vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
My main book reads at the moment, as usual reading on my Kindle so I can have an utterly gargantuan font needed for my progressive neurological disease. I will soon be finishing Wheel of Time book 9 and starting Assassin's Apprentice, which is this month's read for my book club.

Screenshot of a Kindle Paperwhite, black & white screen, showing 6 book covers. On the top row are Wheel of Time Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan, The Water Road narrowboat book by Paul Gogarty and Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. Below are The Haunted Trail collection of weird fiction in the British Library Tales of the Weird series, a collected Complete Sherlock Holmes, and Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Progress percentages for the books include 72% through the Wheel of Time book, 25% through the canals book, 8% through Belladonna (only recently started), and 37% through Sherlock Holmes (nearing the end of "Memoirs").
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Current main Kindle reading for me. The top 6 books in the picture below are the main books I'm currently reading. A mix of fiction and non fiction.

vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
Erasing a few old devices (some very old) to take to recycling. Got some really weird error messages on my old iPod touch, when I tried to erase it just now. Turned out I needed to resync the built in clock before it would do that ok! Now wiping. Martin is going to take it with my old Kindle to the recycling centre at Baldovie (we are in Angus, but as Monifieth folk are allowed to use this recycling centre on the eastern edge of Dundee, cos ours was closed by Angus Council). I may have another old iPod touch somewhere ... Plus one more currently in use. And a spare, that I bought on the day Apple cancelled them.

I try to run my devices for an extremely long time. I extended the life of my previous Kindle by buying a replacement battery kit, and fitting it myself, with spudger tool and all. But there comes a time when I need to replace these devices. And at least if they can go to recycling some of the vital parts can be recovered and reused.
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Very recently I replaced my rapidly dying old Kindle Paperwhite 4 with the latest model. And a few days on I thought I'd post some quick thoughts.

On plus the new one (Kindle Paperwhite 6) is much much more responsive for page turns. This makes a huge difference to me since I read with a gigantic font for disability/neurological illness reasons. So have to turn pages much more than most folk for the same amount of text. In the old model there was a noticeable delay each time. Now it feels almost instant. Which I'm very happy with.

It was also remarkably easy to set up, using my iPod touch (like an iPhone, but without any phoning) to send by Bluetooth my Kindle login details and wifi network. Which sounds a bit risky as I write this, but worked ... And then I just had to tweak the font size, screen layout and brightness to my preferences, and I was done.

On the downside the new Kindle Paperwhite uses a different transfer protocol (MTP) which is not Mac friendly. So if connecting it up via USB there are extra hurdles to get eg a screenshot off. Which I do rarely. But still. It also affects side loading ebooks onto it by cable, though you can also upload them via web and email.

Also the Kindle Paperwhite 6 is a little bit bigger than my previous Kindle Paperwhite 4. It's not too big for me to handle, but felt a little unfamiliar at first.

I really like the plant-based cover I got, the official Amazon version. It's not fully plant-based, but much more so than the standard cover. I picked it partly for that reason, but also because it got better reviews for softness and no sharp edges than the main alternatives.

Big relief I don't have a yellow band at the bottom of my screen. This has been a problem for many latest Paperwhite owners as well as the new Kindle Colorsoft model. I am mightily relieved.
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Here are the books I'm currently mainly reading on my Kindle. It was frustratingly difficult to get a screenshot off the new Kindle Paperwhite. 2024 Kindle models don't mount on Macs as the older ones did, and you have to use an application on the Mac which is urgle. But still easier than me building an infographic of my own. Even if this one is in black and white. Shortly to start on Eerie East Anglia and The Thrie Estaitis.

It might have been possible to access the Kindle file system through the Mac's Unix-like Terminal, but I only thought of that after unplugging and putting my USB-C cable away!

But apparently even that won't work, because the new 2024 Kindles now use MTP to transfer data between computers and Kindles. And MTP isn't natively supported on newer Macs, unlike in Windows and Linux. There are work arounds, but I'm probably best using the app for those rare occasions I might want to.

EDIT: Nope, solved by installing OpenMTP on my Mac. Which is a little clunky, but much better than Amazon's new "Send to Kindle" app on the Mac. I don't need to transfer files to/from the Kindle via USB often. Copying screenshots - a new thing for me - might be just about my only regular ish use! But it will be doable with OpenMTP. Phew.

vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Setting up a new Kindle Paperwhite to replace my rapidly dying old one. Main priority is change font and layout to be friendly for my progressive neuro illness challenged brain. I can read small print in eye tests, but for extended reading find large print vastly better. Big before/after difference!

Brain damage from my progressive neuro disease is why I struggle so much with normal print books now. When I did my PhD on historic Scottish reading habits I was phenomenally envious of many readers I studied and the books they read! Empathised with those who no longer could through age or disability.

vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Finished loads more books, and just wrapped up my 50th book of the year. I'd set a very modest Goodreads reading goal of 25 books this year. I knew I was intending to read a lot of lengthy books. But I've more than doubled it.

Among the new books, Steeple Chasing was a fun glimpse into church architecture, history and people. Though probably overlong. It did feel like a slog after a while.

Of course I reread Roger Zelazny's Halloween delight! And enjoyed it as much as every year.

Clanlands, by two Outlander actors (one also a hobbit) was fun, and often really insightful into Scottish history. But overly blokey for me.

Mario's Butt was an entertaining perspective on video game characters and design. Though an easier read for those games I was familiar with, having played myself, or watched Martin play.

The Insomniacs After School manga series continues to be enchanting. I already have the next two volumes in hand, ready to continue reading.

Travis Baldree's followup (well more a prequel) to Legends & Lattes was fun, but didn't quite hit the high spots of his earlier book. But a charming fantasy setting, with added bookshop content.

    earlier books... )
  1. Steeple Chasing: Around Britain by Church by Peter Ross
  2. A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
  3. Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, and a Scottish Adventure Like No Other by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish
  4. Things I Learned from Mario's Butt by Laura Kate Dale
  5. Insomniacs After School (manga) volume 4 by Makoto Ojiro
  6. Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Many more books finished since last time, so I need to do a catch up! Luckily easy for me to do, since I note the books I've read, plus a rating, in Goodreads.

I'd been slowly reading the Sisto and Marchese Middle Earth book, and finally finished. An absolutely brilliant book, for both the newcomer to Tolkien's worlds, and old timers. So much useful reference material I even bought myself a print copy after finishing the Kindle version.

I continue to adore the Insomniacs After School manga series. It probably helps that one of the lead characters looks uncannily like a schoolboy version of my husband! But it's a charming and gentle slice of life, including hefty astronomy elements. I expect to read all of this.

I learned about Intellect Books' Fan Phenomena range of books from the Glasgow Worldcon dealers' room, which I was browsing from a distance. The Lord of the Rings book is very out of print sadly. But I've got the Doctor Who one to read, and first read a bargain copy (£3) Game of Thrones one I picked up secondhand. A huge range of essays exploring different perspectives of fandom. Worked even for me who has never properly read or watched Game of Thrones.

A Darker Shade of Magic got better and better for me as I read it, after a slightly rocky start. I expect to complete the trilogy. And probably go onto the sequel trilogy that is newly starting.

The Phantasmagoria magazines/books were things I'd picked up a while back. Print on demand books from Amazon, large format, collecting a huge range of articles, art work, reflections, and fiction by and about the subjects. The MR James one was a solid 5/5 stars for me. I am keeping it.

The Girl From The Other Side manga wasn't a hit for me. Just too strange, though it got more interesting on the way through.

    earlier books )
  1. Why We Love Middle-earth: An Enthusiast’s Book about Tolkien, Middle-earth & the LOTR Fandom by Alan Sisto and Shawn Marchese
  2. Insomniacs After School (manga) volume 3 by Makoto Ojiro
  3. Fan Phenomena: Game of Thrones edited by Kavita Mudan Finn
  4. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
  5. Phantasmagoria Special Edition Series #3: M.R. James
  6. Phantasmagoria Special Edition Series #2: The Lovecraft Squad
  7. The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún (manga) volume 1 by Nagabe
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Finished the Val McDermid Lady Macbeth retelling, and still reading "A Darker Shade of Magic". But for a second fiction book on the go I'm having another bash at "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell". Last time I tried reading this, in 2004/5, I was already having huge problems managing print due to my progressive neurological disease. And battled with this recently published hardback. Not least with all the teeny footnotes! And bailed out. But going to have another go, this time on my Kindle with an utterly gargantuan font. Because it really is the sort of book that I should adore. Fingers crossed!
vivdunstan: (lord of the rings)
I'm rereading Lord of the Rings, starting with Fellowship. And gobbling it up. Until I got to the Council of Elrond chapter, which was estimated by my Kindle to take 45 minutes of reading. To be fair I was extra sedated at the time, so this was even more of a mountain to climb than usual. But I can also remember young me, e.g. teenage years and earlier, boggling at this lengthy over-wordy section of the book.

I'm now nearly through it, and will press on quickly with the rest. At the same time, I'm looking forward to Oxonmoot in a few weeks, the Tolkien Society annual convention in Oxford. In recent years it has offered online viewing too, watching live as things happen, and later on catchup through Christmas. I sleep through most live talks, so find catchup invaluable. And yes, I have another online viewing ticket, bought very early on, when it was extra low cost, helped by my Tolkien Society member discount.

After Worldcon I have also been picking up a few treat things, as substitutes for not being in the Dealers' Hall in person this time! Today I picked up a low cost ebook version for my Kindle of Luna Press Publishing's Adapting Tolkien collection of essays from a Tolkien Society seminar. Some while ago I picked up a print copy of their Translating and Illustrating Tolkien collection of another Tolkien Society seminar’s essays.

I'd also like to pick up something decorative in my not-at-Worldcon catchup. Must resist a plush dragon, though the call is strong, and not for any dragon in particular! I may wait to see what's on offer from the dealers at Oxonmoot, and possibly pick up something Tolkien-y. Though going to browse the Weta Workshop site just now might not have been my best move! Not just Lord of the Rings and Hobbit stuff, like a balrog, Smaug and even Radagast* (I'm telling my husband, very unsubtly, about that last one, given my birthday soon!). But they also sell other great things, including a scene from the Escher-like castle, and Sir Didymus and Ambrosius, all from The Labyrinth movie. Also Hoggle and Ludo figures ...

* I greatly disliked the Hobbit films of Peter Jackson. But Sylvester McCoy's Radagast was fab.
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
Just caught up with Homer translator Emily Wilson chatting yesterday at the Edinburgh Book Festival. I studied both the Iliad and Odyssey as part of my Open University history/classical studies BA(Hons) degree 1998-2000. A very part time degree, but one that was greatly shortened thanks to credit transfer from my St Andrews BSc(Hons). Which meant I could leapfrog the first year's courses. Though that made it a much harder transition from studying hard science to studying humanities at degree level!

I was using Richmond Lattimore's translations of the Homer poems in my OU degree. I have a vivid memory of one night we'd driven over to Dundee, and Martin was nipping into supermarket Asda, with me waiting in the car. And reading the Iliad, full of hefty anatomical descriptions of battle injuries. And desperately wanting to read out some of them to him when we came back! I haven't read Emily's new translations yet, but hope to, health permitting. I did have her hardback Odyssey book for some time, but struggled too much with it due to my neurological illness. I may yet get the Kindle versions to read, with a gigantic font I need now.

The book festival chat was interesting. Emily was a very good speaker. Though the lady interviewing her talked far, far too long between Emily's bits. At one point Emily was repeatedly struggling to get a word in. And also, very frustratingly for the online audience, the interviewer totally ignored the many questions that had been typed up online to be asked to the speaker.
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Current reading. It dropped on my Kindle at midnight, though I was asleep soon after. Now three chapters through, and enjoying it. It's book 5 in Deborah Harkness's "A Discovery of Witches" series of books. I also have a signed copy coming from Toppings. I'm not going to rush reading it, and will savour it.

vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
I have just DNF'd My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix. It should have appealed a lot, with lots of 80s pop culture references. But I didn't find the writing style worked for me, nor were the voices of the young girls convincing. I see it was made into a movie a couple of years ago. Happy to pass on both.

Alongside other non fiction books on the go I've now started a short story fiction collection, gathering together classic spooky stories about Cornwall. Cornish Horrors is another in the British Library Tales of the Weird series. And should fill a nice slot for me.

I am leaving my fiction reading slate free after that for the middle of July, when another in Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches fantasy series is published. I particularly enjoyed the original trilogy, and am keen to read this upcoming 5th book, The Black Bird Oracle. I have it preordered on Kindle, and intend to read it right away on publication. And I also have a signed hardback copy on preorder.

vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
I have some more books on the go more sporadically. But the ones below are my current main reads. All read on my Kindle.

Picture showing 6 book covers. On the top row Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman, Sigrid Rides by Travis Nelson, Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami, then below that Why We Love Middle-Earth by Marchese and Sisto, Steeple Chasing by Peter Ross, and My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Although I struggle hugely with print now I can still generally read plays in that format. And rarely read them in ebook. But I did this time, to reread Macbeth, which I probably last read 35 or so years ago in school. I've also more recently seen other televised or movie versions. So do remember much of the plot.

Reading a play script book is often rather strange. This time I decided to ignore the lengthy analytical introduction, which to be honest was better read after I'd finished. And dived straight in. Much of the play has a very minimal cast, but there's backstory and wider things early on that can get confusing. The scenes focusing on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are best. And why does Banquo talk in such a flowery long-winded way?!

Reading an ebook version of a play text had the advantage that it allowed lots of useful jumping about easily to footnotes. And this Penguin edition was well footnoted. Usually to explain specific words rather than lengthy academic history paper type digressions! For example I was thrown by the word "sewer", thinking it literally meant that place. But no, it was a servant. Thank goodness for footnotes.

I am amazed just how many key quotes there are in this particular Shakespeare play. Many of which I remembered from long ago, but others surprised me by popping up here. It's remarkably packed full of stuff.

And action packed. Oh yes, action packed. Staging it must also involve a lot of fake blood ...

As a Scottish historian it's also fascinating to see this depiction of Scottish history, through a 17th century English lens, with the complex situation of James VI and I not long on the throne in London.

I plan to watch the Ian McKellen and Judi Dench 1970s stage version soon. Meanwhile yes, that was a good read.
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Added yet another book to my currently reading batch last night. Reading it on my Kindle with a gargantuan font.

The cover shows the hobbits on horses approaching an inn
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Last year I finished 60 books. In some previous years I've finished more, sometimes less. For 2024 I'm setting myself a reading target of 25 books, though will probably smash it. But I want to focus on more longer books, albeit interspersed with and alongside shorter ones.

Long books that I plan to read include rereads of Lord of the Rings and Our Mutual Friend. But I also intend to read a couple more Wheel of Time books, which are pretty chunky, and can take some time.

I'm also intending to read more books in translation, including some long ones. Will be drawing up a list of those soon. It depends which ones I can get in Kindle format, so I can read them with an utterly gargantuan font. Due to my progressive neurological illness audiobooks haven't been a good option for me since the 1990s, but gigantic font ebooks work well for recreational reads.

And of course there will be lots of non fiction books read alongside the fiction. That is already underway, and I expect to keep that more flexible.

But yup, a year of quality reading over quantity this time.
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Started number crunching for my annual blog post of books read for fun this year. Quick initial stats: 60 books finished in 2023, almost 20,000 pages read, average 375 pages a week. Despite being heavily sedated from progressive neuro disease, needing a Kindle with utterly gigantic font to keep reading. So grateful I still can! More details to follow soon.
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
I bought online tickets for a number of talks and panels accompanying the British Library's current Fantasy exhibition. Luckily I bought these tickets before the British Library suffered a ransomware cyber attack, which they are still reeling from. I don't think online tickets can be bought at the moment (but may be wrong), but the streaming is working for people who were lucky to buy tickets in time. We can watch an event live, or on catchup within 48 hours of it starting.

Today I was watching a 90 minute chat last night about the Tales of the Weird series of books published by the British Library. This was a lot of fun. Chaired by Matthew Sweet, who was excellent as to be expected. And with 6 other people on the stage. 2 were extremely rabbit in headlights for much of it sadly, though they relaxed later. But the other 4 panelists were great value. And the chair worked well to pull out discussion even from the rabbits in headlights folk.

I have bought a lot of these books to read on my Kindle over the years. They are typically £2.99 for the Kindle versions. But I still have many to read. Including the 3 so far Christmas anthologies. I am now enthusiastically lining some up for the festive season. If I'm awake enough.

vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Wow! Just learned about 1967 book "The Technicolor Time Machine" by Harry Harrison. As one bibliographer writes: ''Movie producers get hold of a time machine, and decide to shoot a Viking epic on location - in the 11th century AD. A thoroughly madcap romp in its author's best vein''. Crikey! Found it through my usual pulp books supplier. But I'd need to read it in ebook for disability reasons. And it is on the Kindle for £3.99 from the Gateway Essentials range. Buying!

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vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
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