On my Nook

It has been a while since I've had time to just sit down and read a book for pleasure. And technically I don't really have time for that right now either. I'm in the final days of editing and formatting of the Journey to a Healthier Me book and the new semester of school is starting this week. BUT - the very fact that I'm so busy right now is the exact reason I'm pulling out my Nook and loading up a new book. If I don't have something that allows me to relax and unplug for a little while, I may just go insane after all. 


I actually have TWO books on the short list for my reading pleasure. And I'm actually embarrassed, as a die-hard Nora Roberts fan, to admit that I'm actually behind in my reading of her books. Seriously, I love that woman! I even traveled 6 hours to attend a book signing of hers once. I devour her books and usually more than once. I'm totally hooked on the In Death series and love every one of them. But that is where I've fallen behind. The last two books are still on my "reading pile" (a pile of hard-copy books in my living room awaiting my attention). So I've decided to load up the ebook versions on the Nook and get caught up. 





J.D. Robb is a pseudonym for Nora Roberts. Back in the mid-1990's she wanted to branch off the romance circuit and try something new. Plus, since she is such a fast writer, her publisher couldn't publish her books as fast as she was writing... so they needed a new name and a new avenue for getting her books out. J.D. Robb was born (J.D. stands for her two sons' names - Jason and Dan. 


If you haven't experienced the J.D. Robb books in the In-Death series, you're definitely missing out! It's a series of 32 primary books and about 9 other novella books that are included in anthologies with other writers. Typically the smaller novellas are stand-alone stories that you can read anytime without interrupting the main storyline of the primary books. 


The primary book releases all have the same cast of characters - or build upon that original cast to introduce new main characters. As you read through each book in the series, you get to know the characters more and more as they come to life. 


Personally I'm in love with Roarke and would easily kill off Eve to have him for my very own. But Eve is a tough cookie, so I probably couldn't kill her very easily. Maybe they'll just let me live in their mansion and order meals from their auto-chef and go on vacation in the halo-room. That'd probably be fine too. 


If you want to start reading this amazing series of book, start at the beginning with Naked in Death. To see the whole list of books in the series in the order they were written, here's the reference list on Nora Roberts' website. 


~Pam

On my Nook: James Patterson

I'm slowly working my way through the James Patterson series about Alex Cross. Last week I finished up Along Came a Spider and now I'm working on Kiss the Girls. This is my not first experience with James Patterson. Years ago I read the first book in his Maximum Ride series and enjoyed it -- but back then I didn't really have a concept for who James Patterson was or that there were more books after that one. So that series is now on my read list too.

So far I've kinda got a crush on Alex Cross. He's definitely a great hero for a cop novel, huh?  Who is Alex Cross you ask?  From Wikipedia:

Alex Cross is a character in a series of books by novelist James Patterson. Cross is an African-American detective and psychologist living and working in the Southeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. He works in the homicide division of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD), but eventually becomes a Senior Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). After his stint with the FBI, Alex returns to private psychology practice, but continues to consult for the MPD and the FBI as needed, ultimately rejoining the MPD as a special consultant to the Major Case Squad. Patterson portrays Dr Cross as a lonely individual, yet he is a model father and is quite empathetic in dealing with the public. Despite the fact that he is well educated and makes a decent living, he chooses to continue residing in the Southeast quadrant of D.C. He is very involved in the community, most notably volunteering at St Anthony's Parish in his neighborhood.

Oops! I think I just ruined several upcoming story lines for myself by looking up that information. Dang! Oh well... he's still a hottie in my imagination so I'll enjoy reading the books.

What are you reading?

On my Nook: Soul Identity & Soul Intent

I just finished reading Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder.  It was amazing!

I was pretty skeptical when I first started this book. I'm not a sci-fi type of gal and don't usually enjoy stories that are overly techy. But the more I read this book, the faster I needed to know what was going to happen next. I loved every minute of it! The main character is funny and engaging and the supporting characters were well developed and entertaining. I loved the casual voice of the author and can't wait to dig into his next book. I highly recommend this one!

Soul Intent, the sequel, is next up on my reading list. 

Here's the description of Soul Intent:

In 1946, soon-to-be-executed Nazi General Hermann Goering asks young Soul Identity overseer Archibald Morgan to take his looted gold and deposit it in a soul line collection, there to await his soul's rebirth.  Flora, a seventeen-year-old Gypsy girl whose father died in the Dachau concentration camp, is sure that Goering stole the gold. She struggles to persuade Morgan to reject the Nazi's deposit, but Morgan prevails. Sixty-four years have passed. A repentant Morgan opens Goering's collection and discovers the gold is gone. In its place lies a cryptic journal. Morgan asks security expert Scott Waverly to find the thief and recover the gold. Scott must race through Europe to uncover the elusive secrets of what really happened in Nuremberg... secrets that threaten to reopen old wounds, settle old scores, and lead to the gold's-and his own soul's-recovery.

On my Nook: Nicholas Sparks

So the thing I love about my Nook is that I can be reading more than one thing at a time. I'm still working my way through the 365 Steps to Self Confidence that I mentioned last week ... it's the type of book that requires homework and finishing tasks assigned with each step, so it's going to take me a while to get through it. But so far it's well worth the effort and I'm learning lots about myself.

I just love the fact that carrying my Nook allows me to also read other stuff too.  I've got hundreds of books already loaded on my eReader and I can pick anything to read but still only carry one book-sized-device. I love, love, love this thing!

Last week I finished up a fun little romance novel called Seducing Mr. Right by Cherry Adair. It was light and entertaining and an easy read. Perfect for a book to enjoy while traveling when I might only have 15 or 30 minutes to read in a sitting.

Right now I'm reading a Nicholas Sparks book - A Bend in the Road.

I'm only on page 30 of this book so far... but I'm already drawn in to the characters. I love the way Sparks develops his characters in his books and really makes you feel like you know them on a personal level. He brings you into the story and lets you be a part of the scene.

When I read books I never read the blurb on the back cover or inside flap of the book jacket .... I'm the type of person who literally judges a book by its cover or pick books based on the recommendation of others. So I don't have a clear idea of what this book is about. It's a story of a man whose wife died and left him and their young son behind. Then one day the man is ready for new love in his life and finds just the right woman for him and his son.... beyond that, I'm not sure where this story is going to go and I'll just let if flow as I turn each page.

What are you reading?

On My Nook: Building Self-Confidence

What am I currently reading on my Nook? 
365 Steps to Self-Confidence by David Lawrence Preston
















I'm intrigued by the opening remarks about low self-esteem and self-doubt.

A man who doubts himself is like a man who enlists in the ranks of the enemy and bears arms against himself. He makes his failure certain by being the first to be convinced of it. ~ Alexandre Dumas

The David Lawrence Preston says this in his opening remarks:

"People who lack confidence and self-belief always underachieve. They're less adventurous and less likely to get the most out of life. They're more prone to a variety of stress-related problems, including anxiety, eating disorders and mental health problems. Lack of confidence holds you back."

And how do we build self-confidence?  I haven't read the whole book yet, but in Chapter 1 Preston says he'll use the ITIA Formula.  ITIA stands for:

1. Assert your intention to be confident and make a commitment.
2. Change your thinking - including attitudes and beliefs
3. Imagine yourself as a confident person
4. Act as if you're already confident - the more you speak and behave confidently, the more confident you will become.

I'm intrigued by the beginning of this book and looking forward to working my way through the 365 steps. I think nearly everyone can use some help in gaining more self-confidence and learning to believe more in themselves and abilities. Low self-esteem isn't a huge problem for me. I'm a strong and powerful woman, but sometimes I let negative self-talk creep into my mind and plant seeds of doubt. So even for those who are fairly confident, I can see that this book will be of benefit - for no other reason than it'll bring about a greater awareness of the dangers of letting negative affirmations have too much power in our lives. And for those who are working on gaining more confidence, these step-by-step instructions can make the process easier and more methodical.

~Pam

I Bought a Nook

OMG!! I'm so excited!

After months of hemming and hawing over which ereader to buy ... I finally took the plunge tonight and bought a Nook from Barnes & Noble. It's charging right now and I'm reading the manual so I haven't even had a chance to read much on it yet.

But I wanted to share my news and see if any of you have the Nook too? How do you like it? What are you reading right now?

EDITED TO ADD DETAILS 

Remember a few months ago when I was contemplating between the Kindle and the Sony eReader? Yeah.... the Barnes & Noble Nook wasn't even on my radar back then. But once I started looking deeper into the comparison of all the different devices, the Nook seemed to rise to the top.

I started out here -- eReader Wiki Comparison Chart -- and then went to YouTube and watched a million videos. It didn't take long before I eliminated the Kindle from the running and it was a dead heat betwen the Sony and the Nook.

I went to Best Buy and did the whole "touch and feel" test with both devices and I really liked how responsive the Nook was over the touch version of the Sony eReader. I also liked that the Nook had a web browser and games and could pull down RSS feeds plus I can borrow free ebooks from the local library. I can also listen to audiobooks or music with the Nook, so that was a huge bonus too! And when I'm in a B&N store (which is often) I can read books for free - 1 hour per day - while in the store. Plus you can loan books to friends (or receive loan requests from your friends - hint-hint-hint). And I've already downloaded the Nook eReader for my computer and can access any of my BN library books there too. (Can you tell I'm excited?)

I liked that I could also choose between the wi-fi only version or the wi-fi & 3G version. Since I have plans to upgrade my smartphone soon - probably getting the Samsung Epic from Sprint which has the ability to become it's own wi-fi hotspot - I decided I didn't need 3G connection (which was $50 more).

So here's what I got:

Barnes & Noble Nook - Wi-Fi
Jonathan Adler Quote Case (so cool - but I'm not 100% sure I'm going to keep this one, I'd love it if it were available in pink!)

Here's what's already on my wish list:

Pink Tranquility - decal for back and front with matching screensaver

Light - gotta have a light so I can read in the dark

eBooks, of course -- need to check my library (Overdrive eBooks) and Kobo and keep browsing B&N. I bet there are a ton of WLS books for the Nook, just like there is for the Kindle (Kindle WLS Books in my Shop).

Ok, I'll stop now. I'm sure you'll hear plenty more about my new toy.

~Pam