be AUDacious

books+social media+technology = more awesomeness for us!

I still remember the first time that I interacted with an author on the internet. I was blogging about a book I'd read -- As Simple As Snow by Gregory Galloway. (This was back before I started this blog -- I think I was on Livejournal at the time). Anyway, I had written a post gushing about this YA novel and wondering what other good books involving Houdini were available, and Galloway left a comment on my blog. 

Y'all, you would've thought that a rock star had called me on the phone or something. Honestly, this was probably a bigger deal to me than if a rock star actually had called me -- but we all know I'm a total booknerd, so that's okay -- since authors ARE like rock stars to me. But it was the first time I'd been able to interact with someone who had written a book that I enjoyed so much, and it led me down the rabbit hole of authors and blogs. 

From there, it wasn't long before social media came along, with MySpace and Facebook and Twitter...and the possibilities for interacting with authors increased a hundredfold. Now, I can talk to my favorite authors every day, and while this isn't the same as an extended conversation or anything along those lines, the ease of accessibility makes for interesting possibilities.

One of the authors whose online presence I really enjoy is Maggie Stiefvater. Her Twitter feed is really entertaining and informative -- always a nice mix -- and her blog is top-notch. She writes great posts about her writing process (plus versions from TEN other authors), among other things, and her blog is where I first came across the concept of book trailers.

Where have I been, that I wasn't aware that authors were now making trailers to promote their books, just like trailers are made to promote movies? For all my talk about technology, I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with what's popular, huh?

I wanted to share Maggie's trailer for The Raven Boys with you because I think it is so impressive. Not only did she draw everything and then animate it herself, but she also wrote and performed the music. She details the process on her blog and then ends the post with the trailer. It's worth reading and watching, I think.

So do you have favorite authors whose blogs you read? Or do you follow them on Twitter? To be honest, I spend much less time on blogs than I used to -- I prefer Twitter because it's easier to get the info I need. In particular, I really enjoy the Twitter feeds from Lev Grossman, Libba Bray (oh my dad, she is hilarious!), Patrick Ness, Maggie Stiefvater, Erin Morgenstern, and John Green.

not quite 10, not quite Tuesday

My to-read list is getting OUT.OF.CONTROL again. There are a number of e-books that I keep wanting to get to, but I feel obligated to make it through the physical books sitting on my nightstand first. I really enjoy reading on my e-reader, and one of the things that I've enjoyed most is getting easy access to the short stories that a lot of YA authors are putting out in digital format to help fans bide the time in between books in a series. Of course, you don't have to have an e-reader to access these; if you have a smartphone, you can download the Kindle or Nook app, for example, and read them on the go, or you can just as easily download them to your computer and read there (though you lose the portability factor, which is one of the biggest bonuses for me). Here, then, is a list of some of my favorite digital shorts. Feel free to add your own in the comments!

Hana  |  The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland -- For a Little While  |  The New World

Hare Moon  |  The Death of Joan of Arc  |  Billy the Kid and the Vampyres of Vegas

Stopping Time  |  Old Habits  |  The Mortal Instruments Shorts

 

two quickies to share

Are you familiar with Geninne's artwork? I am amazed at her watercolors, and her studio is perfect. PERFECT. Each month, Geninne offers up a lovely desktop calendar. It makes me smile to have her lovely little birds fluttering across my screen. Even better, this month featured San Francisco (Alcatraz Island), one of my most favorite places to visit EVER.

Also, related to yesterday's post, I came across a RT by Holly Black, alerting me that one of her short stories was available on the Storyville app. A quick search brought me to this subscription app that offers a free short story (from a forthcoming collection) once a week to subscribers on the iPhone or iPad platforms. It's a great way to preview the collections and a fantastic way to have a little bit of story waiting to be read each week. 

 

books + technology = my new love affair

I'm totally off-schedule, I know, but things have been crazy around here. Today is supposed to be a 10 on Tuesday post, but that's not going to happen. Yesterday, I was supposed to have updated you on the progress of my Portrait of a Reader album. The thing is, we've been out of town for the past two weekends, wrapping up Cami's soccer season and Cassidy's cross-country season, so I haven't gotten a chance to get around to photographing parts of my album or putting together a post about how it's coming along. But I've got something to talk about today, so we'll move along, keeping it flexible. Keeping it real.

It has gotten to the point where I don't think I can continue to talk about reading on this blog without also talking about technology. See, my relationship with books and technology is pretty similar to my relationship with scrapbooking and technology.

It started like this:

ME: I'll never use a computer to scrapbook! Never!! I love the feel of paper too much. Digital pages are too flat, too graphic, too [blahblahwhateverblahblah] 

ME, after catching a glimpse of Tia Bennett's gorgeous hybrid work: OOH, pretty!

ME, after seeing CD Muckosky's digital pages: OOOOOHHHHH, really pretty!

Now, not only do I only scrap digitally, but I also design digital products. That's pretty much the only way I do it anymore, in fact.

For a long time, I said the same thing about books. I'll never own an e-reader. I love the heft of real books, their musty papery smell, the craftsmanship that goes into a book (illustrations, type, deckled edges, binding, etc). Why would I give that up?

Then I got an iPhone, downloaded a few apps, and stumbled across a few e-copies (FREE, btw) of books I'd really been wanting to read, so I gave it a try. I liked it. I really liked it. 

During all this time, I'd been waffling over getting an iPad, but I just couldn't justify spending that money when I already had an iPhone and blahblahwhateverblahblah. (That's totally a conversation for another day...) It came down to the fact that I really just wanted something a bit larger than my phone on which to check out blogs, surf the net, play a few games, and read books. That's when I found the Nook Color. With a little hacking, Chris replaced the original OS with an Android hack that allowed me to install all kinds of apps from the Android app store -- including Amazon's Kindle app. :)

Now I read e-books on three different apps (Nook, iBooks, Kindle); where I read it depends on where I bought it. I take advantage of Barnes & Noble's Free Fridays, although I'm picky about what I download. Just because it's free doesn't mean it's worth my time and space.) There are a lot of free books out there, but a lot of it is, in my opinion, utter crap. Amazon runs a number of specials each month, so you can find great books at cheap prices there too. There are opportunities to trade books with friends, join lending libraries, and more; a local library in my area is part of Kentucky Libraries Unbound, which gives me access to lots of digital content through Overdrive. 

Here's what I love most about my e-reader: portability. I've never minded carrying a book with me (it's such a part of who I am that I don't buy a purse unless it's big enough to carry a book). Recently, though, I've preferred being able to travel light, and tucking my e-reader in my bag for vacation means having as many books as I want at my fingertips without having to pack an extra bag just for books. It's also great for easy access. I do a lot of waiting in parking lots and school lobbies, both for my job and for my daughters. Having a book on my phone or my e-reader gives me access to whatever I was last reading and an easy way to pass the time. I also love the size. I'm a fantasy/scifi fan, which means that many of the books I love fall in the HUGE category (look at Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, for example). Since I do the majority of my reading at night before bed, using my e-reader makes this a much easier process. There's less arm/hand fatigue, and I'm just more comfortable (this is a plus on planes and in smaller spaces as well).

Of course, that doesn't mean I've given up on print books. If I REALLY love a book that I've purchased in digital content, I'll buy a print copy as well (though I am thrifty and check the used bookstores whenever I can first). My nightstand is currently proof of this:

Here are some reading apps that I use constantly; in fact, I have all my reading apps stored in a folder on my phone, and they all get daily use.

Goodreads: It's hard to get the most out of all the site's features on the mobile version, but for updating my book status or barcode scanning my books to add them to my lists, you can't beat this app. 

Local Books: This is a relatively new app to me, but I love being able to track events that are happening near me. I've amassed a small collection of signed books from book signings; getting a chance to see a favorite author read from a recently published book is always a thrill. 

IndieBound: This is a great app for a number of reasons; I use it to scout for recent releases from independent publishers. 

Do you have any favorite reading apps? Share them here, as well as your thoughts on e-readers.