At the moment I am doing something that (for me) almost always ends in failure: I am reading two books at once. Usually this means that one gets lost along the way through no fault of its own (apologies to volumes including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Age of Innocence; Angela's Ashes - I will revisit you all one day).
However, huzzah, I seem to be doing quite well at simultaneous reading at the moment! An absolute gem of a book that I adore with every cell in my body is The Etymologicon by the downright hilarious Mark Forsyth (aka The Inky Fool). It appeals to many sides of me: the word nerd, the appreciator/generator of terrible puns, the history fan and the person who likes pretty things (I daren't use the word aesthete, that sounds very grand). I mean, look at it. Just bask in its beautiful, red and gold hardback goodness. It is a thing of pure, unequalled joy. And I shall ALWAYS have room for it on my bookshelf. I love reading it, but because of its all-encompassing awesomeness I only dip into it when I'm the best mood for it, so that I don't underappreciate a moment. This book works exactly how it is - the format, presentation, writing and overall package is utterly right.
So what is on the other side of this successful co-reading coin? To be honest, it couldn't be more different. I am well and truly stuck into an ebook that I downloaded for free - who doesn't love a freebie? It's The Assassins' Village by Faith Mortimer. (Get it here, unfortunately not free at the time of blogging: http://amzn.to/xUEmos) This appeals to my secret, middle-aged alter-ego. I love a good murder mystery, and this one is a perfectly pleasant Cyprus-based whodunnit. However, if I had a physical version of the book I doubt I'd be enjoying it so much. I read this book when I'm curled up in bed with my kindle - a device that I was sceptical of at its creation but that is one of my most prized possessions (try them, they are remarkable). The Assassins' Village is exactly the kind of book to get stuck into on an ereader, It is easy to read and provides a good escape when you want hibernate. A major perk of ereaders with E Ink displays is that they are remarkably relaxing to read. Several times I have fallen asleep reading The Assassins' Village - not in any way as a result of the book itself - but purely that the method of reading is so calming.
So I will continue on my merry way with these two books, dipping into The Etymologicon when I am near an espresso machine or twirling my hair outside in the garden, and ploughing through The Assassins' Village when I want to have a murder mystery holiday daydream to Cyprus at the end of a long day in the office.
Give them both a try, won't you?
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