Even after my previous post on e-readers, I ended up being gifted a Kindle. I am starting grad school and thinking that it could be helpful and convenient tool for my text books, I decided to give it a shot.
I opened it and within 20 minutes was wishing I had left the box unopened. I hated it! There's no way to say it more nicely. I had trouble with the keys (tiny for my big fingers), had trouble reading the screen and couldn't tell what page I was on. Plus I found the Kindle store annoying.
I was planning to try to return it, but ended up finding a friend willing to buy it off me (cash goes a long way as a grad student!) and happily passed it along.
For now, I will stick with the old fashioned paper and ink. I may get left behind, but for now that's okay.
Monday, August 22, 2011
The White Woman on the Green Bicycle
I picked up The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey after it was recommended by Nancy Pearl on NPR as part of the summer reading list.
Set in Trinidad, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle is a story about love, marriage, colonialism, race and so much more. It is set up in three sections, starting with the present and then going backwards to trace Sabine and George Harwood's arrival and early years in the country.
Something about that set up was confusing to me - I knew what happened in the end, but didn't have the context to understand why and then when I had the context I forgot some of the details of what happens.
I think it would have been better to stay in chronological order so that there wasn't any question of what was happening and why.
But overall Roffey tells a story that details life in Trinidad, the fall of colonialism, the rise of a democracy and corruption and race relations throughout.
Set in Trinidad, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle is a story about love, marriage, colonialism, race and so much more. It is set up in three sections, starting with the present and then going backwards to trace Sabine and George Harwood's arrival and early years in the country.
Something about that set up was confusing to me - I knew what happened in the end, but didn't have the context to understand why and then when I had the context I forgot some of the details of what happens.
I think it would have been better to stay in chronological order so that there wasn't any question of what was happening and why.
But overall Roffey tells a story that details life in Trinidad, the fall of colonialism, the rise of a democracy and corruption and race relations throughout.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession
I picked up The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession by David Grann not long after returning from a trip to the Amazon river basin in Peru.
I was intrigued by a story of a lost city in the Amazon after seeing Machu Pichu (there could be something even greater?) and when reading the first few pages of Grann's book was hooked. It ended up being slow going at points, but I was pulled along by the wonder of El Dorado.
Grann is exhaustive in his research of Percy Fawcett who in the early part of the century disappeared in the Amazon in his quest to find El Dorado. Numerous Fawcett hunters followed suit and I feared the author would be the next victim.
After hearing about the conditions Fawcett and his party experienced during their trips in the Amazon - maggots in their skin, constantly biting mosquitoes, risk of malaria and other diseases, I was thankful for my insect repellant with lots of Deet and guides during my trip. Plus I was able to be a little more thankful for the experience and that I came out safely.
I was intrigued by a story of a lost city in the Amazon after seeing Machu Pichu (there could be something even greater?) and when reading the first few pages of Grann's book was hooked. It ended up being slow going at points, but I was pulled along by the wonder of El Dorado.
Grann is exhaustive in his research of Percy Fawcett who in the early part of the century disappeared in the Amazon in his quest to find El Dorado. Numerous Fawcett hunters followed suit and I feared the author would be the next victim.
After hearing about the conditions Fawcett and his party experienced during their trips in the Amazon - maggots in their skin, constantly biting mosquitoes, risk of malaria and other diseases, I was thankful for my insect repellant with lots of Deet and guides during my trip. Plus I was able to be a little more thankful for the experience and that I came out safely.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Everyone I know is reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, but it had been on my list for a while (since my sister asked for it at Christmas) and I'm glad I was able to borrow a copy from a friend.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks traces the history of the HeLa cells - cells that were taken from Henrietta Lacks and then were used to study and find cures for all sorts of diseases.
Skloot does a great job making the science digestable and weaving in the story of the Lacks family. She is fair to everyone - doctors, the family members - even when some bad stuff was going on and clearly put a lot of time and energy into tracing every part of the story.
I learned a lot while enjoying myself and would recommend this book to friends (I already have).
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks traces the history of the HeLa cells - cells that were taken from Henrietta Lacks and then were used to study and find cures for all sorts of diseases.
Skloot does a great job making the science digestable and weaving in the story of the Lacks family. She is fair to everyone - doctors, the family members - even when some bad stuff was going on and clearly put a lot of time and energy into tracing every part of the story.
I learned a lot while enjoying myself and would recommend this book to friends (I already have).
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