It will give you the details for all the summer reading programs in the county, as well as contact information for each library.
Keep those kiddos reading this summer!
My phone rings.
“Hey, what are you doing?” says the voice on the other end of the line.
“Umm … washing dishes.”
“Wanna see an iPad?”
“What?! You have one?”
A thoughtful friend knew I was working on a column about electronic book readers and knew I would be interested to see Apple’s latest gadget, the iPad, which was just released Saturday.
Although I had already finished my column (see Thursday’s All Around Wise in the Messenger), I jumped at the chance to check it out.
It was smaller than I imagined. In my column, I call it “ridiculously huge.” I take back “ridiculous,” but it won’t fit in your purse, ladies.
As an electronic reading device, it’s appealing because it “feels” more like a book. By swiping your finger across the screen, you can turn the page, unlike the Kindle which requires the user to push a button.
Your electronic books are also arranged on a virtual shelf, which allows you to see every cover instead of browsing a simple list of titles.
Its main downfall as an electronic reader is the screen. It’s LCD, like a regular computer screen, which tires the eyes more quickly than the E-ink technology used by Kindle and nook. Those feel as if you’re reading on paper.
While the iPad is fun, I’m not sure I’d be willing to cough up $500 for it. At that price and considering its size, I’d like it to function a little more like a laptop. It’s got a great e-reader, but I also need 3G, a USB port and some semblance of a word processor.
Care to weigh in?
This week the Messenger premiered its new All Around Wise design. We’re hoping the new columns and features, as well as a few old favorites, will be more enticing to readers.
Editor Brian Knox gave me the opportunity to expand my coverage of library and literary events and general “book talk” with a column in the redesigned section. “Bookends” premiered in this week’s issue of AAW, and it will be published once a month.
In this week’s issue, there is a list of upcoming events at local libraries, and in future editions, I also plan to include book recommendations from various library staff members.
Other new columns include “Life is Kid Stuff,” by fellow blogger Danielle over at Mom’s the Word and “On the Move” by our sports editor Richard Greene.
Non-subscribers should have received AAW in their mailbox Wednesday, and subscribers will get it today with their copy of the paper.
Drop me a line here and let me know what you think about “Bookends” and the brand new AAW. We’re excited about it and hope you are, too!