>I can vouch for this. I’ve read a bunch of free public domain books, and have more queued up, on my device, via Project Gutenberg. I originally intend to read ONLY free books, but I’ve been buying books as fast as I can read them, too.  Link: Metro.co.uk

>Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket) from an interview by Meg Pokrass

[snip]

What makes characters likable? I know this is an absurdly complex question.

For one thing, I’m always mystified by discussions of likable characters. Characters are in books; you’re not going to have lunch with them. Moreover, the best books are full of trouble, so the characters are either in trouble or causing it. Most people aren’t likable in such situations.

Even if by “likable” we just mean “characters we enjoy reading about,” rather than “characters who seem like people we’d like,” then we’re not really talking about characters at all. Otherwise, the characters would be fully portable, and readers would find Lady Macbeth equally compelling in a Harlequin novel and in Macbeth. (I suppose there are people who consider Han Solo to be an equally compelling character in Star Wars novels #12 and #43, by separate authors, but, um, give me a break.) It’s like saying that the great thing about Kind Of Blue isn’t Miles Davis, but the trumpet itself. Such a compelling instrument!

Thus, character is bunk. There is plot, and there is voice, and they conspire to create an illusion we call “literature.” It is a glorious illusion and a compelling one. When a writer tells me they’re worried about a character they usually mean there’s a flaw in the plot, or the prose just isn’t pulling things together.


Also he mentions that his mentor is the incomparable Kit Reed.

via The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

>Step number on an “earn money blogging” guest post on an “earn money writing and blogging” site that I’m not going to bother linking to is “make your posts awesome!”

> Stanza reads epub formats, and can opened books purchased at B&N and other some sites by reentering credit card information (once per book), plus it has in app links to some stores, and free book sites.. Kindle only reads .azi/.mobi and in general I prefer cross-platform formats. I found the B&N app terrible, and I’d much rather jump through the re-enter payment hoop to store and read books on Stanza.

The mac iBook app itself runs with excruciating slow pages turns on my previous gen iPod Touch (which is, btw, the worst named of any Apple product).

>I’m so comfortable reading eBooks on my iPod Touch, that I don’t feel the need for a dedicated eReader.  A Kindle or other might be useful if I start subscribing to magazines, but I find the 3 inch touch screen, using either the Stanza or Kindle apps perfect for reading short stories and novels. I hold it one-handed, braced by my index finger and pinkie, using my thumb to page through.

 My eyes really bounce around the page when I read. I’ve always had trouble focusing and scanning steadily, both of which are key to reading comprehension and speed. I find I read much longer and with much more enjoyment in my device than I’ve ever read before. It’s like discovering reading all over again. I haven’t loved books this much since grammar school, and I’ve always loved books more than than just about anything.