On Kindle Books

Today I bought two books for Kindle that I'll take with me on my trip to AZ. I bought Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman, like I said a few days ago, but I decided on something else instead of The Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss.

I've been reading The Wand in the Word, a collection of interviews of 13 fantasy authors (Brian Jacques, Garth Nix, Madeline L'Engle, Tamora Pierce, etc). I don't think this book was actually mentioned at all, but in the middle of reading the interview of Garth Nix I was reminded that I hadn't read Stephen King's On Writing yet. I then looked up reviews of it to see if it would be worth getting. A while ago I picked it up in a bookstore and read the first page, then got turned off of it because it was so much like a memoir, which wasn't what I was looking for. But the more I read these reviews, I realize the beginning is like this to draw the reader in; funny stories of his childhood that make you want to read more. Later in the book, he does talk about the actual act of writing, in detail: themes, grammar, sentences, and more. I decided this would be a good thing for me to read before editing my book again, and so I got it instead. It was a few dollars less than The Wise Man's Fear as well, since that one is brand new. I'm very excited to get started on these, though I'll have to still focus on studying for exams.

On another note, I was remarking to myself how much I love the Kindle store on Amazon. Choose the book, buy it (even easier since I had a gift card), and if your Kindle is connected to a wireless network, the book is instantly downloaded. No need to go to a bookstore or wait for a snail mail delivery. Mind you, I absolutely love bookstores, but these days I go to them more for their atmosphere and for ideas of what to buy than to actually buy books. If I know what book I want, and I want it for Kindle, the Kindle store is perfect.

I'm also interested in how much I've changed my opinion on Kindles since I got one for Christmas. Before, I wasn't sure I'd be comfortable with it. Holding a real book is definitely enjoyable, and there's nothing like having a bookshelf full of good books. Used books can also be incredibly cheap. However, since I move around and travel so much these days, Kindle books are extremely convenient. Not to mention there's no need to pry the book open to read the left-hand page.

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Exams to go: 3

Last song played: Chromeo - Night By Night