dtrpath27

It really had that whimsical, yet dark, sort of quality that Gaiman does so well. Ethereal? Maybe that's the word I'm looking for? At any rate, it went very quickly for me. So enjoyable! I'm now reading a book called Every Day is a Holiday by George Manhood. It's written in a very colloquial style. I find it to be quite funny so far; I like a good laugh from time to time!

We call it slush here in the States as well. It always amazes me, Frankie, that you and Gaia are not native speakers of English; your English skills are really that good!

I was wondering how you got a copy already, but then I realized that today is the release day. I really wish they would've gotten it out just a few days earlier for Christmas; my husband would've put it under the tree for me!

I just put down The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. It is a wonderful tale. Review to come... Earlier today I also started Every Day is a Holiday by George Mahood.

I'm still thinking on some of these, but here's what I have so far: Your favourite read of the year? It's a toss up between The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, The Dark Age by Jason Gurley or On the Beach by Nevil Shute. Your favourite author of the year? Jason Gurley Your most read author of the year? Hmm...I've spent the year looking for new authors, so I haven't read more than two or three from any one author. Probably Gurley and Shute are tied? Maybe Gurley had more because I read several of his short stories in addition to a novel or two. Your favourite book cover of the year? The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg. It's the whole reason I picked up the book. The book you abandoned (if there was more than one, the one you read least of)? Anna Karenina. Not because it was rubbish, but because of The Dubliners fiasco. See next question. The book that most disappointed you? The Dubliners by James Joyce. I was about gouging my eyeballs out at the end. I could barely manage to finish it. It's part of what put me off my Places I'd Go Challenge. I could hardly even bear to write the review. It was such a disappointing start. I had Anna Karenina lined up to go next, but it was all too heavy right in a row, even though Karenina is by far better, I just needed something I didn't have to work at all for after the drudgery of The Dubliners, you know? The funniest book of the year? The Humans by Matt Haig. Hands down. Your favourite literary character this year? Don Tilman in The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion Your favourite children's book this year? Gulliver Snip by Julia Kay. It was clever, imaginative and well-written. Every child I read it to loved it. I think children's books are incredibly hard to do well, and I think she did a great job. Your favourite classic of the year? Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. It was a multi-time re-read for me, but it's been years. It was so charming! Your favourite non-fiction book this year? Mr. Owita's Guide to Gardening. It was very touching, human and introspective. Your favourite biography this year? Your favourite collection of short stories this year? Your favourite poetry collection this year? Actually, I was working as a tutor, and the children's poetry textbook was amazing. It had the most wonderful assortment of poems. I wish I could remember the name... Your favourite illustrated book of the year? Not really illustrated, but it has photographs, so does that count? Empty Mansions by Dedman and Newell. It was really interesting to me. As far as illustrations, the children's book A Patch of Black by Rachel Rooney. Your favourite publisher of the year? Kindle/Amazon because I was able to find so many new authors who weren't available in a regular bookstore. Your favourite audiobook of the year? I can't do audio books. I am very visual and just can't follow, plus they put me to sleep! Your favourite re-read of the year? I didn't re-read a lot this year; I really tried to read things new to me. I suppose by default I'd have to say Tom Sawyer.

I wore a black suit and a white shirt, a black tie and black shoes, all polished and shiny; clothes that would normally make me feel uncomfortable, as if I were in a stolen uniform, or pretending to be an adult. - The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman

Lexicon by Max Barry. My husband and I both enjoyed that one.

Hmm...interesting discussion. Bschultz, is it possible your difference in experience is due to having a regular Kindle as opposed to the Kindle Fire HD? I do think that the seamless access to Amazon (along with customized Amazon wishlists for the whole family) made Christmas shopping a breeze! Aside from spreadsheet/word processing capabilities that would be more convenient on a regular laptop, I haven't found much that I can't do. I have considered a Microsoft Surface, though, for that very reason. As my current job doesn't require those capabilities as much as my last position, and I am not into music, I've found the Fire HDX to be a perfect blend for me right now. I agree that it's a great option for someone who loves to read and wants the convenience of being able to do other things as opposed to someone who needs more serious usage with a few books on the side. Plus, with the price tag of $100-$150 as opposed to $250-$300 for an iPad mini, there is just no comparison for me.

Ooh...I loved Ender's Game! What a great gift. I started Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It's going quite quickly, and I'm loving it so far.

I did terribly and am not eligible to win anyway, but I had fun playing!

Ah. Make sense. Thanks so much for posting the information! I was just looking at the list of all the "literature" titles available. At least fifty percent are seemingly self-published erotica with a smattering of Harlequin-esque romances thrown in for good measure. Another good chunk were horror/creature tales of similarly dubious quality. As I only found about a dozen titles on the entire "literature" list I would want to read for sure, I think I'm going to pass.

Hmm...these are all good points to think about. Talisman, you brought up two of my other questions: one, is it just borrowing, or do I own them, and does it impact the author's compensation. The information they give seems so limited.

Rainy and warm all day. Tonight is damp and as foggy as can be.

Mine is an HDX 7 with about 12gb of memory. I am not really sure what that means, but I am nowhere near running out of memory. If you swipe down and click on settings, device options then storage, there should be an option for 1-tap archive where they can archive to the cloud stuff you haven't accessed in a while, thus freeing up space on the device. If there's an archived book or app you want to use again, just go to the cloud and reload it onto your device. Let me know if this works for you. I was quite unsure when I received an unasked for Kindle for Christmas last year. Surprisingly enough, I actually love it! I use it for internet, games, apps, Amazon shopping, email, Netflix, basically everything I would do on my phone or laptop but with a much better screen than the former and much more convenience and portability than the latter. I take it everywhere with me and would be lost without it. As for reading, I had the same misgivings as you. I have come to use it for that as well, but in a certain way. I have a very limited book budget, so the Kindle is amazing for downloading samples of things to try before I buy. I'm also always on the lookout for freebies in the Kindle store; I've come across some amazing new authors or lesser-known works of famous ones that way. I still prefer reading paper books, but the other thing it's incredibly handy for is the classics. Firstly, most of them are free. Secondly, most of them use archaic language or references. With a Kindle, one can just highlight any unfamiliar words and it will pop up a definition. The same with any obscure references. It's really quite a bit handier than lugging about a dictionary. L

I have to say that I agree with that! I can't believe it's next weekend, though! I have been sick most of December, so it really went by in a blur. I do have several books in mind already that will be perfect for the read-a-thon: the second book in the Brilliance set, The Rosie Effect (I believe it will be released by then :/ ) and The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Gaiman to name a few.

Thank you, ma'am! I felt quite reassured with your recommendation behind it, but it was really nice how much he loved it. It's not often I hit a home run.

Kindle Unlimited is when you pay $10/month and can read any Kindle Unlimited titles for free. Has anyone done this, and did you find it worthwhile? I'm thinking of signing up, but the problem I see is that many titles aren't included. For example, an author might have a series of several books, but randomly only the second and fourth ones are included. I wonder if I could find/read enough to make it worth the money.

Anna, Personal was a huge hit! He loved that it was signed (bonus points!) and he read it all in one sitting. It was his absolute favorite thing that he received.

Exactly! What would you do if John Stamos walked into the living room? By no means still crushing, but it does take you back a bit!

I feel like a teenager talking about this, but I was at someone's house tonight and in walked my TV celebrity crush from the 1980s. She just said her friend was coming over, but not who it was. When she said his first name, it clicked. It was all I could do to keep from blushing! Not at all what I expected to do with my evening.

Gaia,all this time I thought you lived above/behind an actual bakery that your family ran. How funny! ETA: Funny that I thought that, not funny where you live. I think where you live sounds amazing! It's funny how my mind interpreted what you've been writing.

I absolutely love poinsettias. My mom had a poinsettia tree that was just beautiful.

Clear blue skies and 54° (12°C). That's rather cool for these parts!

Roasted sweet potato topped with melted butter, heavy cream, brown sugar and a dash of vanilla. So warm and tasty! I'm washing it down with some hazelnut coffee and thinking about a nap.

The Humans is great. I'll have to check out To Be a Cat.