Oh Nook why?????????????

My Nook, why had thou art forsaken me?

Okay, forsaken might be a little strong but.... well, let me tell you this.

When you read your Nook and you get a little message that says you have 13 minutes of battery life, the Nook really means that. It will shut off in 13 minutes.

AND...

When the little battery picture turns red, starts blinking and gets all striped, the Nook WILL shut down. It really will. It's not kidding.

So I had NOTHING to read at lunch today. Damn technology hates me.

Maggie

I Twitter but there's stuff I don't understand; same issue with Nook

Okay, so I Twitter but I need a class to get down all the lingo and jargon and what it all means. Is there a Twitter 101?

What #FF mean? Why do people say that or do that?

Also, I see that lots of people comment back to someone like @maggiemaeos but what's the original comment that started it all? And sometimes when I read the @whatever I'm not sure what the response is and what's the original comment.

And can I get to some of these links via the 'net, like to read book reviews or see recipes? Do I have to log into my Twitter online to do that? I don't always have the time or battery power to do it on my phone.

What's Pintrest and why is everyone on Twitter using it? Should I be pintresting?

I think I figured out trending but if anyone wants to clarify this, I'm open to another explanation.

And my big Nook problem is can I really lend and borrow books from people I don't know? If so, how?

And when I look at a book on Nook to buy and it has a "lending" tag, what does it mean?

Maybe I need to move somewhere where there is no technology? Or not this much technology?

I'm so in over my heard,
Maggie

When Madeline Was Young

When Madeline was Young by Jane Hamilton was my first Nook book. It had nothing to do with the Nook but I didn't care for the book. It was one of those that had HUGE potential to be amazing, but it fell short. I wanted to like it- obviously if I was willing to actually pay good money at full price for a book- I really wanted to like it.

The concept: Madeline is beautiful and she married the quiet, nerdy academic Aaron and them tragedy strikes during their first year of marriage. Madeline is in an accident and she is left with the mental abilities of a 5 or 6 year old. Instead of divorcing her, Aaron arranges for her care and then Aaron falls in love with the nurse. He divorces Madeline and marries the nurse and he and his second wife then care for Madeline like one of their own children. awesome idea, right?

Well, in my review reading I don't know where I missed the part that the story is historical fiction. It takes place in the 1950s and then into the 1960s. This is significant only in the medical technology that is not available to Madeline at the time of the accident as well as people's response to such a famile makeup. Also, politics of the era are a huge part of one of the many subplots intersecting this story.

Also, I must have glossed over the fact that the story isn't told by Aaron nor his second wife or even the childlike Madeline, but by Arron and his second wife's son, Mac. And the focus isn't really even on Madeline. Oh yeah, she's an integral part of the story obviously, but from the synopsis and reviews I read, I thought, for some reason, it would be Madeline's story and it was really Mac's story, his reflection on his life and how his strange family shaped who he became as an adult: a nice guy, a nice dad, a nice doctor, a nice son, a nice nephew, just a plain old... nice guy.

The story jumps around all over the place from Mac's early childhood, to his present day life, to his early adult years, telling his story, Madeline's story, his mother's story, his aunt's story, his sister's story... It bops around and is often hard to follow because we have a flashback within a flashback.

I love my Nook but this is a book that had I had a paper book with pages, I would've flipped back and forth to refresh my memory of the characters and who was doing what with whom because of the jumping around story telling style.

I expected something completely differently obviously. Instead I got a sort of coming of age story rather than a tale of a woman child's survival. I've read better and much worse but I'm not really sure I would recommend this to anyone else. I would recommend a Nook, though!

Nookie Choices

How in the world do I choose what to get for my Nook? This is a fun yet plaguing question since I've been given this handy and fun little sucker.

Buying books is something that always plagues me, actually. If I can get a book I never read but want to, and I can't get it through my public library AND I DESPERATELY want to read it, I'll buy it used. It's a rare thing for me to buy a new book. Used Used used or library library library for me! And when I do buy new books it's usually because it's a book I read through the library and completely fell in love with it. The Nook challenges my buying habits.

One the plus side--- buying a new book via the Nook is about what I pay for lots of my used books I buy so cost-wise I'm breaking even. And I can have them instantly and don't have to wait months for a used copy to hit the shelves at Half Priced Books.

There are so many to choose from and I'm not sure what to get. it helped that I could go to B and N and read things on my wishlist for an hour each which gave me a good taste- did I like it well enough to buy it or not. I had a couple gift cards from Barnes and Noble and I finally broke down and bought a few: My Reading Life by Pat Conroy; Stash by David Klein, When Madeline was Young by Jane Hamilton and Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. It was hard because I have about 250 books on my wishlist, and it's growing everyday.

I'm also still learning to use it and no, I'm too lazy to sit down and watch the tutorials on usage. I can't figure out how to get my wishlist that's on my devise to show up on my wishlist on my account when I use my laptop. I'm sure there's something not right I'm not clicking. But I can get to it via the Nook and that's what's most important!

I like reading with my Nook! I like reading for free in B and N. I like that I can carry it in one of my suitcase purses that i always carry and I have 8 books with me at once so I'm never stranded.

Sad that my only struggles are that I don't have enough money to buy all the books I want, the unlimited time to read them all, and that I can't seem to choose WHAT to buy!

Mags

More Nookie... does that make me a book slut?

Back in December, remember I bought a Nook but had to return it because of all the car repairs I had to make? I also had to return some Christmas gifts that were Nook accessories. I was sad.

But now I'm happy! Elated! Excited! Stunned! And completely wowed!

Mac got some money back from school and from his first paycheck. And in the mail I received.... yes, you guessed it... a Nook! Not just any Nook but...

A NOOK COLOR!!!!

Yes, Mac bought me a Nook color. I'm just stunned. I can't believe it. He used his money and bought it for me. Park of me thinks I should've made Mac return it but I didn't. Here's why:

He said he hasn't gotten me a good Christmas gift in his entire life. He said I had an important birthday last year and didn't get me anything. He also said I was the best mom ever and he thanked me for always be there for him and never giving up on him. He thanked me for being patient with him and always standing by him, no matter what. I was crying my eyes out by the time he was done and there's no way I could return it after all that. Thank you Mac for the Nook, even though I know you'll never see this post!

I was blown away. I couldn't believe he would give me such an awesome gift. And one that meant so much. He also told me that he felt so terrible that I had to return it and it was the least he could do. We've been having a great time playing with it! It's completely amazing. I don't know enough about it yet to share the details but it's phenomenal. I love it already!

And, I happen to tell a friend of mine what Mac did and he got me a gift:


So now I have this fabulous, brand new Color Nook and this totally fabulous pink, leather Nook cover, with a fabulously funny quote by one of my favorite Irish authors!!! (and the quote, in case you can't see it is, "Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood."~ Oscar Wilde)

I feel so special! And overwhelmed and just... wow. It's wonderful. I can't wait to start reading and playing with the Nook and downloading!

It's my second Nook in 3 months. Does that make me a Nook Book slut?

Mac's mom,
Maggie