Kindle Linked

Funny word 'kindle'. I wonder how they decided on it. If this was BOGGLE I'd have come up with: lid, kin, lie, din, like, dine, kind, linked...

I got it last year for Christmas. So, one year on, it's been a gradual appreciation sort of thing. For some reason I took a while to start using it and loading books from Amazon. I started cheap and got some free ones. Noticed a few typos and that put me right off.

Then I bought some from the popular lists. Really enjoyed 'Labor Day' by Joyce Maynard and 'When I Found You' by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Now I'm choosing for myself, only spending a few dollars per book, and loving it! 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn was so good I've bought 'Dark Places' for another dose of tension and cleverness.

So it seems right that Kindle is an anagram of the word 'linked' - because its linked me to the reading world again. I have fresh enthusiasm - especially as it fits so neatly in my travel bag, is light to hold, easy to read at whatever font size I fancy, perfect for lefties like me, and keeps all the books I've read safe for ever.

Lizzie

How to Choose a Book (by its cover)

I'm all for grabbing random books from the recently returned shelves of the Nelson library. This time it was:

'A Beginners Guide to Acting English' by Shappi Khorsandi

Described as a comedy, it had a good cover; predominantly blue and white with the title word 'acting' emphasized in yellow. (Yes, I admit it, I judge books by their covers, not by their subject matter or by the author's name). I like first-time authors, and I'm always attracted to bright or unusual covers. Sometimes I like them to be true stories as well.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginners-Guide-Acting-English/dp/0091922925

It was a great choice - about an Iranian family and their move to London as experienced by the author Shaparak (now known as Shappi, because English people kept getting it wrong and calling her Shit Attack). I liked the evocative descriptions - her impressions as a young girl growing up in a cultured and eccentric family, in difficult times. A spicy slice of life.

I'm proud to say I now know a bit about Iran, and I will never confuse it with Iraq again... And, the big bonus for me was it turns out I have actually seen Shappi perform a few years ago in Guildford, Surrey, as a stand up comic. I got to the end of the book before I realised this. A coincidence, and a story I won't forget in a hurry.

So next time you're choosing a book don't bother going for big name authors, or the recommendations of others. Just scan the shelves and be a magpie - pick a shiny interesting one.

Lizzie