Update

“Barbie Anderson had no reason to believe that this particular Thursday would be any different from any of the other approximately 8,395 days of her marriage.” Quote from The Ride

I chose that quote because, like Barbie, my life started spiraling out of control on a recent Thursday morning. Although it was after approximately 14,235 days of marriage and for entirely different reasons, I still found the similarity rather ironic.

I’ve always been a happy, healthy, active, non-smoker. I took it for granted that I’d stay that way, at least for another decade or two. So you can imagine my surprise when I paid a visit to my doctor for what I thought was a minor little respiratory virus on a Thursday morning and found myself in a hospital bed by Thursday night. After over a week’s stay, I received a diagnosis that totally shocked me—lung cancer.

After a few ups and downs and a roller coaster of a ride, Barbie regains control. That’s exactly what I plan to do as well. I know it won’t be easy, but I’m prepared to fight aggressively in order to return my life to normalcy as quickly as possible.

I intend to post the remaining blogs written by Kate Gladstone on handwriting starting tomorrow. After that series, I will probably begin posting once a week.

I do, however, have some good news to share—the Kindle edition of The Ride is now available for only $9.99. Click here to download your copy.

I appreciate all your good thoughts, prayers and well wishes after my previous blog. Your comments and emails meant a lot to me.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: The Ride, Kindle, lung cancer, Kate Gladstone,

Not the Usual Kindle Discussion

"Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.” – Stewart Brand

We’ve all heard the arguments about what the Kindle and other electronic book readers will do to the publishing industry. However, have you ever thought about some of the more atypical effects? Joanne Kaufman has in her humorous article, “With Kindle, Can You Tell It’s Proust?” from nytimes.com. Here are a few excerpts:

“The publishing world is all caught up in weighty questions about the Kindle and other such devices: Will they help or hurt book sales and authors’ advances? Cannibalize the industry? Galvanize it?”

“Please, they’re overlooking the really important concern: How will the Kindle affect literary snobbism?”

“The practice of judging people by the covers of their books is old and time-honored. And the Kindle, which looks kind of like a giant white calculator, is the technology equivalent of a plain brown wrapper.”

“But for the purpose of sizing up a stranger from afar, perhaps the biggest problem with Kindle or its kin is the camouflage factor: when no one can tell what you’re reading, how can you make it clear that you’re poring over the new Lincoln biography as opposed to, say, “He’s Just Not That Into You”?”

“And as books migrate from paper, it means the death of the pickup line, “Oh, I see you’re reading the latest (insert highbrow author’s name here).”

Read the entire article here.

I’ve always enjoyed attempting to see what books people were reading or carrying. I will miss this ability to snoop as the electronic readers continue to gain in popularity. To date, I have no desire to own one, but I think I said the same thing about a cell phone.

How do you feel about electronic book readers? Do you own one? Have you ever used a book as a way to start a conversation with a stranger?

I'm going off topic here but I wanted to share what I consider exciting news. Because part of The Ride takes place on Route 66, it caught the attention of Route 66 News and was featured on the site on May 20.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Stewart Brand, Kindle, electronic book readers, Joanne Kaufman, nytimes.com,The Ride, Route 66,

Modern Technology

In my June 8th blog, (http://janekennedysutton.blogspot.com/2007/06/question-will-books-as-we-know-them-be.html), I asked, “Will books, as we know them, be extinct one day?” I never dreamed that ‘one day’ would happen so soon.

Later that same month, ArcheBooks came out with their first mBook , A Prophecy Forgotten, by Michelle Weston , (http://archebooks.com/mbooks.htm). An mBook is one that can be downloaded to an MP3 player for your listening pleasure, much like your favorite song.

Now Amazon has come out with the Kindle, which allows you to download and read books, newspapers, and blogs on a handheld device that is smaller than most books.

I can understand listening to a book during road trips or while exercising but I’m not sure I can see the point of reading one on a small screen. Obviously, however, many people differ with my opinion as the product sold out quickly. I noticed the reviews run from one to five stars. My guess is the one-star ratings come from lovers of old-fashioned books with pages of paper.

Keep in mind, I am the person who over twenty years ago, while living in Taiwan, asked, “What do we need one of those for?” referring to the Apple-like copy of a computer my husband bought home from work one day. Within a week, I couldn’t imagine how I’d ever written a letter in longhand.

I even avoided using a cordless phone for years. With the cord, I felt somehow attached to whoever was on the other end. Now, as I wander all over the house talking on a cordless phone, I can’t imagine being tied down to one spot.

I balked at the very idea of email and now it’s like a lifeline.

In other words, I seem to have a technology phobia. I am unable to adjust to new technology quickly or without a lot of whining. Fortunately, my husband is the complete opposite and forces me to keep somewhat in step with modern society.

Therefore, I’m not saying I’ll never ever own a device like the Kindle; I’m just saying that I just can’t see the point—today.

Can you see yourself reading a book on a Kindle? Or, listening to one on an MP3 player? I’d love to hear your responses.

Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.

Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride (to be released by ArcheBooks Publishing)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/

Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, eBook, A Prophecy Forgotten , Kindle, Michelle Weston