Jumping off yet another bloody bridge

Reading and music are two of my life's constants. I can't  imagine going going through a day without picking up a good book or going through some kind of soundtrack as I work, dance or even just walk around. Who can?

The two constants have also made me evolve in ways that I didn't want to evolve in. In someways, my inner cave woman is resistant to all this change. Weird, isn't it? Especially for someone who's worked in technology for a bulk of her working life. Adopting my first iPod was borne out of necessity and practicality. I can't travel the world in customary no-frills frivolity, while carrying a stack of CDs! Have you seen my music collection? That thing is huge! What am I, a travelling music box woman? All I'd need is a monkey and a DJ booth that will crank out the tunes as I go. No bloody way.

And so, I got myself an iPod and filled it with my musical favorites over the years. That has worked out perfectly :) Now I can travel and sort through my thoughts without carrying a shitload of stuff with me.

The new step in the evolution comes from the fact that many of my favorite long-time book sellers and second-hand bookstores closing down. It tough seeing the people that you love, friends, who've bonded with you over books and authors have to move on because the way of the world is changing. The move towards a paperless society is great, we keep more trees, reduce our carbon footprint and hopefully use the land for more sustainable ventures but we lose the warmth and heart of the people who would recommend that hot new author or tell you that the new bestseller, really sucks. That to me is the irreplaceable element of the second-hand bookstore.

My inner cave woman was pissed off! What is this change about nowwwww! Why do I have to become yet another drone in the train, who constantly taps on their bloody device? Part of why I am so resistant to this change is because I love holding a physical book and reading it. I don't need to constantly fiddle around on Facebook or Twitter or blog every second of my life. But this new change seems to be inevitable. I have to learn to adapt a little. The second-hand bookstores were perfect for me because, I can choose to keep or return the books that I didn't want. Sadly, they are being muscled out by technology and the fact that lesser people choose to read physical books today. And I cannot keep buying books, I just don't have enough space in my house.

So what's a girl to do, right? Well, this one is researching the types of reading devices that would take her the furthest. So far, the choices are between the Kindle Fire and the Kindle Paperwhite. Fire because I want to be able to read magazines and also comics that I really love. But then again, do I really need something in HD and in color? Would it tire out my eyes? Can I just stick to the efficiency of the Paperwhite? Hmmm points to ponder. If you come across this post and have one of these devices, let me know what you think! It'll help tremendously!

Thank you!

Another day, another book

I've been an avid reader of romantic novels all my life. I've read the classics, the cult favorites, the trendy chick lit (not a fan of them) and also erotica. 

So of course, with all the buzz of 50 Shades of Grey, I had to go out and get my hands on a copy, right? Wrong.

I got veto-ed, yes VETO-ed by my friendly, neighborhood bookseller. 

Bookseller uncle: Girl, why are you trying to read that? Because it's popular?" (just before I could nod in agreement) Please, lah, can you read something better? The language is terrible! It's worse than teenage writing. The novels that you've been taking are much better for story value and even the sex scenes are better.

Me: Wah, uncle you have a very strong opinion about this!Bookseller uncle: Of course, I don't want my customers to just read nonsense, even it is popular

Daaaaammmmmnn, but the bookseller uncle is fiery! And so, just because I don't naturally trust first-hand advice....I went to look for an excerpt online. I shouldn't have bothered. Two paragraphs into chapter one and I clicked off the page. I'm sure the writing will be just as scintillating for the entire series. Zzzzzzzzzzz

Ok, maybe it's the hype but I don't understand how a book like this could be so popular. Or why many well-read friends are actually promoting it. Hopefully it's just a bad phase, but its a highly disturbing one. I am hardly a book snob but at the same time, I don't like reading badly written material. I especially don't like how scenes from the book are paraphrased and reproduced. C'mon! You can do better than that!

I've told a number of friends that if you want to read a good book that has lots of sex, pick up a romantic novel or better, some erotic anthologies. While romantic novels may contain the requisite  heaving bosoms and the virile men, at least the books are well plotted and written. Need a more spicy read? Go for erotic novels. Don't be shy. after all, people have been turning to these books for ages to get new ideas to bring a little heat into their bedrooms.

So what should you read? For the curious, I'd recommend authors like Susan Johnson (go for her earlier titles), Beatrice Small, Zane  and even Anne Rice's take on BDSM Sleeping Beauty Trilogy. I'm not sure if the last one is available here but, hey, there's always Amazon.com. The last one gave me a bit of a nightmare, but that said, it's a very different take on a classic children's tale and written for a more sophisticated audience. Definitely not for the faint hearted.

But for the non-believers, you can always go back to this: