I've got a large collection of e-books, but I've always just read them on my phone. Finally broke down and bought a proper e-reader with the nice e-ink display. Why didn't I do this forever ago?

It's got a backlight, but using it under a lamp with reflected light is just so much easier on my eyes and feels more like a paper book. I also haven't read a book written on dead trees in a good minute, so sitting under a lamp just brings back a missing piece of the experience I didn't even know was gone.

I also just can't get over how "fake" the display looks. Fake is usually not used to describe something positively, but in this case, it's a huge praise. The text and book cover images just look like they're printed on a sheet of paper and slipped inside to make the device look functional...like a movie prop. Turning the backlight on diminishes this effect somewhat, though (which is another reason I prefer to leave it off).

I also love that I can just set it down and not worry about coming back to a dead battery, lol. The reader app on my phone is set to prevent it from going to sleep or turning off the screen, so sometimes I'll set it down to go take care of something else, forget, and come back to a nearly dead battery.

To everyone who has recommended these gizmos to me, I finally get it. I know I said reading books on my phone was good enough, but I was wrong.

Can anyone recommend some SciFi books with well written female characters?

I've recently read Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie and am looking for well constructed, non male, well thought out characters.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancillary_Justice

Holy shit! This book is insane. I'm half way through it, and I can't even express how I feel about this book. Masterpiece? Doesn't give it justice. I've never done this in my life over a book (and I've read well over 500 books for the last 30 years), I got emotional during some parts of this book. I have ADHD and it's very hard for me to focus when reading, unless it's an extremely good book like this I guess. This probably sounds silly to some. The reason why I'm only just finding out about this book is because I'm new to the West. An immigrant if you will, and never heard of this book until a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't read this book; I highly recommend it. Alexandre Dumas is a genius.

Still reading The Twelve by Justin Cronin. Book 2 of The Passage trilogy. Haven't read much more since the last week, but the few pages I did read are still in old time, and while they are interesting for world building, I can't make myself feel anything for characters that have been dead for 100 years, and have nothing to do with the "current" story. Still, like I said, going to read at least first 100 pages, and then see if I still want to continue.

Also started The Complete Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft. I have never gotten around to reading any of it, so wanted to read it all in published order. Couldn't find any good collection in local store, so started downloading all his work (which is in public domain), but then found out about the ebook created by "CthulhuChick", she has basically gone through what I was doing and compiled an ebook with his complete works, organized in published order (excluding his one story from very early days, and two other non-horror stories. Since I wanted to read those too, I just added them in myself).

So, enjoying this now. Have only read first couple of stories yet. Would love to see how his work evolves.

What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?

A regular reminder about our Book Bingo, and it's Recommendation Post . Links are also present in our community sidebar.

This is an online library of Edgar Allen Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jack London, Anton Chekhov, Guy de Maupassant, Raymond Bradbury and other classic short story authors. Cookie-free, login-free, and with only tiny affiliate links at the bottom of pages to keep it running.

I read in both Arabic and English. Some books are very hard for me to grasp, so I find a translated copy and read it in Arabic. For example, I'm currently reading "the Count of Monte Cristo". It Has some old English that gets me confused a lot, even though I have a Kobo where I can just press and hold on a word to translate it, but still, the storyline as a whole got confusing, so I read it in Arabic. Much better. I'd love to hear from folks here :)

Finished Artemis by Andy Weir. It was a fun book, but a step below both The Martian and Project Hail Mary. Can't point out why, though I don't think it's because protagonist is unlikable. Still, not a bad book, and an enjoyable read.

I did get some Skyward's Spensa-like feel from protagonist. Maybe cause both of them were outcast, and has the attitude of being annoyed by the whole world.

Currently Reading The Twelve by Justin Cronin. Book 2 of The Passage trilogy. I am some 50 or so pages in, and I am not enjoying it much.

Slight spoiler about the setting so skip rest of the paragraph if you want to avoid it. The first book jumped some 100 years in the future after about 1/3rd of the book, and the future is now the "current" time. Book 2 started with a slight prologue of 4-5 pages, and then it jumped back to Year zero. Don't really care about Year Zero now, specially any new characters. Want to know what's happening in the "now". Maybe they will have some important part to play, I don't know, but right now I am not feeling much interested in the story.

Going to read at least 100 pages and then decide if I want to continue or not.

What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?

A regular reminder about our Book Bingo, and it's Recommendation Post . Links are also present in our community sidebar.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19239162

The 60,000 books in the Joanine Library are all hundreds of years old. Keeping texts readable for that long, safe from mold and moisture and nibbling bugs, requires dedication. The library’s original architects designed 6-foot (1.8 meters) stone walls to keep out the elements. Employees dust all day, every day.

And then there are the bats. For centuries, small colonies of these helpful creatures have lent their considerable pest control expertise to the library. In the daytime—as scholars lean over historic works and visitors admire the architecture—the bats roost quietly behind the two-story bookshelves. At night, they swoop around the darkened building, eating the beetles and moths that would otherwise do a number on all that old paper and binding glue.

The library dates the bats’ entry to the late 18th century. That’s when records indicate the purchase of large leather sheets from Russia, presumably to protect the hall’s desks and tables from the nightly rain of guano. Employees use the same system today, while the books themselves are behind wire mesh, says the library’s deputy director, António Eugénio Maia do Amaral. (The bats’ tendency to pee next to a portrait of the library’s namesake, King John V, is harder to address.)

Finished Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch. Book 2 of Rivers of London series. Our PC is getting better with the magic, and yet is still very new to this. We get a peek at the bigger magic world. Would be interesting to see how it develops further.

Reading Artemis by Andy Weir. Have read his other books and loved them, but this is supposedly different then his other work. Let's see.

Also, I think I should start working on Book Bingo, if I wait till the end of Bingo year, I would've forgotten half of what I have read. If any of you are working your Book Bingo, how far have you reached?

What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?

A regular reminder about our Book Bingo, and it's Recommendation Post . Links are also present in our community sidebar.

I saw this posted on Tumblr, and thought it would be appreciated here.

Hi.

I have an old Amazon Kindle Paperwhite that is showing signs of its age. So I have to start thinking about replacing it.

So I have been really happy with both the Paperwhite and the Kindle store. But I have realised that I should be moving away from Amazon as it's not really a company I would like to keep supporting.

So what are the current best options out there. Mostly reading non fiction books, so no need for colour. But a bookstore with a good selection is critical.

Photo unrelated. But a great read/listen about the dust-bowls in the 1920's.

Read White Night by Jim Butcher. Book 9 of Dresden Files. The start felt weaker than previous books, but it picked up after a little while, and ended up pretty good overall. In general, every new Dresden Files book feels better than the last one, but with this one, I would say while it's good, it isn't better than previous one (Proven Guilty).

Also started reading Side Jobs by Jim Butcher. These are short stories in the same world. I have read all the ones until White Night (the book I just read). Will keep this book in 'Currently Reading' pile and read the next stories after reading the respective novels.

Read The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. The story was weird, specially the ending. Couldn't decide what to make of it. So will just leave it at that.

Currently reading Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch. Book 2 of Rivers of London series. Urban fantasy featuring a "magic cop" in London. I loved the first book, and have only just started this one. Have hardly read 5 pages yet.

What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?

A regular reminder about our Book Bingo, and it's Recommendation Post . Links are also present in our community sidebar.

Finished The Passage by Justin Cronin. First book in The Passage trilogy. Overall, liked the book. The start was slow, giving me Stephen King vibes, but it picked up the pace as it went along. It was too long though, and can't get myself to start next one right away.

Read couple of son's books to change pace. The Ghoul in the School by Marcus Rashford and Alex Falase-Koya, the second book in The Breakfast Club Adventures. And Unexpected Super Spy by Zanib Mian, second book in Planet Omar series.

Also read, and just finished 5 mins before this post, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson, book 3 of his secret projects, and part of Cosmere, but a standalone book, which can be read without any knowledge of his other work. I loved this book. Like most of his "secret projects" books, couldn't put it down once I picked it up.

Currently Reading... nothing. Just finished the previous book and haven't decided what to start next... leaning towards next Dresden Files novel though... let's see.

What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?

A regular reminder about our Book Bingo, and it's Recommendation Post . Links are also present in our community sidebar.

The Passage by Justin Cronin has become pretty interesting. I am around 60% done, which is about 500 or so pages. Just focusing on that for now.

Was also reading Your Money Or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin, but it's on pause for till I finish The Passage.

What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?

A regular reminder about our Book Bingo, and it's Recommendation Post . Links are also present in our community sidebar.

Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20240722125630/https://www.npr.org/2024/07/18/nx-s1-5036871/this-great-hemisphere-tackles-racism-classism-and-political-power-struggles

Have you read any of these? plan to? recognize an author?

Shortlist will release on Sept 16

Winner announced Tuesday Nov 12