PaperBackSwap.com

So during my travels in internet world I came across what seems to be an amazing website. Paperbackswap.com. This site is a place where users (for free) can post books (not just paperbacks) that they are willing to send off to someone. For doing this you earn credits, two for listing your first ten books and one for every book you ship off to another member. With these credits you can search the books other members have listed and have one shipped to you. The only cost associated with this is the cost you incur when you send a book. (around 2.13— a for a typical paperback)

Before signing up I read some reviews and played around the site to make sure it was legit. From what I can tell it is. Since I’m kind of a book freak and have mine all listed in excel I have a few I could list. Out of the 500 I own I listed about 60. By doing this I earned two credits and shipped off my first book the next day. I have since requested two books. Mine has already arrived and been read. (The Starter Wife). The book, a hard cover, came in good condition about three days after I requested it.

Don’t have a ton of books to be mailing to strangers? You can also buy credits for about $3.50 a book. Much cheaper than the cost of a new one at B&N or even Amazon (when you calculate the cost of shipping).

So far I’m happy with the site and hope I get the chance to read some good books from other members. If you should decide to join up connect from the link below, I get free books from referrals… duh.

The Starter Wife, Book Review

So I read The Starter Wife by Gigi Levangie Grazer this weekend. It was ok. I think I had my hopes a little high. I really have to be in the right mood in order to handle a lot of sappy mushy stuff. And this book had a little more than I like, what can I say, I’m a non romantic female. I guess I started reading the book thinking it would be more along the lines of The First Wives Club; it wasn’t. The Starter Wife is about Gracie and begins with her life as a Wife Of; the name given to the wives of famous figures in Hollywood. Gracie’s life drastically changes when she becomes a divorcee and worse yet, a starter wife. We as readers follow Gracie through her experiences as she clings to her friends during the rough times and the search for a new man, in the strangest of places. I read The Starter Wife in less than two days so I obviously found it enjoyable, just not one I’ll be re-reading anytime soon.

Timeline - Book Review

So I just finished Timeline by Michael Crichton. I was getting a little discouraged by my choice of books lately but Timeline saved the day. For someone who really doesn’t like the move Jurassic Park or the fifteen sequels that followed, I have found Crichton’s books to be amazing. I’ve never read Jurassic Park, because of the movie, but every book I have read by Crichton I’ve loved. Timeline is just the most recent. Its predecessor’s being Rising Sun and The Great Train Robbery.

Timeline was a true page turner. Mainly because Crichton makes the interesting chapters only about two pages; therefore, when you finish one you go “Oh, only two pages till the next chapter, I’ll stop there”. Five chapters later its 1am but you just can’t put it down. I also enjoyed that it’s not riddled with romance or love triangles, just pure excitement and adventure.

I was going to write a summary, but I think the link to it on Amazon.com pretty much clears it up. If you like Crichton I’m sure you’ll enjoy Timeline.

The Zombie Survival Guide - Book Review

I finished The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks last weekend. Before picking this book up I was reading on average one book every week or week and a half. Max put this trend to a halt quicker than my last book club read.

This book is just horrible. Having a book to read before I go to bed is normally something I look forward to, but knowing this one was waiting for me made me cringe. It took me three weeks to finish the book. If you can even call it a book.

Really The Zombie Survival Guide is more of an actual manual for dealing with the living dead. I love movies like Shaun of the Dead. So when I head this book was a humorous guide to Zombie survival I had to have it.

There is nothing humorous about this text. I think the only reason it is classified as humor is so Max doesn’t want to look like the real crazy he is. This is less comedy and more an actual guidebook. Topics like which weapons to stockpile and picking a fortress to relocate to.

Very boring but I suppose if I ever get attacked by zombies I’ll be prepared.

The Ruins - Movie Review

Last Sunday we went to the theater and saw The Ruins during its opening weekend. I was really looking forward to seeing this movie especially since I skipped a good one in order to see this.

And it was NOT worth the four dollars per ticket that we paid. I suppose the popcorn was good, but that was about it. Maybe it’s my own fault for not liking The Ruins. I should have read more on imdb.com before going to see it. The previews just looked so good and I swear I heard good reviews on the book. Although the reviewer I blamed has since recanted their recommendation. :)

I wouldn’t call this movie a Thriller or Horror as it’s classified on imdb. I’d just call it unnecessary gore. I would go more in depth but I don’t see how I can truly discuss all the flaws without some seriously spoilers. I guess if you want to really understand just how bad this movie is you’ll have to see it on your own. Or better yet rent it.

“So what do you guys think: Ancient Mayan temple off the beaten path?”

Riverdance - A stage review

We saw Riverdance on Saturday. It was their farewell engagement so we figured we better see it while we still could.
I was able to buy a pin from the show to add to my collection so that always makes me happy, me being a pin whore and all.

The 2008 North American tour is the Boyne Company. Their show was really great. I didn’t realize Riverdance incorporated so many different forms of dancing. There were Russian sets, Latin dances, and even great musical solos included. I really enjoyed the Jazz set and subsequent dance off.

One negative to going to shows like this, they always make me super jealous. I wish I had the ability flail my legs uncontrollably while keeping my arms straight at my sides. Seriously, that’s amazing. I’d trip all over myself three and a half steps in. There was also a dancer who was dancing to one rhythm and clapping to another It made my head spin just watching him. There is no way I could do that. I can barely rub my stomach and pat my head at the same time.

My point, the show was great and the dancers were amazing. You should go see it if you get the chance.

The Kindle: Wireless Reading Device

It’s a first; I have nothing to blog about. I haven’t finished a book this week or watched any movies. Well I did watch Bee Movie with my sister but I’ve already written my thoughts on that one. The worse part is I don’t even have any good excuses of why I haven’t done anything blog worthy this week. I’ve just been…well lazy, I guess. I have a book I’m working on but since it’s not a page turner you’ll probably have to wait until next week to read about it. I do have plans next Saturday, which should lead to a good post.

So what have I been doing all week then? I have been using my available free time to surf the web, duh. For the past few weeks I’ve had my eye on the newest little gizmo from Amazon.

They are calling it the Kindle, a new wireless reading device. Basically it’s a small hand held gadget that looks like a palm pilot in which you can upload and read varying text on. Apparently it doesn’t require any cables, computer, or syncing and the Kindle provides its own wireless connection with no monthly bill. The wireless connection supposedly delivers a purchased book in less than one minute. At this time Amazon has stated there are more than 110,000 books available for download including many current New York Times Best Sellers. It looks as if most books will cost around $9.99 and you can download free samples (first chapters) of any text before deciding to buy. Along with books you can also receive updates from many top US and International newspapers, a list of top blogs, and Wikipedia.org.

The Kindle weights about 10.3 ounces, less than a typical paperback and can old over 200 titles; per Amazon’s informational site. Included with the Kindle are a book cover, power adapter, and USB 2.0 cable.

When I first saw the Kindle I thought it was something I had to have, right away. Then I saw the price tag; $399 is a little expensive for a portable reading device. Especially if they’re going to charge me ten bucks for each book I download. I can receive many of the Classics free online, or an actual book on Amazon’s own site for half the price. Then not only will I own a genuine book, but I can store it on my living room bookshelf. You know the shelves that hold more than 200 books. Well I guess to be fair that would also have to include my basement.

The page also doesn’t mention if there will be a fee associated with reading the newspapers or blogs available. I imagine there would be. With the Kindle providing free wireless they have to recoup their cost somehow, and I think an access fee is just the way to do it. But I suppose we should be happy I mean there is free two day shipping and gift wrap. Don’t forget the gift wrap.

I also wonder just how easy to use the Kindle would be. While the screen is large it’s not as large as a hardcover book page which makes me think the words would be very small or there would be lots of scrolling in order to read an entire page.

As I said Amazon says the Kindle provides its own wireless high speed data network, the same as cell phones so you never have to worry about finding a powerful connection. I’m sure this holds true for the Kindles current users, those that more than likely live in hot spots like California or New York. Once the Kindle grows in popularity will I be able to receive a book as quickly in my little corn field as those walking down Wall Street? I’m thinking that’s a no.

Of course none of this matters because the Kindle has been out of stock for quite some time now. Looks like Amazon didn’t quite realize how in demand their new device would be. If you decide you just can’t wait for that free shipping and gift wrap the Kindle is going for around $410 on eBay.com. For me there is a still a whole corner in my basement that hasn’t been filled with totes full of books, why let it go to waste? Until someone sends me one for free or the price drops below $200, I think I’ll stick with real paperbacks.