I have to say it - I love my Amazon Kindle. I was lucky to get one for my birthday last year (after admiring my friends one for so long!). I have looked at other eReaders but none of them really seemed to grab me (screens too small, too fiddly to navigate etc). So I was wrapt to find that the Kindle does NOT disappoint! I know that for a lot of people there is the mindset of not having the 'hard' copy of the book with the charm of having 'real' pages to turn and bookmark etc and I thought initially that I would be the same. But no - I'm OK with the whole concept - which for a traditionalist like myself is quite surprising!
For an avid reader like myself, it is just fantastic for gettting immediate access to the latest books, magazines, newspapers etc. The prices are just so excellent too - here's an example...
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is about NZ $25.00 for paperback in the local shops. Through Amazon it's US$9.68 (about NZ$12.00). Fantastic story, and one that has inspired me to simplify my life this year.
Another example for Jodi Picoult fans, The Jodi Picoult Bundle which is 3 novels (Nineteen Minutes, Second Glance and Perfect Match) for US$7.26. Might just have to download that one myself!
If you are thinking about a Kindle, make sure you get the leather cover and reading light as well as a screen protector.
I'm always on the lookout for reading recommendations myself, so here are some books that I have particularly enjoyed...an eccletic mix but ones that are worth the read.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (US$3.63)
The Heart Mender by Andey Andrews (US$8.99)
The Eighth Scroll by Dr. Laurence B Brown (US .99c - yes, really!)
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo (US$4.98)
I think the Kindle holds up to 1200 books at a time (you can archive the ones you have finished and pull them out anytime you want to refer to them). I haven't downloaded any magazines yet, mainly because I haven't had enough time to browse through the Kindle Store at length. The store is absolutely huge! There are also lots of freebies (I think most of the 'classics' like Oliver Twist are free since the authors are no longer around to collect royalty payments!).
I'd love to hear what you think of the Kindle if you have one, and some reading suggestions are always welcome!
So, onto scrapbooking!
In October last year at our Crafting and Cupcakes Scrapbook Day, I ran a class inspired by the wonderfully talented Jane Tregenza and her chipboard tile method. Here is my layout...
And a close up of the detail of one of the tiles...
Essentially, the layout is built on a series of chipboard squares and rectangles, each one uniquely embellished or holding a photo. So much fun to do, and seriously addictive. The 20 ladies who participated in the class each came out with amazing layouts - some used wedding pics, others used heritage. That's often the best part about teaching - having the chance to see other peoples photos and learn a bit about the story behind them.
So that's all from me today. Don't forget to send me your recommend reading lists if you have any!
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