We really heart the Fire

Recently, I got an email from Tammie King of Night Owl Reviews. I have been reviewing books for them for some time now (I believe I started in 2013). I started reviewing ebooks for them until I was able to start reviewing their print books. Since then, I have reviewed mostly print books for them. This is because we only have one computer in the house that I was using to download ebooks onto and read them at the desk – when I had the chance to read them, that is. Because my time on the computer was so limited for a while there, I only had so much time to read ebooks that I had on the computer. Because my youngest child is older now and in school full-time, I have more time available to be on the computer earlier in the day. Also, I now also have a smartphone and now, it would seem, an e-reader, too!

But I’m not sure if I can call my e-reader a “Kindle.” Or even an e-reader!

In the past, I was asked if I was interested in getting a Kindle. I said “no” because I didn’t think I would be interested in using one to read books. At that time, I was too hooked on print books!

But, lately, I have started to read ebooks again, and I am now more interested in continuing to read ebooks. And until recently, I was still only reading them on the computer!

Then I got Tammie’s email that was sent to all reviewers, in which she informed us that NOR was switching to “ebook-only” for reviews. Because I didn’t have an e-reader, I let Tammie know I was iffy on my time to read ebooks, since I was reading them on the computer! Well, Tammie got back to me saying “I have a Kindle I can send you,” and that got my interest! Now, at this point, I recently started to read ebooks again, and I was interested in reading MORE ebooks! And my desire to own a Kindle? It was certainly there! So I let Tammie know I’d be interested in using the Kindle to review books for NOR – and I thanked her for her generosity in providing one!

When I received the Kindle, my son was with me to look at it. We were both really excited about it! He even took my picture of me holding it for the first time. LOL I was happy to now own an e-reader – but as I learned, I wasn’t sure if I could call it that! Or even a Kindle!

I told my husband that I got a “Kindle,” and when I showed it to him, he said that it wasn't a Kindle.

I was confused. Tammie called it a Kindle. It was made by Amazon, who makes the Kindles, so it’s a Kindle, right? Sure, it says “Fire” on it, but it’s still a Kindle….right??

Well, I wasn’t too sure if it was! And when I set it up on my Amazon account, they identified it as my “Fire” and not "Kindle." So should I call it my Fire?? That seems a little weird.

My son solved my dilemma by referring to it as a "tablet." Technically, it is NOT a “tablet” as tablets are known in the tech world, but since it is bigger than my smartphone and kinda shaped like a “tablet,” the name has stuck. Also, we can do other things on it besides read ebooks – like play games, watch videos, take pictures and stuff. There is also email on there, but I haven’t yet figured out how to get it to work for my email. (I am still getting acquainted with it.)

But I think that calling it a “tablet” is a good idea. Calling it a “Fire” just isn’t workable for us. Especially this morning, when I told my son to “grab the Fire” before we headed out the door. Then I realized what I had said and amended that to: “I mean, grab the tablet. Don’t grab actual fire.” He laughed and pretended to pick up invisible fire from the fireplace and carry it to his backpack.

Having the Fire/tablet has been awesome for us and I am really grateful to Tammie King for sending it (thanks again, Tammie!). I am still trying to figure it all out and have also downloaded some ebooks onto it in preparation for getting used to reading ebooks on it and figuring out how that feature works, too, for when I start reviewing ebooks for NOR. (Right now, I am working my way through a stack of prints to review for them.) My son is also using it and has enjoyed the tech features on it too.

And ever since I have been checking out ebooks on Amazon, I started to think about renewing my membership for Kindle Unlimited to get free ebooks to read. (I never have enough books OR ebooks to read!!) I cancelled that membership a while ago because I just WASN’T reading ebooks! But now I have the tablet/Fire/Kindle/e-reader to read ebooks with, and downloading ebooks on Amazon through Kindle Unlimited is a snap. So today, when my friend was advertising that her ebook was free for a limited time through Kindle Unlimited, that was the push to make me decide to go ahead and renew my membership with Kindle Unlimited and I snatched a copy of my friend’s book in ebook form (get it here).

So now it looks like I’m all set to read ebooks again and I look forward to reading as many ebooks on the Kindle Fire e-reader that I can! And I look forward to reviewing future ebooks for Night Owl thanks to the e-reader making my ability to read them now a little more convenient.

Might as well face it, I'm addicted to books

One thing that I like to do on Facebook is share a picture of “the two books I started reading today.” Up until this year, I was always reading two books at one time: A novel and a nonfiction book. If I happened to start reading two new books on the same day, I would share a picture of what books they were.

My reading habits have changed this year. I am now reading THREE books at one time – a novel, a nonfiction book, and an ebook. For the longest time, I have been trying to figure out how to read all of the ebooks that I own. I couldn’t just let them sit there on the hard drive, collecting virtual dust. I wanted to read the ones I haven’t gotten to yet – months or even years after buying them. (I know, I’m terrible!) Even so, if I start reading two print books at the same time (which I probably will next week), I will share a picture of them. Can’t share a picture of the ebook, of course, but that info is shared through Goodreads. (If only it was possible to list more than one book I am currently reading on Goodreads! But one of the books I am currently reading is a book for Night Owl Reviews and I can’t put my review of that book on there.)

It has been an interesting experience reading three books at one time. Of course, sometimes there are days I can’t read all 3 in one day, but I do try to read all 3 of them in a day. Nevertheless, this has become my current reading routine. If anything, it will help me to get through more books faster!

The three books I am currently reading are:

Hellknight by Liane Merciel (NOR book)

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

How To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically by Carolyn Howard-Johnson (the ebook that is another book I am going to review)

In one part of Hellknight that I came across recently, a character who was waiting to see someone passed the many hours away getting comfy in a chair and reading one of the books he had in his library. I could only smile as I read that, thinking that would be the exact same thing that I would do. This is why I like to have a book with me wherever I go; I can just start reading while I wait! I just love books and love to read!

In fact, I spent a lot of time reading yesterday. I didn’t just read the three books; I also read 2 newspapers and half of a magazine. (I was on a reading frenzy!)

And there was something else that I was reading, too: A page in a book that my son had read.

Last night, as I sat at the desk waiting for Jesse to finish doing something, I picked up a WARRIORS book that he’d left there and opened it to the first page of Chapter 7. And started reading it. I really liked what I read so when I noticed that Jesse was done, I held up the book and said, “This is awesome!” (As it was, it was hard for me to stop reading! Now I know why the WARRIORS series is so popular.) He walked over to see what book it was then started laughing. “Mom, this isn’t the first book,” he said.

“So?” I asked, shrugging. It is not unusual for me to start reading a book in a series that is not the first book. “I was just checking it out.”

“This is the fifth book,” Jesse said. “You should start with the first book.”

I studied the book and its spine. It was indeed the fifth book in that particular series. I told Jesse that I was just curious about it and that I would definitely start reading the first book real soon.

He looked at me and asked, “Why not read it now?”

I chuckled and explained that I am currently reading 3 books at one time and I don’t know if I can squeeze in a fourth one.

He asked me when I read the books and I told him, “Morning, noon and night.” The anal numbers person in me was satisfied with this answer, thinking it was a good balance of reading time in one day. (After I get the gym membership again, I hope to also have that balance with my workouts!)

Jesse thought a minute then said, “You could read this in the afternoon.”

I thought about that, then reminded him that I was actually planning to finish reading the Harry Potter series before starting another series. Or even the Percy Jackson series! (And, YES, I am actually someone who has NOT read the entire Harry Potter series yet!)

Jesse ran to get the first book in the series then he pretty much shoved the book into my hands and said, “Just read it!”

He was so set on me adding this book to my reading routine that he grabbed a Post-It Note and a pen and wrote “Read In The Afternoon!!!!!” on it then placed it on the book. To show he was serious, he even put the book onto the stack of books I am currently reading.

Well, that settles it, then!

But because I like to start new things on a Monday (I did kinda mention I was anal about my routines, right?), I decided to start reading 4 books at a time next week. On NEXT Monday, the 23^rd. I am almost finished reading two books as it is and, if I keep up with the way I am reading them now, I should be done with them by the weekend. So I will have THREE books ready to start reading next week, which will be three of four books I am reading at one time.

Hm, will it now be “the three books I started reading today” that I share on Facebook? I wonder. On the plus side, I will then be reading a nice balance of two novels and two nonfiction books (one of them for review and the other for research).

Well, it looks like one book I start reading next week is for research purposes, plus another novel AND another novel: The first WARRIORS book in the first series. (Sorry, J.K. I’ll get to those remaining Harry Potter books someday!) And I'll be adding a nonfiction ebook to that mix, too.

So as of next week, I will be reading four books at one time. Instead of three books at one time.

This should be interesting.

Trying a new reading routine

First of all, I am all for trying something new. In fact, I jump at the chance. I LOVE trying something new! New foods, new travel routes, new kinds of writing and new hobbies. (In fact, I am learning how to do a new thing right now, to see if I can pursue it as a hobby.) I also like checking out new TV shows, books and artwork. Another “new” thing I’ll try a hand at is a new system, routine, method or just a new way to do something.

Last week, I tried something a new reading routine. Usually, I read two books at a time: Fiction and nonfiction. I have quite the collection of books and several I have yet to read. (In fact, I have a whole box of novels in my room I hope to get around to reading through someday!) But last week, I decided to try reading three books at once. I got the idea to do this because of the fact that I’m working on three different projects throughout the day. (I talked about that on my writing blog, in this post.) I figured I would need something to distract myself with in between working on them.

So, I started this new “reading routine” last week, on Monday. I’d read in a book (sometimes just 1 or 2 chapters, depending on the book, but with one book I read through several chapters in a day) then I’d work on one of my projects: The short story for the week, the nonfiction book I’m writing, one of the novels I’m writing, a nonfiction book I am typing out from a notebook or two books I am revising. Or maybe there’d be poetry. But in between them all, I’d take a break and read in a book. For last week, the three books I read are a novel I am reviewing for Night Owl Reviews (which I finished reading today), a book about the Norman Conquest (that was me satisfying my inner history buff), and a book about fashion design (one of the things I am thinking of pursuing as a hobby – the other is landscaping).

And, surprisingly, I was able to pull it off. It went really well. I was able to read three books at once without getting confused over anything or being too distracted by one book to concentrate on another.

I am very pleased I was able to do this. And now, with my current reading done (as I also finished reading the Norman Conquest book today) and ready to take on new books to read, I started to wonder today: Am I willing to give it another go? Read three more books at the same time?

Actually, I don’t think I really need to.

It’s not that I didn’t like this arrangement. Heck, any time I have to read makes me happy!

The one thing that bugged me about it, though, is that it DID annoy me that I HAD to read in another book again instead of doing something else. I don’t like being tied down to anything.

And the time-consuming part of it was an irritant, too. I mean, I coulda been doing something else instead of reading AGAIN. As much as I love to read, I always see reading as one important thing to get done in my day and, when it’s done, it’s DONE and now it’s time to do other things. I am the same way with everything else. After I’ve done “the email thing” for the day, I’m DONE with emails. After I’ve spent time on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest, I’m DONE with them for the day (although I’ll make exceptions to Facebook to reply to comments that same night or answer messages if I have time because too many people grew irritated with my 24-hours-to-respond policy). After I’m done working on a project, I’m done with it for the day until next time. I just didn’t like taking time to read three times a day. Ugh.

But the main reason why I don’t think I’ll be doing this again next week is just that I really didn’t need to do that after all. I THOUGHT I would need to do that in order to make the transition between projects go more smoothly, but I really didn’t. I saw proof that I didn’t yesterday, when I easily went from working on one of my WIPs to another without any reading needed to be done to get into the mindset for it. I just easily jumped from one thing to another. I was able to focus on each one 100% and have no trouble as far as getting back into a story was concerned.

So, it turns out that I don’t really need to “distract myself” with other things in between transitioning from one project to another. I have no trouble doing this without the distractions. I think that is pretty cool and I’m glad that I was able to see for myself that I can handle multiple projects at once just fine.

Just not multiple books to read. From now on, I think I’ll just stick with two.

So much death

I made an observation to my daughter last night: I’m reading books with the theme of “death.” One book I recently read was Blue Nights by Joan Didion. In the book, she talked about losing her husband and losing her daughter, but mostly the book was about her daughter. Knowing her in a way only she did.

And now I am reading two other books that also have the death theme. One is The Sum of Our Days (nonfiction) by Isabel Allende. This is about her loss of her daughter, Paula, and life after she was gone. The other book is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. TFIOS is fiction. It’s a novel. It’s about cancer kids dealing with cancer and the prospect of dying. The prospect of death.

I did not shed a single tear as I read the nonfiction books about loss (I am still reading TSOOD.) But I cried like a baby when I read The Fault in Our Stars. Seriously, I broke down.

My daughter was the one to encourage me to read TFIOS. I had to keep putting it off because of a backlog of novels to review for Night Owl Reviews (one boring novel held me up because I didn’t have interest in reading it so much). But she REALLY pushed me to read this book. So, I figured, okay. I’ll take a week off from being the Dutiful Book Reviewer Sticking to Her TBR Pile and read another book.  

(WARNING! SPOILERS! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FAULT IN OUR STARS YET BUT PLAN TO, SKIP THIS BLOG POST!)

As I read this novel during the week, I sent a few text observations of the story to my daughter:

I know why Hazel wants to know what happens to the other people in the book: It is a transference of her own life. She knows she's going to die but she's worried about the people she will leave behind. The characters in the book represent the people in her life and somehow, by knowing what happens to them, she is subconsciously trying to assure herself the people in her life will be ok after she's gone, because she will tell herself that she knows what their lives are going to be like now.

That Van Houten guy is such an asshole!! Fucking douchebag.

Your father caught me talking to myself. I was ranting at God, ranting at religion, ranting at society and stupid old-fashioned ideas and stupid alcoholic authors and bloody CANCER!!! Oh God. Why did he have to die?? Why??!!!!!???

After I sent that last one, I then sent an emoticon of me crying. There wasn’t one of a person bawling their head off. But believe me, I was bawling my head off. When I got to that part in the novel, I was sad. Then I was angry. Then I was Very, Very Sad. We’re talking bawling-my-head-off sad. I literally bawled. Seriously. I was in tears and just crying over the loss and over the injustice of it all.

I had told my daughter that I don’t like reading sad books. Because they make me revisit my own sadnesses. The sadnesses that I carry around every day – like the loss of my parents and all that. But this book was not just a sad book. It’s also a book that made me think. It made me hate cancer all the more, of course, and I recalled stories of people who died from breast cancer in my ebook, On the Wings of Pink Angels. Which then reminded me of how that book’s sales benefit a charity for children who are coping with the death of a loved one. Like a child who has lost a parent.

And then we come back full circle again to the subject of death. The theme of death. In a way, everybody’s lives have a “death theme” because our story begins when we are born and ends when we die and that is it. No more story about us. Nothing new about us. We’re dead and gone. And when we die, that is The End. Yet other people will hear our death stories because they’ll recount memories of us or share something we once did or said.

This book also made me think about how it took cancer to make those kids live their lives. To embrace their lives. What if they had never had cancer? Would they have spent their days locked up in their rooms, blaring rock music? Would they have not tried to make anything of themselves at all? Or see anything in the world at all?

I have a new appreciation for sad books, because despite being sad, they also have a purpose. They have a REASON for existing: We have to be able to revisit our pain without it allowing us to crumble into a million pieces from it. We have to allow the tears to come and the weight to tug at our hearts because we know that it is a reminder that we loved someone. Then, once settled, we must pull ourselves out of that funk again. Get back on our feet and keep marching forward through life. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Because we are still living our life. We are still living our story. So we gotta continue with our stories and hopefully try to make it a good one because something like cancer or a heart attack or a car accident can strike out of nowhere and take it all away in the blink of an eye. Or after months of suffering. So I have realized it’s okay to read sad books, because they important. They make us feel, they make us think and they help us to grow.