Your first ebook read of 2010

[georgeogoodman]

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
and
Naked by David Sedaris
(I tend to read two books at once)

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

The Time Traveler's Wife was a wonderful novel. Now I'm waiting for the DVD to be released (Feb. 2010, last I heard), to see what kind of job Hollywood did with it. Some say that if you haven't read the book, the movie will lose you.

Sometime during 2010 I plan to read Her Fearful Symmetry.

I won't read The Time Traveler's Wife. Not given the author's hypocritical reason for there not being an eBook edition.

[JSWolf]

My first book of 2010 is Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb. Very good so far.

Second entry in Hobb's fantasy series about the Six Duchies and their Farseer kings (Assassin's Apprentice, 1995). At Buckkeep, King Shrewd lies dying, attended only the by the faithful, enigmatic Fool; King in Waiting Verity spends all his time Skilling to befuddle and bemuse the dreaded Red Ship Raiders, while his beautiful, neglected wife, Kettricken, wanders disconsolately. Young FitzChivalry, still ailing after his previous mission, tries to serve both Shrewd and Verity while seeking ways to frustrate the vaulting ambitions of Shrewd's youngest son, the viperous Prince Regal. Shrewd, meantime, has forbidden poor Fitz to marry his beloved Molly, a commoner. Fitz also possesses the Wit, an ability to talk to and empathize with animals, and he bonds with a young wolf he rescues from cruel captivity. Verity builds his own warships, but still can't defeat the Raiders--and the weaker Verity grows, the more the people listen to Regal's treacherous murmurings. Finally, Verity goes into the mountains seeking the Elderlings, a godlike race that helped a previous Farseer king to defeat the Raiders, leaving Fitz to protect Kettricken and Shrewd. Another spellbinding installment, built of patient detail, believable characters, and mature plotting--though, at an unwarranted 608 pages, there are ominous signs that Hobb's beginning to lose control of her narrative. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by kcnightfang

My first eBook on a reader will be The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien to christen my PRS-900 whenever it arrives. xP

Have you read The Hobbit? If not, I suggest you do so first as it really should be read first.

[SHOECHICK]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I won't read The Time Traveler's Wife. Not given the author's hypocritical reason for there not being an eBook edition.

Your new Penquin is freaking me out agree on Audrey.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I won't read The Time Traveler's Wife. Not given the author's hypocritical reason for there not being an eBook edition.

Which is ... ?

I had assumed it was a blockhead decision on the part of the publishers. You have aroused my curiosity.

You're aware, of course, that Her Fearful Symmetry is available as an ebook.

[electrocutus]

I just finished Pirate Latitudes by (the late) Michael Crichton. Not typical of his last few novels, but in a way more entertaining. I like the straightforward pirate adventure, without the need for anything supernatural...
Also, it was "cinematic", without being a "thinly disguised screenplay", as many of his more recent novels were.

[katysax]

Fortune's Favorites - Colleen McCollough

[Billjr13]

Finished the last pages of Breathless and then Started Under the Dome, and I am just about finished. I like it it is more like good old King.

[Moe The Cat]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Which is ... ?

I had assumed it was a blockhead decision on the part of the publishers. You have aroused my curiosity.

BookCat sent Audrey Niffenegger an email back in August about the availablility of The Time Traveler's Wife in ebook format and got this reply:

Originally Posted by BookCat

Okay, in an above message I mentioned that I emailed the author. I'm gobsmacked by her response I deleted my email details etc from the following and have put them in the correct order (mine first):

To: Niffenegger, Audrey
Subject: ebooks: selling your books in e-formats?

Hi,

I'm a member of the MobileRead forum which is for those of us who prefer to read books in e-format. As yet, there is no legal way to purchase "The Time Traveler's Wife" in ebook format. Perhaps you could suggest to your agent/publisher that it be made available in various e formats for those of us who love our kindles, Sony ereaders, mobi's etc.

Just a suggestion,

Catherine

Dear Catherine,

I'm sorry, but I've devoted my life to physical books (I helped found the Columbia College Center for Book and Paper Arts) and e-books = dematerialised books. E-books imperil book design, typography, and other art forms that I care about. E-books are also not helpful to bookstores, and I love bookstores. So even though I understand that many people prefer e-books, I am not planning to issue my books in that form if I can avoid it. If that means I sell fewer books, so be it.

Thank you for your interest in my work, and for taking the time to write to me.

Regards,
Audrey Niffenegger
________________________________________

[kennyc]

Yet. "Her Fearful Symmetry" is fully available as an ebook....

[shootingMaNs]

Time Travelers Never Die by Jack McDevitt.

[orwell2k]

Just finished "The Tribunal" by Peter B. Robinson - see here for more info:

http://www.peterrobinson.com/
http://www.peterrobinson.com/Read%20...7s%20Book.html

It's available in DRM-free PDF for worldwide download from Powell's for just $5.33 (how's that for forward-thinking eBook publishing? - good price, no regional restrictions and DRM-free, just a pity about the PDF format):

http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/bibli...780595755783-0

And here for £3.01:

http://www.lulu.com/product/e-book/the-tribunal/5734776

The PDF format is not too bad on my PB360. With a little effiort I also cropped the PDF (to mask out page numbers and titles) and then exported to HTML and created an FB2 - a far superior reading experience on my new PocketBook360!!

I enjoyed this book as it sheds some interesting light on the War Crimes Tribunal process, and the ease with which the process can be corrupted to ensure convictions rather than to actually seek the truth and dispense justice. In addition, I am familiar with The Hague so I know all the settings in the story (they are accurate) and it was interesting getting another expat's view of living in The Netherlands.

I'm now reading Robert Goddard's third book in the Harry Barnett series, entitled "Never Go Back."

The release of Goddard's books into e-format has been a little erratic. I love reading his colourful prose, and the fact that his books are actually in correct English (i.e. British English - sorry, but I like the extra "u" in colour, honour, etc.).

If anyone knows where I can find his second Harry Barnett eBook (Out Of The Sun) please let me know, but I suspect it's not available as an "e-" yet... his latest should be out soon ("Long Time Coming"), but only 11 of his current 19 titles are in e-format, at least as far as I can find... this includes, bizarrely, books 1 and 3 of the Harry Barnett series, but not book 2 - why?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Yet. "Her Fearful Symmetry" is fully available as an ebook....

And Time Traveler's Wife is also available as an audiobook.

[MelC]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

I'm finishing up some re-reads, and then I'm gonna get cracking on Christopher Moore's "Fluke" as my first start-to-finish fresh read of 2010...at least that's the plan.

A word of caution, he has definitely written better IMHO... While I am not a Christopher Moore groupie (okay pun wasn't intended but I quite like it now that I think about it - get it Fluke/groupie...sigh), both of the other ones I read by him were far superior: Fool, which I loved and A Dirty Job which was enjoyable.

Mel