Yay Kindle!

My wonderful hubby gave me a Kindle for Valentine's Day! Yay! Books beat out chocolate and flowers every time.
I've been surfing for a case for it because I'm so scared of damaging it. I'm afraid to bring it to work in case I bang it or crush it or drop it since I usually carry a backpack with my WIP (printed out), water, lunch, a book (Karen Slaughter's Broken), iPod & wire, notebook, magazines...What can I say? I'm really bored at work, I need to keep entertained.
Now I'm so excited to have a Kindle I'm surfing Amazon and scooping up some books. I'm not sure how to find the free ones yet but when books are only 2.99 my book budget is suddenly worth a lot more.
I don't think a Kindle can replace books. I still love the feel of a paperback in my hands. Something about cracking the spine of a new book and turning those pages is like comfort food. I read in bed and there's usually a book or two under my pillow. I don't think I can tuck my Kindle under my pillow. And what about the beach? Dare I take it to the beach? I worry enough about the cell phone and the sand.
:)
Later gators! I'm going to play with my Kindle!
My first purchase:

Amazon-ing

It's a cold day here in NJ and we're hunkered down with movies, our computers and the wood stove. That's another 14 inches of snow on top of the 4 inches from yesterday morning and the foot from last week and the 30 inches from the week after Christmas. Can someone tell me when I moved to Montana, because I can't remember.
It's nice and warm in here as we watch the squirrels and birds raiding the bird feeders in the back yard. I feel bad for them. I'm going to have to get more seed.
So I wandered over to Amazon.com to see what's new. Now I know I'm probably late to the party but I found a Kindle app for my PC. My dh has a Kindle but I haven't gotten that far yet. Sooon...very sooon.
I'm not really a fan of reading too much on the PC but the Kindle app is pretty good. The words are clear and easy to read and flipping the pages is quick. I do get the urge to scroll but that's fading.
I didn't download too much because I'm going to get a Kindle and wasn't sure how to flip it back and forth from PC to Kindle. I haven't read any of the directions. I'm sure it's in there somewhere and I think I can copy them back and forth. The one think I couldn't see how to do was print a page. I would like to do that. hmmmmm
There has to be a way.
Anyway for those of you, like me, who haven't jumped onto the Kindle bandwagon just yet this might be a great way to get started. Surprisingly, reading on the computer wasn't as bad as I envisioned, but I won't be able to take it to bed with me. I definitely need a real Kindle.
Do I really need the 3G wi-fi? Or is the regular Kindle enough? And why?

I GOT AN ARC!!!

I came home the other day to find an Advanced Reading Copy of a book from Dorchester in my mail box. I'm so excited! There was a single sheet of paper in it telling me where to send my review. It also had someone's name, phone and email printed on the front of the book. Inside the author thanks her agent...one of my fav-wish-she'd-pick-me- agents...Jessica Faust from Bookends.
I don't know what I signed up for or how this book came to me, but I can't wait to review it.
It's a fantasy which is not really my kind of read but so far it's very well written. The use of language is absolutely .... beautiful. It almost reminds me of Koontz who I have long admired because of the way he weaves his words. If the rest of this book is as good as the first few chapters it's going to be a very good read.

I'm so excited!!!

For the Love of Books...

My co-worker cleaned out her garage the other day and brought a bunch of books in. I pounced! it was like Christmas. I'd read the jacket- put it in my pile, pick up next book...repeat. Then I realized the stack of my keeps had grown quite large so I put some back. Then as they went to take the box away I reached in and grabbed one I had put back.
It's an addiction.
Now I have a nice little stack on my desk that I can plow through. Nothing makes me happier then having a pile of books nearby. This is reflected in my home, too. My nightstand has about five or six books on it. If open the top drawer of the nightstand and I can use that to house a few, too. Some I've read, some are waiting. The shoe rack at the end of the bed doubles as a book shelf also. (shoes kicked under the bed)
I used to have a dining room that got like Zero use so I took out the table and make it into a library. :) Bookshelves, comfy chair and a good light...it's like heaven.
The end tables in the family room has a book or two on it also. The bag I take to work a couple more and of course I usually have a car book. Just in case I go somewhere that I have to wait.
Every once and a while I have to clear out the books to make room for more books and I do this with mixed emotions. Sad to say goodbye, but happy to see the new ones.
Any other book addicts out there?

Books, books, and more books...

I have books. Lots of books. Books in bookcases, books under beds, books in boxes, books under tables, books in nooks, nooks full of books, books in boxes in the attic... I was in my office today, which doubles as a gym, and feeling crowded. It's time to get rid of "stuff" and as I look around, aside from the box of manuscripts on the floor and piles of them on my bench, the books are taking over. One bookcase is full of crime stuff; forensic books, books of poisons, studies of criminals and cases, police procedures, etc. Another has art books; painting rocks, acrylics, oils, pastels, drawing, Dewberry, landscapes, etc. The one standing on my work bench has my writing books; everything from the sweet and inspiring Artist's Way to Stephen King's On Writing (he has the heart of a small boy---in a jar on his desk). Moving out to the little alcove we call a library we have books on Celiac Disease, cook books, some collector items, a few fav's we might read again some day, dictionaries(my favorite book!), thesaurus, books on CD's, some Vonnegut's, Koontz, King, Konrath and Corben among others. Moving into the family room there's another bookcase with nutrition books, cooking (Kill it & Grill it), some medical manuals, oops, there's another forensic book there sandwiched between two more Konraths and an Evanovich. Let's not even go into my bedroom where I routinely knock over the pile of books on my nightstand while I'm looking for things. (this is why I can't own a kindle-I'd probably kill it.)
I've really got to thin out the herd. Any suggestions? How do you decide what to toss and what to keep? I mean, really! How can I get rid of something I might someday want to read? And how do I know the next person will love them as much as I do?
Help!

139,750 words...too much?

So while waiting for my editing buddy to finish my latest WIP I'm looking at a story I wrote last year but shelved. I like my story, characters and all that but the ending was flat. I absolutely hate cop-out endings in books. Like when you read a great book, a real page turner and then the ending is a WTF moment. Like what were they thinking? Where's the climax? The promised drama? The OMG ending?
So in that other story I hated that I didn't have a better ending so I shelved it.
For a year.
And now I have it! I'm real excited about my ending now and I open up the old story and realize it's over 500 pages. Ayyaakk! Could any newbie possibly interest an agent in a 500 page book?
Ugh! Now I'm going back through this story that I love with some mental scissors.
This ever happen to you?

When Bad Books Happen to Good People

Someone gave me a book by an author I've never read before and said, "This book was awful. Do you want it?"
Of course I took it. I wanted to disect it so I'd see what makes a bad book.
Was it just a matter of taste? Or something else.
Structure? Plot? Dialog?
So I'm reading this book and find it breaks all those rules I've ever been taught by critique groups and friends who are published.
Info dump.
Run on, stilted, useless dialog that does nothing for the story.
Too much tell instead of show.
And I hate the heroine because she says the stupidest things. Its like shes playing two different parts in the same movie. Hot/Cold, Hot/Cold.
Sometimes I'm not even sure where I am. She walks into a hospital room and "Joe" is asleep. She just starts talking and he answers her like he's been awake the whole time. I look back...yep, he was asleep. Wow, he woke up quick.
But the biggest problem I think is that everything in the book is like a bad soap opera (and forgive me, I actually I love ABC's soaps!). In this book, he is linked to she and oh, a coincidence! she slept with this other guy and now she's sleeping with him too.
Its supposed to be a thriller and the police come across as idiots and put all their faith in a probation officer to do their job. I have a friend who is a probation officer and she doesn't solve crimes. Its a real stretch. This character seems to do everything but her job. Very unrealistic.
Whew! Sorry for the rant but I think this bruised my brain.
My question is; How do books like this get published? Is it just that this author has nine other books out so everything she writes will get published? Where are the editors? How does this get pasted the gate keepers?
Opinions?

From Skinny Bitch to What to Eat

Moving on in the food category books we have my favorite: What To Eat by Marion Nestle. This book was recommended by my personal nutritionist. (Okay, its my daughter the nutrition student-but hey, works for me)
The way this book differs from Skinny Bitch is its more of a "just the facts" kinda book. I didn't feel preached at and there was no shocking language. This book lays it all out for a good diet. Sensible food choices, differences between organic and natural and it was written by a real nutritionist and not just a couple of models on a PETA rant. (Is lightening going to strike me for that last comment???)
Marion's website is here.
Check it out! I liked this book a lot.

J.A. Konrath does it again in FUZZY NAVAL

J.A.Konrath will shock you with the first chapter of FUZZY NAVAL. Took me completely unawares. This book moved along at such a quick pace that I couldn't put it down. Vivid descriptions, scary characters and a story that sucks you right in and scares the pants off of you.
And if I ever see Konrath I'm going to have a long talk with him about the ending. It left me wanting more!