...a new laptop, finally!
Before I begin on this, let me announce a humongous giveaway over at playingbythebook, hosted by my good friend Zoe. You just need to visit, and leave a comment to be entered into a draw for a set of 50 Ladybird books. Do visit. I promise you won't regret it!
OK, now to my laptop story.
My last one, that had lasted me 7 years, finally died on me. It had been giving me a lot of trouble over the past one year, frequently hanging, suddenly shutting down mid-sentence, heating up just after 15-20 mins of use, despite propping it up on 'legs' comprising two hefty books on two sides to ensure that it got aired underneath, refusing to switch on at times, taking forever to boot, the battery going for a toss - requiring it to be connected forever to the charger to even start. It had even crashed once a few months back - from which attack it had been revived, the system restore done, but all saved data wiped off...it had become a litany of complaints and inconveniences.
Until it finally gave up, and refused to be revived. This was in the last week of May. Since then, the husband had been travelling, so we did not have an opportunity to go shop for a new one. I didn't want to do a major purchase like this all on my own. Cost aside, I am a self-confessed technologically challenged bookworm, so I wouldn't have known what I needed to look for.
So this week-end, we decided that the deed HAD to be done, and here we are! We are proud owners of a brand new gadget! So now I really need stop being a dinosaur and proceed to polish my knowledge of how it works, how Windows 8 works, if I have to learn to navigate my way around.
And no, sometimes technology does the opposite of making you dumb, R's Mom! Thanks for checking on me when I had 'disappeared' from the blogosphere! :)
And RIP, my old, trusty laptop. I had a good innings with you.
Showing posts with label giveaways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label giveaways. Show all posts
08 July, 2013
27 June, 2011
On the love of books - and a giveaway!
First: My friend Zoe, over at Playingbythebook has a fabulous new giveaway that I would love to get my hands on. It is a children's movie, Eleanor's Secret, a must-see for those who love books, and those who would love to see a movie which promises some lovely 'un-adult-rated' fun (Zoe's word, not mine!) You may go over to her post to view details of the giveaway! I have put in my claim, too, and am keeping all fingers (and toes) crossed!
Talking about love for books, I recently came upon this wonderful book that I would love to share with fellow book lovers.
THE GROANING SHELF
and other instances of book love
Written by Pradeep Sebastian
Published by Hachette India
This is that ultimate fantasy for me- a book about books and about love for books- that explains a lot about my inexplicable book-lust:
Why I need to explore every book shop there is in any place.
Why I need to visit every book sale.
Why I need to own every book that I feel A or I would love to read.
Why I have more books in my house than an average person would need in her/his life, lying around in piles.
Why I need to read and re-read many of my books.
Why I need to shuffle my books around on shelves periodically, taking them off the shelves, sorting through them, opening those that I haven't looked at in a while, losing track of time, and then putting them all back over a period of weeks, by which time it is again time to sort through them!
Why I do not consider the above described work as a chore, but enjoy it thoroughly, spinning it out.
Why I start the work with an intention to clear clutter, (shame on me for considering books clutter, but an excess of even books takes up space.) but end up putting most of the books back, as I cannot bear to give them away. Yeah, Sangi, I need the Serenity Prayer too!
Why reading a well-loved book, caressing the pages and breathing in the fragrance of paper and ink is the ultimate sensual experience.
"This pleasurable, absorbing ritual of rearranging books, even trying to downsize one's library, now seems to be really about getting to know these books all over again. To pick up one from the shelves, remember where and when you bought it, and recall the pleasure that finding the book gave you - this is why a book collector gets all her books off and on the shelves every year."
Pradeep Sebastian speaks of the collecting of books, even of first editions, and brings to our notice the difference between a bibliomaniac (...has a rage for collecting and possessing books) and a bibliophile (a book collector of refined judgement, the quality of whose library reflects his or her exacting bibliographical standards). Where do I stand? Somewhere in between.
We come to know of the different reasons we buy a book - not just for its content. The edition, the cover design, illustrations, paper quality, the font used, the whole look and feel of the book, too matter. Ask me- I often buy whole lots by a favoured author, and favour certain publications which add to the overall experience of reading.
First editions, especially if in a pristine condition with their book jackets, and if they are signed or inscribed by the author, could become valuable additions to one's collection par with rare pieces of art by masters.
We have chapters on rare books, history of books in the world, and in India.
A whole section on notable works by his favourite authors, which include works by Pico Iyer, J.D.Salinger, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ayn Rand and Ira Levin. He discusses both the life and works of these writers, giving us a peek into how their creative energies worked.
A whole section on noteworthy bookshops in India, book museums and a chapter on books in movies. Yes, 'You've got mail' is one of the movies discussed, as are '84 Charing Cross Road', 'The Name of the Rose', 'The Mystic Masseur', 'Fahrenheit 451' and 'The Jane Austen Book Club'. There is also a real story, about how a documentary about an out of print classic, the only book by that author (The Stones of Summer by Dow Mossman) resurrected that book in print.
Some of the chapters on the actual experience of reading gave me an eerie sense of 'he's reading my mind'!.
"The books we read make us part of a larger (invisible) community of readers. Could the opposite be true as well? That our reading makes us lonely. Wrapped up in a book, we shut the world out, cutting ourselves off from those who cannot share in our private world."
Maybe. But then I find that my reading can also open up a world of like-minded friends, where we can share our mutual love of, and impressions of different books, enriching us all. I think the reading-aloud of books shared by A and I is a part of this process, as is this compulsive sharing of a book I loved with all of you in my reviews. I want to convey what I loved about a book, maybe compel you to pick it up!
There is an interesting chapter on re-reading. I'll quote - "What a commited reader has with a book is a relationship. And like most relationships, it is sustaining, volatile, vulnerable...the question is - does the book remain the same book the second time around? Are we even the same readers when we revisit these books?...it seems to me that our experience alters the book even as the book alters our experience."
Very true. A book that I have loved reading could not be read just once. One reads it rapidly at first, then mulls over what one has read for a while- which could be anything from a few hours to a few years. One then HAS to return to the book and read it over and over again, finding things one has not noticed or noted at the first reading, somehow managing to internalise the book, until it becomes a part of one's self.
As J.K.Rowling said while announcing PotterMore: "the experience of reading requires that the imaginations of the author and reader work together to create the story."
There is obviously more to reading than just a pastime, just a gleaning of information or learning of something. It is a whole experience that has to be, well, experienced. Even books that one has loved and lost, or books that one has encountered in a store or library, found interesting, but not gotten around to really reading through, never to find them again, are part of this experience.
Let me end with one more quote from this wonderful book by Pradeep Sebastian. This one for non-readers, too!
"I often envy non-readers for all the wonderful books out there that they have never read. Imagine the number of books that await them and the joy of encountering these great works for the first time. A favourite literary fantasy of mine has been to turn amnesiac for a year and read all my favourite books as though for the first time."
I am entering this review for the 2011 Global Reading Challenge under Asia and in the 2011 South Asian Challenge at S.Krishna's books.
 |
| Pic courtesy flipkart.com |
THE GROANING SHELF
and other instances of book love
Written by Pradeep Sebastian
Published by Hachette India
This is that ultimate fantasy for me- a book about books and about love for books- that explains a lot about my inexplicable book-lust:
Why I need to explore every book shop there is in any place.
Why I need to visit every book sale.
Why I need to own every book that I feel A or I would love to read.
Why I have more books in my house than an average person would need in her/his life, lying around in piles.
Why I need to read and re-read many of my books.
Why I need to shuffle my books around on shelves periodically, taking them off the shelves, sorting through them, opening those that I haven't looked at in a while, losing track of time, and then putting them all back over a period of weeks, by which time it is again time to sort through them!
Why I do not consider the above described work as a chore, but enjoy it thoroughly, spinning it out.
Why I start the work with an intention to clear clutter, (shame on me for considering books clutter, but an excess of even books takes up space.) but end up putting most of the books back, as I cannot bear to give them away. Yeah, Sangi, I need the Serenity Prayer too!
Why reading a well-loved book, caressing the pages and breathing in the fragrance of paper and ink is the ultimate sensual experience.
"This pleasurable, absorbing ritual of rearranging books, even trying to downsize one's library, now seems to be really about getting to know these books all over again. To pick up one from the shelves, remember where and when you bought it, and recall the pleasure that finding the book gave you - this is why a book collector gets all her books off and on the shelves every year."
Pradeep Sebastian speaks of the collecting of books, even of first editions, and brings to our notice the difference between a bibliomaniac (...has a rage for collecting and possessing books) and a bibliophile (a book collector of refined judgement, the quality of whose library reflects his or her exacting bibliographical standards). Where do I stand? Somewhere in between.
We come to know of the different reasons we buy a book - not just for its content. The edition, the cover design, illustrations, paper quality, the font used, the whole look and feel of the book, too matter. Ask me- I often buy whole lots by a favoured author, and favour certain publications which add to the overall experience of reading.
First editions, especially if in a pristine condition with their book jackets, and if they are signed or inscribed by the author, could become valuable additions to one's collection par with rare pieces of art by masters.
We have chapters on rare books, history of books in the world, and in India.
A whole section on notable works by his favourite authors, which include works by Pico Iyer, J.D.Salinger, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ayn Rand and Ira Levin. He discusses both the life and works of these writers, giving us a peek into how their creative energies worked.
A whole section on noteworthy bookshops in India, book museums and a chapter on books in movies. Yes, 'You've got mail' is one of the movies discussed, as are '84 Charing Cross Road', 'The Name of the Rose', 'The Mystic Masseur', 'Fahrenheit 451' and 'The Jane Austen Book Club'. There is also a real story, about how a documentary about an out of print classic, the only book by that author (The Stones of Summer by Dow Mossman) resurrected that book in print.
Some of the chapters on the actual experience of reading gave me an eerie sense of 'he's reading my mind'!.
"The books we read make us part of a larger (invisible) community of readers. Could the opposite be true as well? That our reading makes us lonely. Wrapped up in a book, we shut the world out, cutting ourselves off from those who cannot share in our private world."
Maybe. But then I find that my reading can also open up a world of like-minded friends, where we can share our mutual love of, and impressions of different books, enriching us all. I think the reading-aloud of books shared by A and I is a part of this process, as is this compulsive sharing of a book I loved with all of you in my reviews. I want to convey what I loved about a book, maybe compel you to pick it up!
There is an interesting chapter on re-reading. I'll quote - "What a commited reader has with a book is a relationship. And like most relationships, it is sustaining, volatile, vulnerable...the question is - does the book remain the same book the second time around? Are we even the same readers when we revisit these books?...it seems to me that our experience alters the book even as the book alters our experience."
Very true. A book that I have loved reading could not be read just once. One reads it rapidly at first, then mulls over what one has read for a while- which could be anything from a few hours to a few years. One then HAS to return to the book and read it over and over again, finding things one has not noticed or noted at the first reading, somehow managing to internalise the book, until it becomes a part of one's self.
As J.K.Rowling said while announcing PotterMore: "the experience of reading requires that the imaginations of the author and reader work together to create the story."
There is obviously more to reading than just a pastime, just a gleaning of information or learning of something. It is a whole experience that has to be, well, experienced. Even books that one has loved and lost, or books that one has encountered in a store or library, found interesting, but not gotten around to really reading through, never to find them again, are part of this experience.
Let me end with one more quote from this wonderful book by Pradeep Sebastian. This one for non-readers, too!
"I often envy non-readers for all the wonderful books out there that they have never read. Imagine the number of books that await them and the joy of encountering these great works for the first time. A favourite literary fantasy of mine has been to turn amnesiac for a year and read all my favourite books as though for the first time."
I am entering this review for the 2011 Global Reading Challenge under Asia and in the 2011 South Asian Challenge at S.Krishna's books.
29 November, 2010
POTTER-ing about again! And Bond! And a bookcase too!
Spoiler Alert for those who have not read the Harry Potter series, nor watched the movies!
A and I finished reading "Harry Potter and the oblet of Fire together yesterday. This has been the 4th in a marathon session of reading aloud that I do with her everyday. And we have been having many many discussions about what we read.
A question from her that I could not find an answer to: If the Triwizaed Cup has been converted into a portkey by Barty Crouch, it will take anyone who touches it to Voldemort. Who converted it into a portkey again so that it takes Harry back to Hogwarts? Or does making something into a portkey work two-ways, like a return journey? Why, then, are the things that are used as portkeys to take everyone to the Quidditch World Cup tossed away? Won't they act as portkeys for someone who might touch them by mistake? And if portkeys set up for the world cup were timed, how can the Triwizard Cup not have to be timed?
Good questions, I think. Especially as I cannot answer them myself, even after having read all the books 'n' number of times! Anyone has an answer?
So now we will get our hands on movie no. 4, and watch it. A is quite keen to begin book 5, but I'm not so sure. She got quite distressed during the reading of the chapter "Flesh, Bone and Blood" which is when Voldemort regains his body. Enough for us to temporarily suspend the reading, and continue the next day when she came to me with- "I think I can handle it now, Aai." Let's see. I'll have to talk to her about there being distressing parts before I can continue. Your opinion, too, Chox, without hedging around! Much valued. You know why!
I, personally, am re-reading Deathly Hallows, to prepare for going for the movie running in theatres now. Haven't been able to go for it yet. I must, before the Christmas vacations begin, as there might be a trip out of the city.
One more thing that I'm currently pretty excited about: I may get a chance to meet Ruskin Bond. Yes, you read that right!
On another note, check out this post over at Playing By The Book, for a chance to win a cool book-case for yourself. Shipped anywhere over the world. Quick, today is your last chance to get it!
A and I finished reading "Harry Potter and the oblet of Fire together yesterday. This has been the 4th in a marathon session of reading aloud that I do with her everyday. And we have been having many many discussions about what we read.
A question from her that I could not find an answer to: If the Triwizaed Cup has been converted into a portkey by Barty Crouch, it will take anyone who touches it to Voldemort. Who converted it into a portkey again so that it takes Harry back to Hogwarts? Or does making something into a portkey work two-ways, like a return journey? Why, then, are the things that are used as portkeys to take everyone to the Quidditch World Cup tossed away? Won't they act as portkeys for someone who might touch them by mistake? And if portkeys set up for the world cup were timed, how can the Triwizard Cup not have to be timed?
Good questions, I think. Especially as I cannot answer them myself, even after having read all the books 'n' number of times! Anyone has an answer?
So now we will get our hands on movie no. 4, and watch it. A is quite keen to begin book 5, but I'm not so sure. She got quite distressed during the reading of the chapter "Flesh, Bone and Blood" which is when Voldemort regains his body. Enough for us to temporarily suspend the reading, and continue the next day when she came to me with- "I think I can handle it now, Aai." Let's see. I'll have to talk to her about there being distressing parts before I can continue. Your opinion, too, Chox, without hedging around! Much valued. You know why!
I, personally, am re-reading Deathly Hallows, to prepare for going for the movie running in theatres now. Haven't been able to go for it yet. I must, before the Christmas vacations begin, as there might be a trip out of the city.
One more thing that I'm currently pretty excited about: I may get a chance to meet Ruskin Bond. Yes, you read that right!
On another note, check out this post over at Playing By The Book, for a chance to win a cool book-case for yourself. Shipped anywhere over the world. Quick, today is your last chance to get it!
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