The Sony pocket edition (PRS300) is just the right size to carry in my backpack or even my pocket, hold comfortably, display a book properly, and hide inside another real book that looks particularly appropriate to the setting I find myself in.
In my life, I suppose I have read a high number of books because I had to read them, rather than because I wanted to. Although some books became crossovers. I was originally required to read them for a class. Later they became favorites of mine. I often reread these books because I wanted to.
Heart of Darkness by Conrad Hilton.. ummm no, that was another author I read late at night in a hotel room after I had finished with the phone book, though that title seems befitting.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (I actually did have to look up the author's name because of my memory problems) was one of those books. It started as a book I was required to read for a class. I also had to write a theme paper on it. Then I found myself forced to reread it because it was so darned good and I wanted to enjoy it rather than slog through it.
This book was later used as a basis for the film Apocalypse Now. It was a good movie but serves to illustrate why books are often more effective at being profound than movies. The movie would have seemed strange indeed had I not read Heart of Darkness and understood the themes. Other than pointing out that our problems in the Vietnam War were eerily similar to the themes of Heart of Darkness, I can't remember the movie affecting me that much years later. Heart of Darkness has hung on for my entire life.
Other books I have loved in my life were Alice in Wonderland, 39 Steps, Riddle of the Sands, Papillon (and a large group of other prison or prisoner of war books,) Journey to the Center of the Earth and other books by Jules Verne. Then there was Sherlock Holmes! I should include the Tao Te Ching, the Holy Bible, The Sermon on the Mount (Emmet Fox,) The Book (Alan Watts) and a bunch of books on Taoism, Christianity, and Zen Buddhism. I also have truely enjoyed books on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, the transcontinental railroad, the San Francisco fire and the Great Depression. I've read more than few books in my life and it's hard to pull out just a few for recognition. But I'm trying to have an amiable blog here, buddy.
In the part of my life that started with the Internet, I read less and less books and more and more article sized selections. I focused more on the vast array of material available. It was kind of like my discovery of short wave radio when I was a child; I changed the station frequently to see what was out there.
I regret drifting away from books. Recently I found myself reading a lot of books by Earl Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason), in the old fashioned paperback editions. I never respected him because I once read he dictated his books orally to a secretary. I concluded they must not be very deep. And they aren't, but they are intensely fun to relax with. I loved the feel of the old books, the yellowing pages, the smell of paperbacks that I remember from my youth, and the covers from the 50's that were just spectacular. Unfortunately, in today's world a skimpily clad woman on the cover doesn't indicate you are reading a detective novel.
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| Notice the whisp of undergarment, the single bed, and the way the words are "screaming" from the direction of her supple lips. Oh, if only I could have been a graphics designer back then. Sigh. |
Perry Mason on an ebook reader? "Hey, whatcha reading?" "Stationary Ion Particles and their Relationship to the Industrial Revolution and Time Travel." "Oh, ok." Or conversely, I could be reading about economic theory and answer "Perry Mason."
In the spirit of amiability, I'll cut this short. I'm more into writing full length novels lately. :) Suffice it to say that here is a list of the electronic media inventions that changed my life:
1 TV
2. VCR
3. Home Computer
4. DVR (Tivo)
5. MP3 player (Zune)
6. Ebook Reader (Sony)
Well, I guess the point is that I'm very happy with the ebook reader. My attention span thanks Sony.
