Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[killdanzig]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

I've read both Catching Fire and Mockingjay since Friday. I've already warned my sister, who I gave the first book of the Hunger Games series, that if she wants to continue with the series it might be a good idea to buy both books at once.

I waited with continuing this series because I like the first book so much and I didn't want to be disappointed. Luckily I was wrong. I loved both books although it feels more like one book cut in two. I was a bit annoyed with Katniss at times, but her feelings and actions are understandable because of the way she is being manipulated by everyone.

I felt the exact same way.

I absolutely LOVED the series, and was dreading a horrible ending.

Luckily I was wrong on all counts, and I really give Suzanne Collins credit for keeping me guessing throughout.

I guessed correctly on a couple things but missed the boat on others.

I have since taken a break on reading because I fear that I won't enjoy anything else quite as much right now.

When I do get back to reading, I believe that "Beyond Band Of Brothers: The War Memoirs Of Major Dick Winters" will be next.

Until then, I have about 300 comics/manga on my ipad to catch up on.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Why? If it's before it's submitted to the publisher (or even after) he set the price nice and low. I don't really care one way or the other although on the post he did say that doing it this way might result in the publisher turning it down thus making it only a e-book.

When I said "publicity stunt" I meant that the publisher may well be onboard with the whole thing, and to me it doesn't matter. It would be different if he were charging 9 bucks for the book, but at 99 cents if he wants to test demand or his publisher does, it doesn't matter to me!

But he is testing things on Amazon and that means exclusivity and I say that anyone who has an eBook in just one format deserves to tank.

[JSWolf]

Last night I started Blood Work by Micheal Connelly.

In Blood Work, Connelly introduces a new character, Terry McCaleb, who was a top man at the FBI until a heart ailment forced his early retirement. Now he lives a quiet life, nursing his new heart and restoring the boat on which he lives in Los Angeles Harbor. Although he isn't looking for any excitement, when Graciela Rivers asks him to investigate her sister Gloria's death, her story hooks him immediately: the new heart beating in McCaleb's chest is Gloria's.

As McCaleb investigates the evidence in the case, the suspected randomness of the crime gives way to an unsettling suspicion of a twisted intelligence behind the murder. Soon McCaleb finds himself on the trail of a killer more horrifying than anything he ever encountered before.

I have the movie borrowed from the library. I'll be watching it sometime this weekend even if I have not yet finished the book. Clint Eastwood plays Terry McCaleb.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

Most discussion relates to sci-fi/fantasy here was my point.

It seems that way at first, but I found that there are a lot of cozy readers here too (I actually read all three, but tend toward cozies and urban fantasy in the last 3 years.)

Just pop in here and post what you read. Someone will pick on you for sure!!!

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But he is testing things on Amazon and that means exclusivity and I say that anyone who has an eBook in just one format deserves to tank.

Okay, gotcha. The "only Amazon" thing could be true. I think when he had his earlier one on special, he had it on his website too, but I can't swear to that (I download too many books.) I didn't pay particular attention to whether he was offering it on his website this time either.

The thing is, you have to test the market somewhere. I wouldn't be able to hold it against him for testing it on the largest ebook market. I mean, it's only logical. If you can't sell enough copies there, it's going to be hard to justify trying it other places.

That said, I agree that you can't go with a single market very long. The only way to build an audience is to go hunt them down, mug them, er, I mean, find where they like to be and offer them the product.

Given the emails I've seen from him in the past, he's the kind of guy, who, if you pointed out he was not making it available to other markets, would probably make it available to other markets. Shrug. But I don't really know him. I've just seen the emails/posts.

[phenomshel]

Finally, finally, finished A Discovery of Witches. That is one long book, yet, when it ends, you wonder "where is the rest of it?"

I flipped through titles on my Sony for about half an hour before settling on what was next - I decided on Fool's Puzzle by Earlene Fowler. This is part of her Benni Harper series. I read most of them at the library, but I read them out of order and I'm not sure I've ever even read the first one, so I'm doing it now.

[GonzoReiter]

Reading: Stephen Booth "Black Dog"

Listening: James Lee Burke "Lay Down My Sword & Shield"

[SeaBookGuy]

Welcome to MR, GR!

[WT Sharpe]

I just finished An Essay on Man by Alexander Pope. Amid the more familiar quotations from this work are lines that would have been considered quite risqué in their day. He choose to censor words that may have been considered offensive to his readers by the use of asterisks, but the rhyme scheme leaves little doubt as to what words he was referring to in such passages as:

.....And has not Colley still his lord, and w***e?
.....His butchers Henley, his free-masons Moore?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Okay, gotcha. The "only Amazon" thing could be true. I think when he had his earlier one on special, he had it on his website too, but I can't swear to that (I download too many books.) I didn't pay particular attention to whether he was offering it on his website this time either.

The thing is, you have to test the market somewhere. I wouldn't be able to hold it against him for testing it on the largest ebook market. I mean, it's only logical. If you can't sell enough copies there, it's going to be hard to justify trying it other places.

That said, I agree that you can't go with a single market very long. The only way to build an audience is to go hunt them down, mug them, er, I mean, find where they like to be and offer them the product.

Given the emails I've seen from him in the past, he's the kind of guy, who, if you pointed out he was not making it available to other markets, would probably make it available to other markets. Shrug. But I don't really know him. I've just seen the emails/posts.

I read into the "only Amazon" as a single format. Sure, I can buy the eBook from Amazon, strip the DRM and convert to ePub. But why should I have to? Why not have it available in ePub? ePub is the #1 format worldwide.

When you have an eBook only on Amazon, you do cut out a lot of potential customers. And publishing on Smashwords as an alternative to Amazon is not always a good idea as the meatgrinder there can make spam of your eBook. So if we get a nicely formatted (like a book, not an eReader file) ePub, then that can be used as the source to make the other versions (Mobipocket, MS Reader).

I should not have to point out to the author about missing formats. he should know better from the start. However, if you want to let him know of this problem he's possib;e going to create, then please do. I do feel that exclusivity is a good reason to not buy his books. I know legally it's wrong to pirate eBooks. But if an author is going to be exclusive, then let the mast fly and the eBooks loose.

[Avedoir]

At this point, I'm not so much reading as starting books.
Last night I picked up " Kiss the Girls" by James Patterson and "The Blue Zone" by Andrew Gross.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I read into the "only Amazon" as a single format. Sure, I can buy the eBook from Amazon, strip the DRM and convert to ePub. But why should I have to? Why not have it available in ePub? ePub is the #1 format worldwide.

When you have an eBook only on Amazon, you do cut out a lot of potential customers. And publishing on Smashwords as an alternative to Amazon is not always a good idea as the meatgrinder there can make spam of your eBook. So if we get a nicely formatted (like a book, not an eReader file) ePub, then that can be used as the source to make the other versions (Mobipocket, MS Reader).

I should not have to point out to the author about missing formats. he should know better from the start. However, if you want to let him know of this problem he's possib;e going to create, then please do. I do feel that exclusivity is a good reason to not buy his books. I know legally it's wrong to pirate eBooks. But if an author is going to be exclusive, then let the mast fly and the eBooks loose.

The "only Amazon" was my paraphrasing! I honestly have no idea if he said "ebook" or if it's available at his website (it's hard to do distribution for epub without Smashwords--B&N will take them direct, but they have DRM so it isn't an epub everyone can read. Kobobooks will *sometimes* take them direct, but you have to have several books. And so on. So it would be Smash or his website.)

At any rate, I get your point!

Maria

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

Another fun read. Not a murder mystery, but more a spy/adventure story. I'm pretty sure that Agatha Christie didn't know about American views on cousin marriages in 1920.

Now for something completely different. A Romance. This was a freebie from ebookguru.org for the 2009 ebook week.

Invisible by Kimber Chin

I've no idea if it's any good, or if I'll like it, so it might get dropped part-read. We'll see.

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by Iridal

But thanks for the link. I didn't know Scott Lynch was ill, I really hope he'll be around to write more amazing books.

Well, I've decided on reading Fool Moon first, the second Dresden book by Jim Butcher. I had to wait for my copy of Nyphron Rising to arrive in my mailbox, so that one's next.

Book Depository changed the release date for 'The Republic of Thieves' to the 17th of November. 273 days to go ... *sigh*

Finished Fool Moon by Jim Butcher, it was even better than the first Dresden book. I'm now reading Nyphron Rising by Michael J. Sullivan. This really is a great series!

[GraceKrispy]

I've read a few books since I last posted, most recently "Exchange" by Dale R. Cozort. Very interesting concept of "exchanging" tracts of land with an alternate dimension.

Review.