E-readers Are Not Evil! (vlog)

Hello, book buds! Did you notice my absence around blogland, Facebook and Twitter the last few weeks?  No? *note to self: Lesa is not the center of the universe*  Well, I have been enjoying a much needed social media sabbatical. 

And I have been utterly and completely obsessed preoccupied with my KindleFire.

Yes, I have joined the darkside ranks of the e-reader cheerleaders. (If you missed it, groove here to my KindleFire dance party) 

In fact, I am so thrilled with the KindleFire (and e-reading in general) that I decided to focus my first ever solo vlog on it. If you fear brainwashing don't have time to watch, scroll down to read my favorable and convincing first impressions.  



Apologies, the camera got too hot and stopped, hence part two.



What I'm liking about the Kindlefire:

It is very user friendly despite a very touchy touch screen. 

The background color, font, text size and brightness of a book page can be adjusted to suit personal preferences. It makes reading a book very easy on the eyes. And it does not look or feel like reading on a computer. 


The backlit screen allows reading in the dark! My favorite feature!! I can read at night while riding in the car! When I can pry it away from my child...  

By the way, if you have children consider getting them their own Kindlefire to fight over. My little boy loves reading books and playing free games on it.  He actually prefers it over his DSi XL. Grrr...

I like the novelty of streaming videos, music and accessing the web but the Kindlefire may be redundant if you already do that with other portable devices. If that is the case, try an e-reader that is for books only. 


What I'm loving about e-reading:

Free books! And not just classics. There seems to be an unlimited supply of 'new' fiction/non-fiction freebies available.  


Convenience! An entire portable library is at hand anytime anywhere. 


So any new converts among the e-reader naysayers and fence sitters? 

Testify, Brother and Sister Bookworms! 


E-readers are not evil!

E-readers are good!

Embrace e-readers!

Really, you will be delighted by how much an e-reader enhances your reading life. 

I kid you not. I still can't get over the wonder of this cool fun new way to read. 

And I am still reading physical books too... still buying 'real' bargain books... still borrowing books from the library.  

Using an e-reader hasn't changed anything regarding my love or use of physical books. It has only enhanced and added a new dimension to my reading life. 

So don't be as silly and stubborn as me, try an e-reader soon!

***************************

For those who viewed my vlogs, what did you think?

Have I not made a perfect drinking game vlog for book club night?!  Every time, Lesa flaps the Kindle cover take a swig! Every time,  she says 'fun', take two swigs!!

Hahahaha! Watching oneself on video is a real eye opener!  

I want to get better at this vlogging business so please share your tips and advice.  I'm very competitive with myself so I've already noted many ways to improve, such as:

1. Keep it short and to the point!  My challenge will be to keep future vlogs between 2 and 4 minutes long.  Feel free to place bets among yourselves. hahaha

2. Invest in an external microphone to eliminate camera noise and increase sound quality. 

3. Stop saying 'uh'. 

4. Stop playing with the props.

5. Sit still. Well, that one may be an impossible goal so at least sit in a non-squeaky chair. Which I did for part two. Did you notice?

6. Vlog when the lighting is best. The lighting had changed during part two and wasn't as nice.

Anything else? Be honest. Don't worry about hurting my feelings. I have no illusions and would prefer to avoid future embarrassment. ;)

Thank you so much for your help.

And many many thank yous for watching (and reading).

Until next time, hugs and happy reading! 

Storytime (vlog): I Will Surprise My Friend! by Mo Willems

My, oh,  my! Since Leslie raved about Mo Willem's Elephant and Piggie books here, Talon and I haven't been able to get enough. We've read  all in the series multiple times. And Leslie was right, these books never get old.  

I Will Surprise my Friend! is the first one we spotted at the library. We read it right then and there-- and giggled and laughed out loud. Yes, it is that funny. 

Here is Talon's Storytime vlog review:

As you saw briefly in the video, Elephant, Piggie and their friends speak and think in word bubbles.  And much of the meaning is conveyed through these cute little animals' facial expressions and body language-- and that adds to the funny. 

(Light bulb moment! Just realized these books would be a fun teaching tool for my students who have difficulty interpreting social language cues!)

 In this book, Elephant and Piggie decide to surprise each other by the big rock... they wait and wait on opposite sides of the rock and, of course, Elephant's imagination runs away with him...

  
He imagines scenario after scenario of horrible things that might have happened to Piggie.  The ever practical Piggie thinks Elephant must have went to lunch.

Then they nearly give each other a heart attack! Talon loves the next page when they both fall over on their backs. 

Such a cute book.  Aren't the word bubbles fun?! And the facial expressions are priceless.


That Mo Willems is a genius!


Talon and I join Leslie and her kiddos in highly recommending the entire Elephant and Piggie series. And the Pigeon series too... hysterical! 


If you are fans of Elephant and Piggie, which is your favorite book in the series?

If you haven't met Elephant and Piggie yet, go to the library immediately... read one ... don't laugh too loud and get shushed...then come back and report.



Linking to: Book Talk Tuesday at The Lemme Library

Kid Konnection at Booking Mama

Bargain Book Bonanza (30): Wildwood Dancing

Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!


Lesa is hosting this week!

Greetings, book buddies! BBB is back in 2012-- hopefully on a weekly or bi-monthly schedule. But possibly less if life gets too busy. That is the great thing about being a blogger: one can make up the rules then change them or break them.

Now on to my BBB book...

I can't wait to show off this beautiful book that I found for one dollar at a Texas Hastings (a chain that sells new and used books, movies, music and video games) during my Thanksgiving week of seriously bizarre bad juju. Finding this book was very good juju and a turning point in the juju department.  

Isn't the cover breathtaking?  There are so many minuscule delights hidden in the cover art that I discover something new every time I look at it.  

 But I didn't buy it just for the cover. 

The title influenced me too. It was just too evocative for a girl with the soul of dryad. You know how I love trees and forests.  

Then the synopsis clinched the deal. One of the shortest and simplest that I've ever seen but irresistible. 

Five adventurous sisters...

Four dark creatures...

Three magical gifts...

Two forbidden lovers...

One enchanted frog...

Cross the threshold into the Wildwood, and enter a land of magic, daring, betrayal, and true love.

That is it and all it took. 

Wildwood Dancing was lost amid all my bargain books but I found it this past weekend and I can't wait to read it. In fact, I'm going to start it even though I'm absorbed in a reread of Great Gatsby. I'm suddenly in a fairytale mood.  Fairytale moods are like that...

Have you read this book or any others by this author?

 ******************************************************

BBB is a book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.

Win an IPAD2 and Kindle Fire!! Rafflecopter Launch Party Giveaway!

The  super cool and very generous guys at Rafflecopter are celebrating the launch of the new version of Rafflcopter with an awesome giveaway!

Enter to win an IPAD2!

 And whoever refers the winner will win a Kindle Fire!

Suggest a name for the Rafflecopter mascot. If your suggestion is chosen, win a Kindle Fire!!

Wow! What an exciting giveaway! 

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only. It ends February 9.

For your convenience, enter to win right here at Baja Greenawalt's Cozy Book Nook. And don't forget to say 'Lesa' referred you.  I already have a Kindle Fire so will giveaway any that I win. 

Have fun and good luck!
 




a Rafflecopter giveaway

On Fire with Lesa in 2012! Dance Party!

 (I have a deep dark bookish secret. Can you guess what it is from the conspicuous clues? And grooving is mandatory-- no matter where you are)

Happy second week of this beautiful new year! Is your year off to a blazing good start?

Great balls of fire! Mine certainly is.

I've been in a searing frenzy of productivity around the old homestead.  Start rearranging furniture at midnight? Hot damn, I'm just heating up at midnight.

And in the blogging department? Well, lately, I've been neglecting poor Baja in favor of my everything else blog, Dusty Us Diaries. 

BUT as the embers of 2011 burn to ash, the sparks of 2012 have ignited an inferno of exciting book bloggy ideas.  So stay tuned! 

And my reading? Off to a sizzling start with Summer by Edith Wharton. It is a scorcher! (teehee)

Using all the these fiery words tickles me. Hope you are amused too and not ready to toss me onto a pyre.  Okay, moving along, just in case. 

Have you guessed my secret yet? Are you burning to know? (teehee again)

Aw, you're so flaming brilliant, I bet you already figured it out. 

Alright, I never in a million years (or at least 5 years) expected to say this but here goes.... the big reveal... 
 


I received a Kindle Fire for Christmas! 

I  am actually the bemused proud owner of an e-reader. And a super cool high tech e-reader at that. Me. The girl with no ipod. The girl with a dumb phone.  (I did just upgrade to a smarter phone with a slide out keyboard and touch screen but kept it deliberately dumb-- no texting/interneting for me!)

And now I am with Kindle Fire.

Dang, I don't know nothin' 'bout reading on e-readers!

Ha, looks like I don't know whether to smile or grimace. Just momentary cognitive dissonance though. 


My mind was a whirl of: Uh buh.. no e-reader is my trademark. OMG! A KINDLE FIRE! Uh buh.. I prefer real books. OMG! A KINDLE FIRE! Uh buh... I want to be the last holdout. OMG! A KINDLE FIRE! I CAN GET ALL THE DICKENS' NOVELS FOR FREE!  (And that is no lie. Dickens popped into my mind before all others. my bargain book hunting has been thwarted by Dickens all year)

So yeah, I'm fired up about my new book toy!

Now, if I could only try it out.  That is right, I haven't even tried it out yet (but I have watched Amazon's cool tutorials). 

Why?  There is no wi-fi at my house.  

Why?   My bone idle but charming and bookish (redeeming qualities) Hub bought a wireless router two years ago and has yet to set it up. 

Hahahahahahahahahhahahah! This kills me! It is just so typical of our sitcom-esque life. 

Is your life like a sitcom too? 

Ours is a wonderfully maddening amalgamation of The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, Andy Griffith Show, Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan's Island and Fawlty Towers. Really. 


So I'm giving Hub until February to hook up the wi-fi so I can set up my Kindle Fire in the comfort of my own home. If there is still no wi-fi on February 1, I'll go use the library's wi-fi. 


How much you wanna bet that I will be at the library on February 1?

Until then, I will just stand next to my Kindle Fire...

Where do you stand regarding e-readers? If you have one, which one do you have? How often do you use it?

Seasons Greetings!

All the best 

to You

from the

Ladies at Baja

Storytime Gift-away Giveaway: Llama Llama Hardback Picture Book Set Of Three ($50 value)

Welcome to the first official Storytime Gift-away Giveaway!

USA entrants only please.

Children's books are the berries! 

Here at Mrs. BG, we are big fans of baby board books, picture books, early readers and chapter books. 

And as parents and educators, we know that reading aloud to babies and young children can instill an early love of reading and appreciation of books.  Even more importantly, it gives little ones a strong foundation for building cognitive, language and pre-literacy skills.

It is any surprise that we feel books make the best children's gifts for any occasion?  

The joy and value of a book is endless-- it truly is a gift that keeps on giving.  

So we are utterly over the moon and beyond thrilled to share our love of children's books by offering this stupendously spectacular gift to the lucky winner of the Storytime Gift-away Giveaway:

Three hardbook picture books from the Llama Llama series by Anna Dewdney!

A fifty dollar value!

The titles:

llama llama red pajama

llama llama misses mama

llama llama holiday drama

Are you familiar with the llama llama books? 

 Oh my, they are as cute as can be: absolutely delightful rhymes and illustrations! 

And the stories are spot on in showing situations that bring a three to five year old to the end of his/her tether.

llama llama is such a typical toddler and llama mama is such a good mama.

I love these books!  My little one and I have paperback editions of llama llama red pajama (about bedtime drama) and llama llama mad at mama (about shopping drama-- not included in this giveaway) and it is really funny how we both relate to the stories. 

These books never get tiresome to read aloud-- at least not to me. 

This set would make an ideal gift for any child or split it up and give one each to three children. Or gift them to an early childhood teacher.

But before you can hear the oohs and ahs of delight from gifting, you gotta win it! 

Enter to win with this nifty Rafflecopter form!

(Rafflecopter is so cool but this is my first time setting up a giveaway with it so fingers crossed that it works)

Bargain Book Bonanza (28): Narnia Edition

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

Lesa is hosting this week!

 I'm not much of a gambler but book hunting at my particular Goodwill is always a sure bet especially in the children's book section.  And at only twenty cents a pop for paperbacks, I splurge like crazy. Why, I've even been known to buy 10 or 15 books at a time!  

  Love my Goodwill store but sometimes I can't get over some of the books that have been donated. 
Recently, I was astounded to see Narnia books offered. Narnia?! What is up with that? Narnia books are keepers!

There were multiple copies of four of the books available and I chose the best of each... 

To keep forever and ever...  or until they fall apart.

Actually book friends, even fall aparts are safe at my house. Look at this Narnia set that I bought used over twenty years ago.

It has literally been read to pieces... mainly by me.

I intended to give it the old heave-ho as replacements were acquired but it is sooo difficult.

Is it difficult for you to toss tattered copies of beloved books?



*****************************************************************************
BBB is a book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.

If you have a bargain book post, please link up and share. We love to brag on bargains!

Wishlist Wednesday: Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey

Guess what I spotted in a GoodReads email? 

My wish book for this week! 

It is the latest in the fun Five Hundred Kingdoms Series by Mercedes Lackey. 

The eldest daughter is often doomed in fairy tales. But Bella—Isabella Beauchamps, daughter of a wealthy merchant—vows to escape the usual pitfalls.

Anxious to avoid the Traditional path, Bella dons a red cloak and ventures into the forbidden forest to consult with "Granny," the local wisewoman.

But on the way home she's attacked by a wolf—who turns out to be a cursed nobleman! Secluded in his castle, Bella is torn between her family and this strange man who creates marvelous inventions and makes her laugh; when he isn't howling at the moon.

Have you read any Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms? 
 
In this series, the characters are usually trying to avoid the powerful pull of Tradition or shape it to improve their lot. Tampering with Tradition can cause big trouble so Godmothers must find ways for 'Tradition' to be satisfied while ensuring the safety and happiness of all... even if it is in very unexpected ways.  
 
If you like quirky fairy tale retellings, you are in for a treat. 




Please visit Pen to Paper to see more Wishlist Wednesday offerings.

Wishing for Zombies?

Hi! It is me, Lesa, wishing for a book. I think. 

You see the book in question is Zone One, a post-apocalyptic novel about the aftermath of a zombie plague, by Colson Whitehead

Post-apocalyptic novels, I do like.

Zombies, meh... not so much.

Now, no offense to zombies. It is just that I am not a 'Squee! Zombies!' sort of girl. In fact, my interest in zombies is zilch. 

Be that as it may, I have enjoyed the occasional zombie movie/book. The friendly but misunderstood zombies from the magically punny Xanth books are funny.  And The Forest of Hands and Teeth (with traditional unfriendly zombies) is an excellent post-apocalyptic dystopian YA read.

But do I wish to read another post-apocalyptic zombie book?

My interest waned a bit since first hearing about Zone One a couple of weeks ago in a NPR Fresh Air author interview. 


image Erin Patrice O'Brien/Doubleday


After relistening to the extremely engaging author, Colson Whitehead, discuss his novel and share anecdotes from his childhood and prep school days, I was completely enthralled again. 


So yes, I do wish to read this book. And Mr. Whitehead's previous non-zombie literary works as well.

Give a listen. Bet you won't be able to resist his giggle. (Or the fact that the book is a tip of the hat to his favorite sci-fi and horror shows/comics/books from childhood.  I can't resist, I love that sort of thing.)



Click 'summary' to read a synopsis and abbreviated companion article.

So, book wishing friends, is Zone One a wish-worthy book?  And have you read any Colson Whitehead novels?


Wishlist Wednesday is a bookish linky party hosted by Pen to Paper.  

Bargain Book Bonanza (28): Before Green Gables

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


Lesa is hosting this week!

Howdy, bargain loving kindred spirits! I have such a sweet little book to show you this week.





See, isn't the cover as sweet as can be?

And it is new! Yes, brand spankin' new! Didn't want you to think I was only obsessed with used bargain books. Oh no, I am an equal opportunity bargain book buyer.

Now, this book did cost a bit more than the one dollar each discounted paperbacks that I usually pick up at Books-a-Million (look for them in future BBB posts) but considering that this book is trade paperback size and the original price was fifteen dollars, $3.97 is quite the bargain. 

Really, I just couldn't resist. Sweet cover aside, Before Green Gables is a prequel to Anne of Green Gables!  

What kindred spirit of Anne could resist that?!

*giggle* I know you bookworms with a phobia for prequels/sequels written by anyone other than the original author are cringing right now. 

  Not me. Anne of Green Gables may be one of my top five beloved rereads but I'm not afraid to give this book a try. 

And of course, I don't expect this book to be a perfect reflection of L. M. Montgomery's style (that would be silly).  I am just excited to read about Anne's life before she was adopted by Marilla and Mathew-- even though it will likely have lots of sad bits. 

This prequel introduces Anne's parents who died when she was a baby-- and remember the references Anne made about the horrid foster homes she lived in before Green Gables? No doubt all the particulars will be revealed in Before Green Gables.  

So my lovely bookish ones, are you fans of Anne? And if so, would you read this book?
If you have already read this book, did you like it?

If you have a bargain book, please link up and share. We love to brag on bargains!

Bargain Book Bonanza (27): More Newbery Books!

 Welcome to Bargain Book Bonanza!

A book haul linky party for bargain loving bookworms!

Want to join the party? Just visit the Bargain Book Bonanza page for the particulars.


Lesa is hosting this week!


Welcome, bargain loving friends!

If you've been thinking: That lazy, Lesa! Where is BBB? Didn't she photograph all her bargain books for future BBB posts into infinity?

Well, yes and yes. I am lazy and I did photograph all my bargain books. But the computer had to be wiped. Thank goodness, my photos are safe on an external harddrive, whew! Still such a pain since everything had to be reloaded including my photo editing programs ect. Hub handles all that and it takes awhile (he is on the lazy side too).

Anyhoo, I'm now back in BBB biz.

So this week selection adds to my growing collection of Newbery winners and honor books...




Two paperbacks (.20 each) and one hardback (.50) from Goodwill 


Have you read any of these?

The only one I've read is Charlotte's Web. It is a fave from my childhood and I can't wait to read it to my little boy.

UH OH! He just ran in, saw the photo and said: Charlotte's Web! My teacher read that to us!

That is okay. He enjoys a reread as much as his mama and I'm thrilled he has such a wonderful bookloving teacher. I liked my first grade teacher but she didn't read cool books like that to the class. Did yours?  Actually, I only remember the school librarian reading picture books to the class. Hmm... I'm thinking my early education was deprived! 


If you have a bargain book, please link up and share. We love to brag on bargains!

In Which An Intrepid Reader Falls Into Another Bookish Adventure

Help! I'm boxed in and can't get out!

This is the view from my desk at school. Can you guess what has me totally boxed in? 

Need a clue?

  Here is a peek through the crack right in front of my chair.

Did you guess....

Scholastic Book Fair!

In my room!

What luck!

And don't worry, I'm not really trapped. The cases have wheels so I can slip in and out of my little nook with ease.

Did I have so many bookish adventures before book blogging? I don't know... maybe I just notice them now. 

And you better believe, I appreciate and revel in all bookish delights that come my way.

But who to thank? The Universe? Book Gods? Book Fairies?

 Again, I don't know but:

 Thank you, bestowers of all bookish delights! Bestow, bestow, bestow, knock yourselves out!

******************************

There were only two adult novels on offer and one was...

I snagged it for lunchtime reading in my little hidey hole and it is AAH-MAAZING!! Have you read it? I wanted to read it before seeing the movie and the characters are so engaging that I can't wait to read the rest.  

I read four chapters and left Minny hiding in a bathroom in a panic! I was so tempted to buy the book but it cost sixteen dollars. SIXTEEN DOLLARS! For a paperback! Trade size, but really, that is enough to make a BBB girl pass out! 

So I scurried to the county library. No luck. It's on hold for someone else. Waah!

Tomorrow, after work, I will check the library in the adjacent county.   

Did you hear that, Bestowers of Bookish Delights? 

The Help. Adjacent county library. Tomorrow.

Thank you.

********************************

As a bookblogger, do you find yourself falling into more bookish adventures since you began blogging?  

Short Stories on Wednesday: King of Creepy Edition

Short Stories on Wednesday is hosted by the lovely Risa of Bread Crumb Reads.  Click the text link to visit the brand new Bread Crumb Reads on Wordpress. Click the button to visit the old Bread Crumb Reads on Blogger. (but it really isn't old)


I'm so excited to finally be joining in Risa's celebration of short stories. I love love love short stories. As a child, I read them frequently. As an adult, not so much but I do miss reading them. 

During this year of bargain book buying like a wild woman,  I've acquired several interesting and eclectic (genre to literary) anthologies that I've been longing to read.  Since it is October, I decided to start with the King of Creepy.

Skeleton Crew, first published in 1985, is King's second anthology. It contains one novella and twenty-one short stories.

Sunday, I read three selections in the car coming home from a long weekend getaway. It was a five hour roadtrip so I could have read many more stories but three was plenty of creep for one sitting. 

By the way, I'm not a wimp. I am actually a backsliding Horror addict. And I blame my return to the genre on reading the always terrific and sometimes horroric blogs Shredded Cheddar and Serendipity's Library. 

So which short stories did I read? 

 Cain Rose Up 

This six page shorty, written in 1968, is about a nutter sniping people from his college dorm window.

Sounds like something off the current nightly news, doesn't it.  Scary!

 The sniper's attitude and negative way of describing other people is very reminiscent of Holden Caulfield but there aren't enough pages for him to get too annoying.  I really thought the story might be a little tip of the hat to Salinger but there is no information from the author about this story in the book's Notes.  Wikipedia states that the story might have been inspired by the 1966 sniper shootings at the University of Texas.  

(I'm from Texas but don't recall knowing about that mass murder. If you are into true crime, the article at Wiki is interesting. The guy left sane sounding notes, seemingly bewildered by his own behavior and requesting his own autopsy. He had a brain tumor.) 

 Anyway, back to this story.  The sniper justifies his rampage to a poster of Humphrey Bogart (yeah, he's nuts) with an interpretation of the Cain and Abel story.  After all, God isn't a vegetarian. God wants meat.

Here There Be Tygers

This five pager was also written in 1968. It is about a hungry tiger in a school basement bathroom. Is there really a tiger in the bathroom? Is it just the fantasy of a third grade boy who is constantly targeted and embarrassed by a mean teacher?  

I don't know but in the Notes, King says his first grade teacher was pretty scary. 

So fellow teachers: Stay out of basement bathrooms and whatever you do... do not use the word urinate in reference to a student!

The Monkey

This short story from 1980 is more of a longy at thirty eight pages and OooOOooOOooo... Can you guess which creepy monkey this is about? 

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

This broken monkey toy refuses to be thrown away and when it claps it's cymbals... yes, the cymbals clap even though it is broken... so when the cymbals clap... are you on the edge of your seat? 

Okay, when the cymbals clap... terrible things happen. Mwahahaha... You didn't really think I would reveal evil monkey deeds, did you?

I don't want no monkeys after me!

 In the Notes, King says this story was inspired in New York City by a platoon of wind-up monkeys for sale on the street, all bending, grinning and clapping... and looking very scary.

All three of these stories are good creepy little tales. Which is my favorite? Hmm.. Cain Rose Up is scary because random shootings by crazy people are real.  Here There Be Tygers is creepy in a folktale urban legend sort of way. The Monkey is traditional horror with supernatural evil.

I enjoyed them all but The Monkey is my favorite.

Do you have a thing for short stories? Any particular author or genre? Please share. And do head over to Bread Crumb Reads to check out all the other short story devotees' weekly selections.