[Hi from Kerry]

Hi and welcome ! Hope you enjoy yourself around here

[What is the best e-book reader ?]

To be fair, chips dipped in anything are not exactly healthy

 

I have had a Kobo for about 3 years and while I don't need to use it often now as I have a Kindle app on my Samsung tablet, it still works fine and was in regular use for well over a year before I got the tablet.

I'm glad to read something good about it. I just can't find good consumer reviews no matter where I look. It woud help to find good and bad reviews  What worries me the most is its working longevity. Experts seem to say it's the best on the market right now but they can't really give their opinions on that particular point

[What do you dip your chips in?]

I inadvertently started this on another conversation, but I didn't want to take over that thread with this as it was off topic.

This came up as we were talking about Belgium, where I "discovered" chips and mayonnaise, which is a wonderful thing.

 

 

So, you have a bowl of chips (French Fries) on a table in front of you. Given the choice, what are you going to dip them in?

 

And although I do like mayonnaise, I do come from Birmingham, which by my research, is about the southern limit of chips with gravy, which would always be my first choice. Curry sauce is very nice too!

 

I laughed when I saw this thread xD Good job Ian

 

I like to dip my chips in mayonnaise mixed with mustard. I don't know if it's a popular combo everywhere in Belgium but everybody in my family does it. We also like ketchup with mayo and what I think is ranch, I'm not quite sure as it's called tartare sauce here.

In Belgium, you'll also find a common combo in fries with applesauce. I'm not too keen on it but it's a really popular one in general.

[What is the best e-book reader ?]

This is true, you can get a Kindle via the German one from Amazon NL. When I bought my Kindle, Amazon NL didn't exist yet so my only option was to get one from Amazon US (and I'm staying with the store of US as it contains more English stuff and better deals and more freebies. I don't want to switch).

I've been thinking that I might just do that. It seems that despite the price of shipping and taxes, it has many advantages that make up for it. I've seen the Kobo and the reviews aren't that great : it seems it stops working within a year of using it and the store doesn't really fix it. Doesn't seem to be worth it it the end.

I have a question though, did you have to buy a power adapter ? If I'm not mistaken, we don't have the same plugs as Americans do :-/

 

I'm amazed it's allowed! I can't imagine the UK getting away with this!

Still, I have a very soft spot for Belgium - it's the first foreign holiday I ever had, I was introduced to the delight that is chips with mayonnaise! - so I'm not going to complain.

I recently found out that there are people who don't know how well mayonnaise and chips go together and it was a shock to me Glad you discovered it

[The book industry is doing better (in the Netherlands)]

That's really interesting to read. I personally don't know much about the book industry of my country but I understand what you mean about pricing, we have a similar policy in Belgium.

After browsing the e-book section on amazon.fr, I have noticed that e-books were almost as expensive as physical books, which to me doesn't make much sense. I like both format because to me, each has its own place and use but if I can get a physical books for 2 or 3 bucks more, I'll probably do that and convenience be damned !

[What is the best e-book reader ?]

That did make sense! I think in the Netherlands it might have been a similar situation (I don't know if that's changed by now).

 

Apparently, from the Amazon.nl website, you can't buy the Kindle directly, they actually send you over to the German one. I think that one might allow shipping to Belgium but I'm not certain. It might have something to do with the fact that a small portion of the population here speaks German.

 

Protectionism! You could always pop across the channel and buy one in England, they sell them in supermarkets. You could stock up on our great English wines too haha

 

Oh Project Gutenberg is not a software program like Calibre it is a website. They have been converting books to ebook for years for free.

 

As much as I'd love to, I think it might be better to just buy one in the supermarkets here even if it's another brand. And if I do pop across, it'd most probably be the last thing on my mind

I had had 3 different Kindles - a Keyboard (you can't get them anymore) which I loved and for 3 years until it fell in an Icelandic river, along with me and stopped working, a ordinary Kindle and a Paperwhite. I got the cheap Kindle mainly because I had to get a replacement quickly following the dunking in the river and didn't have a lot of money at the time. While it worked perfectly well I do prefer the Paperwhite which I bought during the Black Friday sales when they were on promotion. The Paperwhite is smaller and lighter and has a backlit screen which can be adjusted which for is brilliant. It means you can read in bed at night without disturbing others.  

 

Thanks for your opinion, I've seen many people recommend the Paperwhite and it'd probably have been be the one I chose if I had been able to order it

That's too bad about your govt keeping Amazon from selling Kindles in Belgium, Needle!  Perhaps you can get one on eBay?

 

My mom has an older Kindle but I prefer my Apple iPad mini.  I have the Kindle app so although it's very rare, I'll read books on that.I prefer paper books but when I travel it's much easier to use a tablet.

 

I just like being able to do everything on one tablet.  Reading, email, and internet, rather than having a 2nd thing just for reading.  But that's just me

I understand what you mean I was also not seeing the use but since I always have my computer on me now (for work and for class), I don't really need a tablet anymore. And really...it's distracting to receive so many notifications when I want to read

[What is the best e-book reader ?]

I have got mine from the US for that same reason. It did cost quite a bit, but in the Netherlands at the time there weren't many good e-readers available. That does seem strange .

 

 

I have the basic Kindle, and I really like mine. I'm the worlds worst when it comes to tech, so I leave the wifi off mine and download via the computer, which is really easy. As others have said, there are quite a few sites that have free , old books in the Kindle format, so I've never found it a problem with it being tied to Amazon

 

 

Does anyone know why that is?

 

To reply to the both of you, I've done a bit of digging. It has to do with taxes and priority. Here in Belgium, we have e-reader suppliers present on land. It would make them lose their priority if people could easily buy from Amazon.fr As Belgium is a fairly small commercial market (not withstanding the UE overall market), they need advantages and agreements on certain things to make sure that Belgians have to buy certain things in Belgium-based shops. That way, the Belgian government is assured it'll get its money.

So Amazon, since it's not yet part of any agreement on that, cannot sell their Kindle here (as well as some electronics and brands for other reasons I won't get into because it's loooooong.)

I hope that made sense. I'm glad to see my studies have an actual application in real life

[What is the best e-book reader ?]

I had never heard of that one :-/ Is it the same as calibre ?

 

By the way, despite my decision to acquire a Kindle, I can't Indeed, Amazon doesn't ship e-readers to Belgium. It's quite disheartening to learn If I wanted to buy it, I'd have to make it come from the US which isn't the most economical solution  How stupid is that ? They allow us to order everything else from the French website but won't allow Kindle, tablets, cameras, etc...to go through. 

[Needle's Genre challenge]

Really?! Study is def on my TBR list ^^

Hobbit; Ya, I know, I've tried a few times as well XD BUT!! 2016 is going to be year for me! I don't know much about 'Mash-up genre' to be honest     But though the Lunar might suit it. I mean.. if Alice & Zombies are allowed, than why not Cinderella & Cyborgs?

 

But most of all: Enjoy it!

And I would like to know what you thought of the books you read   

 

You should really try the Study series I remember reading that one until the wee hours of the morning just to finish it, I tried to put it down but not knowing what was going to happen next was keeping me awake, next thing you know, I had finished it and it was four in the morning

 

Great challenge, I hope you read a lot of great books . It's a great idea! I wish you lots of reading fun .

 

I don't know what kind of genre 'saga' is, isn't it like an ancient fairytale? Wikipedia says "Sagas are stories mostly about ancient Nordic and Germanic history, about early Viking voyages, the battles that took place during the voyages, about migration to Iceland and of feuds between Icelandic families. They were written in the Old Norse language, mainly in Iceland.[1]"

 

As for 'mash-up', I presume that's a book that has 'multiple' genres? The Lunar Chronicles would fit I think, since it's a dystopian series but also fairy tale retellings. I haven't read them yet but I have a couple of books in the series on my TBR.

Thanks I'm already enjoying myself It seems to be a great way to get back into reading when you have a taste for nothing in your TBR

 

As for the saga genre, I came to a similar conclusion but after failing to find smething that fit that description, I went with something else. According to this dictionary, it's what you said but also "any narrative or legend of heroic exploits" as well as "a form of the novel in which the members or generations of a family or social group are chronicled in a long and leisurely narrative" which makes me come to the conclusion that it doesn't have to be Nordic but it has :

a) to be a series : it has to be long, so it spans many volumes ?

b) to contain a hero : someone does heroic actions ? Like, saving a country or a king ?

To be honest, I think it woud also be easier to find for me xD The only thing that comes to my mind has been the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce as well as the Farseer trilogy and the Tawny Man trilogy, both by Robin Hobb. I'm also influenced by what is considered "saga" here, in a French speaking country.

 

Hi Needle, That's so great that you are throwing yourself into a challenge!

Of the books you have chosen so far, I have read True Grit, 1984 and Brave New World. , which are all excellent. I look forward to reading your reviews on some of your other choices, which I haven't heard of.

 

You've read True Grit ? I finished it and I was a bit skeptical at first, I couldn't really get into it but in the end, I enjoyed it

[Have you ever visited a book fair ?]

How nice you get your books signed and you get given free books! I've never had an author sign my books, nor have I even met any authors (to my knowledge). It would probably be too crowded for me anyway though, big book signings.

 

The only book fair in the Netherlands (where I live) that I know of, is Het Boekenfestijn. I go there once or twice a year (they visit different cities so I go to the ones closer to my home). I always love going there and finding books for cheaper prices (there are no authors there, it's just books on tables.). Though their prices have risen since a few years ago, and some books can still be a little bit pricey. But overall I'm pretty positive about Het Boekenfestijn, it's always nice to go there, and usually the books are cheaper than in the shops. Whether it's big or not.. well it is big to me, but I have nothing to compare it to. Het Boekenfestijn also visits some cities in Belgium, but I believe they only visit the more northern part of Belgium (Vlaanderen).

 

Oh Yes ! I've heard about that fair too. My Dutch teacher once took us to a similar thing (or was it the same ? I'm not sure) in Antwerpen It was very nice because I love books but very sad, because my Dutch at the time was seriously lacking. I'd like to think it has gotten better but it's probably all illusions  

When does Het Boekenfestijn happen ? Our book fair generally starts at the beginning of the year and will happen at the end of February this year

[Needle's Genre challenge]

 

Looks like a really cool challenge!

Not sure what is meant by 'saga' to be honest, but Twilight is called saga, but I don't know if you're into vampire romance .. things..  

I looked up Half Bad. Did you like that? Because there are a lot of YA fantasy books available. Maybe something like Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder? It is a series and Im not sure how many books there are.

The Hobbit is about adventure..right?

 

 

Also looked up Mash-ups, and I found a lot of vampires, zombies and werewolves haha   Maybe Cinder by Marissa Meyer? It's a series based on fairy tales, but takes place in a futuristic world and contains cyborgs and stuff. Every book is based on another fairy tale. (series is called The Lunar Chronicles) .... I actually think Im going to read this. 

 

Oh! This is actually really hard, because with every genre I'm like; What kind of (paranormal/adventure/classics etc) do you like?

Im sorry if this didn't help you..  

 Curious about other replies and recommendations :3

 

 

Good luck!   

 

 

Thanks for your recommendations I've already read Twilight and the Study series by Maria V. Snyder is one of my favourites As for The Hobbit, I have tried (and failed) to read it more times than I can count so I think I'm done with that one for a little while

 

I have heard a lot of good things about the Lunar Chronicles and I really hadn't thought of it as mash-up, but it fits if the mash-up genre is what I understand of it I think I'll add that to my list...It was in my TBR pile...actually has been in it for almost two years now. So many books, so little time :sigh:

 

This is a really interesting sounding challenge, good luck with it I have the same habit of sticking to the same genres.

 

Thanks ! I'll try to finish it and if I fail...my beloved genres will welcome me back with open books, I'm sure

[Hello to everyone :)]

Hi Shyora ! Welcome to the forum I often fall in love with a book because of its cover...it doesn't always have the best results though xD

[Needles's 2016 reading log]

Thanks everybody I think I'll stay too...I'm starting to like the place

[Needle's Genre challenge]

After visiting past challenges, including Vodkafan's challenge which I was directed to, this idea really interested me.

I have the bad habit of sticking to the same genres, rotating through the same again, again and again and I like the idea of trying something different and new.

I decided to take my inspiration from Ooshie's 2012 Genre challenge (you can find it here) and to maky my final choice in Goodreads suggestions.

 

Here is my list so far :

 

 

 

Action / Adventure

Autobiography /Biography / Memoir

• Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks as Anonymous

Children’s / Young Adult

• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Classic (pre-WWI)

• The picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Comedy / Satire

• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Crime Fiction / Mystery

• Room by Emma Donoghue

Fantasy / Urban Fantasy

• Half Bad by Sally Green

Graphic / Illustrated Novel

Historical Fiction (Pre-WWII)

• Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Horror / Thriller

• Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Mash-Up

• Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Modern Classic (post WWI to 1980s)

• 1984 by George Orwell

Newly Published in 2016

Romance / Erotica

• Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch

Saga

Science Fiction / Steampunk

• The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent

Speculative Fiction

• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Supernatural / Paranormal

War

• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Western

 

• True Grit by Charles Portis : I have decided to start the challenge with this one. The synopsis was interesting but I’d never have read it if not for this challenge. The story in and of itself is nothing new : a girl wants to avenge her father’s death and so, she decides to hire someone with “true grit” to help her do the job.

 

What is new to me, however, is how it’s narrated : in the first person and almost as a richly detailed memory (?) The main character is young in the memory but seems older in the way she shares her experience, mentioning a few times a later time in her life. Outside of my insight as a reader, I quite enjoy Mattie, the main character. She’s stubborn, independent, calculating and very pragmatic : she cried twice in the whole book, once out of frustration and another time because she was kind of dying. It’s quite strange to think of such a young girl behaving the way she does in such a time.

 

I feel I should also mention the vocabulary : I am used to contemporary English, I’m quite well-versed in urban slang and though I understand everything that is said in the book, I find that English a bit disconcerting. I think the author stayed true to the era, I can’t say for sure as my only foray in the western genre has been glimpses of bad Z-rated western movies translated in French.

 

All in all, I’m not sure how I feel about the western type, I’m not totally against it but I’m not totally crazy about it either. This book bored me at first. It’s probably the worst that can happen out of a book. People usually read to evade boredom, outside from the pleasure one gets from losing themselves in a good book, we also want to start a book and not notice time escaping us, we want to drown in it. However, I got sucked in about halfway through, I really didn’t notice time passing by and it was great. I liked the ending because it wasn’t all rainbows and flowers, none of the characters were left unscathed. So I’m a bit ambivalent about the genre but not the book. The book was good. Not great no, but good.

 

 

 

Up to now, I've made most of these choic es after reading synopsises on Goodreads but I'm having a bit of a problem with two genres, Saga and Mash-up. I don't really know what I'm looking for in those two instances. When I put "saga" in the Goodreads search engine, I come up with books like Harry Potter and I'm not sure that qualifies. It's the same with "mash-up" : to my understanding, it's a mix of two different books but I come up with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies...which totally puts me off but that's what this challenge is about after all. I might be surprised... I don't expect it but maybe ?

 

If you have read books in any of these genres, what would you recommend ? And is there something in my list that doesn't quite fit ? I'm trying to include books from my TBR pile in there as well because, while I'm well acquainted with my French "classics", it's not quite the case within the English language Also, can anyone help me fill in the blanks ? As most of these are new to me, I have a hard time making a choice

 

I’ve decided to rate the books I read during this challenge :

I hated it : I wanted so badly to just give up and put it down.

I liked it : I didn’t mind reading it to kill the time and I wanted to know where it was going.

I loved it : I couldn’t put it down ! I’m overly excited about it and can’t really explain why.

[What is the best e-book reader ?]

Ah ok That's great to know I think I've made up my mind

 

Thank you all for your opinion, it was a great help

[What is the best e-book reader ?]

If I buy a Kindle, will I be able to download books from other sources or will I have to stick strictly to amazon ? Many of you say that e-books aren't expensive on Amazon but I've never tried to buy e-books on there. I usually buy my paper books on there because they're less expensive than actual bookstores but as I look through their selection, which is quite impressive I have to admit, the price is almost equal to paper books. Damn those taxes But if I were to have a kindle, there would be interesting reductions, right ?

[Hi ! Newbie here :)]

Hi Needle, I haven't read Room, but the trailer totally put me off both film and the book, because it basically gave the whole plot away! I don't know why film distribution companies do that...

About your reading choices, being on this forum really expands your reading horizons. One year I did a genre challenge where I read 24 books all of different genres! That was fun. These days I don't work so hard. Do you have a TBR  (To Be Read) pile?  Mine is relatively small compared to some here but i have enough books to last me 5 years without buying any more.  

 

I understand what you mean about the trailer, it leaves no mystery about the story. However, in this case, it was already spoiled for me by someone talking about it in a video. I hope I wasn't the one who made you watch the trailer though...I didn't really think about that when I mentioned the movie :-/

I do have a TBR pile and it's not as extensive as others here. I've seen some book blogs and I'm amazed. I'm only that organized when it's work.

As for my reading choice, I do hope to expand my reading. I'm not really picky as long as it's fiction. That's pretty much my only requirement Where can I find that challenge ? It sound interesting ! And what genre would you recommend from the 24 that you read ?

[Have you ever visited a book fair ?]

I'm sad, I've just realised that I won't be having my yearly visit to the biggest book fair of Belgium and it made me curious, have you ever visited a book fair ? Does it happen in your country ? I know for sure that it happens in Belgium, in all the big cities anyways and in France too but I'm not sure about other countries

 

It's a great place to buy new books at discounted prices, I even get given books by some of the staff once in a while I admit it doesn't always happen but sometimes, they just spot you in the crowd and one of their staff (I think it's the manager) points you out to the cashier and he lets you choose between books specially printed for the occasion.

There are also tons on interesting talks about many different subjects and you can also meet authors and get your books signed. This year, they're having Richard Ford, I can't believe I'm missing out I may not have enjoyed his books but it would have been super interesting to watch him be on a panel. Two years ago, Amélie Nothomb was there and she answered questions and signed books. I was a dimwit and didn't know about it...I've had serious FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) since then 

 

So, to soothe my ache at being unable to go this year, tell me about the book fairs in your country Do you have any ? Are they big fairs ? Do you make a list of the books that you want to buy or do you buy as you go ?

["Around The World" Reading Challenge!]

I really like Nothomb's novels I think I've read 3 or 4 of them. My favorite is The Stranger Next Door

 

I personally love Antéchrista and Le Fait du Prince or The Prince's act for English readers if I'm not mistaken. Hygiène de l'assassin is also a great one I had to read all of these when I was in school but I enjoyed them so much that I kept them and still read them whenever I'm in a reading hump

[What is the best e-book reader ?]

I've recently fallen in love with e-books because I was able to read them on my tablet. It was an easy (and light) way to swap books when I wanted. My short attention span problem was solved, yay

 

However, my tablet broke and now, I read my e-books on my computer with calibre.

 

I don't plan to buy another tablet because I don't need it anymore but I do want to buy an e-book reader of some kind. I find it even more interesting because I think it would last longer without recharging than my tablet did.

So my question is this : what do you think is the best e-reader out there ? Is it Kobo ? Or Kindle ? Why do you think it's the best ? Do you think it needs WiFi ? Or is it unnecessary ?

 

I just can't make up my mind and though Google is my friend, he doesn't seem to have an opinion on the subject

 

[What are you listening to?]

I feel a bit uncultured after reading what others are listening to. To each their own I guess   

I've been incessantly listening to Sleeping At Last's discography, especially their Yearbook Collection But, Sia's album came out yesterday and that might become my new musical obsession

["Around The World" Reading Challenge!]

I have a suggestion for Belgian books I don't know if you know about her, but Amelie Nothomb is a very famous Belgian author. She's always read in secondary school, and among her books, I'd suggest "Stupeur et tremblements"

 

So in short, I suggest you add Amelie Nothomb - Stupeur et tremblements for Belgium

[Movies you are looking forward to in 2016]

Mine are :

Kung Fu Panda 3

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Deapool

The Secret Life of Pets

Ratchet and Clank

The Angry Birds

Through the Looking Glass

Suicide Squad

Ice Age 5

Hello, My Name is Doris

 

And I think that's about it for now

[Needles's 2016 reading log]

I'm not certain about how this works but from what I've read, I love the idea of keeping a written journal of what I've read

 

In January 2016 :

 

Shannon Messenger, Keeper of the Lost Cities, t1 : Keeper of the Lost Cities

Shannon Messenger, Keeper of the Lost Cities, t2 : Exile

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Anne Rice, New Tales of the Vampires, t1 : Pandora

Derek Landy, Skulduggery Pleasant, t1 : Skulduggery Pleasant

Derek Landy, Skulduggery Pleasant, t2 : Playing with Fire

Derek Landy, Skulduggery Pleasant, t3 : The Faceless Ones

 

 

So far, I've enjoyed all of them. I don't really know how you guys rate your books, I'm utterly incapable of giving these books a rating   I can only make a difference between those that I couldn't put down, those that I could put down and those that I couldn't finish. Maybe I should rate my books that way ?

 

 

 

[Hi ! Newbie here :)]

Awww such a friendly welcome Thank you   

 

So, to answer some of your questions, I'm from Belgium (by the way, I saw your list of international books and I've some to add ) and I study international trade

 

As for books, I read a bit of everything but I've a definite soft spot for fantasy and romance. Lately, I've found myself obsessed with Skulduggery Pleasant, a children series which totally fits my "I don't want to grow up" mood of the moment I've also really enjoyed Shannon Messenger's Keeper of the Lost Cities which, again, proves my mood. To avoid being disgusted of reading the same series too much, I plan to start reading Room by Emma Donoghue. Anyone here has seen the trailer for the movie ? It looks really good *.*

 

I also have read Pandora by Anne Rice, out of boredom at the train station. It made me add her books to my TBR pile xD

 

Here are a few of my favourite books :

 

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill

In Death series by J.D. Robb

I'm probably missing a few but oh well, can't remember all my favourites !