Scott and I have spent most of the summer with colds (he started it). As a result I’ve been reading a lot more than usual. I’ve come to really love reading on the iPhone, largely for the backlighting so I can read without disturbing Scott with a bedside light. But I also love being able to read while laying on my side and not struggling to keep a book open, and not having to fuss over pages that have too small a margin in the center and cause that wavy line effect, and not having to reach out my other arm to turn pages because, let’s face it, I’m lazy. It’s like watching tv in bed but it’s reading and I should probably stop typing right now shouldn’t I?
Apparently when I need to be soothed I read fiction that is about the end of the world as I know it, in one way or another:
Daemon (for Kindle). I originally bought this as a paperback to read on airplanes. I found it in a drugstore and with blurbs by Craig Newmark, Stewart Brand and William O’Brien (Former Director of Cybersecurity and Communications Policy for The White House) I couldn’t not get it.
Freedom (TM) (for Kindle). Daemon comes to a sudden end, a downside of the Kindle for iPhone is that you have no idea how far you are into a book. So I used the upside of the Kindle and immediately downloaded the sequel and kept reading, all around 2 a.m. Now I cannot remember where one book ends and the next begins, which is bad since I keep accidentally giving Scott spoilers when we talk about Daemon.
The Passage (for Kindle). I kept coming across reviews of this book so I downloaded it next, and it’s glorious length kept me company through many long nights of keeping myself awake coughing.
Going In Circles (for Kindle). This book by Pamela Ribon (whom you might know better as Pamie) is a story about a woman knocked over by a divorce, and picked back up by roller derby.
The Breach (for Kindle). This was a short book when compared to my earlier science fiction books, but I kept wishing I had a beach to sit on while I was reading it. It was fast paced and fun.
The Stand (for Kindle). Reviews of The Passage kept comparing it to this so I figured I might as well finally read it.
If you’re looking for something to read I recommend heading over to What’s In Rebecca’s Pocket? and see all the lists of reading lists that she compiles in the summers. (Thank you Rebecca.)
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16 responses so far ↓
1 Jess // Aug 4, 2010 at 3:07 am
Oh my gosh – I finally get it!!! Thank you for this post. I have thought up until now, that there would be nothing worse than reading on an iPhone or iPad – too 2 dimensional or something. But I have always struggled with reading on my side in bed too.
I’ll head over to What’s In Rebecca’s Pocket and have a look:)
2 Missy // Aug 4, 2010 at 6:34 am
I tackled both Daemon and Freedom(tm) a couple of months ago, and enjoyed the heck out of them (looking back at my own blog post, I gave them both a 9 out of 10).
What do you think of The Stand? I’ve probably read that book 30 times. It’s far and away my favorite Stephen King novel, and probably in my top 5 books overall.
3 Linda // Aug 4, 2010 at 8:31 am
I’m waiting for The Passage from the library. I’m looking forward to it. I just finished The Strain by Del Toro and Hogan. Great book. Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.
4 Mim // Aug 4, 2010 at 8:33 am
The Stand is my all-time favorite book. I just finished The Passage because of the reviews. I liked it enough but I HATED the ending!!!!!
5 megan // Aug 4, 2010 at 8:53 am
Jess – Yes, reading while laying on my side is a bit luxurious.
Missy – I have actually not gotten to The Stand yet, I’m keeping it for some travel later this month.
Linda – The Strain, I forgot all about that one! I’ll have to check it out. I could probably find enough end of the world books to last me all year.
Mim – I will tell you this, I found out that The Passage is just the first in a three book deal, so the ending is not necessarily the end. But I know what you mean about the ending.
6 Louise // Aug 4, 2010 at 10:38 am
Ah, The Passage. I was all hyped up to read it a few weeks ago, but I finished it this weekend and it was such a letdown! It was like I read a completely different book than what other people were raving about. I’m pretty angry that I forced myself to finish such a long book =(
7 megan // Aug 4, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Louise – It was a very different book than the reviews indicated. I didn’t dislike it for that but found it odd.
8 WanderChow // Aug 4, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Sorry to hear you were sick.
I finally read The Stand starting in late June, right when we went on our Big Road Trip east. I was having LOST withdrawal bad, and wanted to read things that had influenced the show.
That’s a pretty great book for road trips, if disturbing, especially since we saw some of the locations mentioned in the book. Now that I’m done, maybe I’ll check out the books you mentioned.
Feel totally better soon!
9 Starstryder // Aug 4, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Love your list of books…very much the type of set I would pick myself for comfort reading in bed. :)
Hope you feel better!
10 inthefastlane // Aug 4, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Thought I wrote this post for a bit. I read Daemon and The Passage on my kindle iphone this summer. The Stand I read a while ago, but I too love a good book about the end of the world. I’ll have to get the Daemon sequel. And even though I wasn’t quite sure about The Passage, I will probably read the next few book in that series as well.
11 Carolyn J. // Aug 4, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Yes! Yes! I work in a library and the librarians think I’m a weirdo for reading on my iPod. Too small, they all sniff. But when I’m wedged on a crowded bus, I can pull out an 800-page book and turn the pages with my thumb.
12 Andy // Aug 4, 2010 at 7:53 pm
I had that same cold! Seems like half of Seattle had it at some point. I can’t remember the last time a cold lasted more than 4 days and this one kept coming back over and over. It was a good time to read though. I read Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw among others. I haven’t heard of most of these, I’ll have to check them out. Thanks!
13 brookeb // Aug 5, 2010 at 8:18 am
I really enjoyed The Passage, even the ending, but I did know it was a trilogy going into it. Also — I’ve read in several places that Ridley Scott has bought the rights to it for a possible movie (or movies?) I think that could be really good, considering his track record.
14 Gabi // Aug 5, 2010 at 1:32 pm
The Daniel Suarez books do sound like great airplane reading.
Have you seen the Hunger Games series? It’s a sort of distopian version of the future of the U.S. They’re really quick, but addicting reads, and the last one is coming out this month, so you don’t have to be left in suspense.
15 jmk // Sep 8, 2010 at 12:11 pm
‘The Stand’ was so much better than ‘The Passage’ !!! I didn’t like that ‘The Passage’ is the first book in a three book series.
16 lynne // Feb 16, 2011 at 6:29 pm
This is cool. I just found it today, but you may have already seen it…an easy way to lend your Kindle books and read others’:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/feb/16/new-sites-kindle-lendle
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