Kindle 3G & WiFi

So, my sixteenth birthday was on the twenty-third and me being, well, me, my parents got me a new camera and a Kindle. I’ll post the camera review later. Right now, it’s all about the Kindle.
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The latest generation of the Kindle series now has 3G that is completely free so you can download literally from anywhere, although you can get it with just wifi. It stores up to 4GB, which, if you take advantage of the new experimental music player and don’t store your whole music on it, can store a ton of books. New experimental features include text-to-speech and web search.
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First, I have to say, I love this thing. It stores all of my Kindle library and allows me to read it anywhere in an area as thick as a pencil. I really love the fact that it looks just like paper. When I turned it on for the first time I almost started picking at the side of the screen for that annoying sticker that they plaster on the glass.
I am extremely happy that I got the 3G and wifi one. I haven’t yet had the pleasure of downloading a book with 3G, but I did go out of town and did a web search right from my Kindle! I even tweeted! The Internet connection is a little slow, I won’t lie, but then again it is an experimental thing, so for the fact that it is brand new, it work pretty well. Just don’t try do anything on Facebook with it, trust me. It freezes up like a popsicle in Antarctica.
The text-to-speech is pretty neat and my mom and sister want one because of it, but because it’s experimental, the voice, whether male or female, is robotic and only pauses when there’s a period and speeds up with any other sign. If listened to for long periods of time, you can get a tad creeped out and annoyed because he/she is speeding along at rates you can hardly follow.
I have yet to transfer any music onto my Kindle, so I can’t really tell you if it works right. I guess it’s for two reasons: one, I can’t read and listen to music at the same time and two, I want to keep as much space open as I can for new books.
As for menus and navigation, the menus are pretty easy to find and operate and most navigation is used with the forward/backward button on the side. Typing can be pretty bad, but only if you have to use numbers or symbols (@”&/:;,’!?,).
I do wish this was in color, though that probably takes away from the reading experience, but it’s definitely not a deal breaker.
Even though the version with 3G is $189 and the version without is only $129 I think that if your thinking about getting this fantastic piece of equipment, you should get it with 3G. The 3G pays for itself considering you pay $60 more for unlimited, absolutely free, no subscriptions required 3G. Just think about a road trip or flight (granted you travel) with no wifi and you’ve run out of books to read. Gasp.
Overall, great invention that any bookworm should love. Though it is one of those things that will bust more than a few people’s budgets in today’s economy, if you can afford it, get it. Plus, in one year, you can over 160 books that were 100% free. Who doesn’t love that?! I give this product a four point five out of five.
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I also got a lighted case for my Kindle and I want to review it as well.
Best parts about this lighted case? One, is a light and a case in one. Two, no batteries! Three allows reading at night while protecting your Kindle.
Bad parts? Drains your Kindle faster than if reading without, is too bright to read with when someone trying to sleep in the room, like in one of the photos, but not too bright, is letting your kindle just connect to the metal that starts the light instead of a strap or Velcro to connect to your Kindle, potentially causing the light to either break or your Kindle to.
Overall four out of five.
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Thanks for reading my review. I hope this helps in your decision in whether or not to buy a Kindle. If you have found that I left something out please let me know.
Like I said at the beginning I got a camera. I will post a review of my Canon Powershot SD1400 IS soon.
-Danyelle

The Lightkeeper’s Ball

Olivia Stewart is trying to find out more about her sister’s death, not believing that she drown because she is terrified of water. When she almost dies when someone tries to push her into the ocean, she decides to use her proper name, Lady Devonworth, to find out about her sister and her sister’s fiancé, who could turn out to be her own. Can she trust Harrison or did he have a part in her sister’s death? Will love bloom anyway?
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At first, I didn’t expect this book to be very good after a handful of average books that didn’t impress me, however, I was pleasantly surprised.
There wasn’t a whole lot of suspense in a book advertised as a romantic suspense. Now, even though it didn’t have a ton, I kinda felt after several murder attempts, it made up for what it lacked in suspense with mystery.
Obviously, this is a romance. There’s passion, but as some people have a difficult time with, there was enough passion to make it believable, but not too much that you would be uncomfortable letting a younger reader read.
Though this book is technically Christian, it doesn’t really challenge your faith or beliefs, but then again, you don’t really dig into a book like this expecting it to. It has references to God and heaven and there isn’t any “preachy” parts at all.
Overall, I would say that this is a light read that would keep keep you entertained through till the end, even though it takes a few chapters to get going, it’s definitely worth it. I will be reading more from Colleen Coble. I give it a four out of five.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Boyfriends, Burritos, and an Ocean of Trouble

Today I’m going to review Boyfriends, Burritos, and an Ocean of Trouble by Nancy Rue. This month has been hectic and passing by extremely slowly. So, I’m going to try and post two more reviews before the 23rd (my birthday). Fingers crossed.
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Bryn O’Connor is in trouble. Her boyfriend Preston just crashed his friends’ car and now the bruises on he pit on her are in plain view for her father, the doctors, and police to see. She doesn’t want to tell who did it, but when they accuse her dad she tells the truth.
The last thing she wants is a long drawn out battle with her ex, but that’s exactly what her dad wants. When Mim, her grandmother, comes over to stay, she starts to take peace in surfing and this strange book that she accidentally took from the hospital. Now, even though nothing is any easier, she is getting stronger.
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First off, it’s fair to say that I’m a big fan of Nancy Rue. She puts things in a point of view tweens and teens can both understand. She also has a gift for allowing you to connect and feel a likeness with each character.
The book is in first person, which in most cases, makes it difficult to get into, but in this case, I think it enhances the reading experience.
It also shows girls that have been in an abusive relationship, that you can move on and get stronger from it.
There is one bad quality in this book. The RL book. Now, this book is magical, it changes pages on its own and it tells bible stories, but it doesn’t quote actual bible verses. I think the book would have been fine if it was a normal book that quoted bible and explained it.
This story, obviously, is Christian, and it is evident throughout. The whole story revolves around the faith, or lack of.
There’s a little romance in this story. Bryn starts to like Shaun despite her problem with Preston.
Overall, love this story and I love the first in this series. I think it’s perfect for a tween or teen going through problems, someone who just doesn’t believe in Jesus, or if you just want to read a really good teen fiction. I give it four point five out of five.

The Corruptible

Today I’m going to be reviewing The Corruptible by Mark Mynheir. I probably would have posted a review a lot sooner but, I was waiting for this book to arrive.
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Ex-homicide detective Ray Quinn is adjusting to the not-so glamorous lifestyle of being a private investigator with a painful disability. Now, he’s being cornered in a bathroom stall by the unfaithful husband of a client and is wondering why he chose this career.
When he gets a case seems easy enough, it turns out there’s more to the story than meets the eye. And Ray and his partner Crevis are belly deep in it.
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One of the best parts about this book is Ray’s friends. Crevis will go to the ends of the earth to protect and help Ray and Pam is one of the only people that he trusts and can tell it to him straight.
Another good part about this story is the thoughts running through Ray’s mind on occasion. They had me smirking and shaking my head because I’d want to do the same.
But, with good comes bad. The drinking in this book is pretty bad. Ray doesn’t sloshed but he does depend on the alcohol to keep going, which his friends hate.
Also, the book was a tad predictable. I figured out who did it half way through. I didn’t, however, guess it all and was shocked with some of the culprits.
There is no real romance in this story. Ray goes on a couple of dates with Megan but that’s pretty much it.
The faith in Pam leaves no doubt that this is a Christian book and the way Pam broaches faith and God with Ray is perfect. She tells him in ways that are non-threatening.
Overall I enjoyed this book. I found it a little predictable, but with some great plot twists. The story isn’t very original, but the author makes it his own. Will I read it again? Probably not. But, then again, I don’t reread most of the books on my shelves. I give it a three point five out of five.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review