reading hacks

And the two shall become as one

jonathan — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:23:30 +0000

Back in ye olde days I started a blog called BookBoy in which I wrote about books I was reading, along with observations about the world of books, reading, and libraries. Then I had a flash of inspiration and started ReadingHacks.com which I thought was a smashing idea. And still do. It would be filled with posts about “tips, tools, and gadgets for people who love to read”. BookBoy would be simplified to focus on children’s and young adult books.

I have found however, that I am not finding the time, energy, or inclination required to maintain both of these blogs to the standard I would like them, especially with my not-so-secret desire to also write a book or two.

With this in mind, I have decided to consolidate. ReadingHacks will take a break. Maybe it will come back to life one day. We’ll see. BookBoy will once again become my solitary blogging home (apart from my blogging at work of course). This means BookBoy will expand a bit beyond pure kid’s & YA books, but you can read about it there.

So if you don’t already keep up with BookBoy, I’d be glad to see you over there. To make it even easier, you can grab the RSS feed here. You can also keep up with me on twitter.

Slim Ink book rental

jonathan — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:02:56 +0000

Previously on ReadingHacks I wrote about a few book rental services, two from the US, and one, Slim Ink book rental, based here in Australia. Following that post Slim Ink invited me to try out the service for 3 months in order to provide a first hand review of their service.

The process of evaluating the service was an interesting one. I work at a public library, ie. an institution that provides a similar service to Slim Ink, but for free (unless you count late fines of course). I don’t want this review to be a “Is Slim Ink better than a library” and I don’t think the folk at Slim Ink are looking at things that way either. However, it feels natural to make some comparisons in specific areas to help highlight the nature of the service.

I will also confess in advance that a part of me initially wondered if the existence of organisations like Slim Ink are bad for libraries. I’m still not sure. Libraries provide a large range of services that could not be provided by web-based book rental service anyway. Also, if people stopped using free libraries in order to only use paid book rental services in enough numbers to cause the closure of libraries, this would clearly mean the libraries were being ineffective and need to improve their service. On the other hand, I am not sure if those who distribute funding to libraries would consider the existence of book rental services as a reason to decrease funding.

So, having got that out of the way, what follows is my take on three months of book rental from Slim Ink.

The process:

The sign-up procedure was straight forward for anyone used to filling out web forms. You do need to provide credit card details, not just for the subscription fee, but also to cover any damage to books.

After signing up, you are emailed a password and asked to add books to your reading list. This is the list from which they will choose books for you each time you are due for a delivery. I immediately added 7 books, including books 2,3, and 4 of Stephenie Meyer’s Twighlight series, which are very heavily reserved in my library. You ned to keep your reading list updated and each time you are due for a delivery, the appropriate number of titles are elected from your list.

In less than a week my first delivery arrived:

It all came packed in a padded bag. Inside were a Michael Connelly and one of the above mentioned Stephenie Meyer teen vampire romance novels. Also inside were several bits of paperwork about Slim Ink and their plans, a bookmark, a slip letting me know I had only five titles left on my reading list, a return address sticker, a roll of Slim Ink branded packing tape and a small bag of lollies (which did not last to the photo shoot).

The following packages I received were similar, with the exception of the roll of tape and introductory Slim Ink literature. They all included a bookmark or three, a return address sticker and some sort of little treat: things like a sachet of flavoured coffee, a tea bag, or a copy of Good Reading magazine.

The cheapest subscription, at $14 per month, is the Light Reader plan which allows you one book at a time. I was on the Casual Reader plan which, for $20 per month gets you two books at a time. Each delivery will include two books, and you need to return them together. The downside of this is that you will be without any books for a week or so during the changeover time. There are three more plans allowing 4, 8, or 12 books at a time, and cost $28, $42, and $60 per month respectively (of course these prices are correct at the time of writing). These three plans also allow you to return your books in smaller batches so you need never be left without reading material. All plans allow a maximum of one despatch every three weeks.

After finishing the books, you send them back to Slim Ink using the padded bag they came in, the provided address sticker, and you can even use the fancy Slim Ink tape. After a few days you should get an email telling you the titles of your next batch. You don’t pay for postage as this is included in your subscription fee.

The service
The level of service I received from Slim Ink was very good. Each batch of books was delivered promptly and came with all the bits needed to send them back. Having the books delivered to your doorstep is obviously convenient for most people, but how convenient when compared with visiting your local library is a question only you can answer. The non-existence of late fines is obviously a bonus for people who struggle to get library books back on time, but this is countered by a limit in the books you can have at one time (maxing out at 12 books on the $60/month plan)

I was generally happy with the website and there are several things about it that I would love to be able to add to my library’s site. The catalogue can be searched by author, title, ISBN, or publisher. It can also be browsed by category. The cool bit though is a set of links by which you can browse the catalogue by a group of really useful categories: latest titles by month; as mentioned in good reading magazine; books alive great read guide; various award shortlists; as mentioned on Oprah; and a few more. These links take you to a list of the appropriate titles from which they can be easily added to your reading list. Sounds simple and obvious, but very handy. There is also an RSS feed listing new titles as they are added to the system.

The collection
The collection is considerably smaller than the fiction collection of a typical public library service but very up to date. I suspect the difference in numbers is made up more of older and less popular titles. I checked a handful of authors and series with generally good results when looking for current and popular adult fiction. The young adult range was also reasonable, but again less than a public library. I got access to Stephenie Meyer’s books far quicker than I could do at the library. For a better idea of how their collection covers your tastes, you can browse the catalogue without signing up.

Conclusion
Slim Ink provides some of the same service as a public library, only differently. It has benefits and limitations when compared to the library. Obviously, it costs to join, although the lack of overdue fines is appealing. Having books delivered to your door is also very convenient, but there is a limit to how many you can borrow. Essentially, whether the service is right for you is a question only you can answer.

What I can tell you is that I was happy with the level of service provided. The website is easy to navigate, the books were all in very good condition, well packed and came with everything required to easily send them back.

Note: As mentioned, I did receive a three month membership in order to review Slim Ink’s service. I chose a selection of books to see how quickly I could get certain titles and didn’t actually end up reading most of them anyway. There is nothing in it for me if you join after this review.

Library themed toilet

jonathan — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 04:19:09 +0000

Flickr user lloydi came across this wonderful urinal backdrop in Hong Kong.

[via bookshelf]

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How books got their titles

jonathan — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:59:25 +0000

How books got their titles is a blog that, as the name implies, explains how books go their titles. There is a new post every day, and they appear to be well researched.

The blog is written by Gary Dexter, author of Why Not Catch-21?: The Stories Behind the Titles

A few ways to enjoy your reading

jonathan — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:25:55 +0000

If you feel your reading life needs a bit of assistance, here are a few items that might interest you.

Fancy a deck chair that proclaims your love of the Penguin classics cover designs? Well, you’re in luck.

Big Cozy Books are a company that produce, well, big cozy books. These pieces of furniture shaped like oversized books might not quite suit your home decor, but they certainly have me wanting to redecorate the kid’s area in my library.

Last, and let’s be honest, probably least is the BookShade book umbrella. This device clips to the top of your book to reduce sun glare from the book’s pages. Why not just wear sunglasses? I’m not sure. But, there are several rave reviews on Amazon.

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Where do you like to read?

jonathan — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:30:57 +0000

I am beginning this post while sitting in the beautiful domed reading room at the State Library of Victoria, having just finished a chapter of Lamplighter, by D.M. Cornish.

Today, some weeks later, I have just changed trains on my way to work. On the previous train I buried my head in Peter Carey’s His illegal self.

This morning, some more weeks later, I have just woken up to the sound of birds tweeting. Last night I fell asleep after putting down Peter Cameron’s, Some day this pain will be useful to you.

Now, even more weeks later, I am in a cafe in Camberwell amidst the hustle of people grabbing their morning coffee. I am reading Tomorrow all will be beautiful, by Bridget Lowry.

This post has been sitting in my drafts folder for several months. Today I sat in a dentist’s waiting room with The graveyard book, by Neil Gaiman.

Where do you like to read? Bed? Train? Comfy chair? Cafe? Library? Dentist’s waiting rooms? Where else?

Sir Terry!

jonathan — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:59:45 +0000

Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld series, has been awarded a knighthood.

Brilliant!

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2009 reading tip for the year – dare to be different

jonathan — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 21:38:49 +0000

Well, 2009 is here. I tried to get a somewhat early night but my two littlies took turns waking up crying right through to 3am. I hope you all had a fantastic night.

I don’t know how many of you tend to make new years resolutions, but if you do, how about adding this to your list:

In 2009, read one book that is different in style or genre to your usual reading.

So, if you haven’t read a kid’s or YA book since you turned 18, maybe do that. And don’t just grab an Enid Blyton because that’s what you remember reading before. Grab something new. Something you didn’t already read as a kid. Due to my job, this is what I read most of the time. I’m happy to suggest some titles, or pop over to BookBoy.net or browse my LibraryThing catalog for some suggestions.

If you’ve never read a good illustrated book, or a graphic novel, try one. Grab something by Shaun Tan, it won’t take long to read and seriously, the guy is a genius. I don’t know much about graphic novel writers, so am not much help there.

Maybe you’ve managed to avoid the piles and piles of crime novels published each month. Grab one. My reading in this area is generally restricted to Michael Connelly. If you would like some more suggestions, browse your local library or bookshop, or pop over to batgirl’s book blog. She’s been known to read a crime novel or two.

What about romance? Horror? Family saga? I think my “different” book will come from one of these genres. Maybe I’ll try Stephen King.

Get the picture? As far as a resolution goes, it won’t take long. It’s a one off and depending on what book you choose and how fast you read, it may take a few minutes or a few weeks on and off. But, and here’s the good bit, it might just open your eyes to a whole new area of literature that you would never have tried.

I’d love to hear about your plans and experiences if you decide to try this and feel free to ask for book suggestions. If I can’t think of anything, other readers may.

Other than that, I hope you have a wonderful 2009. May you meet some interesting people, read some really good books, and generally enjoy yourself. If you find that the year does start to drag on or get you down, then read two good books and call your doctor if pain persists.

Think you know plenty about books?

jonathan — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:31:37 +0000

Then try The Guardian’s 2008 book quiz.

I scored 16 out of 33 which apparently is, “Not entirely bad. You’ve clearly read a few books. Just not very many”. Not many. Bah. 57 and counting!

I must confess though, several of my answers were guesses. Some educated. Some wild.

[via bookshelves of doom]

Assorted linkage

jonathan — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:03:39 +0000

A few bits & pieces from around the traps…

The Book Design Review has a list of favourite book covers of 2008, including one that nearly gave me vertigo:

Book Patrol has a post about some fascinating book-related art by Marina Camargo.

The appropriately named Bookshelf blog continues to post a fascinating collection of interesting bookshelves. This one caught my eye today. Probably not quite to my taste in terms of style, but I kind of liked the function.

Last but not least, DailyWritingTips attempt to cheer up rejected authors by listing how many times some famous books were rejected.

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