recommended Reads.
If you like a particular book, the database will search out other books that have similar themes. You can access NoveList from the Library Home page at http://www.hsslibrary.com/ and then under EBSCO databases.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Twilight, The Graphic Novel
Stephenie Meyer has teamed up with Korean artist Young Kim to create a 224-page graphic version of the novel Twilight. The graphic novel comes out on March 16, 2010. For fans of theTwilight series, Stephenie Meyer in the January 29, 2010 issue of Entertainment Weekly says, "I can't say that I am done with Twilight forever. I'm not working on anything new Twilight-related now, and probably not for a while. But there's still a possibility that I'll go back and close some of the open doors." This is good news for Twilight fans.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Freedom to Read Week, February 21-27, 2010
This year's Freedom to Read Week takes place from February 21-27, 2010.
During the week Canadians are encouraged to think about and commit themselves to the principles of intellectual freedom which in Canada are guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Many books have been challenged in Canada, including ones that you may have read, including David Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, and John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.
Even the Harry Potter series has received numerous complaints (in 19 States and various parts of Canada) about the books being read in the classroom because Harry is engaged in wizardry, witchcraft, and magic-making, and that these activities are inappropriate for young readers.
For more information about Freedom to Read Week go to http://www.freedomtoread.com/
During the week Canadians are encouraged to think about and commit themselves to the principles of intellectual freedom which in Canada are guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Many books have been challenged in Canada, including ones that you may have read, including David Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, and John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.
Even the Harry Potter series has received numerous complaints (in 19 States and various parts of Canada) about the books being read in the classroom because Harry is engaged in wizardry, witchcraft, and magic-making, and that these activities are inappropriate for young readers.
For more information about Freedom to Read Week go to http://www.freedomtoread.com/
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