Well, I’ve been using my Sony Reader for three weeks now and my first impression hasn’t really changed: it’s a great gadget; ebook readers are going to be huge. Couple of issues I’ve faced though
Font size vs book length
I’ve always been daunted by long books. Anything over 500 pages usually scares me. Because of the size of the Sony Reader’s screen ebooks are actually longer than their print cousins. What is more, the Sony Reader has three font sizes to choose from: S, M and L. Increasing the font size increases the length of the book. War and Peace is 4757 pages in M mode but you can cut this down to 3424 if you’re willing to sacrifice your eyesight and read it in S mode. L mode bumps it up to 8269. For a pagophobe like me the temptation is to jeopardise your eyesight by slipping into S mode.
My backlog of books
One big problem I have is that I have a big backlog of books to read. An ebook reader can actually help with this by allowing you to download all those weighty old tomes which have been sat naggingly on your bookshelf for many years. Examples of this for me are Micah Clarke (which I’m really enjoying at the moment), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, The Rover, Wanderings in South America. Being able to carry the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with me wherever I go is especially great. Most of his adventures can be finished in a half hour bus journey and are a great option if you want some light relief from the Monmouth Rebellion.
Out of copyright books however only represent a fraction of my reading backlog. I’m going to have to read some paper at least until I’ve dealt with my backlog. With this in mind I started Jonathan Franzen’s Strong Motion a few days ago. I’ve only read one of Franzen’s other books, the Corrections, but I just love his style of writing. His attention to detail is extraordinary. If I suddenly became blind and was allowed to choose anyone to describe the world to me in a constant narrative for the rest of my life I think I’d choose Franzen. He has an extraordinary talent for making the trivial sound so familiar. One of the reasons that I favour non-fiction over fiction is the richness of the detail. Few authors have the imagination to recreate the endless complexity of real life let alone find the words to describe it. I suspect Franzen spends a lot of time just jotting down his everyday experiences, working out different ways to describe those experiences and then piecing them together into stories.
So anyway I’m forcing myself to read a paper copy of Strong Motion but I’d love just to be able to download it and read it on my Sony Reader. What are the ethics of stealing something which you already own? Should I be allowed to download Strong Motion instead of having to read my paperback copy? I think I should be able to. Unfortunately modern novels of American social criticism don’t seem to feature much on the Pirate Bay
Two films
I went to see Juno and 3:10 to Yuma at the weekend. Loved Juno; quite liked 3:10 to Yuma.
Juno is a really funny, heart warming film. Ellen Page is great but perhaps the most moving performance is from Jennifer Garner as the adoptive mother. It’s in the vein of Rushmore, Little Miss Sunshine and Amelie but better than those in my opinion. All the roles are beautifully acted. JK Simmons delivers one of the funniest and at the same time most poignant lines I’ve ever heard on film. I’ve never been to see a movie twice in the cinema but with this one I was sorely tempted. 10/10
3:10 to Yuma is good but it’s just a bit too long and wordy. It could have done with being an hour shorter. It’s basically just a modern day Josie Wales but with a lot more killing and talking. In fact the whole finale of the film is a huge coversation in a bloodbath. Quite how Christian Bale with only one leg managed to dodge all those bullets and make it to the train only the director truly knows. 7/10
Interestingly, 3:10 to Yuma is a remake of a 1957 film which was in turn based on an Elmore Leonard short story which is amazing when you consider that Leonard is still writing books today.
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