Stacked-Up Book Thoughts: Reading in the Digital Age

More thoughts on eReading: If you're a long-time reader of Beth Fish Reads, then you know about my struggles at getting used to reading and reviewing eBooks (see my eMerging eReader series). My problems weren't based in the act of reading on screen, after all, I do that all day long almost every day in my full-time job as an editor. Instead, I had three issues:

• Eyestrain: At the end of the workday, my eyes are happier with print.
• New habits: I had to get used to using the electronic forms of flagging pages and marking text I needed for writing reviews.
• In my face: I simply forgot to look at my virtual bookshelf when picking my next read.

Nowadays, I'm well on my way (I hope) to conquering my eReading foes by tweaking my technological choices and putting together a consolidated book database.

I'm thinking about eBooks because this is #CelebrateEbooks week, sponsored by Open Road Media. Check out the hashtag on your social media and follow Open Road on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to get in the celebration. Share what you love about eBooks, your initial problems and how you solved them, what books you have loaded onto your digital device, or whatever you want. I plan to follow along and am already resigned to seeing my reading list grow in leaps and bounds.

What I listened to last week

I may not be reading much print right now, but I'm still listening. I finished two books last week and bailed on another. Here are my quick thoughts.

• Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (read by Polly Lee; Harper Audio): I ended up liking Lee's performance but had mixed feelings about how Johansen pulled together the different threads of the trilogy. In particular, I wasn't happy about the ending, which had a "poof! and now here we are" element. I would have liked a few more details on how it all happened or, better yet, a stronger finish that would have better fit Queen Kelsea. Oh well. Lee was especially good at bringing the action scenes alive and keeping me immersed in the Tearling universe.
• Feedback by Mira Grant (read by Georgia Dolenz; Hachette Audio): This was a big fail on two levels. First, I should remind you how much I enjoyed the original Newsflesh trio, which cleverly imagined the near future as the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse caused by an anti-cancer virus gone wild. Problem one is that this book seems to start at the same place as book 1 (Feed) and is telling the same story but focusing on different characters. Frankly, I wanted something new. Problem two was with the narrator. Dolenz was awesome as the Irish main character but all the other people sounded the same. In fact, I couldn't the men from the women. It was so confusing. But when she mispronounced place names in the Pacific Northwest (easy to look up or research), I knew it was time to bail.
• The Clothing of Books by Jhumpa Lahiri (read by the author; Random House Audio): In this essay, originally given as a keynote speech in Italy, Lahiri mused about the impact book covers have on readers. Sounds like it could be interesting, eh? Instead, it was a bit whiny and focused on how she pretty much hates the covers of her own books. I didn't really see the point. She's an easy-to-understand narrator but is emotionally distant. I can't recommend this hour-long audiobook.

What's up for this week

After work today (yes, I worked on a Sunday), I have the following books queued up:

• Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman (read by Cassandra Campbell; Random House Audio): I'm excited to start this biography of Colette, who was an author, dancer, and early feminist. I've loved Colette's writing for decades and have always wanted to know more about her real life and how it compares to the one she created on the page.I listened to the first ten minutes of the audiobook and already love Campbell's performance. I plan to follow along in the eBook, which I checked out of the library (Ballantine Books).
• Leopard at the Door by Jennifer McVeigh (Putnam; January 2017): Because I really liked her debut, Fever Tree, I am looking forward to McVeigh's newest book, which takes place in Kenya in the 1950s, a time of great change in British Africa. I love the setting and have faith in McVeigh's skills at describing the environment and creating complex, believable characters. I'm reading an eGalley (see #CelebrateEbooks)!

What's on your reading list this week?