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January 04, 2008

A Brief Break

from the madness that is London trip posting to say that my Kindle arrived yesterday. I poked around looking for stuff to download and for a brief moment lamented to Dave, "80K titles and none of them are the books I want to read." All of my non-fiction stuff for my classes in available, but none of my fiction writiers are. The day Kindle becomes the tool of my dreams is when the people who have rights to the out-of-print stuff see the possibilities and start publishing that. As it is, when looking for authors on the Amazon site, I found a whole bunch of new (to me) authors who aren't available via the Kindle. So I've got some new books coming my way as well.

I think it's just because my idea of good fiction isn't the same as many people's. I like authors like Barbara Pym and Margaret Drabble and Georgette Heyer and Dorothy Sayers. (At least three of those four authors are dead, so they're not producing much new work anymore, though it looks like Pym may have some stuff getting re-released--yay!) I also like Gaiman and Pratchett, but I've read all of their stuff that's out (except Making Money, we're starting that tonight), and yes that includes Sandman. I don't much care for thrillers and your standard modern-day romances. Or mysteries. Or gritty city depictions of unhappiness and pain. Though having someone's insides ripped out by a man with teeth where his eyes should be is just fine with me. Go figure.

I like stories where characters are fully developed and intelligent, where the plots are relatively believable and yet full of unexpected details that still ring true. I like magical realism and stories where not much happens and some urban fiction, so if anybody has suggestions? (I just realized that all six of the authors I listed are British. And that the next several who I would name are also British--Beverly Nichols, Elizabeth Buchan--Apparently I don't much like American prose. Though I do like Jennifer Weiner and Elinor Lipman and Sheri Tepper. So there you are.)

Today, I'm going to give the new gadget a run for its money, though. I'm beginning Three Cups of Tea, which is required reading for one of my classes, and this means I will be using the quotation and highlighting and dogearing and notetaking functions as well as the just reading bit. We'll see how it goes. I may not be able to stand not having an actual pen in my hands for the scribbling in the margins.

Posted by sally at January 4, 2008 07:19 AM

Comments

I am fond of Ana Castillo. She flirts with magical realism in some books and drowns others in it. So Far From God and Peel My Love Like an Onion are my faves.

Also do you read Jennifer Weiner's blog? It is at Jenniferweiner.com and you would love it. She calls it the snark spot.

Posted by: fire4hairlady [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 4, 2008 01:15 PM

I've never heard of Ana Castillo. I'll have to try her books. Thanks.

I love Jennifer Weiner's blog. I just wish she'd update it more than once a century.

Posted by: Sallyacious [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 4, 2008 09:55 PM

You got a Kindle!? I am so freakishly jealous. Though I am typing this on my new iPod touch. So I should really shut up now. Blessings.

Posted by: Terry Bain [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 6, 2008 01:41 AM

Ho yesssss, Terry, I did indeed get a Kindle. It rocks. I looooove it. Happy to provoke technology envy in someone else. Even though you've chosen to retaliate by upping the ante.

Posted by: Sallyacious [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 19, 2008 04:43 PM

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