We Need More Shelves…
A Book Review SIte from Jan McClintock
  • Home
  • About This Site
    • Site Index
  • My Favorite Book Links
  • Contact Jan

Archive for Reading

Why This Blog is Waning

By Jan
 on November 21, 2020

I haven’t posted here in several months, obviously. Not only is this the ann0 horribilis of 2020, which explains almost everything these days, but I’ve given up on publishing my reviews here. No one reads them and it’s silly to add to my to-do list when there is so much else going on. If I write a review now, I publish it on Goodreads, where I can keep better track of my reading habits.

This site has been a lot of fun for me over the years, and I will keep it active (for now) so I can refer back to it. If you are reading this, thank you for understanding.

In categories Reading Tagged with blog, writing
Magic School bookmarks_Etsy

Fun Gifts for Readers and Book Lovers

By Jan
 on July 9, 2020

I like Etsy.com, where crafters and artists sell their wares. Here are a few items I like for those who love to read and who love books. Enjoy your shopping!

Things I Do in My Spare Time t-shirt – as if we HAVE any spare time! I’m too busy reading…

Things I Do t-shirt

Tabletop bookshelf – personalized and great-looking accessory:

Tabletop bookshelf

Reading Passport book tracker – keep track of what books you (or a friend) are reading and what you thought of them. Small and very cute graphics.

Reading Passport

Cats and Books face mask– There are tons of cool face masks out there for book lovers, but this one looks especially rich.

Cats and Book face mask

Book-shaped wooden coasters – adorable and practical at the same time!

Book-shaped Coasters

Pride and Prejudice earrings – Lots of tiny book earrings, necklaces, and pins are available on Etsy, but these are my favs.

Pride and Prejudice earrings

Lovely carved bookmarks – Anyone would be proud to use these laser-created, lightweight bookmarks.

Carved bookmarks

I Closed My Book To Be Here t-shirt – a little snarkiness never hurt anyone.

I Close My Book to Be Here t-shirt

Wizard of Oz bookmark – I love this cute reminder of what happens when houses fall out of the sky (or when you lose your place in a book).

Wizard of Oz bookmark

New England bookshop scented soy candle – I’d have to take their word for it, but we all love the smell of a bookstore.

New England Bookshop candle

Porcelain book platter – a sweet and classy gift for a special occasion or anytime!

Porcelain book platter

I Like Big Books enamel pin – Who doesn’t?

I Like Big Books pin

Lovely Harry Potter bookmarks – beautiful and useful for the HP fan you know

Harry Potter bookmarks

Concrete planter bookends – small but heavy and just right for a couple little succulents!

Concrete planter bookends

Ex Libris/From the Library of/This book belongs to stamp – a lovely way to make sure your books are identified, with lots of customization options

Book stamp

In categories Reading Tagged with Etsy, gifts
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek cover

Review: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

By Jan
 on September 19, 2019

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek coverThe Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Author: Kim Michele Richardson;
Genre: Historical Novel;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Katie Schorr;
Publisher: Blackstone Audio (2019);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

Set in 1930s Kentucky, this was a fascinating story about a young woman who delivers books to rural homes. She rides a mule as she works for the Kentucky Pack Horse library service, a short-lived, but important literary outreach to the isolated poor. The people of the hills are starving, both in body and soul, and she considers it a privilege to provide them with books and magazines to feed their intellect.

Cussie Mary is one of the rare blue-skinned people of that area of the country. She’s considered a “colored” and is treated as bad—or worse than—blacks. Themes include physical abuse, black lung disease, and labor struggles, but also redemption, forgiveness, and compassion. And love of books and reading, of course.

It’s not a fun read with those dark topics, but the novel is written wonderfully. The description is outstanding, and I felt the cold wind and smelled the wood smoke. There wasn’t a time during the story that it dragged, which is unusual for a novel this long (9.5 hours of the audiobook and 320 pages in the paperback). The characters are all unique and interesting, too.

The narration by Schorr is first-rate; her accents sounded authentic and her pacing was excellent. This is a perfect example of why listening to a book, versus reading text, is so valuable and enjoyable.

 

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Historical Novel, Reading Tagged with Kentucky Pack Horse library service
audiobook

All About Audiobooks

By Jan
 on August 14, 2019

audiobookListening to a book read by someone else is quite a different experience than reading it yourself. I’ll tell you why I love audiobooks and why you should try one.


A few years ago, my older brother, Dennis, died quite suddenly. I handled it well, I think, but internalized some of the feelings and had a lot of trouble sleeping. That is when I really started depending on audiobooks. They kept my mind occupied and entertained instead of dwelling too much on my sorrow.

I had listened to audiobooks before and enjoyed most of them. They are especially helpful during a migraine episode, when my eyes need a break but my mind still wants to stay active. Reading has always been a huge part of my life, and I grew tired of “wasting” the time when my eyes couldn’t help me.

Audiobooks can also make commutes and road trips go much faster and can greatly increase the edutainment value. The same goes for those who do repetitive tasks at work or at home; many audio buddies listen while doing housework and while working out.

THE RETENTION QUESTION

Before bed, I sometimes play an easy card game at the same time or browse Pinterest—visual-only pastimes that didn’t take my attention away from the book . . . much.

“People who say they can’t concentrate on an audio book as well as a paper one are likely overlooking the fact that we are more likely to multitask while listening to audio books than while reading regular books.”
~Olga Khazan, Is Listening to Audio Books Really the Same as Reading? Forbes.com, September 12, 2011

“Reading a physical book and listening to the audiobook are two different paths that lead to the same destination. Each creates differing experiences and memories, but neither is better or worse than the other.” ~Dana Lee, Audiobooks Vs Reading: The Rules Are, There Are No Rules, BookRiot.com, July 10, 2018

“However, a final factor may tip the comprehension and retention scales firmly in favor of reading, and that’s the issue of multitasking..” ~Markham Heid, Are Audiobooks As Good For You As Reading? Here’s What Experts Say, Time.com, September 6, 2018

REVIEWING AUDIOBOOKS

Needless to say, I’ve listened to quite a few books. Most were excellent, but just like print or e-books, some were flops. It’s very worthwhile to write a review so other potential listeners know whether you liked a book or not and WHY. I want to know, for instance, if a book contains a lot of sex, violence, or foul language; I’m no prude, but I choose books based on my mood (and I don’t like surprises).

No one expects a 3000-word masterpiece from us normal listeners. Even a short sentence that warns others is valuable, whether it’s about a poor narrator, a lack of character development, or bad sound engineering. On the other hand, if the book exceeded your expectations, that’s great to know, too. Maybe I’ll enjoy it for the same reasons.

It’s different—make that harder—to review an audiobook. Why? With a print book or an e-book, one normally reviews the story and plot, the skill of the writing, the character development, the pacing, the editing, and more.

When creating an audiobook review, the writing critique is the same, but a large part of the review should also be about the narrator’s work. It’s no exaggeration to say that no matter the quality of the writing itself, the narrator can make or break the enjoyment of an audiobook. Always—ALWAYS—listen to a sample of a book before purchasing; it might save you from a painful listening experience.

WHY I LOVE THEM

I continue to listen to books, although I also read both print and e-books. I still enjoy the audiobooks the most, however, because it’s kind of like a cross between a movie and a book. The narrator’s talent can bring stories alive, even more than you can in your imagination while reading.

Why? When you read text to yourself, you are using your own voice (See “prosody”), including the pitch, emphasis, and rhythm. While listening to the same text, however, you hear someone else’s prosody—their interpretation of that text using their voice.

That includes character accents, of course, which can be great or, occasionally, awful. Trained actors can be very creative and their use of accents for different characters is usually delightful.

Pacing, too, is different than your own reading speed. When a narrator reads slowly, it gives your brain more time to soak up the meaning of the words and create feelings from that experience. Never fear, however; most audiobook software allows some adjustment for speed. Also, you can easily “rewind” a digital audiobook if you need to repeat a particular passage.

FICTION VS NON-FICTION

Some people might think “lite” fiction is the ideal genre for audiobooks because they either don’t want to “work” while listening or they are afraid they wouldn’t comprehend heavier material. I would suggest you try an audiobook in the same genre as you would normally read. After all, how else can you compare what’s normal for you?

I have listened to quite a few non-fiction audiobooks and haven’t had any trouble understanding and/or remembering the material. There have been studies, especially with children, that insist some people are visual learners while others are auditory learners. But I found just as much research (in an admittedly quick search) saying that it seldom matters; most people tend to comprehend at the same level regardless of the input medium.

I do have a bunch of The Teaching Company’s The Great Courses in audio, and a recent one included a lot of historical names that I would have had to research in order to pronounce them correctly. In this case, I didn’t have to; the professor did it for me, which was an added benefit.

WHERE TO GET THEM

Audible logo

There are several great sources of audiobooks that I have used a lot. The “big guy” is Audible, now a part of Amazon. The main ways I obtain audiobooks from Audible are:

  • Whispersync for Voice on Amazon.com
  • Audible Daily Deal
  • Audible membership

Whispersync Whispersync examplecombines Kindle ebooks and Audible audiobooks into one package. You can read the ebook and switch to the audiobook and back again, never losing your place in the book. Many (but not all) Kindle ebooks include this option.

Add the audiobook

Purchase the Kindle ebook at Amazon.com and check the box to add the audiobook. Prices for the narrations range from about $2 to $15. However, that is usually much less expensive than purchasing the audiobook alone at Audible, and thus can be a great way to try some audiobooks.

Daily Deal at Audible.comThe Audible Daily Deal is a wonderful feature. Sign up for a (FREE) account at Audible and then choose to receive the Daily Deal email message (every morning) in your account preferences. Prices range from $1.95 to $7.95 each and they offer quite a variety.

Memberships at Audible.com come with some nice benefits. With a monthly Gold membership, I get one audiobook per month for my $14.99 membership fee, but also have taken advantage of some wonderful sales. Additionally, member prices to purchase more audiobooks are 30% lower. There’s a free trial, too.

Using the above methods, I have acquired quite a collection of audiobooks. As of this writing, I have 742 audiobooks in my Amazon Audible library (and that doesn’t include the ones I’ve borrowed from the library or gotten from other sources).

MORE SOURCES

LibriVox logo

Another way to get audiobooks—this time for free—is from LibriVox. These are books in the public domain that are read and recorded by volunteers. Obviously, you won’t see any new bestsellers here, but I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the benefits of the classics. I have found some wonderful reads here that I would not normally have seen. However, the quality of the narrators varies widely; use that caveat wisely.

Other membership sites like Audible:

  • Audiobooks.com
  • Apple iTunes Audiobooks
  • Google Play Audiobooks (Android, iOS, and computers)
  • Simply Audiobooks (rent books on CD)
  • Audiobooks Now
  • Scribd
  • Downpour
  • Kobo (Rakuten kobo)
  • BookLender (rent books on CD)

And don’t forget about your public library! Start with Overdrive, Libby, or Hoopla and find audiobook-lending libraries near you. I’m saving quite a bit of money this year by using the local library—completely online, from home—to borrow audiobooks (and ebooks).

Please let me know if you know of other sources for audiobooks and/or relate your experience with audiobooks. I also look forward to hearing from you after you listen to your first audiobook!

In categories Audiobooks, Reading Tagged with amazon, audible, audiobook, librivox, public library
Into Africa cover

My TBR Challenge 2019

By Jan
 on June 23, 2019

I’ve been reading (ahem…) about book challenges this week and remembering my previous attempts to keep up with them. I’m fairly sure I failed 90 percent of the time. Regardless, I’m ready to take one on again!A Journey Through Texas cover

What’s that you ask? “Why would you do that again, given your track record?” I enjoyed the 2018 Reading Challenge at Goodreads, and I did well, for a change. Maybe I’m flushed with my success and ready to repeat it.

Whatever the reason, I’m doing something a little different—at least, for me.

One of the (many) things I love about reading is actually the acquisition of the books. I love buying books of all kinds and keeping track of them. I have hundreds of unread books in my Kindle Library and quite a few in my Audible library. For 2019, I want to read books I ALREADY OWN. Thus, I’m borrowing the To-Be-Read (TBR) Challenge from other sources for myself.

The following books I have already acquired are on my reading list for 2019:

  1. Quite Ready To Be Sent Somewhere: The Civil War Letters Of Aldace Freeman Walker by Thomas Ledoux [ebook and paperback][COMPLETE]
  2. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah [audiobook] [COMPLETE]
  3. The Forever Life (The Forever Series Book 1) by Craig Robertson [ebook]
  4. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick [audiobook] [COMPLETE]
  5. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt [ebook] [COMPLETE]
  6. A Journey Through Texas, Or, A Saddle-trip on the Southwestern Frontier (1857) by Frederick Law Olmsted [ebook and paperback][COMPLETE]
  7. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland [audiobook] [COMPLETE]
  8. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell: A Novel by Robert Dugoni [ebook and audiobook]
  9. Then She Was Gone: A Novel by Lisa Jewell [audiobook] [UNFINISHED]
  10. Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone by Martin Duga [ebook][COMPLETE]
  11. Forsaken Kingdom (The Last Prince Book 1) by J.R. Rasmussen  [ebook]
  12. Crow Hollow by Michael Wallace [audiobook]

Updated 11-23-2019

In categories List, Reading Tagged with reading challenge, to-be-read
War and Peace t-shirt

Review: Literary Book Gifts

By Jan
 on September 16, 2018

Literary Book Gifts is a fun website to browse, especially for readers and lovers of books. You can order t-shirts from a huge variety of reading, writing, and classic literature-related illustrations and titles.

Shirts comes in a large number of colors and sizes, too. The women’s t-shirts, hoodies, and tank tops come in sizes XS to 3XL, the men’s/unisex t-shirts and hoodies come in sizes S to 5XL. These are excellent quality, Gildan-brand heavy t-shirts of 100 percent cotton (the women’s tanks are 60/40 cotton and poly). Even the tote bags come in S, M, and L sizes!

War and Peace t-shirt

I could never choose a favorite (or even a top ten), so I went with one for my husband. I ordered the “War and Peace” shirt in Texas Orange at right (go UT Longhorns!) and ordered a 2XL, figuring it would shrink a little. It didn’t. Turns out that’s okay because hubby has a 2XL tummy. (LOL)

The t-shirt looks exactly like the one in the store picture; in fact, the color is richer in person. The shirt machine washed and dried very well, although the 100-percent cotton meant it wrinkled a little after I left it in the dryer for a bit. Okay, I actually left it in the dryer for a few hours. Oops!

Typewriter t-shirt

The only thing about the site I didn’t like was the sizing charts. They give the measurements of the actual t-shirt, but not the measurements of the wearer. This can make it a little difficult to know which size to order unless you run and measure your favorite fitting shirt. However, Melissa does add hints in the product descriptions if the product runs large or small, which is quite helpful.

Because the site is using Shopify, the ordering process was super easy and my transaction went very smoothly. Melissa was easy to contact and replied to my message right away. Thank you for the great service!

In categories Reading
Ereader photo

The Three Best Sources of Free or Discounted Ebooks

By Jan
 on January 30, 2016

I’ve tried many sources for ebooks and have found the following three to be the best for me.

All of these:

  • Are completely free to use. They use affiliate links to booksellers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, and more, which is how they make money.
  • Allow you to choose only the genres you wish to see
  • Include the cover and a blurb about the book so you can see more about it
  • Send out one email message a day
  • Allow you to browse their web site instead of receiving an email message
  • Have contests and giveaways you may enter
  • Include a blog on their site with articles of interest to readers

 

1. Book Gorilla

Offers many categories and sub-categories for types of books you wish to see:

Book Gorilla choices

And a maximum number of books you want to see in each email message:

Book Gorilla choices

EXAMPLE ENTRY (1-30-2016) Click to see a larger version.

Book Gorilla example entry

2. BookBub

EXAMPLE ENTRY (1-30-2016) Click to see a larger version.

BookBub example entry

3. Sweet Free Books [No longer working]

EXAMPLE ENTRY (1-30-2016) Click to see a larger version.

SweetFreeBooks example

Give these a try and see how you like them and please leave me a comment.

In categories List, Reading
Penguin Random House logo

Enter to Win a Year of Books!

By Jan
 on May 5, 2015

A great sweepstakes from Penguin Random House, who are merging their libraries. Enter to win five books a month (your choice) for an entire year!

I’m so there! After all, I already need more shelves.

#WhereBooksLive

 

In categories Reading
Next Page →