It was an advanced reading copy I requested from the publisher through a galley request web service-- Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky, and it was really wonderful. I'll do a full review closer to when it comes out next May, but it was compelling. I read it all in one sitting, and it had well-developed relationships and a quality story. The author doesn't have a web presence, though, and I wonder if that's because in real life she is so against being "plugged in" all the time, or maybe she just hasn't gotten around to it? I just take it for granted these days that after I read a book I like I'll be able to google the author and find their blog!I will say, if the ridiculous occurs, and I get a book deal, the first thing I'll do is buy a Kindle. Well, okay, the first thing I'll probably do is get a new tattoo to celebrate, but the second thing will be a Kindle! Reading the book on my computer wasn't as frustrating as I thought, but I've been a long hold-out for paper books. I think Kindle will be the best of both worlds, b/c you can't beat the convenience of e-books, but pushing the PgDn button on my computer was a bit annoying, as was staring at the screen for three hours straight.
Yes, I'm unapologetically part of the generation that will never be unplugged. Though now that I think about it, in my novel, I'm also examining our reliance on technology, envisioning a future where we start implanting it in our bodies more and more. But even that, to me, isn't an entirely a horrible concept. I just think humanity's relationship with technology is always going to be a mix of good and bad, something we're going to have to negotiate.
Sometimes I find myself trying to turn a page in my Kindle.
ReplyDeleteThe negotiation of electronic copyright is not going smoothly, it seems. But interesting to watch. There are quite a few publishers who want the same amount of money for an E-book as for a paper product, which seems wrong to me. Not that the bulk of the expense of a book is the paper, but you don't end up with a chunk of material you can pass on, one of the primary traditional pleasures of a book.
On the other hand, you don't have to dust it or lug it to Half-Price to get ripped off, either.
Purely as a reading tool, I still love it. There's the added thrill of hunting down free e-books, and of course the instant gratification thing is very...gratifying.