Blog break!

I have two blogs. One Norwegian one, and this one in English. And I have - unfortunately - only 24 hours a day.. I need to take a blog break from this English book blog because lack of time. I want to blog properly - now I definately don't!

My days are filled with books, reviews and litterature related activities on top everything else. "Everthing else" is nowadays a very timeconsuming job. It is just too much to handle. I will be back, hopefully just after summer 2012! Until then - have a great time! :-)

Marianne / aka KindleJoy

Review - "Conquest" by B.V. Larson

I have now completed the fourth novel in the Star Force series. It was a bit downhill from the last "Rebellion" so it fits me perfectly well that the author hasn't finished his fifth book yet. I need a break...

A bit about the book

"Conquest" is the next chapter in the intergalactic war between living beeings and the Makros, the machines. In this fourth novel Riggs has brought peace to Earth, but again for a price. The Makros don't trust him anymore and have decided to get rid of both him and Earth once and for all. The war about Earth starts up again and this time the war scene is Star Force's main base on Andros, Bahamas.

At the same time as the Makros returns Riggs gets into trouble with his girlfriend Sandra. She is convinced there is romance in the air between him and his comm's leutenant. On top of that somebody tries to assasinate Riggs. Is it one of his own marines? While the battle between humans and machines goes on at Earth, Marvin - the willfull robot - has been equipped with a space ship and creates strange happenings around the galaxy. Earth gets unexpected help and Riggs takes even bigger risks. Will human kind and  biological beings survive the machines this time?

My evaluation

This is the first time in the series where I get disappointed. I have maybe had too high expectations about this book? I do like the concept very well and the humour which Larson so successful has incorporated as a valid part of the story, but - this fourth book makes me seriously wonder if I want to continue reading. It gets tiring reading about killing the Makros again and again. Tactics of war takes over from clever humor and fairytale replaces Science Fiction.

Marvin, which earlier was as unpredictable as a teenager in full bloom, is now predictable. The relationship between Riggs and the two "leading ladies" - Sandra and Jasmine - gets foolish after a while and is not very credible. On top of this the digital version I've got of this novel is full of writing errors, strange sentences and completely wrong words. It seems like the last editions aren't done and I feel I read an unfinished book. A few times this gets so annoying it takes my focus away from the action.

I don't know if I'll try out the next one in the series, "Battlestation". Time will show..

My rating

(-) of 5


Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 523 KB
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B006LX3QP6

Pic of the day: View from our tent - Safari Botswana

.

Review - "Rebellion" by B.V. Larson

Just finished the third novel in the "Star Force" series. This is something as original as a funny Sci-Fi series, and I haven't seen any of those for some years now.

A bit about the book

Kyle Riggs is still the head of Star Force, a group of more or less volunteers who defends Earth against invasion from space. To keep the peace with the Macro's - a race which entirely consists of machines - Riggs has made a deal with them. The result is that Star Force for a short period of time will act as assasins for the Macros. After the deal is fulfilled the Macros will leave Earth in peace. This, however, does not happen. Instead Riggs & Co. are forcibly sent on a new mission to do genocide towards the Centaurs.

"Rebellion" is the turning point in the great galactic war between all living creatures and the machines. Star Force is still, forcibly, fighting for the Macros, but for how long? In this third novel Kyle Riggs learns just what kind of war Earth is involved in, and now he is going towards loosing his conscience. Should humans do genocide towards another race to save themselves? Riggs and the Star Force are in for a challenge, and in addition to the war going on they have a brain box which completely does its own stunts - the robot called Marvin...

My evaluation

I caught myself laughing out loud several times on the plane reading the book. Maybe it's just me, but I find a hilarious hero in Kyle Riggs. He isn't a super human "knows it all - does it all", but with his enhanced body he surely knows how to survive. And in between he has some really good ideas. This is actually something as rare as a funny Sci-Fi novel. The story is compex enough, even if Larson writes in a very easy and sometimes naïve way. Here you don't find greatly described worlds with lots of details. This is more hands-on combat, tactics, humor, a little love, sarcasms and improbabilities mixed with action scenes and a strange robot going his own ways.

This novel is, as both of the previous ones in the series, an easy read without it never getting bad for that reason. Larson engages me totally with his writing, and even if I personally ain't a huge fan of details of star wars and war tactics the novel doesn't overdo it at all. This is a Sci-Fi series for those who find Peter F. Hamilton and his likes too heavy and detailed. This is also a series for those who wants to try the Sci-Fi genre but are allergic to too much technical stuff. This series is not complex at all! I liked this novel very much, and I think Larson just writes better and better as the story develops. I have already started book 4 in the series - "Conquest" - the preliminary last one.

Review of the first two books in the series you'll find here:

1. Swarm
2. Extinction

More books from the same author - B.V. Larson - you can find HERE and you can click the above youtube link to hear the author talk about his books and his experience with publishing with Amazon.

My rating

of 5


Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 535 KB
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B005IQZ8UI

Not quite spring yet - but promising..!!

.

I have NOT proposed :-)

But... February has been a rather hectic month anyway, and that shows here on my blog for sure. I have had a couple of weeks travelling because of my job, and the last two weeks I have been on a winter holiday in Whistler, Canada. Business and pleasure evenly distributed for once :-)

March can come, with only a couple of short trips out of the country. I have read a couple of books in February, no more, but they were both very good. Reviews of both B.V Larson's "Rebellion" and Michael R. Hicks' "From Chaos Born" will follow shortly.

For now, a few memories from Whistler the last two weeks...

Lots of powder coming down

Powder Princess - my daugther in the air...

POW and SUN - Yeyyyhhh...!!!

.

Kindle Touch finally shipped internationally !!!

Finally Amazon has got organized and started shipping the great e-reader Kindle Touch outside US!

Link to the international site you'll find HERE.

If you scroll down the page you'll find the similarities and the differences between the now four different Kindle e-readers. Read and enjoy :-)


 
There is only one version of the Kindle Touch available, and that is the Kindle Touch with built-in Wi-Fi

• Price is $139

No Kindle Touch with 3G yet - but, at least we have got the touch version!

I have waited some time now for the Kindle Touch. Not because I want to swap my beloved Kindle Keyboard but I couldn't see any sane reason for the Touch not being sold outside US. Well, the waiting is over. It's all yours :-)

Have fun!

Powder and sun - who needs more? Røldal Norway :-)

.

How does Kindle Fire work outside US!

I have tested Norway, and I guess my results reflects pretty much the rest of Europe too. This is what you should be aware of if you decide to buy a Kindle Fire while in US or from other internet sites:

FYI - My Kindle Fire was bought in BestBuy in Houston while my boyfriend was working there last week.

Step 1 - Out of the box experience

Just as you know, I have a normal Norwegian user login with amazon.com and I have a normal Norwegian Visa card attached to my Amazon account. No more!

The content of the Kindle Fire box was simple

• 1 Kindle Fire
• 1 US charger
• That's it

I turned the gadget ON

No pain! The Kindle Fire is half way charged and all I had to do was to wait 30 seconds. My wi-fi network was automatically added. The only thing I had to do was type in my wi-fi password. Easy peasy! GREAT!

Connection with Amazon

After my successful wi-fi connect a pop-up window appears which asks me to fill in my Amazon user-id and password. And wooops, I am logged in and all my e-books that I have previously bought for my Kindle Keyboard is updated and put on my Kindle Fire's front page without me doing anything. GREAT!

Time & Date

I am then automatically prompted for time zone and if I want metric measures or not. No searching for "Settings" menu. GREAT!

Kindle Fire Silk browser

The first that hits me is that the browser is fast! I go to my own photo website which I know is a bit heavy to load, but this is a piece of cake. I am impressed! Ok, we have a pretty decent wi-fi connection, but still. GREAT! When it comes to zoom and scroll the pages, I am not that impressed. Some of my normal websites, as my own book blog, I cannot zoom or scroll down. Not even if I switch between landscape and portrait mode. NOT GREAT!

Next on my list is to test all the available choices from the main menu. Here are the Norwegian results ;-)

Newsstand

When I go to the newsstand it is empty. Understandable. I don't have any Norwegian newspapers or magazines available so I hit the Amazon "Store" button to see what they can offer. Here are a lot of newspapers and magazines, but NONE are avaible for me because I do not have an american credit card! NOT GREAT!

E-books

This works! I can log on to my normal amazon.com account and buy my e-books directly to my Kindle Fire with my Norwegian Visa credit card. The e-books get stored in the Cloud and I can access my books both from my Kindle Fire and my Kindle Keyboard. GREAT!

Music, Video, Apps

To buy and/or download any of these three is NOT available. Both music, video and apps - even the free ones - need me to have an American credit card attached to my account. I can do the film trailers, but no more. NOT GREAT! :-(

Docs

This works both on my Kindle Keyboard and my Kindle Fire. No problems with sending my own Word or PDF's to my Kindle. GREAT!

The virtual keyboard

Some of the reviews I have read says that the Kindle Fire virtual keyboard isn't good at all. A lot of people have severe problems with getting it to register when they "push" a letter. I don't find this a problem at all. It works perfectly! GREAT!

Screen quality

Superb! Nothing more to say about that! And I am very picky when it comes to screens being a hobby photographer. The pictures are sharp with very good color saturation and contrast. You can adjust the screen to your liking, but the standard setup was perfect for me. GREAT! I will not, however, use my Kindle Fire for reading books. I so much prefer the e-inc on my Kindle Keyboard. No one above, no one even close...!!! 

Amazon Prime

When you buy a Kindle Fire you get a free Amazon Prime membership. The membership gives you the possibility to stream over 10.000 commercial free movies and tv shows from the video library. Well, no use for me - I don't get any access to the video library from Norway! If you want to stream you need both an American credit card AND an American IP address. NOT GREAT.

Step 2 - My experience with an American credit card from Norway

As it comes, we actually have an American credit card because we do a lot of business in the USA. I put my American credit card onto my amazon.com account, and wooops -

• I can buy and subscribe to News and Magazines. GREAT!
• I can buy and download both Music and Apps. GREAT!
• I can't, however, stream video and tv shows. I still need an American IP address to do that. NOT GREAT!

It is not easy to get an American credit card. You cannot just apply for one and get it. There should be a solution to this problem - somewhere. I haven't given up :-)

Step 3 - Extended testing and experience

NEWS - 29.01.2012: It is possible to stream both tv and video from amazon.com! 

• Log on to: www.unblock-us.com
• Follow the "how to" for Android
• And there you go!!

This software fakes a US IP address! It was so easy when I just found the correct SW! Now I stream tv and video and can take advantage of the full Prime membership too.

Any problems? Contact:  mykindlejoy@gmail.com

Good luck! :-)

Updated: 31.01.2012

Cover for my Kindle Fire

Am i lucky? I realized the moment I got my Kindle Fire that I needed a cover for it. The screen gets very quickly dirty (touch screen, what did I expect..), but I am also afraid of getting scratched glass. So, what to use until I get my Kindle Fire cover?

Last year I bought no less than two handmade Oberon leather covers for my Kindle Keyboard. Just for fun I tried to attach my Kindle Fire to one of them. And it works! Pretty well, actually! :-) The Kindle Fire is a bit thicker than the Kindle Keyboard, but the leather straps which the Oberon covers are delivered with are strong and juuust about big enough to hold the Fire in place! A little bit tight fit allright, but the Fire will definately not drop out of the cover by itself!

So - now my Fire has the red hummingbird cover (red = fire..) and my Kindle Keyboard stays in its  purple paisley cover for now. I have actually ordered a new cover for my Kindle Fire, a neoprene sleeve, but it is not in stock until February 15. And then it's going to be shipped to Norway... I think it will be smarter to use a sleeve for my Fire, because a normal cover gets more in the way during use...

This cover can of course also be used with the Kindle Keyboard since the only difference in the size is the thickness. The carrying handle can be removed, and that's how I'm going to use it I think.

Amazon calls this lovely sleeve: "Blue Swirl Flower Design Neoprene Padded Bubble Sleeve Case Cover with Accessory Pocket Removable Carrying Handle"   *Breeeeaattthh...* and it can be bought HERE.

And that concluded my Friday marketing ;-)

.

Listen to audio books/.mp3 from your Kindle e-reader!

Today I have tested audio books from my Kindle Keyboard, and it was a great experience!

For those of you enjoying listening to books, here is the recipe of how to use your Kindle e-reader as an .mp3 audio book player.

PS! The new Kindle Mini can not handle audio books. Just as you know... And, my recipe below contains link to free audiobooks you can test on :-)


You need

• Your Kindle and a set of headphones which are compatible with the jack just beside the charger.

How to put the .mp3 audio book onto your Kindle

• Click HERE to download a free audio book in .mp3 format
• Click on line 1 "Aesop's Fables"
• Click again on "Aesop's Fables Volume 1"
• Scroll down till you find the headline ".mp3 and ogg files"
• Click the link "mp3@64kbps - 5.3MB"
• Choose "Save File"
• Attach your Kindle to your PC
• Open your FileManager and go to: c:\users\"your_user"\downloads
• Copy the file "fables_01_00_aesop_64kb" to your Kindle's Kindle\music directory

Play your .mp3 audio book

• Unplug your Kindle from the PC
• Plug in your headset
• Go to your HOME page on the Kindle
• Click the MENU button
• Go down to "Experimental" and choose this
• Under "Play MP3" you get explained how to play and pause your file
• Choose "play music"
• If you don't hear anything, remember you have a volume control button to the left of your headset jack
• Click + ;-)
• To pause your book, just choose "pause music" from the "Experimental" tab

You can of course also use the same recipe to play music files (.mp3) from your Kindle.

Audio books from Amazon

Amazon has their own website where you can buy and subscribe to audio books. Check out www.audible.com.

Good luck :-)

Updated: 26.1.2012

Review - "Purity" by Douglas Clegg

This is my first horror novella, and that is not bad! I am widening my horizon, as was one of my objectives with jotting down my reading challenges for 2012. I wasn't disappointed! I didn't know Douglas Clegg, but with some active reading on Amazon.com I found enough reviews to convince me to try. Maybe a touch of Dean R. Koontz? One can only hope..

A bit about the novella

Owen is the teenager son of the gardener who tends the gardens to the rich and famous house owners at Outerbridge Island. He lives with his father and mother in a small house which belonges to the Montgomery family. Owen is so in love with the rich Montgomery girl about the same age as himself. She visits the island every summer holiday and spends a few weeks there every year. Owen gets really upset when she brings her new boyfriend, Jimmy, to the island the same year they are going to celebrate their 18th birthday.

Owen decides to win Jenna back by seducing her sexual frustrated boyfriend. Owen is mentally a very complex person and his mother starts to fear the evil that now more often comes to the surface. Owen has also a secret that he has hidden in one of the ponds in the garden, a scary god-like statue which means a lot to him. He realizes, that if he cannot compete against Jimmy to get Jenna, stronger measures need to be taken. Even if it means murder...

My evaluation

What the author has accomplished  is to give the reader an in-depth knowledge of Jimmy's mental health, and this characterizes the whole story. Normally in novellas I feel that the characters are a bit shallow, due to the fact that novellas are short stories, but in "Purity" Clegg really manages to build a very believable main character, Owen. You get drawn into Owen's world and don't think about that this is a novella. The story has a very surprising end, I like it!

The only thing I react to is that this story is classified as a horror novella. I don't think it is, even if Owen's psyke isn't actually standard business. Yes, he worships the ugly, fishlike statue Dagon and Dagon was the fishgod to the Philistines - a people who in medieval times lived by the Mediterranean - but the statue doesn't intervene in the history enough to affect it much. This is more a disastrous triangle love story with some dark undertows, well developed characters and a surprising end more than anything else. No horror, in my opinion. This is not a must-read, but a good novella. I am, however, tempted to check out some of Clegg's novels. From the reviews I have read they seem more horrorlike.

My rating

of 5



Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 460 KB
Publisher: Alkemara Press (April 10, 2009)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B00267RC60

Read Word-documents on your Kindle!

I have now written a recipe of how to send your own Word-documents, PDF's and other text documents directly from the PC to your Kindle.

The quality of the documents you receive is great, and the only thing you have to do is to install a simple and free program from Amazon first.

The recipe you'll find HERE

Have fun :-)

.

Review - "Prince of Wolves" by Quinn Loftis

Genre: YA/Romance

2012 is the year when I try out new genres! In this story werewolves are the main ingredient, since I testet out vampires just before Christmas... I am going to try it all!

A bit about the book

Jacque is 17 and her senior year in highschool is coming up in just a couple of weeks. When a very good looking new student moves in with the neighbours accross the street Jacque and her friends Sally and Jen have quite another finish of their summer holiday than expected.

From the moment Jacque meet Fane's eyes she feels a very strong connection with him without knowing exactly why. When his voice appear clearly in her head she gets really thrown off her feet. They can talk - soul to soul! Jacque doesn't understand that Fane is a werewolf and that she happens to be his mate! The problem is, however, that Fane isn't the only werewolf in Coldspring, Texas. Just when Fane and Jacque get to know each other a bit, Lucas shows up and claimes that Jacque is actually his mate. Fane has to challenge Lucas to keep Jacque. And only one of the werewolves will survive the challenge. Who wins? And, will Jacque accept being a werewolve's mate?

My evaluation

This is difficult! I really wanted to like this book, because I was facinated by the plot before I started reading. I am not a werewolf-lover to begin with, but wanted to give this particular novel a chance. It was, at least for me, a waste of time.. The start was actually quite good, but after a few chapters I  started loosing interest in the story and instead got more and more annoyed with the writing.

As a reader I had to read about the same happenings again and again. If that had added something to the story, fine! But it didn't. I couldn't believe in Fane and the way Jacque and her friends Sally and Jen were communicating was generally very annoying! I think the idea with all the dialogues were meant to be funny and add humor to the story, but they just ended up being foolish!

I can read unrealistic novels if the author manages to build a realistic environment and credible characters. Here both lacks. And I cannot believe that both Jacque, her friends and neighbours just accepts all the supernatural stuff that happens around them. They seldom question a thing.. For me the characters are all uninteresting, one-dimentional and directly foolish in their never ending dialogues. This is the author's debut novel and his first in "The Grey Wolves" series. I am not going to read the rest of them..

My rating

of 5


Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 334 KB
Print Length: 256 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B005983WCQ
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
Lending: Enabled

My own wolf equivalence Toby the dog

.

Review - "Scarecrow Returns" by Matthew Reilly

It feels like I have been hit by a train, thrown into the air and landed in a rollercoaster, bullets flying and a muscular James Bond-like hero just beyond reach coming to save me. The adrenaline is pumping and I think - WOW, I'm definately alive!

No, I haven't watched a movie, I have just read Reilly's new action novel. In one day. Yesterday. And my heart is still racing!

A bit about the book (from Amazon)

Deep in the Arctic, a long-forgotten Soviet military base enshrouds a weapon of unimaginably destructive force, a Cold War doomsday device with the power to obliterate the planet.

When a mysterious and brutal terrorist group known as the Army of Thieves seizes control of the remote base and unleashes the weapon upon an unsuspecting world, there is only one team close enough to sabotage them: a ragtag band of Marines and civilians led by Captain Shane Schofield, call sign “Scarecrow.” Outnumbered, outgunned, and with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, Scarecrow has only a few short hours to bring down the Army of Thieves, or see the Earth go up in flames.

Filled with nonstop action and told in Matthew Reilly’s characteristically white-knuckle prose, Scarecrow Returns is a work of gripping suspense and complete exhilaration.

My evaluation

Reilly strikes again! No one writes hard core action thrillers like this author! I am thoroughly amazed and gets totally blown away! This novel contains non stop explosions, bullets flying, rocket launchers boom'ing, a litte bit conspiracy, a touch of romance and our hero Scarecrow handles it all. People with heart problems should be warned about this book, and action junkies should definitely try out this one. There are no slow parts in this book anywhere! I couldn't stop reading this book. I started and ended it yesterday - in one go. And I want more! Much more!

There are no author who manages to pump my adrenaline as Reilly with his Scarecrow hero. I have to admit I am very hooked on James Bond-, Mission Impossible- & Die Hard movies to mention just a few. If you have the same tendencies - buy this book! If you love action you should definately not miss this novel. Keep them coming, Reilly!!!

My rating

of 5
No one above, no one even close when it comes to action thrillers!!!

Other novels in the Scarecrow series

Ice Station (1998)
Area 7 (2001)
Scarecrow (2003)
Hell Island (2006)

I addition Reilly has written three books about Jack West Junior. These are even better than Dan Brown's! Conspiracy theories on a high level combined, of course, with action. This series is also very very good:

The Seven Ancient Wonders (2005)
The Six Sacred Stones (2007)
The Five Greatest Warriors (2009)




Scarecrow Returns:

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 1229 KB
Print Length: 370 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1416577599
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (January 3, 2012)
Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
Language: English
ASIN: B004T4KWYM

.

Review - "Box of Rocks" by Karla Telega

I wish I had saved this for my winter holiday! This is a fun read :-)

A bit about the book

Maggie and Cher are both 50+ and try to find something to fill their days. Maggie suffers from nervous breakdowns and therefore has no job. Cher is also without work, but she on the other hand has a lot of money and have just finished studying journalism. They decide to start collecting local stones as a hobby, and maybe find gold?

An archaeology student has apparently found evidence of an indigenous ancient tribe in one of the National State Parks, and this can be the really big thing - both for him and his university.

Bear has also found something interesting, and he guards his finding with whatever means. This can be his ticket to another life.

These three stories are connected, and with Maggie and Cher as the main characters in the novel. They find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation, and since Cher can be tied to one of the persons in this case both of the women are involved - maybe more than they bargained for when they started rock collection?

My evaluation

This is a fun novel to read! I don't find myself laughing on top of my lungs, but I more or less chuckle throughout the whole story. The narrative angle is from Maggie and Cher's point of view and the humor evolves around the fact that these two women are just about to pass their prime. Almost.. At the same time they want to do something with their life, to have a purpose, and this characterize the whole story. Incontinence, tendencies of a nervous breakdown and murder investigation is mixed with two crazy dogs, archaeology digging and previous adultery.

This is an easy read, and you don't find a very intricate and complex murder investigation going on. Even so, this was a book worth my time. As several other new authors I have read lately Telega doesn't do the same mistake of getting off track with tedious elaborate details. Her dialogue is spot-on without any nonsense. A result of few details is however, that the story feels a bit "thin". Then again, this novel may not need that. I would like to read more from this author and see how she develops her characters! This is a good start!

My rating

with a "+" behind it :-)


Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 309 KB
Print Length: 290 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0615497977
Publisher: Adoro Books; 1 edition (July 20, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B005DOZZS0

Lots of traces from the Viking's in my area - the reason behind our monument

.

Today I'm a frontpage girl !!

A nice surprise awaited me this morning. I was one of BLOGGERS.com's featured bloggers of today! So now I am on the frontpage of their blog and have my five minutes of fame ;-) Yeyyhh! And here I am:

If you don't know bloggers.com - this is a site which connects thousands of bloggers all over the world. Here you'll find blogs in every thinkable category. To check out the great community, click on my button below. Welcome!

A fantastic old woman selling her items at Bangkok's floating market

.

How to read EPUB files on your Kindle!

Or - how to convert .epub files to .mobi

A good thing cannot be mentioned too often! Here you'll find a simple recipe of how to convert any .EPUB e-book files, with or without DRM, to Kindle's .MOBI format. You only need a little bit of patience and install two freeware programs and off you go.

The recipe you'll find HERE

It is newly updated to match changes in one of the external links.

The software I use

This freeware removes the DRM lock which many publishers put on their e-book files.

Calibre does the actual job of converting the clean, unlocked e-book file from the .EPUB format to Kindle's .MOBI format.

If you have any questions or problems concerning this, please do no hesitate to contact me on my e-mail: 

mykindlejoy@gmail.com

This said - It is up to all of you to take the moral responsibility for this solution not to be abused! The e-book files are to be treated as any other printed books with Copyright! This is a way for you as a Kindle user to be able to read whatever e-books you find on your preferred e-book reader!

Today I have bought the hideously expensive Norwegian e-book "Vinterstengt" av Jørn Lier Horst, removed the DRM and put it on my Kindle. And just as you know - Don't you EVER complain about Amazon's prices. In Norway I paid $41.50 for my new e-book crime novel...!!!  (no wonder i just loooove Amazon!)

.

Great skins and covers for all Kindle's!

I own a Kindle Keyboard and have got a replacement for the one which died on me just before Christmas. But it has lacked something, my own little finish so to speak. There are so many beautiful skins out there to choose between. This time I didn't go for a colorful variant, but a more discreet one which matches both of my covers. My Kindle Keyboard looks like this for the moment:

A pretty skin from DecalGirl for just $15! This design is called WindMill.

 In addition to a skin I have already invested in no less than two different handmade leather covers from Oberon Design.  As a skin is more like a personal touch to the Kindle, a cover however protects both the screen and the keyboard from scratches, dust and moist. In addition is it very convenient visually - it prevents me from grabbing my boyfriends Kindle when I'm in a hurry...

I have chosen two covers which I alter between. It's kind of boring to have only one.. because then all my books look the same :-) I am extremely satisfied with these covers which have a 100% wool felt screen protector inside and the attachment system provides excellent shake and drop security. The custom leather cover easily folds in half & stays open or you can read your Kindle as a book. The cover is also stiff enough for a reading light attachment. These are my two chosen ones:

Check out Oberon Design for a variety of both colors and patterns. They cost $67 each.

And - yes, I have also invested in a cover which I bring to the beach. Electronics and sand is a bad mix, and I would hate to destroy my beloved gadget. I found a very good, water repellant and sandproof cover with a transparent front. The cover is soft enough to enable you to change pages without a problem. In addition you have easy access to the sleep/off button at the bottom. You just choose where you put the zippers. I chose this one from M-Edge:

You can get the M-Edge cover from Amazon's Kindle Store

The M-Edge cover is not totally waterproof, so I wouldn't take it with me into the pool, but it has covered all my needs both on the beach and by the pool several times already.

There is also other extra's which can be nice to have, but a skin and a cover I find both pretty, practical and smart. I have to admit that I have invested in a little led light which I can attach to the top part of my Kindle or Oberon covers. The thought was to bring it to our next photo safari, but that camping trip has for some reason been delayed. When our next Africa-trip is planned however, I am already prepared :-)

A Vervet Monkey from our last trip to Botswana

Review - "To Desire a Scoundrel" by Tracy Sumner

The heat is definately on! It's not often that I read Romance, but I have decided to widen my horizon and read some other stuff too in addition to my Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Crime books. It also helps towards my new challenge to read 52 novellas in 2012. Romance is ok in smaller doses :-)

A bit about the novella

Katherine Peters has fallen in love with Tanner Barkley, a scoundrel and flirt who always gets what he wants. When Katherines realizes that Tanner shows interest in her only because she sits on information about a news scoop which propells Tanner's career in the news business she feels used and it breaks her heart.

A few years later they meet on their way to the same little village to celebrate Christmas with friends, and at a pre-Christmas party Katherine gets seduced by Tanner again. Caught between rationality and lust and a Tanner who claims that he has actually loved her all the time Kathrine travels back home to the man she is expected to marry. How it ends? That is for me to know and you to find out :-)

My evaluation

This is hot! But it is also a rather charming story about love and the power of desire. The language is actually very good and propells me on. This isn't too sweet, more sexy than anticipated and an interesting change from what I usually read. Even if this is a (rather long) novella, the main characters come alive and are very believable and the scene - early 1900 century - is cleverly used and very well done. This is not quite Hamlet, but a rather nice diversion from my other books.

My rating

of 5

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 482 KB
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Tracy Sumner (December 12, 2011)
Sold by:  Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B006LPHE8O

Pic of the day: an imported rose from Tanzania

.

Review - "A Feeling in my Bones" by Gervase Shorter

Genre: Crime/Mystery

A bit about the author 

Born in England, Gervase spent his military service hunting terrorists through the forests of Mount Kenya. After studying medieval history at Oxford he caught the Transiberian train to Vladivostok on his way to Japan, where he lived for four years. He travelled back to Europe overland and then spent three years in Lisbon, moving in 1973 to Rio de Janeiro where he now divides his time between an apartment overlooking the lagoon and a farm 3,000 feet up in the mountains where he grows bananas, avocados, persimmon and pecan nuts. He is married with four adult children.

A bit about the book

Jake and Sally meet at the university and falls in love. Later they get married and live in the English countryside. Jake works as a consultant, a "fixer" between larger companies and Sally works as a book editor. On one of Jake's jobs abroad he disappears while on an assignment for a reclusive billionaire. Rumors says he's off to Africa, but Sally doesn't know his whereabouts. Everything is very secret. A month later Jake reappears in a mental clinic in Miami suffering from a nervous breakdown and their life changes dramatically.

What happened to Jake when he was abroad? Did he really go to Central Africa? Why does he behave so distant and strange? And where does all the money Jake suddenly inherited from the now dead billionaire really come from? Little by little Sally discovers the truth, and what she finds is so frightening that she has to run for her life.

My evaluation

This is a novel with a potentially very interesting story line! I get, however, more and more disappointed the further I read. Instead of building suspense around the main plot, the story gets off track again and again with uninteresting information and side stories.

Parts of the writing is very good and keeps me turning the pages. It is as if the author's enthusiasm comes and goes in waves. But overall I don't really get to know the main character and narrator of the story, Sally, even though I get a lot of information about her. She doesn't engage or intrique me. Jake's character seems also very vague. When I loose interest in the main characters I also loose interest in the story. Do I really want to know what this is all about?

The biggest disappointment however is the end of the novel, which could have been very interesting with the sketched main plot in mind. But I find it too rushed and abrupt finalized compared to the very good parts which lead up to "the grand finale". The end is as if the author lost the spark again - a little too soon. Again I am left thinking.. "what was this?" Not convinced.

My rating

of 5 

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 414 KB
Print Length: 252 pages
Publisher: Amazon; 2 edition (September 7, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B005UNJDFA

Pic of the day: Reminder of Summer

.