Reading Time Magazine on my Kindle

The other night the newsstand was closed when I wanted to buy Time so I could catch up on the post-inauguration news. So I downloaded a copy of the latest Time magazine to my Kindle for 99 cents. After reading it, I can now say that I do not like reading magazines on my Kindle.   First of all, what's up with the no pictures? (Though, to be fair, the Kindle can't really handle graphics that well.)   Second, the order of articles in the Kindle version of the magazine was totally different from the way the "paper" copy of the magazine is put together. A person gets used to seeing the Milestones section at the front of the magazine, not randomly when I'm 3/4 through the thing, thank you very much.   Third, I guess the way I read magazines is very different from how I read books. I am a skimmer, and in fact I often read magazines from the back to the front. The Kindle doesn't really lend itself to skimming all that well. And the tactile pleasure I get from holding a magazine and flipping through the pages and seeing all the shiny pictures (fine, yes, I admit it, I like the pictures. I'm shallow. Sue me) was just not there on the Kindle.   So no more magazines on the Kindle for me... but I did just download the fourth book in the Kitty Norville series. And... I just heard they are planning to maybe release a Kindle 2.0 into the wild within the next few weeks. I wonder how different it will be. I wonder if it will be better. I wonder if they will give me a discount on it because I already own one. I wonder if it will handle magazines better! I can't wait to see it. I fear I am turning into a bit of a Kindle slut.

What I've been reading lately

Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds - a fantastic book with lots of great tips on how to avoid putting your audience through PowerPoint hell. Too bad it doesn't talk about what to do when you are part of the audience when someone ELSE is presenting a PowerPoint from Hell... wondering whether you will ever get this hour of your life back. Highly recommended - lots to think about, and divided into easily digestible chunks of ideas.   The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan - a memoir from the NY Times Bestseller List. I read it on my Kindle. Interesting and engaging, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy another one of her books. I did love her portrayal of her dad, though.   The Associate by John Grisham -- this latest Grisham didn't really grip me, and I got bored halfway through and stopped reading. I just didn't find the characters engaging or interesting enough.   What I DId For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips --  very satisfying romance novel. I do like this author quite a lot.   The Dogs of Bedlam Farm - a memoir by Jon Katz. I always enjoy his writing.   Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn - the third book in the Kitty Norville series. Very satisfying. I enjoy the series quite a lot. If you're into werewolves who are also radio talk hosts (and really, isn't everyone?) then you'll like it too.

Daemon by Daniel Suarez

Good techno-thriller, hard to put down and exciting. Note to self; do not read this kind of book before bedtime anymore. Had awful nightmares!

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (re-read)

I had read this book a couple of years ago and enjoyed it (always have liked things written about that era in English history, for some reason). The other day my friend Trisha and I watched the movie that was recently made. About the best I can say about it is "Boy, were the people and the costumes pretty." Even if I hadn't read the book, I'd have thought the story was choppy and would not have been committed to the characters. So, I thought I'd re-read the book again. And it was still good. My favorite books by Philippa Gregory are this one and her most recent one, The Virgin Queen I think it was called. I've read some of her others and they just haven't grabbed me.   Anyone who is a fan of Philippa Gregory might also like Dark Angels by Karleen Koen, another really good historical fiction read about an intrepid girl trying to survive the courtly intrigue of an English king's court.

What I've been reading

I've been bad about recording what I've read lately. And of course now I can't remember half of it. But here are some highlights:   The Naked Mole Rat Letters by Mary Amato  (a kid's book - maybe for 5th thru 7th grade - very good)   I read just enough of Warriors: Into The Wild by Erin Hunter to understand what the craze among fifth through eighth graders is about, but I've never been that big of a fan of books like that (except Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brien - that one was awesome).   Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick -- Ms. L, the librarian at Central School, recommended this to me and I loved it!   What Were They Thinking?: Crisis Communication -- the Good, the Bad, and the Totally Clueless by Steve Adubato -- a great read, fascinating and I learned a lot.   I reread Mistborn: The Final Empire and The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. Got halfway through rereading the third book, Hero of Ages, before I got distracted. I'll probably go back to it again at some point.   I also reread Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold, one of my all-time favorites.   Just now I've finished Kitty and the Midnight Hour and Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn -- two very good books about a radio host/werewolf. I really like the characters and the way it's written. It reminds me of the style of writing of Tanya Huff's Blood series (Blood Price being the first one).   Here's the sad thing, I know there were a BUNCH of other books that I've read since the last time I posted, but dang if I can remember them. Oh well.   Oh, and I can also report that the more I use my Kindle, the more I dislike holding an "actual" book in my hands. Mass-market paperbacks are too hard to hold open with one hand unless you are vicious and break the spine, and large hardcovers tend to be too heavy for me to hold comfortably (what can I say, I have small hands). So.... you can have my Kindle when you pry it from my cold, dead hands! I reread