Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
Aleksandr wrote: "Okay, I wasn't aware that they do the Paperwhite in the UK, too. Damn, that's a shiny piece of tech. I think I'll get one (not that the guy would notice) for Xmas. :)"Happy Christmas to you too! :)
Aleksandr wrote: "Okay, I wasn't aware that they do the Paperwhite in the UK, too. Damn, that's a shiny piece of tech. I think I'll get one (not that the guy would notice) for Xmas. :)"It was only released in the UK yesterday, Aleks. Sorry to add to your temptation!
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "'I've read more books since when I bought an e-reader, and bought more, but the majority NOT from Amazon. Ha ha! :) ."
I'm impressed that you're able to resist the ease of purchasing for the Kindle through Amazon. I find the business of downloading from other sites and then emailing tedious, and I tend to do it only when there's no option.
Mod
Smart move, Manu and Lenore. And Merry Xmas to you two! :) I'm STILL waiting for the news about iPad mini...
ARGH. I'll have to check my blank balance. I'm about to drop an enormous amount of money on my "total garden revamp" and am flying to GRL in a week. Gnargh. I *want*.
This makes me laugh a bit, from Amazon:A single charge lasts up to eight weeks, based on a half hour of reading per day with wireless off and the light setting at 10.
I don't even bother to switch it on only to read for 1/2 hour a day ;)
Hj wrote: "I'm impressed that you're able to resist the ease of purchasing for the Kindle through Amazon."
ARe, Dreamspinner, Weightlessbooks, they all deliver to kindle - I always buy the 3G version in order to be able to get them as I do the 1-click button. I buy from Amazon books like Ward's BDB, or other het series, because they have more regional restrictions and I am only able to buy them from Amazon.
From the other sites, I tend to wait until I have 3/4 books and then I put them on Kindle all at once.
Johanna - for me, the iPad mini seems like an attempt on the Fire - which is cheaper and does seem easier to put stuff on (I use my iPad mostly for checking email while on the couch or in the bed - and as a cheap laptop with a wireless keyboard). Though it does seem like a shiny piece of tech, too. Damn, so many gadgets, so little time...
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Oops. This probably doesn't have anything to do with what else are you reading...
I buy 80% of my books directly from Amazon but I don't mind sideloading them on my Kindle. I just buy the mobi version, download it on my computer and then copy it to my Kindle (using the micro USB cable.) Easy.ETA: To me, the iPad mini looks like a bigger iPhone.
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Oooh, my iPad is also my library (and yes, the couch and bed part sounds familiar). I don't go anywhere without it. I'm fiercely attached to it - I only wish it would be a bit smaller.
Johanna wrote: "Aleksandr wrote: "Johanna - for me, the iPad mini seems like an attempt on the Fire - which is cheaper and does seem easier to put stuff on (I use my iPad mostly for checking email while on the cou..."Me too. On the other hand, at its current size, the font and page size is perfect for my eyes. I wish it were ligthter though.
I don't have a strong compulsion to get the Ipad or Iphone, because both are tiring to use as readers (for my eyes) but I'm drooling and drooling over the new laptop with the retina display.Still, since that's so out of my reach right now, I can start planning on the kindle paper white, provided that too won't kill my eyes.
am flying to GRL in a week.
This year it must be amazing.
Part of me wishes to be there, part is fully aware there would be way too many people for me.
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*nod nod* I agree. And lucky for us large handbags are still in... ;)
I had the ipad and the Kindle Fire and found that since my usage was mostly email and e-reader, I kept the Kindle and gave the ipad to my dad...I just ordered the Paperwhite and am excited! The resolution looks amazing. My old eyes need the help!
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Good for you! I hope you enjoy it.
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:-D
Yes, but if you can find it, I'd still buy it because who knows when the books may be back in print? At least you have a copy this way -- and you can get great magnifiers for under $10.00!
When they came out with last year's new Kindle they added cloud storage for all your non-Amazon books. I LOVE it. With my old Kindle keyboard I had a tendency to let books linger, cluttering up the place and wasting memory, because if I deleted something and then decided I wanted to read it again, I had to figure out where the heck I got it or which computer it was stored on and side load again. Now, once I've emailed it to my Kindle, I can pull it up again anytime from the archives.
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Slightly different: where else are you reading?Well, I entered Amazon.it yesterday and they were selling the Kindle Paperwhite. "
Me wants so, so bad! *sigh* I just have no reason. I love my K3 and I got myself talked away from Kindle Touch. I'm still not over my longing for Kindle Fire and now that!
A side note of the Kindle Paperwhite announcement was that there would be Kindle Library for Amazon Prime patrons from the end of October. First I thought, yay, finally! But then found out that it's something different from the lending that they do in the US. You will be able to borrow one ebook each month from Amazon but don't have to give it back. So, in fact you buy 12 books with your Amazon Prime charge (29 € per year), which is a good deal but not what I thought it was.
Manu wrote: "This makes me laugh a bit, from Amazon:
A single charge lasts up to eight weeks, based on a half hour of reading per day with wireless off and the light setting at 10."
That is really lol-worthy. :D
Yeah,might be time for me to sign up for Prime. *shakes fist*
Calathea wrote: "But then found out that it's something different from the lending that they do in the US. You will be able to borrow one ebook each month from Amazon but don't have to give it back. So, in fact you buy 12 books with your Amazon Prime charge (29 € per year), which is a good deal but not what I thought it was."Are you sure you get to keep the book? The Kindle Lending Library that you get with a Prime membership in the US is one book a month, and you can keep if for as long as you want, but you have to return it before getting your next book. The Lending Library is different from regular Kindle lending, where I have a book that allows lending, so I lend it to you through the Amazon website, and then 2 weeks later it expires on your Kindle and comes back to me.
I am reading a set of reports about human rights abuses against lesbian and gay people in Uganda and how this is actually affecting civil society and undermining democracy. It is deeply depressing so to cheer myself up I am reading Neil Plakcy's Mahu Men which is a book of short stories about detective Kimo Kanapa'aka who is openly gay and living and working in Hawaii. This is the fourth book in a series of seven (Mahu Series) and I love these books because they are set in Hawaii and they combine mystery, romance, family and the beach. Also I went to Hawaii many years ago and the books have a way of taking me back there.
Becky wrote: "Calathea wrote: "But then found out that it's something different from the lending that they do in the US. You will be able to borrow one ebook each month from Amazon but don't have to give it back..."You're probably right. I only read the announcement, not the small script. ;-) I hoped for the other model where you borrow from other Kindle owners. I think it would be good for testing author one doesn't know already.
Calathea wrote: "Becky wrote: "Calathea wrote: "But then found out that it's something different from the lending that they do in the US. You will be able to borrow one ebook each month from Amazon but don't have t..."I'm a big fan of regular Kindle lending-- it's how I found Josh! I'm glad it's been so embraced by epublishers. A lot of the big New York publishers don't allow it. And with them shunning library lending, or making it cost prohibitive, I'm much less adventurous in trying books from the big guys.
Ijeoma wrote: "I am reading Neil Plakcy's Mahu Men which is a book of short stories about detective Kimo Kanapa'aka who is openly gay and living and working in Hawaii."I love his Mahu Series, and the insight they give into life on Hawaii and how society is structured there, to say nothing of surfing! They are good mystery books, too. I prefer the longer length books rather than the short stories.
I haven't read any Agatha Christie in ages, so I poked around in my library's digital selections and borrowed Death Comes As the End. It's a Christie set in ancient Egypt. And now I'm half tempted to watch the Doctor Who episode at a house party with Agatha Christie and the crazy bee alien.
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Just finished P.A. Brown's Bermuda Heat and it was fantastic! I read the last three books in the LA Heat series in one week. I needed a gay cop fix, I guess. lol.
Now I'm reading the last book in the original Wraeththu series.
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As for the Kindle... I got the Kindle Touch for xmas last year and I LOVE it. Less like a computer screen which is totally awesome. Just what I needed. Since you all mentioned the new Kindle, I went to check it out, and upon a quick inspection, it seems to do exactly what my old one does, and I don't need anything more, so I don't need it. Love what I got, so I'm good.
I also don't have an ipad or an iphone, or any fancy smartphone for that matter. My phone makes calls and texts people. That's it. I sooo don't need more than that.
But what I am looking for is an easier way to bring a computer device to restaurants with a big enough screen, or at least one that's eye-level, where I can enlarge the font to see better, with a regular sized keyboard, that also doesn't take up much space. Got to have room for the food and the notes too. This is a tough thing to find. I bought a netbook for "travel" writing. It's lightweight and small, but that's about it for it's good points. I'm squinting at the screen all the time! Oiy.
Jordan wrote: "But what I am looking for is an easier way to bring a computer device to restaurants with a big enough screen, or at least one that's eye-level, where I can enlarge the font to see better, with a regular sized keyboard, that also doesn't take up much space. Got to have room for the food and the notes too. This is a tough thing to find. I bought a netbook for "travel" writing. It's lightweight and small, but that's about it for it's good points. I'm squinting at the screen all the time! Oiy."I can't think of any gadget that will do all that. What if you just jack up the font size on your document? It shouldn't make any difference to the writing or editing process if you're working at 24 pt instead of 10 pt. The screen will still be small, but the text will be much easier to read. You'll just want to make sure you adjust it down again before printing or emailing a copy to a cp.
Mod
I just don't get the anti-library sentiment.
Libraries -- even Amazon's libraries -- are not the enemy.
I am not good at putting words to paper, but sometimes I do like to write a few words on how I felt about a book.
The cover really is terrible. The left man looks like young punk and the right one like a young nerd.
Honestly, what were the publishers thinking. Now for the book. I love the writing style and the sense of humor. The story was entertaining but it needed some real drama and a touch of angst. I also love a bit of romance and a couple of sexy bits. It does not have to be explicit, but it adds to the dynamic of a relationship (which felt sort of flat). I enjoyed reading it, but it is not a book I would re-visit. Entertainment value 3.5, but because of the writing itself, which is excellent, I have to give it 4 stars. Credit where credit is due.
OMG! It's out! What if I don't like it? Maybe I could avoid read it and just keep in mind
as one of the best m/m books ever... But I don't think I'll do that ;-).
Antonella wrote: "OMG! It's out! What if I don't like it? Maybe I could avoid read it and just keep in mind as one of the best m/m books ever... But I don't think I'll do that ;-)."Tigers and Devils was re-issued with some changes and I think a slightly different ending. I am not very thrilled about that...
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Antonella wrote: "OMG! It's out! What if I don't like it? Maybe I could avoid read it and just keep in mind as one of the best m/m books ever... But I don't th..."Why did they change the ending?
I've bought the new one by the way, need to read it asap.
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I am not good at putting words to paper, but sometimes I do like to write a few words on how I felt about a book.
The cover really is terrible. The left man looks li..."
I bought this one yesterday after reading Reggie's review. I've got a real soft spot for Simon... so this one is an instant buy+read for me. ;)
I've gone kind of far afield with my reading lately: Josh's A Vintage Affair and David Be Bacco's The Sushi Chef. Provincial Midwesterner that I am, I drink beer, not wine, and just the thought of eating raw fish makes me gag. :/ But I'm enjoying both books as well as learning from them. Can't beat escapism bundled with education. ;-)
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Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "Antonella wrote: "OMG! It's out! What if I don't like it? Maybe I could avoid read it and just keep in mind as one of the best m/m books ever... But I don't th..."Seems unnecessary when the book was so popular as it stood. I can't afford to re-buy a book I already have, and I'm not sure I like the thought of a book I enjoyed being changed.
This is from Sean's LJ- "...Tigers and Devils will be re-released in August. I guess this can loosely be termed a 'writer's cut' as there are a few grammatical hitches and one annoying geographical blunder that are fixed, and a few new one liners spread amongst the text. Oh, and the ending has changed slightly. They all die. No, just kidding! The ending is a little different, but it is more a compression of time than anything. I don't think I had enough faith in myself when first writing it and made it more rom-commy than I would have liked. So a few little events have been taken out. It's the same book, so really there is no need to buy it again. It's just I'm more at ease with it now."
Here's his link-
http://kennsea.livejournal.com/21085....
Reggie wrote: "This is from Sean's LJ- "...Tigers and Devils will be re-released in August. I guess this can loosely be termed a 'writer's cut' as there are a few grammatical hitches and one annoying geographic..."
Thanks, good to know!
Thank you for reminding of this, dear Reggie. I had read it and then forgotten it.
Mod
"...Tigers and Devils will be re-released in August. I guess this can loosely be termed a 'writer's cut' as there are a few grammatical hitches and one annoying geographic..."
I can certainly see wanting to clean up the things that have always driven you crazy in the first edition -- FS has been rewritten 3 times now (and getting longer with each version). In Sean's case, the book hasn't been out THAT long, and I'm guessing these are changes that a knowlegable editor would have made to begin with. I'd have done the same.
Eventually though you have to stop and accept the fact that a book is a reflection of who you were at the time you wrote it. Were I to write FS today, it would be entirely different. Not least because so much has changed in light of technology and policy -- and even mystery and gay fiction. But also because I was working on that book back in 1996 and 15 years later, yeah, I'm a very different person.
But I do see it from a reader's standpoint too, and yes, it is annoying to buy one version of a book and then learn there is a new and improved version. Although, if it's been expanded, then that's kind of fun too.
Josh wrote: "Reggie wrote: "This is from Sean's LJ- "...Tigers and Devils will be re-released in August. I guess this can loosely be termed a 'writer's cut' as there are a few grammatical hitches and one anno..."
Would Adrien and Jake's relationship have developed differently?
Hey, I'm a big fan of Rob (Robyn) Thurman. She writes one of my favorite UF series, the Cal Leandros series. I don't know her other stuff, though!
Thanks for posting about her new book. I really like her a lot, so I'll have to check it out. :-)Oh, and if anyone likes reading non-mm stuff with sexy/troubled guys in it, try the Cal Leandros books. The series has an intense bromance (literally brothers, no not incest, get your mind out of the gutter) throughout.
Just finished 3. It was... honestly, it was a rollercoaster. I resented having to leave it behind to do chores, run errands, etc. At the same time, though, I had a hard time really connecting to any of the MCs except near the end. It deals with relationships after cheating, so not for everyone (I know that's kind of a hot-button topic for a lot of people). Ultimately, it was both difficult to read and hard to put down, so I'm glad I read it. 'Scuse me while I go off to fangirl & see what there might be to glom.
I've just finished Barging in. Lovely. The main characters are quickly attracted to each other, but it's not insta-love and their relationship develops so nicely, over a reasonable amount of times. I really liked that it took a while for them to be in sync with each other's needs and expectations.Tracy: you got me curious about that.
Emanuela ~plastic duck~ wrote: "I've just finished Barging in. Lovely. The main characters are quickly attracted to each other, but it's not insta-love and their relationship develops so nicely, over a reasonable amount of times...."I love Josephine Myles! She actually lived on a narrow boat on the canals around Bath for a while, so the descriptions on Barging In are truly authentic. I recommend all her books.
Have you tried J.L. Merrow? She's another British author who writes good contemporaries. And, of course, Harper Fox whose books have a different feel but are also excellent.
J.L. Merrow and Harper Fox are among my favorites :D
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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:) They sure as hell heard my cries of frustration!
And I'm not sure w..."
Yeah, I think that's it. I hope they'll deliver it sooner for some reason :)
Hj wrote: "I am strugging to resist the lure of the Paperwhite, because I simply don't need it. My old Kindle keyboard is absolutely fine. But the Paperwhite is so shiny and pretty! (Even if/or maybe becau..."
I'm convincing myself I really want to read under poor light conditions, lol. I have a phone I use instead, but it's not as book-like as my Kindle, odd as it might seem :)
I've read more books since when I bought an e-reader, and bought more, but the majority NOT from Amazon. Ha ha! :)