It’s not a secret that I haven’t been a big fan of eBooks.  Well, not exactly the ebooks themselves but rather eReaders.  I’ve written about it in the past here and here but it boils down to them being clunky and not terribly friendly when compared to a simple dead tree book.

Well, let it never be said that I don’t change my mind.

Earlier this year, due to all of Steph’s travels, we decided to get her an eReader so she wouldn’t have to lug around all those hard and paperbacks.  This one, specifically – the Kobo Glo.

Steph fell in love with it and has been using it quite a lot.  I think she’s made more purchases on it than we’ve bought paperbacks in the past six months.   It’s made packing for those trips a lot easier.  And as a bonus, since we purchased it and linked it to our local, independent bookstore, they get a cut of the profit.

More recently, I decided to give it a go myself.  I enjoy reading in bed but since I always hit the sack well after Steph, turning on a light to read just earns me the Stare of Death and a really annoyed wife.  So at Steph’s ‘suggestion’, I downloaded a book and started reading.

I’m already liking it.  The Kobo has proven itself to be a far better eReader than my iPad.  It has a very nice, soft light and the font adjustment is smooth and easy on the eyes.  The size is just right (about the same as a paperback) and there are no awkward buttons to deal with.  Just tap on the screen (the size and location of which are adjustable) and the page turns.  Very simple.

That’s not saying it’ll ever replace a dead tree edition – nope, never.  But in a pinch, it’ll do and I’m getting fond of it.

Oh, and the book I’m reading on the Kobo?  Libriomancer by Jim C Hines (who also wrote the Princess novels of which I’m fond), a story about a man who uses magic to pull objects out of books and make them real.  How’s that for a little bit of irony?

 

Tuesday night, our local independent bookstore hosted a talk by New York Times bestselling author, William Kent Krueger.  Kent (as he likes to be called) is the author of the Cork O’Conner series of mysteries.  He’s also from the Twin Cities and most of his novels are set in northern Minnesota or the area around there.  The visit coincided with the release of his most recent novel, Tamarack County.

He also happens to be one of Steph’s favorite authors so as a result, I got dragged along.  I’ve not read him but he was very personable and made it an enjoyable night for the crowd.  And, based on the brief synopsis of his current work in progress, I might have to add him to my never shrinking reading pile.

In any case, Steph not only got a couple of books signed but also got to hear an explanation for why Kent performed a heinous deed that almost got her to stop reading his books.  By the end, she was (relatively) satisfied.  All in all, a good night.