Amazon announces new Kindles: Paperwhite, Fire HDs

Today Amazon put to rest tantelizing whispers regarding new Kindles in the works. In a press conference, Jeff Bezos announced a new type of Kindle ereader and several new Fire tablet models. Here's the run-down:

• Kindle Fire HD 8.9" 4G LTE Wireless, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi (32 GB or 64 GB)
• Kindle Fire HD 8.9", Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi (16 GB or 32 GB)
• Kindle Fire HD 7?, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi (16 GB or 32 GB)
• Kindle Paperwhite 3G, 6" High Resolution Display with Built-in Light, Free 3G + Wi-Fi - Includes Special Offers
• Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High Resolution Display with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi

Also included in the announcement were price drops: from $79 to $69 for the Kindle, 6" E Ink Display, Wi-Fi (also known as the Kindle Basic) and from $199 to $159 for the Kindle Fire 7", LCD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB (the original Kindle Fire).

Even though I'm drooling over some of the new Kindle Fire HD features, having the best reading environment is my priority. It's finally time to upgrade my Kindle Keyboard. Even though I will miss the easy keyboard access and the audio capabilities, I'm excited by the rest of the improvements in the Paperwhite.

Do you know anyone who wants a Like New white Kindle Keyboard 3G? Mine is for sale via Amazon, and I'll even throw in a cover and a free copy of Pink Snowbunnies in Hell: A Flash-Fiction Anthology. If you contact me after purchase, I will also keep your information and email you a free copy of Dormant after publication.

So many free Kindle books, so little time

I just discovered a new free Kindle book site (DailyFreeBooks.com) and have been happily purchasing books. It's hard to resist the $0.00 price point. When I'm not dipping into my wallet, it's worth downloading even the long shots. Hopefully a few of my bargain-priced finds will lead to the discovery of a new author.

Yes, I know that there are a lot of free Kindle book resources out there, including the Kindle Forum on Amazon where I have unearthed a few treasures. What I'm enjoying about this new researce is that I can narrow by genre and then see a list that includes the book cover, description, and rating. There is also a "Free on" date, which is helpful because books often aren't free for long.

DailyFreeBooks.com is the US version of a successful UK-based free books site. In a follow-up to the May 24, 2012 launch announcement, one of the site's senior members said that they strive to ensure that the site "reads as well as possible on the Kindle browser as a computer."* I pulled out my Kindle Keyboard 3G to check. The page does display well, and I was able to quickly navigate to the Writing category, but I was disappointed to find that clicking on a book link results in the error "Web Browser could not open this link because opening multiple windows is not supported." Oh well, at least it works on my computer or iPhone. I also noticed that one book pulled into the Writing category was actually not a writing book, but I'm sure the cross-over was because the author listed the Genre as "The Writing Network."

I'm familiar with working out kinks in a website, even after publication, so these quirks don't bother me at this stage in their launch. I look forward to seeing how they grow and improve.

For now, I have signed up for their daily email with "a summary list of new and current free eBooks from Amazon.com and Smashwords plus Kindle Daily Deal". I also selected two favorite genres for inclusion. My only fear is that this will increase my already long reading list. Maybe I'll catch up someday when my son is no longer a toddler. A girl can dream.

At the risk of adding to that list..... What is your favorite free ebooks resource?

Below is a short list of the free Kindle book sites I have visited. Please comment and I will update my list with new links.

• Amazon Kindle Forum (search for "Free" or look for the word in the first couple of pages of posts)
• eReaderIQ
• kinlib

* Correction - My source on the Amazon Kindle Forum clarified this point: "When I mentioned optimised for Kindle in a previous post, I was really referring to the our forum (KUF) itself rather than dailyfreebooks.com where there are definite improvements needing to be made as far as Kindle goes."

Playing with Fire: Kindle Fire first impressions

I always did like playing with fire…. Now I have a whole new reason. My Kindle Fire arrived yesterday afternoon. I have only used it for a few hours, but so far it has been a whole lot of fun.

It's heeere!
(Pardon the cheesy iPhone snap.)

The Fire is a Kindle in name only, and I hope that prefacing the name with the word Kindle doesn’t confuse too many people. The Fire is not an e-reader. Yes, it can be used as such, but the experience of that aspect in no way lives up to the experience on an e-ink Kindle. Reading is workable for shorter time periods. I set the display to sepia, which helps, but I'm still mostly using the Fire for cookbooks and children’s books, where it’s a treat to see color pictures. I’ll leave the bulk of my reading for my Kindle Keyboard.

The form factor is nicely compact and simple—perhaps too simple, because I really miss having physical buttons for home and volume. On the plus side, I felt no strain from holding my Fire for extended periods.

This is my first Internet-capable device in quite a while without 3G, so I really feel the restriction. I hope future offerings include a 3G option. Meanwhile, I’m working on planning ahead a bit more. Part of my Fire playtime last night was devoted to downloading an eclectic collection of books, music, apps, and shows from the Amazon Cloud. The Cloud-focused device should at least help me keep my Fire tidy and uncluttered with unused files. On the negative side, the Fire’s performance was sluggish during media downloads.

The screen is very sensitive. At first it took a bit of adjustment to learn where to tap for certain things, such as pulling up a book from the carousel. The item would often scroll and snap back. After a couple of hours, I mostly get it right on the first go. Typing is requiring a similar adjustment. The space bar placement catches me out because it's slightly offset to the left. It’s one of those typing quirks that I never realized until now; I almost always hit the space bar with my right thumb.

I had a lot of fun exploring everything from books to video. I set up my email without any more trouble than it took to remember my password. My Words with Friends app took up where I left off on my iPhone—nice! Videos via Netflix and Amazon loaded well. I watched a bit of a few different movies and shows and later settled in for an entire episode. There was a slight pixilation a couple of times during the show, but mostly it looked great. The sound is definitely better with headphones.

Audio books work well. I was able to access my Audible account and download a book (The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery) that my hubby and I started listening to on the way to work this morning. Songs from the Amazon Cloud were there at a tap of the finger; I downloaded about 40 to my Fire. I purchased a couple of trial magazine subscriptions and was happy to see all the pictures available (National Geographic Magazine and Bon Appetit). I haven’t used the web browser much yet, but the couple of pages I looked at loaded quickly.

I still have a lot of exploring to do, but I would say that the Fire is a great first-generation device. Yes, there is room for improvement, but that will happen quickly. Meanwhile, those of us who are early adopters get a head start on the fun.

Deciding on the right case for my Kindle Fire is proving to be the hard part. (My Teal JAVOedge MiMo Flip Case for Amazon Kindle Keyboard is fabulous, so I hope that they come out with something for the Fire.) At the top of my wishlist is some kind of stand to prop up my Fire for hands-free use, and it would be even better if the stand could do both landscape and portrait. The stand could be integrated into the case, but it doesn't have to be. I also need the case/cover/skin to be protective (toddler in the house) and I would like it to be attractive. Bonus points if it's a fun color. If you have recommendations, please post them in the comments secton below.

Is Amazon's Kindle Owner's Lending Library a good thing?

In my last blog, I mentioned downloading a book from the Amazon Kindle Owner's Lending Library. This is a new feature offered to Amazon Prime members. Until today, I only knew how to access the Lending Library via my Kindle, but you can use the links above to reach the web version.

How does it work? Members of the Amazon Prime program who own a Kindle device can borrow up to one book per month from a select set of titles (currently 5,375). One book a month doesn't sound like much, particularly as someone who used to walk out of the library with a stack of six to eight books, but even my limited browsing of the available titles has shown a few that would have saved me (or those on my account) the purchase price.

This new option will let me try titles that I might not have purchased otherwise. My first borrow, The Nighttime Novelist, would have cost $10.79 as a Kindle edition. I tend to stick with ebooks that cost about the same as a paperback, if not less, so that's a price I'm usually not willing to pay.

The Amazon Kindle Owner's Lending Library has not been greeted with much love by the press. (Here's a example in the Wall Street Journal: "Amazon's Library Donation.") People are saying that it’s bad for investors, publishers, authors, agents, and Amazon. Predictions say that it will die by the end of the year.

Personally, I think that Amazon knows what it's doing. In the years (more than a dozen) that Amazon has been earning my loyalty, I have seen the company go from a small book seller to giant purveyor of nearly everything imaginable. They even make and sell their own line of reading devices, which now includes a multi-media platform in the Kindle Fire. As a bibliophile and writer, I can well imagine the excitement of personally making your dream device a reality.

As an author, I am glad that Amazon continues to return to its roots as a seller of books. I never considered indiependent publishing until I realized the opportunities given by book-lovers who are reading on their Kindles every day. Once I found an editor who could help me achieve the clean copy that is so important, I was sold. I would be glad to see Dormant gain additional exposure via Amazon's Lending Library.

Instead of going into more detail on the subject of the Kindle Owner's Lending Library and why it is a good thing, I'll leave you with this question.... What do you think? Is Amazon's continued expansion as a purveyor of electronic offerings good for you as a customer? What about those in other roles? If you wear more than one hat in the debate, please share!

For those who want more detail, I refer you to a fellow blogger who has one of the best in-depth discussions on the topic that I have seen thus far: Amazon’s Prime Lending Library has them in a tizzy…but it makes sense.

Does a Kindle get heavier when you add a book?

Since the arrival of my first Kindle in June 2008, I have reveled in how light and compact it is. Carrying around hundreds of books now weighs less than one of the books that used to accompany me everywhere. 

This week, I have been following a discussion on the Kindle weight debate, posted on a Discovery channel forum. Does my Kindle actually weigh more with my books loaded onto it than it did the day I removed it from its packaging?

When I download a book to my Kindle, the device is carrying more electrons than before. That means that, theoretically, my Kindle does get heavier as I add more information in the form of e-books. That said, the mass of an electron is quite negligable, though on a particle physics level this extra mass may be noteworthy and therefore calculable. However, the difference in weight would be so tiny as to not be measurable.

In other words, I didn't feel any difference in the weight of my Kindle after I added my newest e-book—The Nighttime Novelist, a writing-related read on loan via Amazon's new Kindle Owner's Lending Library.

Amazon announces Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch

    Amazon just announced its new tablet, the Kindle Fire, along with two Kindle Touch models (one 3G and one WiFi only), which will be available with the re-designed original kindle. Further details and pictures are available in the Amazon Kindle Store.

I just ordered my Kindle Fire, Full Color 7" Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi! It will arrive on November 16.


Links to the new Kindle and Kindle Touch models:

• Kindle, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display
• Kindle Touch, Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display 
• Kindle Touch 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display

Note: All come in versions with and without "Special Offers," which are basically sponsored advertisements. Apparently these advertisements sometimes contain goodies, like free Kindle books.

Amazon Kindle Tablet will be announced tomorrow!

On your marks, get set....

Amazon invited press to a media event tomorrow. They did not give any details, but I (along with everyone else) expect that they will use the event to reveal the new Kindle Tablet. I'm waiting to click the big, yellow order button. I will take a packing break, or three, to check in on the details. (Hubby promised not to cancel the internet until then, on pain of....)

That's it. Time to get back to packing. If you want more information on the device, you can read my previous post on the Amazon Kindle Tablet.

Amazon will soon release a Kindle Tablet

Rumors about a new Amazon Kindle device have been flying for several months. Now "Amazon's Kindle Tablet is very real. I've seen it, Played with it," according to MG at TechCrunch. My first reaction? Ooh, shiny! I love gadgets.

Here are the highlights:

• Color tablet
• Android
• 7 inch screen
• Two-finger multi-touch
• WiFi
• Kindle app book reader
• Kindle Cloud music player
• Instant Video movie player
• Amazon's Android Appstore
• Possible free subscription to Amazon Prime

The new Kindle Tablet is expected to sell for $250, and Amazon is purportedly working with carriers toward a 3G version. The latter would be a huge selling point for me; I love the integrated 3G on my Kindle.

The initial inclination is to compare the Kindle Tablet to the iPad, but it isn't. Rather than taking on Apple on their own turf, Amazon is actually designing their device to fit into the e-reader market that they already dominate. They are keeping the tablet small and comfortable to read. The smaller form factor also means that it will be cheap, about half the price of the cheapest iPad. Amazon is also moving away from the direction taken by most other Android tablets. Instead of trying to do everything, the Kindle Tablet is keeping it simple by putting the focus on books, movies, and other media.

I would never give up my Kindle ereader. The E-Ink screen simply can not be beat if you do a lot of reading, and I'm an avid reader, at least as much as I can fit in between my numerous other roles. However, I am eagerly anticipating the release of an Kindle Tablet. I envision my Kindle coexisting beside the new device, with each having its own purpose.

Based on the substantial rumors circulating the Internet, I expect to see an Amazon announcement about their new Kindle Tablet in the next two to three months. I have never regretted coming in on the ground floor with the launch of the original Kindle in 2008. Despite the marked improvements and drastically lowered price point of four successive Kindle generations, I have enjoyed many happy hours reading on each of my Kindles. The Kindle is the ultimate device for someone, like me, who is passionate about reading and writing. I envision the Kindle Tablet as an expansion into other types of media.

Contrary to many who are looking for an all-in-one device, I look forward to the day when I can replace the functions of my smart phone with my third or fourth generation Kindle Tablet. Devices like my Kindle, Roku, and iPod have taught me that a device dedicate to a certain function is often superior to one trying to be a jack-of-all-trades.

Book Review: Cage Life, by Karin Cox

Cage Life, by Karin Cox, is a surprising and beautifully written book comprised of two short stories; the first story takes you into the mind of a young mom who feels like a prisoner in her own home and the second centers around 80-something Basil and the results of his love for a younger woman. It only took me an hour to read the entire book, which I received as a review copy via Smashwords.

I'll admit that at first I didn't know if I would be able to finish the book. The subject matter was almost too adult and definitely too dark. The first story, Cage Life, reminded me of a very dark period in my own life, though the details are completely different. Karin's poetic use of words kept me reading. As I savored the vivid prose and admired the images that she so adeptly painted in my imagination, I was pulled into the story. As the main character grew from girl to young mom, I felt her angst, love, and pain. I still can't say that I liked the story—partly due to the fact that I'm a (not so young) new mom myself—but I do respect it for its portrayal of unintended consequences.

The second story, The Usurper, again challenged my morals. Basil wakes, knowing that "it had happened again." We discover the definition of "it" few pages later as Basil contemplates the fate of an octogenarian at the hands of a much younger mistress in a surprising view of elder abuse. I can't go into detail without giving too much away, but this was the story that made me love the book. The ending contains one of my favorite story elements: in a surprise "aha" moment, reality shifts and the reader suddenly views the story in a completely different way. I wanted to give a standing ovation.

Though I am more apt to read for either entertainment or learning, it is good to be challanged to step out of my comfort zone. I plan to look into Karin's Austrailian wildlife books for my son.

Book Review: Dead Men Don't Cry, by Nancy Fulda

Dead Men Don't Cry, by Nancy Fulda, is an eclectic collection of 10 science fiction short stories. I don't often read short story collections, but I enjoyed this one. I received it as a review copy via Smashwords. Some of the stories took me on adventures while others made me think, even as they made me cringe. Here's a brief rundown of the stories, without giving away too much.

Pastry Run - This was a fun romp of an adventure, all in the name of a fresh morning pastry. Forget Paris to New York and try Charles de Gaulle to the Sea of Tranquility. This story quickly pulled me into the collection.

Dead Men Don't Cry - Whodunit with a science fiction twist and a bang of an ending. It has been a while since I read a mystery, but this took it to the next level by introducing my beloved science fiction. I enjoyed the experience, even though I guessed the solution before the main protagonist.

Blue Ink - Six-year-old Jason doesn't like the funny smells, the scratchy hospital gown, or the idea of being cloned, but all the grown-ups say he's very fortunate. Nancy does a good job of addressing a complicated debate through the eyes of a child. I thought this story was fascinating.

Backlash - Eugene's much-anticipated daddy/daughter dinner becomes too exciting with the addition of an unwelcome boyfriend and a strange fortune. I loved the take on time travel in this story.

Monument - A traveler on the way home from Thanksgiving stops to stretch her legs and finds more than she bargained for. This one made me think, though it almost felt like the message was being shoved down my parched throat.

Tammi's Garden - Tamela lives in caverns that protect her from the bad air above, if you can call barely surviving living, but at least she has her mother. That is until she wakes in an almost idyllic garden. But which is the dream? Read this and let me know if you can answer the question.

All Praise to the Dreamer - A new mom's pleasant day turns deadly serious as she tries to save the life of her two-month-old baby. This one reminded me of The Twilight Zone, but I really disliked it. That might have something to do with the fact that I'm a fairly new mother myself.

The Breath of Heaven - Computers grapple with emerging sentience and how they should follow their directives to establish a human colony. Does the ideal human operator exist? Sacia is an AI with an interesting and surprisingly likable point of view. I loved this story.

Ghost Chimes - Ghost chimes ringing at 3AM make Alicia wish that she had unplugged the machine, even as she settles the glasses on her nose to answer her mother's call. Her mom can be a bit nosy sometimes, but that's not the half of it. I didn't like this story, though the concept was clever.

A New Kind of Sunrise - Young Mikki finds a dying stranger. Her clan chief agrees to take him in, little knowing the profound impact the man will have not only on Mikki but also on the entire clan. This story built a rich and believable world in relatively few pages. I loved it and look forward to reading more in future.

Even though I didn't like all of the stories, even those made me think. Dead Men Don't Cry is a highly enjoyable, well written collection. I look forward to reading more of Nancy's writing, particularly when she releases her upcoming novel.

Turn on your imagination and turn off boredom

In the fainter recesses of my mind, I vaguely remember being bored. Stuck in the house on a rainy afternoon, my siblings and I fidgeted at having nowhere to vent our excess energy. I'm sure that we uttered the words "I'm bored" more than my parents wanted to hear. My parents would turn being house-bound into an adventure by bringing out special occasion toys like Barbies that Mom played with as a child and felts of people and animals that we used to act out stories. We raided the linen cupboard and the bookshelves to build tent cities of sheets propped over chairs and other furniture, pinned precariously with small stacks of books. It's amazing how a little imagination made the boredom melt away.

Now I simply look incredulously at anyone who says they are bored. In my quest to fully accommodate family, work, and personal goals, I pretend that I need less sleep, burning the proverbial candle at both ends. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy candles, but it does catch up with me.

Life just keeps getting more interesting. In a heartbeat, I went from re-inventing myself as a plus-size athlete; to meeting and becoming the adoring wife of my best friend; to awe-struck, occasionally frazzled mother. My guys fill my heart with love and my life with laughter and warmth that balances the inevitable frustrations. From daily chores to playing with my son, my home life is packed to the brim. Sometimes I even get to enjoy the fun of shaping a loaf of bread or creating a family member's favorite cake.

I am also daughter, sister, and Aunt in a close-knit family. As we work toward my parents' departure for a job in Korea, we are equal parts excited for them at the incredible opportunity and mourning the loss of their close presence in our lives. We snatch every opportunity to take what now seems like a short drive to hang out with our beloved friends, holding onto the promise of video chat, email, and phone access after their departure at the end of the month. Marriage brought more amazing roles as daughter-in-law and sister-in-law to my husband's mother and sister who have not only accepted me but also readily taken me in as a beloved member of the family.

I devote the greater part of my week days to a job that is important and interesting. I welcome the intellectual stimulation, though working at a public health laboratory is occasionally somewhat too interesting (such as during the H1N1 Influenza outbreak). I am so thankful for a steady job that lets me play with words.

When my work is done, my family's needs addressed, and my son tucked into bed, I reach for the last scrap of mental energy and write. Sometimes my writing (or re-writing) goes well; I'm in the zone and loving every minute. When I look up and find that it's already one in the morning, I feel a deep sense of fulfillment, though I also know that I will grumble to hear the beep of my alarm in a few short hours. Other times I struggle through the quicksand of possibilities to create a coherent sentence and gladly push away from my desk to crawl in for an "early," 11pm bedtime.

Random moments throughout the day yield opportunity for reflection, prayer, and imagination. As I mention in my blogs, even news stories about scientific advances can provoke flights of imaginative fancy. Of course I also love to read, so I cram that in during my lunch hour or on those nights when, sapped of mental energy, I skip writing and crawl in bed with my Kindle.

We are surrounded by media. Instead of using the internet, radio, television, computers, video games, movies, smart phones, and other media to prevent boredom, I recommend that we turn on imagination. Use the wealth around you to build a few castles in the air. Remember the magic of your childhood. Turn on your imagination and turn off boredom.

Can ebooks save children's backs?

Since the launch of ebook readers, there has been much discussion on their viability as textbook replacements. Today I read about Winn Sams, a chiropractor in Columbus, North Carolina, who has even contacted her state legislator about replacing textbooks with ebooks. She lifted one of her daughter's backpacks and was shocked at how heavy it was. Sams said, "When I initially called, he didn’t say much. Then, a couple of years later, he called me back and the movement started blossoming from there.”

Despite the growing interest in incorporating digital technology in schools, few are paying enough attention to the immediate health implications of heavy backpacks, Sams said. “Some kids are carrying twice their bodyweight. Their spines are still developing and these heavy backpacks are setting the way for spine issues,” she said. “Posture has radically changed, as well as the way kids walk. They have to plod their feet when lugging around a heavy backpack. ~ The OH&S Wire

Debate still rages over whether heavy backpacks cause permanant damage to kids' backs. MRI scans of eight children showed compression of disks and spinal curvature caused by typical school backpack loads, but eight is a very small sample. Sources that I would consider reuptable (such as the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) say that, while heavy backpacks can cause posture problems, they do not cause scoliosis or long-term damage to the spine.

Yes, ebook technology has come a long way in recent years, and sales have skyrocketed. According to Amazon, ebooks have been outselling paper books (paperback and hardback) since May. Barnes and Noble's CEO said that the company sells three times as many digital books as physical books on its website.

Despite the popularity of ebooks, early pilots resulted in rejection of the Kindle DX as a textbook. Though 90 percent of students liked the Kindle for pleasure reading, 80 percent would not recommend it as a classroom aid. (Here's an interesting article where students weigh in with their opinions.) Among the reasons cited for rejecting the Kindle as a textbook were the inability to easily highlight and write notes and lack of color charts and graphics. Early results also included lack of accessability to visually impared students. Subsequent Kindle generations did address this by adding text-to-speech capabilities. Unfortunately, this came under fire by the publishing industry.

I well remember the challange of lugging heavy textbooks and/or deciding which ones I could leave at home or in my locker for all or some of the day. As someone who regularly highlights and writes notes in her Kindle, I appreciate the advantages of being able to pull the file containing those notations. However, I tend to agree with this article: Could the Kindle Replace College Textbooks? The technology needs to be improved, but we will be there before we know it.

Do you think ebook readers, such as the Kindle, have a future as textbook replacements?

Google to Release New Kindle Competition

Jimi's Kindle

The release of the Story HD, Google's eReader, is just days away. On July 17, 2011, it will be sold in Target stores for $139. The new eReader comes equipped with a QWERTY keyboard and WiFi capabilities. Though the new device isn't yet ready to be serious competition for Amazon's Kindle, more eBook readers mean more support for digital books. That's a good thing.

Today, I puffed beneath the weight of the overflowing box of books as I lugged it toward the back of Half-Price Books. The thump of the box on the buy counter brought only relief, despite the fact that it signaled my parting with long-time friends—the survivors of the downsizing from previous moves. An amazing device has prompted the dramatic reduction in my paper book collection.

When Amazon announced the launch of the Kindle, it was my dream device come true. I love both reading and gadgets, so nothing could be better than combining the two. I could see the end of packing a stack of books for each trip, choosing purses based on whether a book would fit in them, and breaking my back moving multiple bookshelves worth of books every few years. On June 6, 2008, I purchased my first Amazon Kindle.

Now I am on my fourth Kindle. I sell the previous iteration and trade up with each new model released. It just keeps getting better.

Short Story Review: The Girl in the Coffee Shop, by Caedem Marquez

The Girl in the Coffee Shop, by Caedem Marquez, is a short, surprising story about a chubby college student turned journalist.

I received this story as a review copy, via Smashwords. Having read the blurb, I must admit that I approached this story with a bit of trepidation. I am a plus sized woman, so the description of Gertrude as chubby followed quickly by a list of her snack of "strawberry muffins, scones, and three Frappaccinos" seemed to be playing to the stereotypes of fat chick who eats too much junk food. And, yes, there were several description references that made me squirm, but the author at least let the main character handle them with a sense of humor.

Gertrude is sitting in a coffee shop attempting to write her college thesis on "Expanding Christian News in a Modern Internet World." Her Christian sensibilities are shocked when she sees a couple who are obviously having an affair. Gertrude's reaction is believably sophomoric, and she spends perhaps too much time saying "gross," "yuck," and "eww," but she gradually convinces herself that this is her path to news-anchor fame. "I could follow them. I could write my first major news story, I could put it on the web and get a million hits on Youtube. The people at church would applaud me for stopping such evil."

I admit that I wasn't at all comfortable with where this was going, particularly in regard to the main character's religious presumptions, but there really are people out there like that. I kept reading.

Gertrude takes off after the couple. I enjoyed the description that started the chase. "The Moped wheels scream to life as they burn rubber. Okay, okay, they don't scream, rather they sputter and protest but I do smell burnt rubber. I can't tell if the scent stems from my over-worked tires or the tire burning factory.... I prefer the former as the cause of the smell, after all, this is my first real-life chase."

There were a few run-on sentences exacerbated by punctuation choices that left me mentally gasping for breath as I raced through them. Most readers probably won't notice as they get caught up in the author's descriptions. The pacing is good. I was actually almost starting to like Gertrude. I could see some hope for her to grow up a little through the story, and I liked where the plot was going. Then it ended.

I was not prepared for the abrupt conclusion. I was only 57 percent through the Kindle document (Location 266 of 556) when I reached the end of the story. I see now that the Kindle version lists the inclusion of an excerpt from Caedem's upcoming book, but there is no such note on the Smashwords version. I'm trying not to hold that against the The Girl in the Coffee Shop, but I'm still disappointed.

Would I recommend this story? Yes, I think that I would, though with the above-noted reservations. Sometimes it is good to be taken out of your comfort zone. This little nibble of a story was a fun way to pass part of my lunch break. The real reason I liked the story is in the resolution, but I won't spoil that for you. You'll have to read it yourself.

Recommended with reservations

Shirt.Woot Love for Book Lovers: News for book-loving geeks.

I can't resist books or, apparently, book-related tshirts. Most days I take a peek at shirt.woot and move on, but the theme for the next few days has my full attention:  I "Heart" Books.

For those not familiar with Woot offerings, each deal is posted for one day only and expires either when they run out of stock or the day ends. Click here for everything you wanted to know about Woot, and then some.

Today's shirt references these Dr. Seuss books. Let me know if you find more. 

• Cat in the Hat
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
• Hop On Pop
• The Lorax
• Horton Hears a Who
• Green Eggs and Ham
• Fox In Sox

The next two days will showcase more Derby winners. Occasionally, there will also be an "Editor's Choice" shirt for an additional day of fun. I'm not usually one to strike up a conversation with complete strangers, but I might be tempted if I see someone wearing one of these shirts.

Which book made you a reader?

“A long time ago, when all the grandfathers and grandmothers of today were little boys and little girls or very small babies, or perhaps not even born, Pa and Ma and Mary and Laura and Baby Carrie left their little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. They drove away and left it lonely and empty in the clearing among the big trees, and they never saw that little house again. They were going to Indian country.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

That’s how it began, both the story and my life as a reader. Little House on the Prairie was my reading textbook in first grade. When I finally worked my way through to the end, I was a reader.

It was certainly not my very first book. I had worked my way through more basic books, like Fun with Dick and Jane and countless golden books. Many more books were read to me, usually by my parents during bedtime story time. What made this particular book special is that I was the one reading the words, and those words painted a story that caught my imagination. I went on to read the entire set of Little House books and countless more books in the months, weeks, and years that followed. Reading is still among my favorite pastimes. And it is through reading that I learned to write. I am still learning.

Now I'm working on passing the love of books to the next generation. My son already has several shelves worth of books, which he loves to pull down and flip through. We read together every night at bedtime, and as often as possible on the weekends. I wonder which book will be the true reading catalyst for him. I have high hopes that there will be one.

Think back to your earliest reading memories. Which book made you a reader?

Short Story Review: Field Trip, by Jody Wallace

Field Trip, by Jody Wallace, is an entertaining story with all the cute annoyances of a group of children on a museum field trip.

I’ll admit it. I was drawn to this story by the cover. Though not exactly the same, the font reminds me of Star Trek: The Next Generation. (Yes, I’m one of those geeks.) I received a copy of the story through an offer on Jody Wallace's blog, Writer and Cat.

Miss James is a third grade teacher escorting her students to the Space Station Freedom Museum and Amusement Park. The trip is not going well. Handsome but inept, the Zhie tour guide, Sergeant Chamblin, “…was obviously not used to holding the attention of twenty Human and Zhie third graders from the Integrated Public School System of Earth on their annual field trip.” The kids are restless, and restless children, whether human or alien, are a recipe for disaster. Miss James uses all of her 12 years of teaching experience to maintain order as she mentally composes an email satisfaction survey complaining of Chamblin’s inept performance. A malfunction in the museum’s shabby shuttle simulator does not help matters.

The tour of the now defunct space station includes a backward look at antiquated technology—actually advanced by today’s standards—that gradually builds a picture of Zhie/Human first contact. The children’s antics are believable. “To make matters worse, [Chamblin] sometimes patted the kids on the shoulder, head or back when he didn’t know the answers to their questions.” This patronizing behavior, among other idiosyncrasies, registers with Miss James. She sometimes tries to give the guide pointers while continuing to compose her growing list of complaints.

Then their field trip takes an unusual turn. I recommend that you grab a copy to find out what happens. The world building is effortless and believable. The story is well told and edited, and the writing is excellent.

Field Trip perfectly illustrates why I prefer books over short stories. I want more, including development of some of the fascinating hints we get about Miss James and Sergeant Chamblin. Unfortunately, Jody Wallace does not have any other published works in this genre, let alone this universe. Jody, please write more!

Highly recommended.