Do you like to tell the world just exactly what you thought of the last book you read? Was it so bad that you wanted to just throw it out the window and run screaming a warning to all other book lovers? Was this book the best you ever read and you just have to tell someone or you would burst?
Well you have found a place to do just that. Please come tell us just exactly what you thought of that last book you read. If you hated it, we also have a nifty section of "slamming a book, not the author".
Authors Wanted
If you are an author and would like to have your book reviewed by someone who honestly loves books, then you may find us the perfect fit. Please see the reviews here as well as many, many more in our forum. If you feel we could do the job, then feel free to let us know and the proper arrangements can be made!
To those of you who are registering to win a book in our book give-away, you do NOT have to register at this site. Cathy and I have no idea why that box shows up on this page and we hope that soon our webmaster will move it to a less obvious spot! As a matter of fact to do anything around here there is no need to register! Actually there is no way to register! Like I said we have no clue why the box shows up for you, but like they said about the Wizard of Oz, "just ignore the man behind the curtain!"
Is the Kindle Fire Right for You?
Article Written by Cathy
If you already own a Kindle you might be trying to decide if you should splurge and get the Kindle Fire.The idea of a touch screen, along with the added features of viewing TV shows and movies, surfing the web, downloading Apps and borrowing books from Amazon all sound great.Would it be worth it?That’s going to depend on what you want to use it for and hopefully this can help you make a more informed decision.
You do receive an instruction manual downloaded, but it doesn’t carry nearly enough information for new users.Expect to spend time hunting around to figure out where some things are or what they do.
Let’s face, reading is the main purpose of the device.There are definitely pros and cons when comparing the Fire to older models; in my case the 2nd Generation.
Book reading
The display on the Fire is much crisper than the eInk technology used in the older Kindles.The screen is backlit so you don’t need to turn on a light to read in the dark.Heck, when carrying it in your hand you can walk through the house in the middle of the night without needing to turn on a light, even with the brightness set to the lowest setting.It would be nice if the brightness setting went even lower.But with backlighting you lose the non-glare properties associated with the eInk technology.Not so much a big deal when reading indoors.If you notice you’re getting a headache while reading on the device, it could be you need to dim the brightness.
This device is a little bit heavier than all but the DX models; a little smaller in length and width but somewhat thicker.The covers for the older models are a little larger than the devices.With the Fire the covers are barely larger making this somewhat easier to carry around in a bag or purse.
Instead of seeing your books in a list you see full color book covers on shelves that can be sorted by author, title or most recent.All are visible when syncing your books, but in order to read one you need to tap on it with your Wi Fi setting ON so the book will download to the Fire.There currently isn’t a way to store your books in a collection to group by genre, series, etc.I like seeing book covers to more easily identify a book, but miss the ability to put them in collections.
I’ve found WHERE I want to read will make a huge difference on which Kindle I’ll now use.The display will rotate by tipping the device to the side.It doesn’t take much of a change in vertical degrees for the display to switch from vertical to horizontal.This is a problem for me as I read in bed, changing positions often and don’t necessarily want to hold the device in a perfectly upright position.Definitely prefer my older Kindle when reading in bed.Not an issue when reading in a chair.
Do you have an author or series you enjoy and you're dying to tell others about it? Have you come across a newer author that you think others would be interested in? Here's your chance to share it. Send a message to Cathy and include the author's name and/or the series, a short blurb about it, what you like about it, and if possible who, or what other series you would compare it to. Submissions will be posted under Cathy's Corner.
Book Gossip
Did it ever occur to any of us 10 or 15 years ago that the paranormal or speculative fiction genre was going to be such a success? As for me I thought it might be a flash in the pan. Here today and gone tomorrow, And now I am seeing a huge rise in books being written about the Tuatha De Danann or the Sidhe as they've become to be know. what is it about such otherworldly creatures that is so fascinating to us?
As some of you are aware of, Books & Chat had its very own store with a percentage of sales going to the upkeep of this site.However, as of June 10th the Governor of Connecticut implemented a new taxing policy and Amazon decided to close our store down to avoid the complications that comes with the collection of said taxes.
“For well over a decade, the Amazon Associates Program has worked with thousands of Connecticut residents. Unfortunately, the budget signed by Governor Malloy contains a sales tax provision that compels us to terminate this program for Connecticut-based participants effective immediately. It specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers - including but not limited to those referred by Connecticut-based affiliates like you - even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state.”
We will be busy in the next few days deleting all of our links to our store, BUT we will still be linking the books to Amazon, at least for now to keep your book shopping easy.
Interview With Jeff Lee - Author of "The Ladies Temperance Club's Farewell Tour by Jeff Lee (Kindle
Written by Dianne
Wednesday, 13 April 2011 09:47
Interview with Jeff Lee-----PART 1
How long have you been writing – have you always wanted to be an author?
I've been writing – on and off – since my early teens. At first, it was mostly insanely bad poetry and some short stories. Then, in college I majored in Radio, TV and Film production. Fell in love with listening to some of the old radio dramas and had to write quite a few of my own for class assignments. After that, I worked in radio for a little while and hated it. A couple of years later I was hired by a large ad agency in L.A. to be a junior copywriter. That was thirty year ago, and I've been writing ads, commercials and brochures ever since. It's a great discipline for any writer, since it teaches you to be economical with your words, and you learn to live for clarity in your writing.
Tell us something about self-publishing (the ‘how’s’ perhaps?) and why you chose to go this route.
The 'why' is easy. I got tired of the rejection and lack of response from agents. I've been sending out query letters for Farewell Tour for a while now, and if you count the agents who didn't respond one way or another, I've been rejected roughly 300 time. So, I decided to give Kindle a try.
What made you decide towrite about main characters that are a bit over middle age?
The thing I love about middle age characters is that they've been around long enough to have picked up the necessary life experience to get by in most situations.To borrow a line from Popeye, “They am what they am.”
Are any of these characters based on you or anyone you know in “real” life?
I think the character of Fish, the Harley-riding attorney and repo man is probably closest to me. But he's got more tattoos.
How do you manage to use the different and distinct voices for all of your characters?
If you have been following this series, you know that the Lupus’ Lady has created them to fight Her enemy (the one who cannot be named!) and anyone of the Wolves allies are also fighting the good fight.You also know that the FBI has a department that Ruben heads to investigate Magical Crimes.Ruben is a precog.Right?Well in this book we find that he is even more than a precog.
DEATH MAGIC