October 27, 2008
Finding books, What to Read
1 Comment
My life is pretty hectic at the moment, with two preschoolers, and full time study. Reading is one of the things that has been sacrificed, as the only time i get to sit down without interruption seems to be when I am “encouraging the kids to fall asleep”. Since returning to study, I get even less reading done. However, I have gained a commute.
Slowly, I have started to listen to audio books in the car, and it has opened up a new world for me. Although it takes me about a fortnight to get through a book, this is at least as fast as I am reading in real life.
How to find audio books
Audio books are openly available and inexpensive.
- Readings of classic literature is available for free download from Librivox (these can also be downloaded as a podcast into itunes, so you can get the book in manageable installments)
- Local libraries have Books on CD that can be borrowed, and even converted into digital format if you use an MP3 player in your car
- Itunes has new release books for about $10 or $15 each
- Audible offers a subscription service where a yearly fee gives you to download a quota of books each month
- Books on tape and CD are often available at charity shops and garage sales, but choice and quality is limited.
How to convert books to itunes format
If you download a book from Librivox or record one from a CD, then it is not automatically recognized as an audiobook by itunes. If you use an iPod, this means the tracks won’t keep a bookmark and won’t show up in your audiobook folder.
If you have Itunes 8, it is very simple. Simply select the track, hit “get info” (CMD- I on the mac) and select “audiobook” as track type. Make sure the “Remember playback position” check box is ticked as well.
If you have a previous version of iTunes, it is a little more complicated. This method definitely works on Mac, but I haven’t tested it on Windows
- Download the “make bookmarkable” script from Doug’s Applescripts
- Follow the instructions to install it to itunes
- Select the track, right click and choose “create AAC version”
- Select the AAC version and run the applescript (from the applescript menu on the toolbar). It will be converted to audiobook format, and shifted to your Audiobook folder.
- Make sure you check the track info, and if you have multiple tracks, number them correctly. This ensures they will play in order.
- Check “gapless playback” if you find there is a pause between tracks.
I listen to a lot of books in my car now - mainly non fiction and classical. It has created an oasis of self-indulgence in my grinding trip home. What audio books do you love?
September 1, 2008
What to Read, links
2 Comments
Could there be an association between books you read and your intelligence. Virgil Griffith has tested the theory by comparing favourite books listed on Facebook with average SAT scores. This is a fun list, but obviously a bit pseudoscience.
But if we suspend belief for a little bit, to become smarter, we should be reading Lolita, 100 years of solitude, Freakonomics and Crime and Punishment. And it would be better to avoid Zane, The Color Purple, Fahrenheit 451 and even the Bible.
June 13, 2008
Review, What to Read
No Comments
Slaughterhouse five is a classic book that everyone seems to have a bit of trouble understanding fully. Fertile ground for English Lit students, it seems to leave half the LibraryThing reviewers a bit stumped.
“So it goes.“
Who says I should read it?
“Having fought in the Second World War, been imprisoned, seen thousands dead, and witnessed the devastating fire-bombing of Dresden, the author has produced from his experiences a representation of the literal result of all such [rigid] authority being simultaneously let go“ 1001 Books you Must Read Before You Die
“… Vonnegut’s deeply satirical 1969 novel explores the human condition through the medium of science fiction. … Despite its bleak message, Slaughterhous-five is a deeply, if very blackly, funny novel. The direct style of writing leaves the reader free to get to grips with both the non-linear story and the results of Vonnegut’s brilliant imagination.“ 501 Must-Read Books
My Review of Slaughterhouse Five
I enjoyed the unexpectedness of this novel. It is an exploration of time and death, but approached in a completely non-linear way. Appearances of aliens and time-travel are floated into the story, as if anticipated. The main character, Billy Pilgrim, is a World War II veteran who travels in time. His story is combined with that of the author, who experienced the bombing of Dresden at the end of the war. Fragments of the story are contrasted with each other, and Billy experiences aliens and time-travel as no more absurd than what he experienced in the war.
The author also highlights the permeance of death in our society. He does this by using a catch-phrase, which quickly becomes annoying. However, the irritation acts like a bell to wake you up and remind you what is going on. I thought it was a slick trick, and one I keep mulling over in my mind.
Unfortunately, this book became a bit annoying in places. I think that time-travel stories have a tendency to flag future events. I guess this is a technique to aid the continuity of the story, but it drove me mad.
I haven’t read any other books by this author, and I am not sure that this convinces me to search them out. I suppose the books was short and quick to read, which is better than slogging through a phone book and realising you are not sure whether you liked it.
Did it deserve the recommendation?
I guess so. Although I didn’t love this book, and probably won’t read it again, the story did resonate with me. I think that I will probably think about it a lot for the next couple of days. It was worth having read.
Please note: this was previously published on my blogger blog, which I have deleted. I didn’t want to lose this review, so I have transported it here. Apologies if you have already read it.
Technorati Tags:
1001 books, book review, books, 501 books, literature
