Not lost, just undiscovered.

After months of deliberation, I finally went out and purchased a Kobo.  It took me a long time to decide to get an ereader in the first place and then I had to decide which one to get.  I’ve explained my rationale many times offline and thought I’d share it here.

Most people know that I have a weakness for stationary and I love collecting printed books. I love holding them, turning the pages, and even love the smell of them.  I’m also a really big reader – I read often and I read everywhere.  I read daily during my commute to and from work, but have a hard time when the book is heavy. I already take a lot to work and carrying a heavy book in my purse wasn’t doing my shoulders any favours.

That’s when I started thinking about getting a light-weight e-reader that I could use while commuting and on-the-go. It would ideally fit in my purse and could carry as many books on it as I want.

I knew I needed an ereader that was both affordable and could read library books. I’ve been trying to spend less money on books this year and my personal rule is to borrow from the library first. Then, if I love a book enough, I can put it on the list to purchase.  I wanted to stick to this rule with my ereader (even more so as I’d rather buy printed books than digital ones) and soon found out that the library offers ebooks in epub format.

The solution ended up being the Kobo. As much as I really like the Kindle and the features it offers, it doesn’t handle epubs and that was most important to me. I would have loved an iPad but it’s above my price range and is too big for what I needed.

So I waited until the new wirelesss version of the Kobo was out and happily picked one up. Now I can read library books on my Kobo and if I love a book enough, I can still put it on the list of printed books to purchase.

I’ve had it for a few weeks now and it’s been great! There wasn’t much of an adjustment period and I’m still zooming through books like I was before. I’ll share my thoughts on reading on a Kobo in my next post.

Do you have an ereader? Why or why not?

I went to my friend’s cottage a few weekends ago and decided that the most appropriate reading material for me to take along with me were the first four books of the Harry Potter series.

I’m currently making my way through the series (it’s only the second time I’m reading it) and I’m falling in love with it all over again.

I was looking up something about the series and I somehow stumbled upon this fantastic piece of fan art. I absolutely love it and I just had to share:

Artwork by HitoFanart

P.S. Yes, I know that I am quite the nerd and that I have such a weird variety of interests and tastes.

Type in Dreaming in Hindi on Google and the fifth result is a link to Oprah’s website.

I’ve never purposely read something simply because it was an Oprah’s Book Club suggestion, but somehow I landed on their list of 10 Terrific Reads of 2009 and found out about Katherine Russell Rich’s Dreaming in Hindi.

After losing her job and beating cancer twice, Rich accepts a freelance writing job in India in order to fulfil her dream to become fluent in a second language: Hindi. We read about her journey and as she learns more about India, its customs and the language, we learn more about how language in general defines who you are.

After returning from India, Rich met with professors and linguistic experts to discuss how the human mind deals with languages. So throughout the book, we learn more about her study into the way humans learn languages and what learning a second language does to your mind.

I picked the book up because the summary seemed interesting and I figured if Oprah’s people recommend it, then why not? I was expecting something light like Eat, Pray, Love but a bit more interesting and maybe a little less chick lit.

Well, it certainly wasn’t chick lit.

I enjoyed following Rich’s journey and getting to know the characters (and indeed, they are some unique characters) she met and reading all the random and wacky (and sometimes uncomfortable) things she went through. It was great to read about her adventures, her stories of betrayal, fun and sometimes fear. I even enjoyed learning a bit more about India’s history and customs.

The only downside for me was that I felt she went too deep into the theoretical and scientific side of learning a new language. At the start, I found it really interesting how she interwove her discussions with linguists with her stories of her experience, and it was interesting to learn more about how we learn languages and how it scrambles your brain for a period of time.

But then it just pushed the story on and on – the book just never seemed to end and it started to feel like work just reading it. By about three-quarters into it, I finally gave up and would skip past any of the linguistic parts. I read afterwards that many people gave up on the book because of it.

Most of all, I just wanted to hear more about her time teaching at the school for boys with hearing impairments and what she ended up learning about who she is in another language. She got there in the end, but too late. It was just too dense with too much going on.

Final note:

While I was writing this review, I found this book trailer online. In a way, I’m really glad I didn’t find it before I picked the book up, because I really wouldn’t have read it. I probably wouldn’t have watched the trailer all the way through to the end, where she finally tells us what the book is really about. Eek.

Has anyone else out there read it? What did you think?

Rating: 2.5/5

“We are where we are. If we keep moving, we’ll be someplace else. We’ll know when we get there.” – Michael J. Fox.

When I think of Michael J. Fox, I immediately think of Marty McFly, the suave, cute and fun hero from the Back to the Future trilogy.

Then I pause and reality sets in and I think of the man. I think of the passionate advocate who’s devoted to his acting, his family and finding a cure for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and other degenerative diseases. The man who, because of this disease, is either seen stoically still or the opposite, unable to stop moving all over the place. A man that you start to feel sorry for, but then you find out how PD changed him and how he’s stronger than ever now that he’s fighting for this cause with all these people behind him.

About a year ago, I read his first memoir Lucky Man and was swept into his world as he spoke about his successful and lucky life leading up to his diagnosis. I enjoyed his writing style as he narrated his life story up to that point, including how he got into acting, the start of his family, his battle with alcohol and finally having to come to terms with having PD in his 30s.

It was a book I couldn’t put down and so I knew I had to get my hands on his second book – Always Looking Up – The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.

I managed to get a copy recently at the library and, like his first book, devoured it within just four days.

The second book is organized into Fox’s four life pillars (work, politics, faith and family), which was a change but still easy to read and interesting. I liked how he would focus on one aspect and share what he did and felt in that arena over time. As the book went on, the four pillars eventually blurred together, drawing a whole picture of the man in my mind.

It was a well-written and moving book. He doesn’t deny his luck and the never-ending support he’s received over time, and he clearly and articulately explains his view on stem cell research without an abundance of bias. We know why he cares, obviously, but he addresses the other side of the debate as well.

It’s been a year since I read his first book, so I can’t tell you which one I think is better. But I can tell you that this was an inspiring read and it’s worth picking up – if only to get a glimpse inside of the life of this inspiring Canadian.

Rating: 4/5

I’m currently sitting outside my gate with a few minutes to go until boarding.

A few of you will be excited to hear that I finally picked up the first three Harry Potter books to read during my 13 hour flight. Considering the fact that I really enjoy adventure books, I’ll admit that it’s a little bit strange that I haven’t read them yet. Everyone’s told me that I’m crazy for having not read them yet, and so I figured this flight would be a good time to start.

However, as my dad was driving me to the airport this morning, I realized that I’d forgotten them all on my desk.

So…. yeah. A visit to the airport bookstore was mandatory.

I now have a book full of travel writing pieces (to feed my current obsession) and a copy of Eragon (to sooth my upset soul that was previously very excited about reading a children’s adventure book).

Hopefully I’ll be able to read slow enough for the books to last me the majority of the flight. I doubt it, but hopefully…

That’s all for now. I’ll write from Japan next