[Product Review] Kobo Aura HD eReader

I don't often do product reviews, mainly because I pretty much stick to my standard devices and rarely have an opportunity to try anything new. But that changed about a week and a half ago when the wonderful people over at Kobo asked me if I would be interested in experiencing their new Kobo Aura, before it even released! Honestly, the first time I read the email I thought it was either spam or a joke...but I Googled the contact's name and found out she was legitimate so I went ahead and responded. I am sure glad I did because a few days later the awesomeness started.

I might be a bit biased because I have always been a fan of the Kobo products. I purchased one of their original Kobo eReaders as soon as they released. It was light and easy to sync with my computer, and I loved it. It was a bit slow between page turns, and it was before they added wi-fi to their devices, so it wasn't perfect, and the clicking of the page turning button drove me batty. But it was a great device to read my Kobo ebooks on. I used it until the Kobo Vox came out, and then I gifted it to my son.

The Kobo Vox was my next eReader of choice. I had skipped the wi-fi and touch upgrades because I didn't feel they were different enough to warrant an upgrade. But the Vox was stunning and I knew I had to have it. Full colour, wi-fi enabled, also with Android apps for email, Twitter, Facebook and more, it was like a cheaper and smaller (and heavier) iPad. It was fabulous and I enjoyed it for quite a while. It was a little heavier than I liked for an eReader, but it was convenient because I could use it for more than reading. I was a little annoyed at how slow it could be at times, and how the videos often wouldn't work, but I was happy with it none-the-less. I even wrote an article about how to use it with NetGalley titles and they went and posted it on their site! I was really fond of the colour, but quickly realized it didn't make much difference in my reading experience, except for viewing the covers.

Which brings us to the Kobo Aura HD. I don't think there is anything negative I can say about this new device.

First off, something so small, yet for me so huge, is this new cable style for charging.

My biggest issue with most cables, especially Apple cables, is that they are so thin and flimsy my cats often take them out in one bite. This is a wonderfully thicker and fabric braided cord. I love it! I also love that you charge the Kobo directly with the computer, and not have to plug it into an outlet like the Vox. That was a bit of a pain.

Other things I love about the new Kobo Aura HD:

• 30% larger HD screen
• very light and easy to travel with
• built-in front-lit lighting for reading in darker places
• super responsive and precise touch screen interaction
• 4GB of built-in storage, expandable up to 32 GB with MicroSD card
• wi-fi enabled for shopping direct from Kobobooks.com
• supports EPUB and Adboe DRM files
• super fast page turning and downloading of ebooks
• easy transfer for other ebooks, especially my NetGalley titles (see more below)
• ability to create shelves and easily add titles with search function

The ease of transfer of NetGalley titles is always important to me as publishers move more to digital e-arc distribution. It was also one of the first things I tried out when I set up this Kobo. And it was a breeze. I downloaded the file from NetGalley, plugged in the Kobo to my computer, opened the file in Adobe Digital Editions, dragged the file from the main library to the Kobo listed under devices. Easy peasey.

And it looks great, even when it's turned off!

Interested? Check out more information (and to order one) here.

[Meme] Teaser Tuesday - The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

"Or maybe somebody did this to her." He broke away, pacing the room in an attempt to get as far from the body as possible. "Eleven girls in eighty years. Don't tell me this was an accident."

This teaser is from The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter. I purchased this book a while ago when there was a Kobo ebook sale on, and after picking up a signed copy of Goddess Interrupted at BEA I figured I would give it a go! Plus as it happened to be in my Kobo app already when I finished False Memory it was very convenient for me.

~ EVERY GIRL WHO HAS TAKEN THE TEST HAS DIED.

NOW IT'S KATE'S TURN.

It's always been just Kate and her mom--and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear that her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride and a goddess.~

Share your teaser with me!

Kobo Vox and NetGalley

Ever since I heard about the new, shiny Kobo Vox, I knew I wanted one. And with an initial release date of October 28th, just one day after my birthday, I knew it was meant to be.

I wandered into a Chapters on October 29th and was informed that the date had been moved to November 2nd. I was a little annoyed, but things happen. Luckily they had a demo in stock and let me play with it. I loved it! It was everything I wanted and needed, or so I thought.

I asked the salesman many questions and was told it had Android Market Place for apps (which is does not) that it reads PDFs (which it will, but only after you install a 3rd party app) and that it would read my NetGalley DRM-protected files (which it didn't, until I stayed up until 1 a.m. figuring out a workaround).

So, if you want a shiny new Kobo Vox and are willing to use some workarounds, this post is for you, so you don't have to stay up until 1 a.m. only moments away from teaching your Vox how to fly...

But anyhow...

First of all, before anyone out there tells me I'm a dumbass or something and that Kobo Vox does have Android Market Place because they say they do...here is what Android sent me specifically when I asked them for more information:

"Hello there,

Thank you very much for writing in this morning. After some research I've found that the device you're using isn't supported for use with Android Market at this time.

This is why you have run into troubles. Be aware that the Android operating system is open source, which means any device manufacturer is free to use Android on its devices.

However, Android Market is an application created by Google that's only made available to devices that pass Google’s compatibility requirements.

In addition, manufacturers must obtain a license from Google in order to install Android Market on their devices.

For more information about the Android Compatibility Program, please visit:

http://source.android.com/compatibility/index.html

If you have any further questions, I recommend contacting the manufacturer of your device directly. If I can advise any further, please contact me again, I'd be happy to help.

Regards,

Elijah
The Android Market Team"

OK, now that that's accomplished, let's move on...

Some links of interest that helped me along the way were the following:
Kobo Vox Review - Full Hands On
Essential Kobo Vox Apps and Tools
(I refuse to take all the credit. These two links helped me so much it's not even funny!)

The one good thing Kobo Vox going for itself is the browser. I was able to use the browser to direcetly open the Apps and Tools link above and directly download some of their recomendations onto my machine.

This post is specifically about Aldiko.

Hopefully you already know how to get your files from NetGalley to Adobe Digital Editions.

Adobe Digital Editions will recognize your Kobo Vox, but only after you have installed Aldiko. Using the Essential Kobo Vox Apps and Tools link, download and install the Aldiko app. You might get a warning that you are unable to install non-Android Market apps (which is a joke since it doesn't even come with Android Market), but just go into your settings, applications, and turn off the option to only accept official apps.

Once this has been installed, plug your Kobo Vox into your computer and set it to USB storage (steps should appear on the screen to do so). Once your computer recognizes it as an external drive you can open Adobe Digital Editions. From here it works pretty much the same as it did for older Kobos, simply drag the files you want from Adobe Digital Editions to the Aldiko folder.

But wait...there's still more!

Once you have transferred the required files over to the Kobo Vox, make sure you eject it so it removes itself from USB storage mode.

Now, from your Kobo Vox, navigate to your apps and open Aldiko. Now don't freak out like I did because your shelves are still blank. I swear, that was the moment Voxy (my loving nickname for my pain-in-the-ass Kobo Vox) almost learned how to fly like Peter Pan...but I digress...

Hit the home button in the top left corner (that looks like a little house) and then hit SD Card. Yes, I know it's not really located on the SD Card, but that's where you have to go, trust me. I have no idea why, but after hitting every single button on this machine at 1 a.m. trust me when I say this is where it was...anyhow...

Once you have chosen SD Card there is a list of folders, navigate to the Adobe Digital Editions folder and once you choose that you should see a list of the files you loaded up. Pick the file(s) you want and chose import to Aldiko.

Now wasn't that simple?
(After almost 4 hours or Googling, trial and error, and 1/2 a bottle of wine!)

I will update this post, or write new posts about updates or other apps that might help the Kobo Vox reading and reviewing experience more pleasant.

Do you have a Kobo Vox? 
Do you have any hints and tips you'd like to share? 
I'd love to hear them!

Review of The Poisoned House by Michael Ford

Title: The Poisoned House
Series: n/a
Author:  Michael Ford
Genre:  YA, paranormal, ghosts
Format:  E-Book, 270 pages
Publication Date:  September 1, 2011
Published By:  Albert Whitman & Company
Source:  ARC from NetGalley

Synopsis from Goodreads

The year is 1856, and orphan Abigail Tamper lives below stairs in Greave Hall, a crumbling manor house in London. Lord Greave is plagued by madness, and with his son Samuel away fighting in the Crimea, the running of Greave Hall is left to Mrs Cotton, the tyrannical housekeeper. The only solace for the beleaguered staff is to frighten Mrs Cotton by pretending the house is haunted.

So when a real ghost makes an appearance - that of her beloved mother - no one is more surprised than Abi. But the spirit has a revelation that threatens to destroy Abi’s already fragile existence: she was murdered, and by someone under their very own roof. With Samuel returned to England badly wounded, it’s up to Abi to nurse him back to health, while trying to discover the identity of the killer in their midst. As the chilling truth dawns, Abi’s world is turned upside down.

My Thoughts

Michael Ford did a brilliant job writing a realistic story placed in Victorian times. It is so easy to immerse oneself into the daily comings and goings of Greave Hall, following the actions and duties of Abi as she rises in the morning to stoke the fires, as she rushes about from room to room scrubbing the windows clean, and as she finally retires to her tiny room tucked up in the far corners of the attic, away from sight of the prominent members of Greave Hall. The characters and the world are alive and breathing, realistic and easy to believe.

The story itself however was very slow to start. I mentally had to force myself through the first 1/3 of the book, anxious not to give up on it without a fight. The hook at the beginning of the book was weak. I found myself only mildly curious as to why Abi ran away from Greave Hall, and not really interested enough to care why she was refusing to return.

Around the 1/3 mark (100 or so pages into the novel) the pacing finally started to pick up a bit. The plot was predictable, as were the character's actions. I feel the author tried too hard to pinpoint certain characters in their evil role and other characters in their helpful roles. So many things occurred in the book that were merely thrown in as misdirection and had no real merit to the story as a whole. There were points in the book where I wanted to yell at the characters, specifically Abi, for being so stupid and naive. It just wasn't realistic that she would believe, not notice, and fall for some of the things that she did.

The title was well suited to this story, and has an underlying double meaning referring not just to the murder of the mother (mentioned very early on so not a spoiler!), but also to the house itself and the people that reside in it - the fact that secrets not only poison people to sometimes do horrible things, but sometimes just the knowledge of some secrets can poison the people themselves. 

I really I did like that this was a stand alone novel, no horrible cliffhanger or half-hearted sequel to try and string the story along even more. It has a beginning, a middle, and a nicely tied up ending. Everything does finally make sense in the end, but it takes a really long time to get there with not a lot of help along the way. I especially enjoyed the realistic feel the author tried to give the book by referring to diary pages at the beginning and an obituary for Abi at the end. I think it was a perfect way to round out everything that happens to Abi after her ordeal without having to write a second novel.

I would recommend this book to older readers with lots of patience. There are no real romantic plot-lines that many YA readers are so fond of. The action is there, but rare, and the spaces in between can drag on. I don't think there is enough to keep younger, more hyperactive minds engaged in the story for long.

My Rating?

Review of Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa

Title: Winter's Passage
Series:  The Iron Fey Series, Book 1.5
Author:  Julie Kagawa
Genre:  YA, paranormal, fantasy, faeries
Format:  E-Book, 51 pages
Publication Date:  June 2010
Published By:  Harlequin, HarlequinTeen
Source:  Purchased

Synopsis from Goodreads

Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey.

Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

My Thoughts

I had read The Iron King, book one in the Iron Fey series, back in April of this year. I remember ranking it 3 out of 5, meaning it was OK, but nothing really special. As such, I actually didn't remember all that much about it. This short eBook occurs between book one and book two (The Iron Daughter) and was a perfect re-introduction to the series.

I was immediately re-submerged into the world of faery (which is a beautiful, yet dangerous place to be) and was reintroduced to all the characters I actually enjoyed meeting in the first instalment. Ash, Grimalkin, and even Puck brought wide smiles to my face.

There was so much in this short story I really enjoyed. It was really great to get inside Ash's head a bit and see the increasing inner conflict develop over his feelings for Meghan. The character of The Hunter as the wolf of all stories, kind of like a Wolf God was another favourite development of mine. Luckily the story wasn't long enough for Meghan to whine me into irritation.

Overall it was a nice and short entertaining story to tide the readers over between books. Now if only the longer length novels were this good.

My rating?

Review of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

~It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist-books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.~

I chose The Book Thief by Markus Zusak as my non-American author pick for my YA Summer Challenge because my son had read it for school and it had really affected him. He asked me to read it so we could discuss it together. How could I say no?

This book started out very slow. I was tempted to stop reading it a few chapters in because it dragged quite a bit. The opening is confusing and the story is rushed as the narrator, who happens to be death (and how cool is that?), tells the reader the three times he met the book thief. I found it very jumbled and unsure what the author was trying to get from this. Luckily things smoothed out more as death backtracked and went through each event with more detail that he has learned from reading the book thief's journal which he picked up during one event.

Ignoring the opening sequences of the book, I can safely say Markus Zusak is an extraordinary writer. His language and writing style far surpass many authors I have read. His grasp on characters is amazing. Zusak just doesn't write out the standard characters and fill their story, and back story, etc...he breathes life into them and let's them jump off the pages in leaps and bounds. I don't know if I have ever read such realistic characters. Every single character is easily distinguishable from each other...Rosa with her cardboard face, Papa with his silver eyes, Rudy with his yellow hair...no one character is muddled in with another.

The personalization of the characters is also very well done. We have a story set Germany in the the early years of WWII, thus the characters predominantly are German. Some readers might expect to be reading about the cruelness of the military presence that is known to have occurred during those years, and although we do see some of it (the story wouldn't be realistic without it) the majority of the story is based on a poor German family and how even though they are German and expected to hate the Jews and support everything their country tells them to support, they see how everything they are told is wrong. They go so far as to hide a Jew in their basement, even at great personal risk to themselves. 

Parts of the story are so heartbreaking I thought I would be unable to continue reading past the tears that flowed from my eyes. The tragedies were often expected, people die during wars, but it didn't stop it from affecting me deeply when I read those sections. I can see now why my son cried while reading this book.

I think my favorite parts of the book are the chapter openings. Each one gives you a little brief peek into what the chapter will cover. It was a very unique way of introducing each chapter.

I really wanted to give this book a perfect 5 rating, but due to the slow and confusing start I just couldn't.

My rating?

4 super scribble spiders out of 5!

Review of Divergent by Veronica Roth

~In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is; she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

~

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are; and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.~


It's been almost a year since I posted a book review. Where does the time go? I blame my absence on being very ill, a minor surgery followed by a major surgery, and a complete lack of interest in most of my reading material lately.

But I am delighted to say Divergent has changed all that!

This book is the first YA book I have read in a while (since Hunger Games most likely) that didn't make me want to stick my fingers deep inside my throat until putrid yellow bile came spurting out. Most YA books try to keep things so tame that they literally bore me to tears. I am so sick of the build up, the love triangles, and the resulting nothing ending that leaves almost everything unresolved because the writers have to drag everything out into at least a trilogy nowadays. It's sickening. I've mentioned before my hatred for the cliffhanger ending and the being held hostage by the author...Roth doesn't do this to us.

Granted, from what I have learned, there will be at least two other books in the Divergent series. But that's not the important part. The important part is that there doesn't have to be. If this was a stand alone book I would be 100% happy. It solved the issues that needed to be solved and it concluded. The end. I see where it can go if it wants to (which it obviously does) but it doesn't have to. And that is the major point. Most books skip so much of the story because they know they have to leave something for that next book, and to be honest, it makes the books dull and empty. Divergent is full of story, character, action, everything. Nothing is lacking.

One of my favourite parts of Divergent is the characters. Not just the main characters, all the characters. I am so tired of the "cardboard" characters in these YA books. I rarely can connect with them. They just don't seem real. They don't make real people decisions, and they often lack emotion.

Veronica Roth has created fabulous characters. The main character is not just the typical strong female teen we get in most YA books these days. She has actual flaws. She makes both good and bad decisions, decisions that I could see myself making given the circumstances involved.

The minor characters are real. They are not just there to fill a spot in the story. They have strong personalities and stand out on their own in the story. Most times when I am reading a book and the main character mentions another character I tend to have to think very hard about who it is again they are talking to. Not with Divergent. I immediately know which character is in every scene.

I just can't say enough good things about this book and I don't want to keep rambling on so I'll end it here...fabulous book...read it now.

My rating?

5 stupendous scribble spiders out of 5!

Review of Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

~In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past?and figuring out a way to survive in the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves?and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love-the light and the dark, the warm and the cold-in a way you will never forget.~



I have been waiting to read this book since I devoured the first novel in this series, Shiver. I was so impressed with the author's mature writing style and unique take on werewolves (shifters really) that I couldn't put that first book down until it was finished. I was nervous wondering if Linger could live up to the standards that Shiver had built up.

The answer was yes. Hell yes.

I was slightly disappointed to learn that the book would not be immediately available for Kobo.I am finding that usually one has to wait at least a week or more for newer books to be available for purchase. For some books this is fine, but for Linger it was not.

I was actually quite surprised to see the hardcover edition available for purchase at Chapters earlier than the noted release date of July 20th. This made me ecstatic and I scooped it up eagerly on my weekly Saturday visit, lured in by its gently glowing green cover. I even had to buy myself a new wolf bookmark, slightly tinted green just for this particular book. Can you say OCD much?

Upon opening the book as soon as I arrived home I was tickled pink (well green actually) to discover the text of the whole novel matched the lovely green colour of the cover. Something so small, yet so amazing I couldn't tear my eyes from the pages. (Luckily I didn't buy this on the Kobo as I would have missed that nifty little tidbit.)

Once again, Stiefvater's writing creates images so vivid its more like watching a movie play inside my head than reading a book. I am a huge fan of her rotating first-person narration. The story just wouldn't be the same with any other narration technique. It can sometimes be a little disorienting shifting to another person's viewpoint in the middle of a chapter, but the characters are so clear you quickly pick up who is telling the story (together with the person's name being noted at the beginning of each new section).

The only negative comment I have is the sense of the dreaded cliffhanger the reader is left with at the end of the novel. I notice more and more authors, especially YA authors, are using this to pull in their readers and leave them hanging with their tongues out for the next installment. I don't find this necessary at all. Shiver did not end this way and I was still so eager to get my claws into this book. In fact being left this way makes me more angry and less likely to want to read anything more by this author because I don't like the feeling of being held hostage. Vampire Academy's Richelle Mead has also recently jumped on this bandwagon (luckily only for her second to last book) and it drives me insane!

But beyond all that I have to give credit where it is due. Maggie Stiefvater is a very talented writer who brings stories to life for her readers. I certainly do suggest reading this series to anyone who loves wolves, good young romance tales, and amazingly good writing.

My rating?

4 super scribble spiders out of 5!