Tales of the Jazz Age

Tales of the Jazz AgeAmerican literature lovers (and teachers)! Tales of the Jazz Age: 11 Classic Short Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald is available on Amazon for $4.99. I don’t usually do this kind of thing, but it sounded like a great value to me, so I’m passing it on. The collection includes “The Jelly Bean,” “The Camel’s Back,” “May Day,” “Porcelain and Pink,” “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Tarquin of Cheapside,” “O Russet Witch,” “The Lees of Happiness,” “Mr. Icky,” and “Jemina.” I’m not sure how long this price is effective, but I decided it would make a nice addition to my library, and I thought I’d pass it on to anyone else who might be interested.

Reading and Changing

Reading the International Kindle in the hammockThe New York Times reviews Stanislas Dehaene’s new book Reading in the Brain: The Science and Evolution of Human Invention. The review discusses some interesting insights regarding our brains and reading. I thought the insights regarding how we read differently now in the Internet age were especially intriguing given my task as an English teacher.

NPR examines how e-books are changing reading as well. Some folks considered it a big shocker when more e-books than paper books were sold this Christmas. Considering how easy they are to download, and also considering the fact that a lot of folks probably received Kindles for Christmas, I’m not surprised. I looked all over the place for my copy of Outlander when I wanted to re-read it recently, and I just couldn’t find it. I checked Amazon and discovered the book was available for Kindle, so I purchased it to read on my iPhone Kindle app, and it was on my phone immediately available. No trip to the library or bookstore. No waiting for it to arrive by mail. And it was cheaper, too. The only downside, as I see it, is that Amazon doesn’t appear to allow you to use gift certificates on Kindle purchases. I, too, have affection for paper books and their beautiful covers, but I have found reading on my iPhone very easy and convenient.

photo credit: TheCreativePenn

HarperTeen’s Appeal to Twilight Fans

The Wall Street Journal blog Speakeasy reports that the covers of the new HarperTeen editions of classics Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, and Romeo and Juliet are designed to appeal to the Twilight audience. It’s easy to see why:

The books resemble Twilight right down to the fonts, as the WSJ blog notes. My husband was aghast, but I say, hey, if it gets Twilight fans to pick up these books, I’m all for it. I do think it’s a little misleading, though. These books are not exactly Twilight. They’re so much better, but not as easy a read.

Amazon is selling the books for $8.99 each, or you can purchase all three for $26.97 (as of this writing). If you’re interested, click on the books or the links above.

What do you think of the new covers?

Bookish Updates

The Christmas holidays mean I’ll have some time to read. As I indicated in my previous post, I wasn’t getting into We Have Always Lived in the Castle, so I’ve set it aside. I really have been wanting to reread Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, so I downloaded it to my iPhone using the Kindle app. I have to say, it was like magic. I clicked a button, and when I opened my Kindle app, there the book was. I have used Stanza and Classics on my iPhone, but this is my first Kindle experience, so I’ll let you know how it goes. I understand I can annotate the book using the app.

I also picked up Jasper Fforde’s book The Fourth Bear. I have enjoyed all of his books. This one didn’t grab me yet (I’m two chapters in), but we’ll see. I know some readers don’t enjoy his Nursery Crime books as much as the Thursday Next series, but I really did like The Big Over Easy.

I’m trying to decide what to do about my own book. I want to work on editing and revising over the holiday. I haven’t completed the ending.

Finally, I watched the film based on Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Speak, which I reviewed here. It’s an excellent book, and the film was very good, too, although not as good as the book, which is usually the case.

The Decatur Book Festival

Decatur Book FestivalWe all had a good time today at the Decatur Book Festival. I had to grab a nap when we got home so I could recover. I am a little sad—one of my main reasons for going, seeing Diana Gabaldon and possibly getting a book signed, didn’t turn out to be feasible when I saw the line. If I had been alone or with like-minded friends, I would have waited, but I was with family, none of whom shared my interest in seeing Ms. Gabaldon, so I filed that away for another time. I have seen her once before, after all.

We roamed all over the place, seeing all the different tents. We didn’t actually buy that much. The atmosphere was great, and as an English teacher, I was ecstatic that so many folks were gathered to celebrate books and reading. We mostly looked, walked around, and had fun. I think everyone except Steve found a book in the Little Shop of Stories. Sarah got Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson. Dylan got a copy of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. (it’s different from the one he already has because it has a CD). Maggie got some Junie B. Jones books and a replacement for the lost (and admittedly battered) copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I got a copy of Finn by John Clinch. It’s a book I’ve been curious about for some time.

You can look at my pictures here, if you have a Facebook. I don’t think you have to be my friend to see them, but if you want to be my friend, just send a request. I’m not sure if you can see them if you don’t have a Facebook.

Decatur Book Festival and R.I.P. Update

Decatur Book FestivalTomorrow, the Huffs are heading to the annual Decatur Book Festival for the first time. I’ll be sure to share all the fun here.

Meanwhile, I think I’ve finalized the selections I will read for the R.I.P. Challenge. I have decided on Peril the First, which means I plan to read four books: Dracula by Bram Stoker, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Grendel by John Gardner, and 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill. I am hoping that by picking books of a manageable size that I can actually finish the challenge, but I would like to read the others on my list at some point. I had settled on Dracula and Coraline fairly early on, but what finally made me decide on Grendel was a short excerpt in a supplementary textbook I use for teaching British Lit. I can no longer claim I’m any kind of Beowulf aficionado if I haven’t read Grendel. I decided on 20th Century Ghosts because of the recommendation of a Barnes and Noble employee who raved about it when I purchased it.

Meanwhile, my sister, who doesn’t have a blog, is going to read The Mothman Prophecies by John A. Keel, Strange Guests by Brad Steiger, and Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian. She has committed to Peril the Second. Perhaps if we all ask her really nicely, she’ll consent to guest blog here with her reviews. Or perhaps she will prefer to post reviews at the blog Carl has set up for the purpose. Either way, I hope she’ll share her thoughts with us.

Roundup: Reading News

Twitter and Facebook are great places to obtain news, depending on who you follow/friend. In the last couple of days, I have learned all the following: