Monday, June 30, 2008

May RABCK Challenge Results

Posted by Unknown at 8:15 AM 0 comments
Better late than never! As an added bonus for you patience and participation I will randomly select one person who reported results for May to receive a special prize.

BCUser May Grand Total
apolonia 11
beckydore 6 62
Blackadder75
25
Cowgirl-Up
2
DeepSwamp 27 159
Elle311 26 98
etherea
4
Gypsymom
1
gypsysmom
7
Haugtussa 2 41
ILuvToRead2
2
Jumpingin
9
Krin511
5
Marsala
2
Momx3lovesbooks
5
nmreader
15
noumena12 12 121
peachy93722
1
Plum-crazy 9 70
plum-crazy
1
pzarks
27
Shaunesay 8 25
smhamn 5 37
Sybaritic-Lines
4
T02S03B11D20
1
turbostitcher 2 14
tuttasb
22
valentina1209 5 68
Vamperstein8782
3
Grand Total 102 842

Saturday, June 14, 2008

To ebook or not? That is only one of the questions...

Posted by Unknown at 1:45 PM 2 comments
Last weekend at the Lori Foster Reader-Author Get Together, one of the big topics of conversation was ebooks. Do you read ebooks? Why or why not?

My answer: I like the paper. I like passing on my books and seeing where they go. Having said all of that...I also travel a lot and usually take 4-5 books with me on a trip. (I never know exactly what I want to read next.) Plus, there is a seemingly limited selection of books.

Of course, it got me thinking...I'm usually an early adopter of technology; so why not the ebook? I've tried audio books and just can't do them. Music/TV/Radio is just background noise to me and I can't focus on an audio book. But I think the biggest reason that I haven't adopted the ebook is the ability to hold, feel, and try ebook readers. Last weekend I got to play with my friend Laura's ebook reader. And that has got me started.

So last Sunday I started researching ebook readers. First, I wanted to look at them and compare. Ha! Good luck with that! I went to BestBuy, Circuit City, and Barnes and Noble. No ebook readers there! Finally, I came home and started doing some internet research...

One definite downside of traveling with an ebook reader is that they are electronic devices. This means the ebook reader will need to be shut off once the airplane cabin door is closed and can't be re-opened until the airplane reaches 10,000 feet. For those of you who have traveled lately, you know that means you could lose a lot of reading time sitting at the gate or on the runway (if you are lucky enough not to be stopped on the tarmac.)

The question seems to boil down to...To Kindle or Not to Kindle.
Amazon's Kindle seems to be the leading ebook reader based on the reviews I have read. Of course, you can only buy the Kindle and Kindle books from Amazon. (Of course, that didn't scare me away from my much loved iPod!) The only way to test drive one before you buy is if someone in your area is willing to meet you. Amazon devotes an entire discussion topic to let you find someone in your city who will show you their kindle. Not so easy trying to hook up with someone via a discussion thread. Although it supports unprotected Mobipocket books (.MOBI, .PRC), plain text files, and HTML and Word documents, Kindle also uses its own proprietary, DRM-restricted format (AZW). It does not fully support the widely accepted PDF format, but Amazon provides "experimental" conversion to the native AZW format. A user may also convert PDF files to supported formats using third-party software. Advantages: Download/Wireless delivery capability; Newspaper capability; size (about the size and weight of a trade paperback); selection of titles available. Disadvantages: Apparently the cover comes off easily - there are entire discussions dedicated to the cover; also, the Kindle Terms of Use forbid transferring eBooks to someone else or using them on a different device.

The Others. There are several other brands (Sony, Franklin eBookman, ECTACO jetbook, ebookwise) . The rest of the ebook readers finish somewhere after the Kindle in the online reviews I have found. Only the Sony ebook reader appears to be available for purchase anywhere but online. Checking the Sony site, the Sony Reader is only available locally at Walmart. (Don't even get me started...I'm not GOING there!)

I'm not sure what I'll do. If I buy one, I'm still leaning toward the Kindle. I've got major issues with not being able to pass on ebooks once I've read them. Plus, what will I read once the airplane door is closed and we haven't reached 10,000 feet?

Are you a user? I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on ebook readers!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Beyond Her Book Blog

Posted by Unknown at 2:21 PM 0 comments
I spoke with Barbara Vey, Beyond Her Book Blog, from Publisher's Weekly at Lori Foster's Reader-Author Get Together. Since I was working at my laptop, she stopped to see what I was doing and we started talking about BookCat, the software I used to catalog my book library.



Yikes! Why do I agree to these things?

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Lori Foster Reader-Author Get Together - Day 2

Posted by Unknown at 6:08 AM 1 comments

OMG!! Look what I had to wake up to!!! That's Rhonda (SandDanz) on the left and Laura (CTGMom) on the right. She seems to think that I shouldn't be taking her picture. Pffftttttttt! Wait until I start taking photos of her drinking and dancing tonight....

I WON!!!
Not once...but twice. The money raised from the raffle items is going to CONDUCTIVE LEARNING CENTER of Greater Cincinnati, a local school specializing in education for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy. So, of course, I had to buy lots of tickets. I won, not one, but two bags of books and stuff from Cait London. Oops! I won a third time. I really great basket from Toni Blake. Boy was someone pissed!!


Hey...Laura won two awesome baskets!!


However, I didn't win one of the e-readers...and now that I've held one...I have to have one. Bad Laura!

While Rhonda and Laura were running around making authors sign everything that they owned. I was people watching and talking. I met lots of wonderful people!! One of them was Barbara Vey who writes the Beyond Her Book Blog for Publishers Weekly. In addition, I had a rip-roaring good time with Annette "Ann" Beets Nikki (I'm sorry I don't know your last name). We sat together at lunch then invited ourselves to dinner. If her books are anything like her SENSE OF HUMOR, these have to be GREAT books. Good luck to both of you with your writing!

Laura, Rhonda, Ann B, Nikki and I had dinner at El Coyote. They have GREAT margaritas! And I'm actually writing this the next morning so it isn't the two pitchers that I shared with Ann B talking. We were supposed to go line dancing but apparently there was no where to go. So we headed back to the Hotel Bar which was full of authors. What happens when you put a bunch of Romance Authors and Readers in a hotel bar? Chaos....lots of laughter...and singing!







Romance writers have a wicked sense of humor...other photos from the Get Together!




You don't want to get between a reader and those books during the Book Exchange!!

One final note. While the people attending these events are readers...not much reading gets done. I probably read 50 pages all weekend! I was too busy socializing!

Lori Foster Reader-Author Get Together - Day 1

Posted by Unknown at 5:45 AM 1 comments
All these authors and readers in one place!! It is amazing! I dropped off 36 books for the book exchange which starts in one hour. I hear that it is a total free-for-all. I can't wait. Of course, I'll probably be fighting SandDanz for books!

Dinner was followed by trivia. Lauren Dane and Megan Hart yelled at me for reading while waiting for my turn to play. That is SOOOOO wrong!! Authors should NOT be discouraging people from reading!! Of course, maybe they were just annoyed because I wasn't reading one of their books. I was busy finishing


However, I did win a book!!! They have been giving lots of books away including Sexy Summer Reads with Gena Showalter, Carly Phillips, Susan Mallery, Susan Anderson, Brenda Joyce, and Christina Skye as well as a copy of Servant: The Awakening by LL Foster. (Although I haven't stopped to register them yet.)

This is the book that I received in my welcome bag
Tempted: Ellora's Cave Tempted: Ellora's Cave by Cathryn Fox


My review





View all my reviews.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Lori Foster Reader-Author Get Together

Posted by Unknown at 6:16 AM 3 comments
In just a few hours, I'm heading to Lori Foster's Reader-Author Get Together in Cincinnati, OH. It is an action-packed weekend with over 100 authors in attendance!!! I'm so nervous...I'm a get-together virgin! Of the 107 authors listed as attending, I've read books from 14 of them. This could be really bad!!! That's 93 authors that I could learn about and start buying their books. Did you see how much I spent last month on new books? I don't need to know about any more new authors! :) Never mind the 570 books that I already have here just waiting to be read.

Anyway...check back here for updates on my weekend with the Authors. Oh yeah, SandDanz and CTGMom will be there too...so there is definitely going to be trouble.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

May Ultimate Release Challenge Results

Posted by Unknown at 12:18 PM 0 comments
No HTML Date Borrowed Borrower Send Source Read Theme Release Total Points
213 A Match Made on Madison 20080504 Bookmooch.com Wild Release 1 1 1 3
214 Aussie Rules 20080512 mellonhead RABCK 1 1 1 3
215 Express the World 20080515 Bookchick88 RABCK 0 0 1 1
216 Over the Moon 20080528 CdnBlueRose PUFS ALS 1 1 1 3
217 The Protector 20080512 Bookmooch.com Wild Release 1 1 1 3
218 Love at First Bite 20080528 Dyluvsbooks RABCK 1 1 1 3
219 Take a Chance on Me 20080512 destarchild RABCK 1 0 1 2
220 To The Brink 20080528 Kyrissaean RABCK 1 1 1 3
221 Fast and Loose 20080512 Bookmooch.com Wild Release 1 1 1 3
222 Kitty and the Silver Bullet 20080512 PepperVL RABCK 1 1 1 3
223 The Trouble With Paradise 20080512 JennyC1230 RABCK 1 1 1 3
224 Howl at the Moon [Others Series] 20080528 maplesflowers RABCK 1 1 1 3
225 To the Edge (The Bodyguards Series) 20080528 Kyrissaean RABCK 1 1 1 3
226 To the Limit 20080528 Kyrissaean RABCK 1 1 1 3
227 The Black Sheep and the Princess 20080515 Three104 RABCK 1 1 1 3
228 Dead over Heels 20080528 Terrafreaky RABCK 1 1 1 3

May RABCK Release Challenge Results

Posted by Unknown at 12:13 PM 0 comments
No HTML Recipient Date Sent
110 Aussie Rules mellonhead 20080512
111 Express the World Bookchick88 20080515
112 Love at First Bite Dyluvsbooks 20080528
113 Take a Chance on Me destarchild 20080512
114 To The Brink Kyrissaean 20080528
115 Kitty and the Silver Bullet PepperVL 20080512
116 The Trouble With Paradise JennyC1230 20080512
117 Howl at the Moon [Others Series] maplesflowers 20080528
118 To the Edge (The Bodyguards Series) Kyrissaean 20080528
119 To the Limit Kyrissaean 20080528
120 The Black Sheep and the Princess Three104 20080515
121 Dead over Heels Terrafreaky 20080528

May Books Read

Posted by Unknown at 12:08 PM 0 comments
123 Over the Moon 20080526
124 The Protector 20080509
125 Love at First Bite 20080527
126 To The Brink 20080526
127 Fast and Loose 20080505
128 Facing Fear 20080507
129 Hot Ice 20080501
130 On Thin Ice 20080501
131 Into Danger 20080504
132 The Hunter 20080514
133 To Catch a Cheat 20080504
134 About That Man 20080503
135 Kitty and the Silver Bullet 20080511
136 The Trouble With Paradise 20080512
137 At the Edge 20080522
138 Blame It on Paris 20080519
139 Under the Covers 20080510
140 Howl at the Moon [Others Series] 20080523
141 To the Edge (The Bodyguards Series) 20080524
142 To the Limit 20080525
143 The Black Sheep and the Princess 20080512
144 Dead over Heels 20080526
145 Virtually His 20080521
146 Black Sheep and the Hidden Beauty 20080529
147 Overnight Male 20080531
148 A Stranger's Touch 20080530

May Statistics

Posted by Unknown at 12:07 PM 0 comments

YearTo Date May
Books Read 2008: 148 26
Pages Read 2008: 51252 9218
Cost of Books Read: $561.24 $126.93



Books Purchased/Received 2008: 190 52
Cost of Books Purchased: $723.19 $242.40



Books Passed On 2008: 236 18
Cost of Books Passed On: $563.22 $103.87
RABCKs 2008: 109 0
Cost of RABCKs: $278.63 $0.00
Wild Releases 2008: 148 0



2008 Postage: $470.85 $63.97
 

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