My reading habits are funny on the Kindle. Maybe it's just that I'm cheap. The only time I every pay full price for books is when I'm traveling and I treat myself to gems from my magical bookshelf at the Powell's in PDX. Since there's no half.com for buying used Kindle books I end up talking myself into bargain books from Amazon's Kindle Daily Deals or the under $3.99 section. I just still struggle with the concept of paying the full trade paperback price for an ebook.
As a result I think it's fair to say that I'm partaking of a different demographic of literature. Yes, there are many classics that are free/nearly free for the Kindle, but that's not what I'm reading. I'm delving deeply into sci-fi and (kind of) fantasy, two genres that are flush with affordable titles. Haven't delved into romance yet. Not sure I'm that desperate to save a buck.
Nestled firmly in this wheelhouse is The Scourge, a Kindle Serial that combines the courtly middle ages with a zombie apocalypse. A band of three nights seeks to cut their way through the hordes in the hopes of finding/saving his wife. They pick their way through (somewhat) historically accurate cities/settings and encounter much of the class/religious conflict of the time in addition to flesh-lusting undead.
I'll be honest, I'm liking the Serial concept. I was a little concerned that they might be underwhelming in length at $2 a subscription (somewhere around 6-8 episodes for that price) but it's plenty of mass with plenty of sugar and fat. Kind of like ebook junk food. The episodic aspect is nice too. I'm motivated to quickly read through each delivery and then eagerly await the next release. I understand there are some online communities for many of the serials so I might check that out.
From a price/value mix the serial concept is working for me. If other titles are as well-written as The Scourge this will probably be my Kindle media of choice. If reading paper books ever becomes completely unappealing to me, or if I want to load and travel light up for a long trip maybe I'll break down and drop some big money for what I consider real literature. Or I could just buy a ton of this stuff!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Santacula: A review
Santacula is the second release from Winchester Malone. Full disclosure, he's a friend of mine, so that will definitely affect my review. While I sincerely enjoyed his first book, Dawn of the Yeti, this was a very different story.
Much like the original Dracula, it's written as a collection of available reports/media surrounding a specific incident. In this 21st Century update the media has changed. You now get texts, emails, social media posts and web-based news reports that surround a surprising tale. A group of young vampires, tired of perpetually being on Santa's naughty list create an elaborate plot to confront the man in red. What results is a shocking accident that changes the course of Christmas, and the world, forever.
I read this book partly out of my friendship with the author and partly because I enjoyed Dawn of the Yeti. The subject mater is a little out of my usual wheelhouse (though I've found myself reading a lot more sci-fi on my Kindle), but it was still a pretty enjoyable read. If you're waning to sample a Winchester Malone book, I'd suggest Dawn of the Yeti. If you're into vampires or want a dark and amusing Christmas read than Santacula is definitely worth checking out.
Much like the original Dracula, it's written as a collection of available reports/media surrounding a specific incident. In this 21st Century update the media has changed. You now get texts, emails, social media posts and web-based news reports that surround a surprising tale. A group of young vampires, tired of perpetually being on Santa's naughty list create an elaborate plot to confront the man in red. What results is a shocking accident that changes the course of Christmas, and the world, forever.
I read this book partly out of my friendship with the author and partly because I enjoyed Dawn of the Yeti. The subject mater is a little out of my usual wheelhouse (though I've found myself reading a lot more sci-fi on my Kindle), but it was still a pretty enjoyable read. If you're waning to sample a Winchester Malone book, I'd suggest Dawn of the Yeti. If you're into vampires or want a dark and amusing Christmas read than Santacula is definitely worth checking out.
New Year
I'm doing my best to not let this blog languish. I originally started it when I was moving cross-country so my family and friends could know I wasn't chopped up in someone's freezer. But now that geography has changed it's still handy to have one place where people can go for the latest and greatest.
Happy New Year!
This picture is actually from Christmas Day, but I suspect today will be similar. Just less rainy. Frankly it's a glorious day. I told my mom I would put a roast in the oven for her at noon. As soon as that's done I'm off to carpe the diem. I don't know how to explain it, and maybe it's just a placebo effect, but this morning just seemed... optimistic. Maybe it's the gloriously golden sun on a frosty/snowy morning. Whatever it is I like it.
2013 figures to be a pretty big year. I've not worked at this job for longer than any other I've had since college. I've been a homeowner for over a year and a puppy-daddy for 7 months (has it really only been that long???). It's highly likely that I'll get a different car this year... and of course there's the elephant in the corner, turning 30. I'm not too stressed about it, just another milestone.
Hopefully the rest of 2013 is as optimistic and filled with potential as this morning. And hopefully I get off the couch and do something about it.
Happy New Year!
This picture is actually from Christmas Day, but I suspect today will be similar. Just less rainy. Frankly it's a glorious day. I told my mom I would put a roast in the oven for her at noon. As soon as that's done I'm off to carpe the diem. I don't know how to explain it, and maybe it's just a placebo effect, but this morning just seemed... optimistic. Maybe it's the gloriously golden sun on a frosty/snowy morning. Whatever it is I like it.
2013 figures to be a pretty big year. I've not worked at this job for longer than any other I've had since college. I've been a homeowner for over a year and a puppy-daddy for 7 months (has it really only been that long???). It's highly likely that I'll get a different car this year... and of course there's the elephant in the corner, turning 30. I'm not too stressed about it, just another milestone.
Hopefully the rest of 2013 is as optimistic and filled with potential as this morning. And hopefully I get off the couch and do something about it.
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