The Signal » Book Review

E-readers, future of books

ramseystatz — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:48:10 +0000

Not so long ago, the idea of reading books on an electronic gadget seemed like something out of science fiction novel. Thousands of books accessible from a single portable device, and available to read at any time? However, what sounded crazy has become the norm in the tech-savvy 21st century.

These e-readers come in a variety of brands, including the best known Amazon Kindle and the Barnes and Noble Nook. One of the most notable advantages of ebooks over printed books is easy portability.Carrying around more than a few printed books at a time is impractical, but e-readers allow their users to take a virtual library with them wherever they need it.
Reading a book on a Nook or Kindle provides a different experience from reading on a regular computer screen. E-ink, the term for the technology used in some e-readers, creates a screen without backlighting. This can save readers the strain on eyes that comes with staring at a screen for the amount of time it takes to get involved in a book. The benefits of e-ink also become noticeable when reading in outdoor light. On a normal computer screen, natural light creates a glare that can only be avoided by tilting the screen exactly right. E-ink mimics the appearance of a printed page, eliminating those glare issues.
Because they can be obtained directly from the Internet, ebooks offer instant accessibility. Instead of driving to a bookstore or library and searching for a specific book, users are just a few clicks away from owning the material they want. Also, a variety of ebooks are available as public domain, meaning users don’t have to pay to download them and start reading.
Whether ebooks will eventually replace traditional books remains to be seen, but for now they provide a unique alternative with its own set of perks.

Hunger Games (Book Review)

admin — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 02:49:06 +0000

Walking through the store, browsing the book department, I stopped dead in my tracks. My inner book lover was sent into a frenzy as my hungry fingers snatched the last copy of the eagerly awaited third book of Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games series. 

Upon the opening of Mockingjay I was overjoyed to once again immerse myself into the world of the main character, Katniss. I quickly became enthralled with the storyline, falling in love with the characters all over again. In the beginning of the book, the continuation of the main plot and growth of the relationships drew me in and made me excited for more. Unfortunately as I got farther into the book I found it to be lacking in action and interest. 

There were many dead spots where situations were fuzzy and action scenes were hard to follow. The love triangle that had once given spice to the story began to fade into the background, and I became somewhat disappointed with the lack of attention to many of my favorite characters. 

Nearing the end of the book there was so much action that I became numbed to any occasional surprise. I began to feel forlorn as some of my favorite characters fell to their untimely demise. When one of the most important characters in the series was killed, I became so distressed that I performed the ultimate spoiler; I read the last page of the book, desperately hunting for some glimmer of hope to get me through the rest of it. 

Although I am completely in love with the first two books of the series, I believe Suzanne Collins somewhat dropped the ball on this book. Much like the Twilight series, it seems she created such an incredible storyline in the other books just to completely destroy any progress made. 

My suggestion to all you readers out there is definitely read the first two books in the series, Hunger Games and Catching Fire, and just let yourself revel in the suspense. Stay away from the disappointment of the sub-par ending of this otherwise riveting trilogy.

The Host- by Stephanie Meyer

leahweston — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:35:14 +0000

The thought of an alien intrusion where the aliens “take over” the body of humans until all humans are extinct is a far fetched idea for most to handle. But in “The Host” by Stephanie Meyer, it is just a way of life.

The main character, The Wanderer, is an “alien” in human terms, but a “soul” in her species` terms. The alien’s job is to plant themselves into a captured human body, and eliminate all other humans. The alien species main goal is to make life on Earth simple. In the aliens mind one should not have to feud, pay for gas, clothes, or groceries, and should be able to be happy.

While inside a human, the aliens purpose is to gather the whereabouts of other “wild humans,” and to steal secrets from the host. The Wanderers host is named Melanie and even in her past life without an alien inside her head, Melanie is stubborn and refuses to give anything away.

Melanie fills Wanda’s head with visions of her past life, her family, and detailed memories of the man she once loved who is now in hiding. Born to be enemies, Melanie and Wanda come to discover one of the most odd friendships ever put onto paper. The hunter and the hunted.

Although most have heard of Stephanie Meyer as the author of the “Twilight” series, Meyer steps away from the mushy love story – packed with blood sucking vampires and corny lines that are used much too frequently by students – for a little while. While “The Host” is unlike “Twilight”, Meyer continues with her powerful words that seem to suck you into the story, and keeps the reader reading all night.

But for those who have never experienced a Meyer story, “The Host” should be the first. The story is unlike any other of its kind, and differs from any other on the book market. With the strange connection the reader should attain with the characters, it will make the experience of reading “The Host” worthwhile. Meyer is claimed to be a phenomenal writer and her words keep one longing for more.

Book Review: “The Lost Symbol”

adviser — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:45:45 +0000

The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown’s third novel to feature Harvard professor Robert Langdon as the main character, a smart, engaging read that will take the reader on an addicting adventure.

Set over a twelve hour period in present day Washington, D.C., the novel’s plot bases around Langdon’s search for his captured colleague, Peter Solomon. The resulting journey takes the reader on an epic thrill-ride through some of the most famous locations in Washington.

The Lost Symbol is one of those books that one cannot put down once one has begun to read. There is interesting plot twist after interesting plot twist that will leave you losing sleep but gaining adventure and thrills.

Brown does an excellent job of developing characters in the book, but they do not feel overdeveloped. The background of the main villain, Mal’akh, is explained well, with the end result of a brilliantly described character jumping off the page.

He does not devote too much time to the main character, Robert Langdon, who has already been developed in the two previous books in this series,

The weak points of the book outweigh the strong points. After you catch your breathe from the incredible story you have just been told, it starts to sink in that The Lost Symbol is a carbon copy of the other two books in the series.

From the unexpected call to action in the early morning to the mysterious and creepy bad guy, almost every main plot point can be found in a different form in the previous two books.

Another weak point of the book is that some of the plot points are simply too unbelievable to accept. It seems as though everything just happens to fall into place for RobertLangdon along his journey.

The Lost Symbol is definitely a worthwhile and interesting read. However, if you are a hardcore Dan Brown fan, don’t expect it to live up to The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons.