The Shack by William P. Young

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Horror of horrors, I came to the end of my knitting supplies and have nothing to fill my morning train ride hours. No, I can’t write. I’ve tried it and I’m too sleepy to be able to focus. Besides that, my eyes water like crazy, which is more than a little annoying and I was arriving at work looking as if I’ve cried all the way because my eyes were so red and puffy. Not a good start to the day, I can tell you. Yet I find I can knit and not suffer any “side affects”.

After some complaining, I woke one morning to find a small mp3 player sitting on the kitchen table, along with a spare battery. Upon querying why the device was there, I was told that an audio book borrowed from the library had been converted and loaded onto the player and that I was to take it with me on the train. I did. It’s not the first audio book I’ve listened too, but it’s the first time I’ve realised that I can listen to a book without “side affects” too. Yay!

The Shack (Amazon / Kindle) is a story of a man whose six-year old daughter is taken and murdered, while the family is on a camping trip, and then goes on to tell the anguish that follows the tragic event – emotionally and spiritually. When G borrowed the item from the library and when I first started listening to the story, neither of us knew it was religious. By the time I did realise, I had already grown attached to the main character and his problems (I could identify with him because of my own loss) and I wanted to know more. I wanted to know if this man, this father, could get through the darkness that I knew so well…so I kept listening.

Yes, this story is highly religious and my one complaint is that at times the dialogue felt more like a sermon than a discussion, which really grated on my nerves. Yet at the same time, I was drawn in and held tight by the ideas behind the sermons. I guess I even found comfort in those ideas to a degree. So, again, I kept listening.

This book was written to get those religious thoughts across to an audience. I know and accept that. Prior to 18th May 2006, I wouldn’t have listened to the entire book because I simply don’t like being preached at and to be honest I wouldn’t have related to the characters and events at all. But I’ve changed…in many ways. I didn’t like the preachy parts, but I sat and listened and was completed absorbed in what was being said. I was touched by the emotional struggle the father was battling, enough to bring tears. I remained oblivious to the comings and goings of other passengers. I was oblivious to everything happening around me. In fact, when I turned off the player and looked around I was shocked to see so many people seated around me when I had been completely alone when I pressed play.

This isn’t a book I would feel comfortable recommending to others because not everyone will get something from it. It’s a book that the reader should read if they have experienced troubled times, if they know grief and if they want to attempt understanding just one possibility of the whole picture. It’s a book I believe will pull a reader/listener in, but only if that person can relate to profound grief and emotional stress.

Religious or not, I’m glad I listened to this audio book because I gained something from it.

Originally posted on another site on 12 March 2010.

Writing Fiction for Dummies by Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy

My Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Writing Fiction for Dummies is an excellent resource for new writers. It covers all the basics from starting out to looking for a publisher, which would provide a solid foundation to get started with for any serious writer.

As I’m not a newbie, I didn’t get as much from the book as a new writer would, but I knew that when I purchased the book. I bought it for two reasons, no make that three reasons:

1.One of the co-authors is Randy Ingermanson (the snowflake guy). As I use the Snowflake method all the time and I subscribe to his newsletter, I was sure the book would be useful in helping me improve my method…I was right!

2.I needed an inspiration boost and felt I’d get it from this book. This is related to the first point in a way; knowing the content would be heavily Snowflake influenced convinced me that I’d be inspired to get stuck into my own planning…and I was right again!! (I love being right.)

3.I was interested to read the section of writing proposals. This is something I’ve been researching for a few weeks now, but I haven’t been able to find anything useful. When I realised there was a section on proposal writing in the book, I was pleased. I didn’t know what to expect, but I learned more than I imagined and now have a “Proposal Template” saved in my writing file. I’m sure I’ll be returning to that section of the book often when I need help filling in the different sections of the proposal.

While new writers need to find a method that works for them, a more advanced writer needs to bring things back into prospective at times and I think that’s what I got from the book most of all – a reminder that determination and persistence is the only way to move forward.

Thanks to this book, I’m enthusiastic about my next project.

During my lifetime I’ve seen some changes in the world, especially where technology is concerned. I remember, in 1990, when my boss paid $50,000 for two computers. I was thrilled to be given one of those computers to work on. It was a buzz to use exciting new equipment and I learned quickly that I liked computers. Yet, looking back, that computer hardly did anything compared to today’s computers. There were two programs on it, it didn’t have the internet or email. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of those things back then. When I left that job in 1995, there was talk of this new thing called Windows. I had no idea what that could be…and I didn’t find out for a couple of years.

Back then, in what might seem like the dark ages for some people, reading was only done from printed material. Books were wonderful to look at, to touch, to smell. The stories within the covers were sometimes not so wonderful, but I learned to pick and chose quite well so that I didn’t waste too much of my hard earned money. It’s shameful to admit, but the cover was the first thing that caught my attention. Then…if the blurb on the back was good, I’d open the book and read the first paragraph. If I liked the way the words were put together, I’d consider buying the book. If I didn’t like the word flow, the book was rejected. This method worked well for me over several decades of reading.

In 1997, I bought my first Windows operated computer. I installed a word processor called Word Perfect and happily wrote two 200,000+ manuscripts from start to finish in about three years. What happened to those manuscripts is another story, for another day. Yes, I saw the icon on the computer that would connect me to the internet and email, but I still didn’t know what those things were and had no need for either of them because I was happy doing something else I loved – writing.

The years passed, the millennium came and went without the huge catastrophe that everyone seemed to be warning us about. Instead, things went on as usual and then started to grow and grow. Finally, in early 2001, I was introduced to the internet for the very first time. I remember my fascination with the concept that we had instant access to all this information and we could communicate with people all over the world at any time of the day and night. It was brilliant. And what made it better – and worse – was the knowledge that I wasn’t the only writer writing the next best seller. (I say “worse” because it’s since the internet that I stopped writing at every spare moment I had.)

I learned so much in the years that followed. About everything, not just writing. But then I discovered something called self-publishing and the weirdest thing yet, ebooks. I found it difficult to grasp the concept of books without paper. In a lot of ways, I rejected the notion. It just felt so wrong! As did self-publishing.

That first Windows computer was quickly replaced with bigger and better systems, which were again replaced for newer technology a short time later. This cycle happened several times in the effort to stay up with the times, but we soon realised that it was an impossible situation and we finally accepted that our new laptops would have to see us through for some years to come. We were now completely immersed in the instant world of viewing, downloading, accessing, emailing, blogging, facebooking, gaming, chatting, online buying and selling, paying, meeting…

Still the years ticked by, technology rolling along in front of us, always showing us new and fascinating things. Suddenly, self publishing and ebooks became real, acceptable, the way of the future. I found myself wanting to “try out” the self publishing side of the publishing industry and I certainly looked at ebooks in a more favourable way. This was especially true when technology provided a gadget that I could hold in my hand, allowing me to sit wherever I wanted and read peacefully. Especially when I could carry a dozen or more books with me everywhere I went (or a lot more if I really wanted to), without giving myself back ache from the weight of carrying heavy paper books.

What a difference a decade makes!

This year, I have listened to my first audio book and have read at least two ebooks. I look forward to reading more. I already have them queued up in my iPod Touch. I carry an assortment of books with me every day – fiction and non-fiction – because who knows what I’ll want to read at lunchtime or on the way home?! And with modern technology, it doesn’t matter because I have my pick.

I thought choosing ebooks would be more difficult than printed books. Riskier. But I find the cover still catches my attention first and if the blurb is any good then I’ll proceed to view the first page of the ebook and see if I like the author’s style of writing before I decide whether or not I’ll part with my hard earned cash. This method always worked with printed books and, so far, it’s done me well with ebooks too.

If the last decade has given us such changes, I wonder what the next decade will bring. I can’t even begin to imagine.

There hasn’t been much of interest for me to post about lately. Life is moving forward quickly and before I know it the end of the year will be here. In a few weeks, we intend to go away for a couple of days, inland, which I’m looking forward to for various reasons.

The books in the trilogy I’m reading are thick – over 700 pages each (except the first one, which was a little over 500 pages) – so they are naturally taking me longer to read than usual. I’m enjoying them immensely and this set has gained a place on my favourites list. Not many books make it on to that list.

My new family tree is growing steadily. Each weekend I spend at least a couple of hours transferring information from the old tree and, this time, I’m sourcing everything that is entered into the tree. I have a lot of regrets with that old tree, but at least I learned from those mistakes. With the help of DaF Genealogy (see the link in the sidebar), I’ve even managed to climb over a brick wall that had been holding me back for some years.

On the writing front, I am pleased to announce that I’ve completed the first draft of a non-fiction children’s picture book. The facts are there and now I have to make them entertaining for the intended audience (and the person reading the words to the child). I feel I have that under control. Then I’ll have to work on the proposal, which I think is going to be very difficult to write. I’ve already started doing the research and have printed out some examples. From what I’ve read, for non-fiction it is customary to send the proposal prior to writing the manuscript. However, I decided to write one of the manuscripts as an example to include in the proposal. If it helps or not, I cannot know, but that’s how I’m going to approach my submissions in this genre.

Recently, I posted on Forms of Reading and the Future and another post entitled Kindle, Sony and the iPhone. Both these posts generated a lot of traffic and I received several comments and even a couple of emails, which was wonderful.

As a result of these discussions, I did a lot of research and finally decided that buying an iPod Touch was the way for me to go. I’ve had it for a few days, and I’m still getting used to the way it works, but my first impressions are all good.

I love the fact that I have one small, light device which carries all my music, photos, contacts and event reminders all well organised and easily accessible. However, what I find really outstanding is that same small, light device also holds heaps of books – audio and ebooks – as well as games to pass the time on a very long train trip, which I do five days a week.

It’s brilliant!

So now, armed with my mini-computer and my iPod Touch, there’s no excuse as I have everything I need to get the things that are important to me done – namely writing, reading and gaming. In fact, with a forced four hours a day to concentrate on these things, I should be as productive as I can ever be…unfortunately, I’m not, but I’ll leave that for another post.

Living in a world when technology is advancing every day, I feel lucky to be able to step into the future armed with the tools that should make a blank page fill with words. Words of a story I want to write, words of a story I want to read and words of other kinds that make life more pleasant. How did we ever survive without these wonderful gadgets?

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second time I have read this book, the first being in early 2006. Click here to read my 2006 review. On that occasion I had intended to read the trilogy but something happened in my life which stopped me – the loss of my son. Unable to concentrate for long periods of time and unable to handle complex plots, I turned to stand alone, much thinner books written for young children. The three books which make up The Farseer Trilogy have been sitting on my bookshelf ever since.

Now, three and a half years later, I find myself wanting to complete the trilogy. However, I realised the grief had completely wiped the first book from my memory. Apart from the main character’s name, I could remember next to nothing of the story. I didn’t want to pick up book two and start reading, hoping the first book would come back to me, as that would be distracting, so I read the first book again.

I had expected a flood of memory to occur at some stage during the reading – especially when I approached the climax – but that didn’t happen. I did, however, remember small sections that obviously made an impression on me in 2006, but not enough to spoil any of the surprises. This morning, after finishing Assassin’s Apprentice for the second time, I set about finding the review I wrote back then. It seems I enjoyed it then, with some reservations about the detailed descriptions. Today, I think I have a better appreciation for the book as I had more time in which to sit and become absorbed by it – I even read the “telling” sections at the beginning of each chapter, that I didn’t have much time for previously.

Maybe it’s a case of “older and wiser”, but I think it’s more likely to do with the time restraint issues I had back in 2006, but whatever it was I really enjoyed this second reading. I became totally absorbed and found myself wanting to return to the story, even when it wasn’t possible. Eventually, I left all other distractions at home (for the train trip to and from work) and concentrated solely on the book, which meant I was dedicating four hours a day to reading. I was captivated!

The author shows in this one book how a complex plot can be written in a smooth, believable manner. She also proves that whilst action is important, it doesn’t have to dominate every paragraph of every page. She shows that a character driven book can pull a reader in and hold them through thick and thin, through the laughs and pain, through love and death. This is a brilliant example of a well written story.

This morning I finished Assassin’s Apprentice and in the next minute I was already absorbed by Royal Assassin, book 2 of the trilogy. It’s looking as if this trilogy is going to take a place on my “favourites” list.

What started out as simple observations about forms of reading, ended up turning into a major research project for me over the last few days. I’ve been all over the internet during this time, starting with Alan’s post called eBooks are the Future and from there going to countless other websites. It was informative and interesting to see what other people think.

It seems that more and more people are thinking along the same lines as me…that ebooks will be the way of the future. However, it is also evident that it will be a while before they “take over the world”. From what I can fathom, this is mainly due to two reasons:

1. Format. Until a worldwide standard format can be decided on, there will be on going problems due to the fact that readers (the device, not the person) will be limited to the formats it is compatible with. This limits the person using the device to what they can read and also what price they have to pay to buy the ebooks they select, as they won’t be free to shop around. Whilst this is an issue, paper books will remain popular.

2. Price of readers. They are expensive! When the cost of these devices come done then I believe ebook sales will climb through the roof. But…technology is the only area I know of that prices DO come down over time, which means if we wait long enough ebook readers will be as common as the mobile phone.

During my research three names cropped up continually: Kindle, Sony and iPhone. Each time a new name came up I got excited and my research turned in another direction, with the hope of cheaper devices…that didn’t happen.

Kindle is about $US299 and is associated with Amazon, and for that reason alone I felt an invisible barrier come up as I am reluctant to head in a direction that I know will be very limiting for me. Amazon, in my opinion, are trying to grab this corner of the market by offering their own reading device. I understand that the device reads pdf and doc formats as well as its own format, but I also understand that Amazon are charging at least $US9.99 for an ebook, with some as high as $US16, which I believe is too expensive. Why spend that money on something digital, when you could buy a paper book instead. It makes no sense to me. Besides that, I wonder how much the author gets of the cost? Half? Less than half? A couple of dollars? If asked, I’m sure Amazon would say that the publisher and/or author sets the price, not them, but I know that Amazon would set the rules and their charges which force the prices up, up, up. OK, they are in it to make money, that’s the way of the world, but the whole thing smells of greed to me and I’ll be staying away from that option.

Sony is another option and it sells for about the same price as the Kindle. From what I can see the Sony is compatible with more formats, which makes it a better option for me because I could purchase ebooks from all over the internet. In other words, I can shop around and get the best deals and not be limited to just one outlet. But, the cost of the device is high and I have a little voice in my head saying to wait until the kinks have been ironed out and the price drops dramatically.

Then there’s the iPhone, which could be a good alternative for some people. Especially if they install the Stanza application, which is a free (open source) ebook reader. The fact that I saw the words “open source” made me feel comfortable with this option straight away as I’ve been a Linux user and understand how software of this type works. To me, it means improvements are always happening and the latest software is always available. It also means that as many formats as possible will be compatible through this software, which is a good thing. And, as an added bonus, I could listen to audio books as well. Now that sounds perfect! But…I don’t have an iPhone and if I want one I would have to go onto a plan to get one, which I will not do. Currently I am prepaid on my mobile and I spend about $30 to $60 a year (I rarely use the thing, as you may have gathered). A plan would be that amount each month! Or, I can buy one outright, but the cost is around $AU800 to $AU1,000 which means this option is definitely out of the question for me.

At the end of all this, I’m still no better off. I still think printed books are the better way to go. And I will continue to check out what’s available in the future for when a company finally realises that they could conquer the market by not being greedy and offering the consumer something that is inexpensive and full of format compatibilities.

I will wait for that day!

The publishing world is changing and I think it’s important for readers to keep up with technology and know the options available to them. Each form of “reading” has its pros and cons and in this post, I’m going to discuss my thoughts on them.

The Printed Book

For me, nothing beats the traditional printed book. It’s a solid object that I can hold in my hands. I can admire the cover, the new smell of its pages and I can sit comfortably anywhere I like and read to my heart’s content. I can use my favourite bookmark when I must put the book aside. And, when discussing the book with others (whilst reading or afterwards), I can flash the book in front of their eyes or lend it to them. It’s the form of reading that I prefer, because … well, I suppose it’s because it is the way I’ve always done my reading and I’m not really a person who embraces change.

However, the printed book does have its disadvantages. Some books are quite thick and heavy, so when you want to read whilst travelling, such as on a train, carrying a bulky book can be a bit of a nuisance (even if you do wear a back pack). And, what about when you are nearing the end of the book? What happens then? Who wants to carry two heavy books to and from work on the train, just in case the first book is finished and a new book is required? Not me, so I end up with nothing to read and the journey instantly feels a lot longer.

Finally, the price of printed books are going up, up, up. It’s actually becoming an issue for me to buy books new, as I simply cannot afford them any more. Therefore, I must rely on the library (and my local library is stuck in the dark ages so my chances of getting a new release is zilch) or second hand book shops (again, I have to wait a very long time to get anything new).

The Audio Book

The audio book is only a new experience for me, having only listened to one book … ever! But that one book left me with a knowledge that reading can be enjoyed without a physical book to look at.

In fact, I quite enjoyed listening to a book whilst leaning back in the seat with my eyes shut (resting them for a change) or whilst I quietly minded my own business and knitted. At the end of the book, I felt as if I had accomplished a lot, which was a good feeling.

Also, the mp3 player that I used is quite small and very light, so I hardly knew I was carrying a book. I only had the one book on the player, but I could have had several books, which would be handy upon reaching the end. It felt wonderful not to feel like a pack horse for those few days. Although, I did tend to load myself up with other things because I had extra room.

However, not being used to it, my ears suffered from the earphones. I’m not one for plugging music directly into my head, so my poor, tender ears felt the pain as they grew accustomed to foreign objects being in them. I also found myself wondering if the constant use of earphones (which I would have to use because I’m listening to the book in a public place) would cause permanent damage (much like constant computer use weakens the eyes).

The biggest disadvantage, I found, was that the mp3 player didn’t hold power for long. This might have been due to the fact that the player was an inexpensive one, but it runs off a single AAA battery with a life of about four to six hours. Remembering to charge it each evening was an issue, but I guess it would be something I’d soon get used to.

As for cost, the book I listened too came from the library, but from what I’ve seen, audio books are around the same price as printed books…and some were a lot dearer! I can understand the reason for this as a lot goes into them, but when finances are tight, this can be a big issue and I’ve rarely seen audio books in second hand shops. Having said this, there are audio books that can be freely downloaded if you know where to look…and by “freely” I am not talking about obtaining illegal versions.

The eBook

This is something I have never tried. I’ve always felt it was an option I wouldn’t entertain, until recently. Now, I find my thoughts wondering if this could truly be an option for me. I guess I’ll never know until I’ve tried it, but the readers are so expensive! What if I paid the money and discovered I hated it? It’s a shame I couldn’t borrow one for a trial period and see how I go with it first.

Ebooks are the way of the future. I realise that. It’s inevitable that “saving the planet” will force the issue and I’ve witnessed the change towards this option over recent years. I feel that when the readers are perfected (and cheaper) then there will be a sudden surge in ebook sales because out of all the options available to readers, ebooks are the cheapest. And so they should be! What’s more, most (if not all) of the proceeds from sales go directly to the author (which I think is how it should be too).

I’ve been doing some research on the readers and they do look interesting. However, our “in shop” experience is that we have been unable to find anywhere locally that sell them. That may have changed in recent months, but when G was thinking of getting himself one last year it was like we were asking for a piece of Mars or something. All we got were blank stares. We might give this another try soon to see how things have changed.

With an ebook reader, I could have several dozen (or ever several hundred) books with me at any given time. My research tells me that once charged, the power source will last approximately two weeks (or about 3,000 page turns). The reader is light and compact, which would suit my travelling needs too. The cost of books are much more within my reach too; and I wouldn’t be buying second hand which would mean the author would get their royalty.

The only disadvantage, that I can think of right now, is that I wouldn’t have a bookshelf filled with wonderful smelling books that would inspire me to read…and write. But, then again, I’d then have more space in the room to fill with something else instead, so it’s not all bad.

In Conclusion

I still love the old-fashioned book and I believe I will continue to favour this form of reading for some time to come, but I realise that the world is changing and at some point those books will become rare, collectible items (possibly even worth a bit of money, but I doubt that will be in my lifetime).

With my current situation, I believe the ebook would be the most financially friendly option for me, giving me lots to read at a reasonable price. It’s only the reader itself that would be a bit of a burden to me. I like the compact unit, but I’m not sure how I’d go reading a book on a small screen.

Even though I think audio books are expensive, I truly like the idea of reading and knitting at the same time. It’s one way of getting more out of my day.

In short, all forms of reading should have their place in all our lives. Why should we restrict ourselves to one or the other? If it wasn’t for the cost, I’d be happy to do all three…I think.

What do you think?

Shadows by John Saul

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first audio book I’ve listened to. I thought I would have problems with my mind wandering, but the story was so intriguing that I found myself completely absorbed with what was happening.

In short, the story is about a school for genius children. It confronts the many problems these children experience on a daily basis, in normal life such as isolation, teasing, boredom, lack of friendship and suicide tendencies. Then it moves into life at the new school and shows the feeling of normalcy and acceptance. But the school isn’t everything it portrays and that’s when things turn quite sinister in parts.

Unfortunately, because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone else, I can’t go into any details. There was, however, one section about suicide that actually made me quite angry. It was obvious to me, a person who has lost a son to suicide, that the author hasn’t experienced suicide and this fact showed in his writing. Yet, running parallel to this was some interesting thoughts that I actually agreed with too. One moment I felt a fire in my belly that wanted to put an end to the words I was reading because they embraced everything that fed the stigma that has been around for decades, and then the words changed and I found myself nodding in agreement. It was a roll coaster that swung back and forth. All I can say is that I was glad when the story changed direction and the topic of suicide was over.

Then the story moved into another interesting topic. I can’t tell you what it is as it would spoil the book, if you intend to read it. However, although I find the topic interesting, I am not emotionally attached to it so things were “sweet” from this point on…if not quite disturbing, in other ways.

I do not know if the technical stuff was correct or not. All I can say is that it sounded convincing and when reading a story that is all I care about. As the story ran swiftly to the climax, I found myself eager to find out how the author would tie the pieces together and what would have to a couple of the “characters”.

The end was satisfactory. I was pleased that the author didn’t elect to go in another direction, which I had feared might happen at one stage.

For my first audio experience I think I had the right book. I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely try something else by the author…and I’d also listen to another audio book too.

With the recent closing down of the message board, I am currently going through tens of thousands of posts in an effort to save important information that will be of use to me … and to you.

This morning, I came across an extensive list of books that can be read online that I simply could not delete – not after all the work that went into creating it. Of course, I am not sure if all the links are still valid, but my link checker plugin will quickly do that job for me. Broken links will be shown as if a line has been struck through them and I will check and fix or check and delete those ones in due course.

The list can be found on the Library page, under Jamie Lauren’s A to Z Online Library Links.

I am also transferring a list of comic strip lists to the Library page for your enjoyment, which was also created by Jamie Lauren – Jamie Lauren’s A to Z Online Daily Comic Strip Links.