Toaster Tuesday (004) with a touch of Library Post…
Toaster Tuesday is a series of posts about e-readers, specifically my experiences as a new Nook owner. The concept was partially inspired by a show called Battlestar Galactica. Basically the antagonists in the story are the Cylons, who are robots. The humans like to call them Toasters. I figured since there is a dichotomy between organic and electronic in the book world as well, I’d play with the idea and (affectionately) refer to my Nook as a Toaster. (Her real name is Ariadne, though, thank you very much.)
Me hanging with Walt Whitman at Panera Bread. Yum yum!
Back when I used to hate on ereaders, one of the arguments that kept me from purchasing one was price. Not of the ereader itself, but of the files I’d be downloading and reading. I felt that for the price of a physical book–all that paper, the text on it, the actual story–whenever I found deals, the books were worth the money. Compared to some of the prices I’ve seen for ebooks (more than $10 for an ebook!!), I was really skeptical about paying the same or more for a few megabytes of data. That I would never physically hold.
I still turn my nose up at higher end ebooks (unless I’m desperate). I often go for the ones that are free or only a few dollars. But the gold mine of ebooks wasn’t just those classics free from Project Gutenberg. It was in my local libraries. You see, a lot of libraries have been keeping up with the times as best they can. This doesn’t just include computer upgrades, it also extends to their collections.
The Long Beach Public Library, Los Angeles Public Library, Orange County Public Library, and County of Los Angeles Public Library all have ebook collections that can be accessed online. (Yes, I’m a patron of all those libraries. 
) Now, their selections vary and they don’t have as many ebooks as physical books available, but there’s still a good chance of finding something to read. If you’re wary about ebook prices but are still interested in an ereader, check out the local libraries and see if they offer an ebook collection. Usually the ebooks can be “borrowed” for two weeks. If your time runs out and no one else is waiting for it, you can “borrow” the ebook again. It’s quite simple. The files can be downloaded to your computer, then uploaded to your device. That’s how it works with my Nook, anyway.
You’re probably wondering when I’m going to talk about all of those ebooks I get from LibraryThing, or the other ebooks I’ve received for review. Well, I’m saving that for another post. 
The other way to read ebooks not readily available at the library or for free from the Barnes & Noble e-store is to simply go to your local Barnes & Noble. You get an hour of free reading on your Nook everyday in-store. If you’re a fast reader (unlike me) it’s a great deal for you. Even if you’re not fast, sometimes you can read more than the often short ebook samples allow in a day’s hour. It’s not as convenient, sure, but for free, it’s a pretty good deal.
There’s also a lending feature on the Nook that I’d like to talk about, but I don’t actually know enough to write about it yet. But I will someday!
Now you see why this post had a touch of library post in it. What can I say, I love libraries AND I love my Nook! I get ecstatic when I can combine my affections for the two!
Beg, Borrow, and Steal (008)
Hello everyone! Beg, Borrow, & Steal time again.
If you’re just joining us, these posts are my take on the In My Mailbox meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. It’s just a look at the books and book-related materials that come into my possession every week.
I’ve been wondering if I’ll have to change the day when I do these posts because I’ll have class on Wednesdays when school starts up. Hmm.. but I so enjoy these. They get me through hump day. We’ll see what happens.
All right, here are the books I acquired in the past week!
Begged:
Books I bought on sale!
In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane
Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers
Since I like angels, I had to add this to my collection!
Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers
This too!
Chime by Franny Billingsley
The premise hits my awesome button, and the cover is beautiful too.
Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Even though I get creeped out by the idea of drowning,
I am really loving this book.
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
Really, really happy I grabbed this.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
I couldn’t resist when I saw it at Borders.
Jenny Pox by JL Bryan
Been hearing about this! Ebook cost me less than a dollar! Can’t wait to read it.
Borrowed:
Checked out from the library.
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
I broke down and borrowed an ebook copy… I really like it so far!
Steals:
Books received for review, and items received through giveaways.
The Mosswoods by Astrid Yrigollen
Received for review through LibraryThing Member Giveaways.
Sebastian and the Afterlife by William J. Barry
Received for review through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Really eager to read this.
Between by Jessica Warman
ARC won from Once Upon a Twilight.
This was a pleasant surprise in my mailbox!
Thank you OUaT!
signed bookmarks for
Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey
Thank you Mr. Tracey!
Can’t wait to get a book to match. And maybe give the extras away…?
Hawaii pen
from Larissa over at Lari Is Writing.
Won this in my desperate attempt to score a signed book.
I am fully consoled I didn’t win the book by the sheer awesomeness of this pen.
Thanks, Lari!
That’s that!
About an hour and a half left to enter my Back to the Books Giveaway!
And a few days left to enter the 100/300 Follower Giveaway.
We just hit 100 entries today! I’ll be announcing the third prize soon.
Thanks for stopping by!
Toaster Tuesday (003)
Baaaaarely squeaking in on Tuesday here, but I made it! You can’t say I didn’t, haha! Okay, so this here is Toaster Tuesday if you’re new to the blog…
Toaster Tuesday is a series of posts about e-readers, specifically my experiences as a new Nook owner. The concept was partially inspired by a show called Battlestar Galactica. Basically the antagonists in the story are the Cylons, who are robots. The humans like to call them Toasters. I figured since there is a dichotomy between organic and electronic in the book world as well, I’d play with the idea and (affectionately) refer to my Nook as a Toaster. (Her real name is Ariadne, though, thank you very much.)
That’s me hanging with Edgar Allan Poe in Barnes & Noble. Ariadne’s mother ship!
Okay, last week I let Mr. Brick and Miss Mortar win the argument. But this week I’m going to talk about a reason why my Nook and other e-readers are made of win.
So, you’re (or, more likely I am) sitting waiting for a doctor’s appointment, or you’re out hanging at your favorite library, or maybe just chowing down at In-n-Out or wherever. (Mm… In-n-Out…) And you have your Nook with you. Well, what if you’re not in the mood to read the historical suspense thriller you were reading last night? Or what if you really want to check out that other book you bought on a whim because it was only 99 hot cents? (Okay, we’re really just talking about me now, aren’t we?)
No problemo! It’s right there on your Nook, waiting to be read! All of the ebooks you’ve purchased and downloaded to your device are available for your perusal as long as your battery’s charged. If you’ve already downloaded it, no wi-fi connection necessary!
Or maybe you’re writer like I am. Ever wanted to be able to carry your works-in-progress with you without having to deal with shuffling pages, the threat of paper cuts, or somehow losing that goldmine of ideas? Well, just convert your files to the correct format and you can read your own work on the device just as if it were any other ebook. You can even still highlight passages and make bookmarks and leave comments attached to the file on the device!
Total truth: I do have my own work stored on my ereader. For just one of my personal files, that’s over 200 pages of my writing in a nice, compact package in case I need a refresher on what I wrote previously. Heck, I even have my friend’s work stored on my ereader because my life has been so hectic these days, I want to be able to pull it up when I find a few seconds to spare.
It’s really easy to arrange, too. The Nook does read PDF files, but I find using the cool program called calibre helps with formatting a Nook-compatible epub file so that the text doesn’t get all wonky when I try to change font sizes. I even chose my own cover images for my works, because I am dorky like that.
So that’s another reason I fell and fell hard for the Nook. It’s just so.. convenient. It will never take the place of a physical book in my hands, but it’s pretty darn handy, gotta say.
Beg, Borrow, and Steal (007)
Hey everyone! Sorry for not posting so much, yet again, this week. Still lots of stuff going on at home. This is one exhausted Library Page. =\ But I am taking a well-deserved break as you can see from the Back to the Books Giveaway and now this edition of Beg, Borrow, & Steal!
If you’re just joining us, these posts are my take on the In My Mailbox meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. This week I’m going to try a new thing where I link to the Goodreads pages of the books so you all can find information easier.
Here’s what I’ve recently acquired!
Begged:
Bought at killer good price.
Remembrance by Michelle Madow
I love reincarnation stories A LOT so I just had to grab this.
You should too! Ebook’s only 99 cents from Smashwords, Amazon, and B&N right now!
Borrowed:
From a library.
Abandon by Meg Cabot
I’ve been feeling down lately because of home things
but I saw this at work and I felt better grabbing it up.
It’s a mythology story… ♥
Ugh, my weakness! My wonderful, wonderful weakness!
Steals:
Ebooks received for review and swag-like things.
Let’s Get Digital: How to Self-Publish, and Why You Should by David Gaughran
Received for review through LibraryThing Member Giveaway.
I’m not considering self-publishing just yet,
but I think it’s important to know what options are out there.
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
Received for review from Simon & Schuster Galley Grab.
I love this cover so much.
Taken by Zia Marie
Received for review through LibraryThing Member Giveaway.
Really, really excited for this one. Was so lucky to get a copy!
Bridger by Megan Curd
Received for review from A Tale of Many Reviews.
I know I have lots of books in my pile, but I’m really eager to tear into this.
Look out for the Bridger book blog tour coming through in October or November!
character trading cards for
Solstice by P.J. Hoover
These trading cards are too awesome.
Many thanks to Ms. Hoover for sending them!
Another mythology story… ♥
I wish this were a paper book so bad. 
Well, that’s all for now! Time for a break from my break. 
If you haven’t yet, check out the 100/300 Follower Giveaway!
Thanks for stopping by!
Toaster Tuesday (002)
Toaster Tuesday is a series of posts about e-readers, specifically my experiences as a new Nook owner. The concept was partially inspired by a show called Battlestar Galactica. Basically the antagonists in the story are the Cylons, who are robots. The humans like to call them Toasters. I figured since there is a dichotomy between organic and electronic in the book world as well, I’d play with the idea and (affectionately) refer to my Nook as a Toaster. (Her real name is Ariadne, though, thank you very much.)
That’s me at work hanging with our stick bugs (in the tank) and Kurt Vonnegut (on my Nook).
So, it’s time for another TT! There is much going on at The Library Page’s abode thanks to harrowing events last week, but there are still a few minutes to post. So here I go!
Despite what was pretty much a love letter to my Nook two weeks ago, there are some things bookstores give me that the Nook store will never be able to do. At least, not the latest one. Maybe in fifty years it’ll have holographic whatchamacallits and whoosits, but for now, this one issue is a reason I will always have a love for brick and mortar bookstores…
I’m going to call it… selection.
On the plus side, the Nook has a ridiculously huge selection, all at your fingertips, ready to be browsed or to be narrowed down by keyword, title, author, etc. That’s great… if you know what you’re looking for. When I wanted to look through the selection of “teen fantasy” titles, I typed that into the search option and I got thousands of hits. And I didn’t have any way to narrow that number down because I just wanted to browse. The nice thing is it has an option to organize the items by price, title, release date, and such. So I organized by price and started with free purchases and worked my way up. That took… at least a week. It was very challenging because I could only view six titles per page and kept losing my place in the list and kept having to start over. Naturally, there are titles that aren’t available as physical books, which is a plus for those with an e-reader. But I’ve gotta say, there could be some improvement in being able to browse books on the Nook. I even went to a Barnes and asked one of the booksellers in person if there was a better way to go about browsing, and he couldn’t come up with anything.
Even though the physical bookstore houses less books than there are in the electronic store, I think Mr. Brick and Miss Mortar win this round because when I walk into a bookstore, I know where to go to find books at a certain price range (bargain books under $5! Yeah!). I know where to go if I want certain types of books (YA section, ftw!). And I can immediately judge those books by their covers (I do it! And I’m not ashamed) and I can pick them up, flip through them, read their back cover copy and really make a connection with the reading experience I’m looking for. I love the ease and comfort of e-reading, but sometimes it’s so rewarding to find a great read for $5 in mint condition hardcover. Sigh. Sorry, I just had a moment of remembered bliss.
So, I still love my Nook, but after going through thousands of titles, I’m not going to do much browsing on it any time soon. Heaven knows I have enough titles on my to-read list anyway. Luckily I just picked up my Los Angeles Public Library card about two weeks ago and I now have access to a well-stocked ebook library… Mwahahaha!
Oh, and by the way, most of the stick bugs in my library just hatched in the past week. So, happy birthday(s) stick bugs! There is one adult stick bug left to look after the little’uns, so they hatched just in time. There were eight babies last we counted, and there are tons of eggs left in the tank. Come on, babies! Hatch!
Any opinions on the matter either way? Questions, comments? Feel free to drop a line. Don’t forget to enter my giveaway!
