Category Archives: Library

A novel reader gets the blues

Posted on July 13, 2010 | Comments Off on A novel reader gets the blues

I read many more books than I review, on Amazon and in the pages of the Scribbler, and lately that’s become the norm. I keep reading, but I keep being disappointed. And it’s not just the Indie, DIY novels, but the Big Publisher ones, as well.

I keep running across some of the latter which are more afflicted by PC- and New York Liberal-sensibility and hack, anything-that-will-sell writing than usual. And some of the former are not so much damaged by the alleged grammar and spelling errors of Big Publishing’s mockery as by stories that crash-and-burn long before the end—done in by errors of craft, plot- and character-development.

Oh, well. I am committed. And my Kindle makes it easy and cheap. Onward through the fog.

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Posted in Library, Rancho Roly Poly

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Israel: The long commute

Posted on July 11, 2010 | Comments Off on Israel: The long commute

I’m already somewhat mentally agitated by the thought of the roughly twelve hours flying time (in two planes) I have to make in October to get from Austin to Israel. I can hardly imagine long-haul commuting from Tel Aviv to New York and back again every week. Yipes.

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Posted in Israel, Library, Scribbles

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Borders Kobo promotion flop

Posted on July 10, 2010 | Comments Off on Borders Kobo promotion flop

I downloaded the Borders ebook app for PC in order to take advantage of their free bestsellers offer. Then I gave them all the credit card and address info.

Then I tried to download the “free” book. Didn’t work. Tried several times. Still didn’t work. I should have known better. I uninstalled the app. I’ll stick with Amazon and Kindle. I know they work.

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Posted in Library, Scribbles

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Above The Fray

Posted on July 7, 2010 | Comments Off on Above The Fray

I enjoyed much of  the first half of this supposed historical fiction novel—until I ran into the author’s ahistorical put-down of the fighting ability and simple humanity of the Confederate soldier.

In the beginning, the novel gratifyingly defies the silly modern stereotypes of the evil South and the virtuous, slavery-destroying North. But author Kris Jackson apparently was concerned lest he go too far with the even-handed approach, and turned preachy. Or maybe he really believes the propaganda.

Building a tale around the history of the little-known Union Balloon Corps was a brilliant idea. Too bad the execution is so predictably PC. It isn’t above the fray at all. It’s beside the point.

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Posted in Civil War, Library

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Quarter Share (Solar Clipper Trader Tales)

Posted on July 4, 2010 | Comments Off on Quarter Share (Solar Clipper Trader Tales)

I kept waiting for something to happen in this novel. It never did. It turned out to be a story about institutional food preparation, coffee-making and forming a sales cooperative for flea markets. The hero makes a mean omelet. The crew drilled for emergencies, but never had one. I didn’t need a space battle, but something life-threatening would have at least kept me awake.

The author’s style is conversational, which makes the book very readable. And he does say that his aim was to write of ordinary people making a living—albeit on a space freighter in the black. But come on. One reviewer compared this to “Two Years Before The Mast.” Hardly. These folks not only set their sails with the push of a button, they live a cushy air-conditioned life with no hardship whatsoever. And, alas, no suspense.

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Posted in Library, Scribbles, Space

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Two new blogs, whew

Posted on July 2, 2010 | Comments Off on Two new blogs, whew

I’ve added two new blogs to my repertoire. One is for the promotion of the novel and the other is the first blog I know of for my great grandfather’s old outfit, the 13th Mississippi Infantry Regiment. Both will capitalize on the sesquicentennial of the Civil War which begins next spring.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Civil War, Library

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Kindle rocks

Posted on July 1, 2010 | Comments Off on Kindle rocks

As I wrote in a comment on a publisher’s blog the other day, in response to his contention that traditional publishing will be around for a long time yet, the ebook future may come sooner than expected.

I’ve learned three things from my Kindle: Ebooks are cheaper, there’s no storage problem (my bookshelves already were full) and there’s nothing like browsing, buying and starting to read within minutes, all from the comfort of your easy chair. No driving, no parking, no standing in line to pay.

Kindle is helping some traditionally-published authors see the light as well: “…unlike a lot of other folk, I’m not at all convinced that mortar and brick publishing will never die.  As a matter of fact, I suspect it’s beginning its own elaborate suicide even now….So, if you’re a writer, give Kindle a whirl.  You don’t have any thing to lose…except an agent and a publishing house stealing a big hunk of your profits.“ Heh.

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Posted in Library, Scribbles

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