Future Reads: Constantine

"Hidden from mortal eyes are the angels and demons that coexist with mankind...supernatural beings who seek to influence our lives for better and for worse. Amoral and irreverent renegade occultist and paranormal detective John Constantine is blessed and cursed with the ability to interact with this secret world. When Constantine teams up with skeptical L.A. policewoman Angela Dodson to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation catapults them into a catastrophic series of otherworldly events — even as the forces of Hell conspire against Constantine to claim his immortal soul...."

Even though I have seen the Keannu Reeves film of the same title, reading the book has a bit different feel apart that not all aspects of the books is being portrayed in the movie. So to enjoy "Constantine" more, I intend to add this book into my bucketlist of e-books to read.

Tips on buying the E-book Reader

Here’s a list of things to consider when selecting a new eBook reader.

Screen type

Remember when an eReader display pretty much meant E Ink? Well, the arrival of the Apple iPad as a viable eReading device has since changed that.

When picking an eReader, ask yourself if you don’t mind reading books on an LCD screen or prefer the more paperlike look of something like E Ink. Each has advantages and disadvantages. E Ink tends to reduce eye strain and greatly improve battery life. An LCD screen can display color and typically comes with touchscreen capabilities as well. Then you have hybrid readers such as the Barnes & Noble Nook and Spring Design Alex, which feature both an electronic paper display and LCD touchscreen at the same time.

For electronic paper displays, make sure you compare screens because some have better contrast than others. Sony’s PRS-300 Reader Pocket, for example, has great white levels and tack-sharp text whereas its siblings the Reader Touch and Reader Pocket have grayer screens.

Size and weight

Size matters. Especially on just how portable you want your eReader to be.

Fortunately, there are all sorts of options out there when it comes to size. Sony’s Reader Pocket, for one, actually fits in my jeans pocket, but its 5-inch screen is still big enough for comfortable reading. It’s also pretty light and is easy to take with you on the go. In the middle of the pack, you have devices such as the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Spring Design Alex, and Sony Reader Touch and Reader Pocket. Then you’ve got the huge devices, such as the Kindle DX and Apple iPad, which sport screens that are about 10 inches in size. Unless you’re a kangaroo, you ain’t fitting those in your pocket anytime soon. But they’re pretty good if you value a screen with larger real estate.

Interface

Controls for eReading devices are typically based on either buttons, touchscreens or a combination of both. Button-based controls require less power and are more accurate but can be more cumbersome to use. Touchscreens are more intuitive but can be laggy, smudge-prone, and typically suck more juice from your battery.

Button-based devices include Amazon’s Kindle 1, 2, 3 and DX models, plus Sony’s Reader Pocket and the Kobo eReader. The Nook and iPad are almost exclusively touch-based. Sony’s Reader Touch and Daily, and Spring Design’s Alex use both touch- and button-based controls.

Manybooks.net: a Great eBook Resource

Just thought we would give you a heads up on a great resource for eBooks. The website Manybooks.net features some of the classics in literature. from John Quincy Adam to H.P. Lovecraft. They are available in many different formats and are advertisement free.

Manybooks.net features approximately 29,000 titles and you can search by looking up the author, language, or genre. Lots of great short stories and hard to find titles from ages past are available.

Review: City of Ashes (book 2 of 3 of the Mortal Instruments)

Title: City of Ashes
Author: Cassandra Claire
Series: The Mortal Instruments #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Nephilim, Angels, Demons, Warlocks, Vampires, Demons, Faeries.

Review:
Clary Fray is having some major issues. Her best friend, Simon, is falling in love with her; her bad-boy crush, Jace, just might be her brother; her mom is in the hospital in a coma — oh, and did we mention that her dad is summoning an army of demons in a plot to take over the world?

It’s enough to make any girl want to scream, but Clary isn’t just any girl — she’s a Shadowhunter, and in Cassandra Clare’s new book, City of Ashes, her life gets a lot more complicated.

Book Review: City of Bones (book 1 of 3 of the Mortal Instruments)

Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Claire
Series: The Mortal Instruments #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Nephilim, Angels, Demons, Warlocks, Vampires, Demons, Faeries.

The first book that I read after years of not reading fictional books because of my busy schedule. To be honest the main reason why I read this book (and looking forward in reading the succeeding books) is that I saw this book on the bookstore while I was buying some educational supplies for my daughter. As I read the overview at the back of the book, it got me intrigued. Since I prefer reading this as an e-book, I got online and purchased all three e-book of the Mortal Instruments series.

A Blog about Fictional Books

During my early years (before then internet and portable devices), I like to read books, particularly fictional books. Most of my genre of choice where about fantasy, medieval, futuristic or sci-fiction, gothic and mystery. My favorite books before and up to know are the Dragonlance books (my favorites where those where written by either or both by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman). When good books title are hard to find on our local bookstores, I decided to stop and focus more on other forms of entertainment.

With the emergence of E-book readers and portable devices, I decided that I was time for me to catch up on reading again. My first "journey" back to reading was a gothic genre book series called the "Mortal Instruments" written by Cassandra Clare. As of this writing, I'm on the third book right now entitled "City of Glass".