Friday Things
1. I mentioned earlier this week that I had a bit of a “finger incident” on Sunday. With one ominous slip of the hand, I managed to send myself to MedExpress and left with five stitches in the middle finger of my left hand. It’s feeling much, much better than it did at the beginning of the week, and I’m anxious to get my stitches out (I have to wait until Wednesday). Thanks to everyone who has left get well wishes!
2. Over the last couple of years, I’ve really fallen away from reading books, which I used to do quite regularly. I’m trying to get back into the groove and just ordered Gone Girl since so many of you have recommended it. What books are on your summer reading list?
3. Speaking of books, I’m giving some thought to trying out an e-reader. I’ve been so hesitant to make this switch, as I really love the whole physical “turning the page” of newspapers and books. Has anyone else in the same boat made the switch? If so, what do you use as your reader? I have an iPad, but have also heard really good things about the Kindle Paperwhite, specifically that it’s really easy on the eyes. Thoughts?
4. If you “like” Brown Eyed Baker on Facebook (thank you!), but are missing updates, follow this super easy and quick tutorial (two clicks!) by I Am Baker to make sure all of the updates show up in your newsfeed and you don’t miss anything: How to See All Updates in Facebook.
5. I have a serious case over-analysis when it comes to making decisions and have lingered over a new hair dryer for months. I’ve gone back and forth between the T3 Featherweight Luxe 2i and the Sedu Revolution 6000i. I ended up going with the Sedu; I just ordered it, so I’ll report back on how I like it after I’ve used it for awhile!
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6. I think we all enjoy spending time in the kitchen and tackling new and interesting projects, but this roundup made me chuckle: 17 Cooking Projects Ain’t Nobody Got Time For.
7. I’ve been doing some Pinterest housekeeping and in the process, I created a few new boards. Be sure to check out the Oreo Desserts, S’mores Galore! and Chocolate + Peanut Butter Forever boards – I think you’re going to like them!
8. After moving, I bought a box of Golden Grahams cereal on a whim. I don’t think I had eaten them since I was a kid, and they totally hit the spot. I can’t quit them!
9. I created a new Home & Garden section here on the site, and plan to update it with tips and projects from around the house. Right now the posts won’t show up on the home page, but will be accessible from the navigation menu at the top of the page. Also, if you subscribe to Brown Eyed Baker, you’ll see those posts in your subscription, whether it’s through RSS or email. Are there any posts you’d like to see in this new section?
10. TGIF! I hope you get to check out something new this weekend!
I love my Paperwhite! It’s small, lightweight and I love the adjustable backlight for nighttime reading! I do have an iPad but prefer the Kindle. The drawback to an-ereader is not being able to lend most books — and I find myself spending WAY more on ebooks than regular books because it’s so easy to buy them from the Kindle. At the end of the day you can still read BOTH :)
I was against e-readers for the longest time but broke down and bought a Kindle touch last year and LOVE it. I also have an iPad but when you are reading on it for a long time it gets heavy. The Kindle is SO light you can easily hold it in one hand for an extended period of time. Also, if you have Amazon Prime you can borrow select books for free once a month.
I have the original Kindle (1st gen~ which still works amazingly) and I recently received a Kindle fire. LOVE them both. I still go back and forth between “real” books and ebooks — for me it depends on if I plan on sharing with friends/ family and price point. I have bought kindles for many of my family members who swore they would never use them and they too have fallen. You won’t be disappointed.
I hope you’re feeling better now! Poor you!
Your finger will be fine in no time, I’m sure. Take care!
xx
I love my kindle, but nothing will replace paper books for me. I’m a take-a-luxurious-bath-with-a-book kind of girl, and I’m afraid I’d drop my kindle in the tub (i’m assuming no amount of rice will fix that). So now I have my bath books and my kindle books (there’s no way I’m buying 2 copies!)
I’m a technology librarian and deal with all sorts of eReaders and tablets. I’d see if your local library offers an eBook lending program, see what file format they offer, and buy based on that.
While Kindle is the biggest name, it’s not necessarily the best. It won’t read ePubs, which is actually the standard format for eBooks. They use their proprietary format which pretty much means you can only get books through them. Most libraries do have Kindle eBooks to lend out if they use OverDrive and it’s pretty simple.
Personally, I use my tablet (Samsung Galaxy 2 7″) for reading and everything (including in the kitchen). If you have an iPad you can use that, but it does get heavy. You’d want a 6-8 in tablet for reading purposes. However, I did get a Sony eReader Wifi that I really liked it eInk eReader-wise. It had Overdrive built right in.
Thanks for the link to the project nobody has time for. That gave me a hell of a good laugh. In terms of an e-reader, I resisted forever and finally broke down a few years ago and got the standard Kindle. They didn’t have the fancier versions back then. I love it.
Hope your finger gets better soon.
I hated Gone Girl. Was sick of see the F word in it. I hate that word as bad as I do the N word.
I have been a Kindle carrying person for years, my current one is over 5 years old and still going strong! I also have an iPad and I read on both – the Kindle is for outside and the iPad for everywhere else. They keep my page synced so I can go back and forth between the two and never get out of place. My hair dryer is the Sedu 6000i and I love it, except the crazy long cord on it! The thing must be 6′!
I’m glad you are on the mend and can get those stitches out soon! My husband just had a surfing accident while we were on vacation and got 12 stitches in his head. NO fun!
So random connection… When I was little, I had a “finger incident” too. I also had to get 5 stitches on my left middle finger. I hope yours heals quickly!!
My mom protested getting an e-reader for SO long but we got her one for Mother’s Day a couple years ago and to this day she stills says how it was the most perfect and best gift she’s been given!! We both have the B&N Nook. I personally love B&N so that’s why we went with that. Also, iPads weren’t out then…. We have 1st generation. I know they have a Nook that is just for reading (similar to the Kindle paperwhite). If you already have an iPad, I agree with other comments to get just a dedicated e-reader.
Go for the kindle. It’s not comparable to the kindle app on the iPad if you want to read without feeling like you’re using a computer. I just have an old keyboard kindle and I love it. It feels like reading a book! I may upgrade to the paper white at some point as I’ve heard good things. I also have an iPad that I love for different things, but for reading the kindle is definitely preferred. I can’t recommend it enough, honestly!
‘mayhem’ that is…
I am reading Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen. It’s a hoot! Murder and mayham in the Florida Keys. He has a very sarcastic writing style that I love…
Gotta check out Gone Girl…may even have it on my shelf patiently waiting to be read :)
I also have an ipad and you can get your kinle on your ipad! For free! Just download the app! I also use book bub for free books! And on your ipad you can also borrow books from your library and that is free! How much better can ya get? Lol
Wishing you a speedy recovery with that finger! I also just ordered Gone Girl – it was my pick for a book club I’m in – I really hope everyone likes it! And you’re more than welcome to join in on our book club get-together in July! (it’s a pretty casual group and we’re not too serious about it, just use it as an excuse to get friends together for food and drinks). ;)
Gone Girl is incredible- you won’t be disappointed!! “Tell The Wolves I’m Home” is a little “heavy” of a read, but it is really good. I just finished “The 5th Wave” and if you’re into dystopian fiction, I highly recommend that as well! “The Night Circus” was probably the best book I have ever read in my life- no joke.
I use Barnes & Noble’s Simple Touch for my eReader. I always go back and forth between an eBook and a real book (ok, sometimes 2 or 3 real books). It’s affordable and gets the job done. None of that backlit nonsense that messes with your eyes and keeps you up late. I think it’s like $79 too. No games, no apps, just books.
looks like someone got their summer haircut! Check out the summer reading list from Coastal Living magazine – I found all of them to sound pretty good! I have a kindle and have read the Hunger Games series on it but I really prefer a physical book. Am reading Inside a Dog and Dan Brown’s Inferno right now – both great.
Hope you are on the mend—so sorry to hear about the kitchen accident! Ouch. Looks like Einstein is liking his new digs :) Have a great weekend, fell better soon!
Good morning! I love reading! Have you checked out the website goodreads.com? The site is a great way to keep track of books you want to read & to see what everyone thinks about them. My book suggestions are My Name is Memory by: Ann Brashares, The Passage by: Justin Cronin & Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. :)
I have the original kindle and I LOVE it! It’s great and while I did enjoy the page turning aspect of ‘real’ books, I don’t want to read paperback books anymore. The good thing about the kindle vs. the ipad is I enjoy laying out in the summer and reading, with the kindle you don’t have to worry about a glare. It’s truly a great investment and there are plenty of offers for free or $0.99 books so you don’t spend nearly as much money on paperback books! Good luck!
Gone Girl was an incredible book – dark, but very intense and full of twists. I just finished Jane Eyre for book club and loved it. Next up is To Kill A Mockingbird. I’m so glad I joined my book club, because I’d gotten away from reading for years! I tried the Kindle, and while it was nice, I like reading a book the old fashioned way, and keeping it on the bookshelf. Happy Friday!
Oh no! I’m glad it wasn’t too serious. Accidents really stink when it requires a visit like that! As for e-readers. I have a nook and an ipad. You can read nook and kindle books on an ipad so if you already have an ipad, I wouldn’t bother getting something different.
I just use the Kindle and the Nook apps for my iPad. I’ve never had any problems with either app, and its nice when I’m on vacation I can just bring my ipad and have my whole book collection. Check your local library too, a lot of them have e-books available to borrow. For the Kindle books, you download it through amazon and at the end of the lending period, you simply cannot access the book anymore unless you borrow it again or purchase it.
Hope your finger is better soon!
I agree with all the comments about the Kindle Paperwhite. I have had all versions of the Kindle and the Paperwhite is the best. It’s small and it’s backlight rocks! The reason I like the Kindle above a Kindle Fire or an iPad is it really is all about reading. I won’t be distracted by a message, email or a ” I will just go check out Facebook”. It’s small and lightweight. I can carry it in my purse when I travel. Get a Kindle and you will never regret the decision.
Since you have the cutest dog, I would recommend The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. It is a beautiful book written from the point of view of a dog named Enzo. It’s a wonderful look into the world of a dog and made me appreciate my dog even more than I already did.
I have an iPad and spent a bit of time reading on that before I dove in and bought myself a Kindle Paperwhite for my birthday last year.
It is AMAZING. Just being able to sit on the beach or outside on my deck and read without glare makes it worth it. I can slip it in my purse and have something to do while waiting for my oil to be changed or doctor’s appointments.
Gone Girl is great. Right now I’m in the Game of Thrones series and can’t escape it, just too addicting. I’ve been using a Kindle for years and I can’t go back to paperback, I just love the idea of having so many books in one device that hardly weighs anything. It’s comfortable in bed too.
I’ve had a Kindle Fire since it came out. I have loved it so much. It has so many cool tools to use while reading. I like that I can pop to the internet or check my email real quick while reading without missing a step. However, I just bought an iPad mini. I put Kindle reader on it and haven’t missed a beat. I like the mini much better – it’s lighter, plus can do more things than the kindle could.
It’s nice to have my “book” with me all the time as it fits nicely and lightly into my purse. I have a keyboard case that looks like the back of the mini so it is totally protected in there. When I have to sit and wait somewhere I can whip it out, then just stop reading and it knows where I left off. I was a die hard book reader – in fact I’ve had a hard time getting rid of my favorite authors books. It’s nice to de-clutter – but I have definitely been hanging on to old books I’ve already read. I wish there was an application that could just flatten them so I can put them away and not take up space!!
I thought I’d never go to an e-reader but with all of us reading and the stacks of books getting higher I finally gave in. A few years ago I bought my husband a Kindle for the train ride. He likes it. With that amazon account I can download to all our phones (droids), my Mac and my son’s I-pad. My husband and I are often reading the same book and asking each other where we are in the story. My daughter (13) gets them on her phone but sometimes will say, “Mom can I get this one in book form?” The hardest part of an e-reader is not being able to easily find a spot that you want to go back to reread, I have old tired eyes and can read on my phone. It’s worth a try.