Free E-book - The End of the World by Andrew Bliss

Another free e-book for you, this time a contemporary fantasy called The End of the World. 

"Accustomed to a life of cosseted seclusion at home with his parents, Valentine is suddenly faced with making his own way in the world. His new life is quickly upended, however, when he's mugged at gunpoint. Finding shelter at a mysterious inn run by the dour Mrs. Anna, he soon encounters a Bosnian woman with a hole where her stomach used to be, an American entrepreneur with a scheme to implant televisions into people's foreheads, and a Catholic priest who attempts to lure him down inside a kitchen sink. Then things start getting strange...

In this story based loosely around the state of Bardo from The Tibetan Book of the Dead - an intermediate state where the dead arrive prior to rebirth - dying is the easy part. Getting out of Bardo and returning to the land of the living is a far more perilous proposition, and unless you know what you're doing...you might never leave. 

An odd, yet oddly touching tale of life, death, and the space in-between." From Amazon


Free to download from  Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Great Gift Ideas for Father's Day

Father's Day is nearly upon us, falling on the 19th June, and if your anything like me you will have been blisfully unaware of that fact until you just read it. Luckily my dad is a book fiend like me, so buying that last minute gift is relativlty easy. So if your wondering what to get your long-suffering dad this year, here are my suggestions:

Kindle 3 



I love my Kindle, and if I ever manage to convince my father that e-reading is just as good as reading a good old fashioned dead tree book, it will be top of my gift-buying list. Amazon makes it very easy to purchease the device as a gift, and as an accompanyment, why not buy a gift card so your dad can start reading straight away. In the run up to to father's day, Amazon is offering 20% off the purchase of any official leather cover with all Kindle's brought, click here for details.

Go the F*@k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach


Bring back the memories off all those nights your dad stayed up reading the same old picture book to you with this hilarious satirical masterpiece,  which probably should not be used for lullying the little ones off to sleep with such lines as "How come you can do all this other great s*!t, But you can’t lie the f*@k down and sleep?". It is available in Kindle format from Amazon UK.


Notes from the Hard Shoulder by James May



Notes from the Hard Shoulder is James May's hillarious take on motoring told through a series of humerous acadedotes and articles. A must have for every grumpy old man, top gear fan and petrol-head at home. It is availble in Kindle format from Amazon UK, Waterstones and WH Smith.





Life and Laughing by Michael McIntyre


In my parent's house Michael McIntyre's comedy roadshow is a cornerstone of the weekly TV schedule, so why not let your dad learn more about this fantastic comedian by buying him McIntyre's biography. Available from Amazon UK.

It's Your Time Your Wasting by Frank Chalk



If your dad is a teacher, this is one for him! We all know that most teachers like nothing more than chatting shop, often with the more than occasional moan about the 'yoof' of today. Why not read shop as well? This is a funny account of what life is really like in Britain's schools, and will bring a both a frown and a smile to your educator-dad's face.
Available from Amazon UK.





Lost Voices from the Titanic by Nick Barratt



Next year is the 100-year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and Nick Barratt has produced a definitive account of what happened aboard the great ship. A must for any maritime or history buffs out in dad-land. Available from Amazon UK.

If you think you have found the perfect Father's Day e-book gift, please share your idea with other by leaving a comment.

Review: Amazon Kindle 3 Wi-Fi + 3G

The Kindle is arguably the most popular and well-known e-reader on the market, and it's name has become synonymous with e-books. 

From Amazon

The product arrives in a cardboard container, with a very brief instruction manual, USB  cable and plug. I got the Wi-Fi/3G model which costs £152 direct from Amazon, a cheaper non-3G version is available, and there is talk of a special offers version, which displays ads in exchange for a cheaper ticket price, being released in the UK (it is already out in the US) although no date has been given. The small instruction book provided in the box gives you the essential information about how to turn on and charge the device, and a more comprehensive user manual is available on the device once you power up. 

Whilst intuitive to use, if you're used to a touch screen it takes a little while to train yourself not to touch the screen. There are buttons on the left and right sides of the screen and a keyboard at the bottom. Overall the kindle feels sturdy and light, perfect for travelling, although I have now experienced how fragile they are, and would urge everyone to buy a shock proof case as the case is easily damaged by knocks.

The e-ink screen is very easy to read off of, and does not give you eyestrain, although there is an annoying half second of black every time you turn the page. The text size is customisable by pressing the Aa button, which is handy for .pdf document. The interface is very useable, although a marker to show when you have completed a book would be nice, and if you have a large collection of books it takes a while to browse through them. I have over 1,000 books stored and still have 2GB of space left, so no excuse for running out of reading material and no reason to buy the 3G version if you use Wi-Fi. The Kindle is a little slow when synching, downloading or browsing but it's not a problem once you get used to it. A more major issue is that there is no display of the synopsis of the book on the main page, which, if you are looking for something to read, can be annoying. 

There is no standard e-book format, and therefore when considering which e-reader to buy you need to consider where you will purchase most of your books from. The market is still quite limited in the UK, and this means that buying books through the Amazon site is your best bet for compatibility. The Amazon site does have one of the widest selections of e-books in teh UK, so the ease of compatibility is a big plus for the device. A major downside of using the Amazon site is that you have to enable 1-click buying, which I do not link as it links your credit card to the device. I have concerns about buying too many books, as it you cannot add books to a basket before purchasing, and also worry about what should happen should little hands (or less honest big ones) get hold the device, however Amazon has a good reputation for refunding accidentally brought books if contacted within seven days. 

The Kindle will display .doc, .docx, PDF, HTML, .txt, .rtf, .jpeg, .gif, .png, .bmp, .prc and .mobi files, as long as they are unprotected (non-DRM). This does provide you with some options other than Amazon for acquiring e-books and many sites such as Smashwords, allow you to choose formats or sell books without DRM. 

The format of the Kindle means that the books currently available from e-libraries in the UK will not read on the Kindle, although library lending has been enabled in the US. This for me is a major disadvantage of the device and would make me consider another type of reader in the future. The Amazon lending scheme is also unavailable in the UK, preventing you from lending and borrowing books from other Kindle users. Again, this may change in the future. 

Price wise, many books on Amazon are cheaper than their paper counterparts, with a large proportion of books under £5, although some books, particularly those from the larger publishers, are more expensive than their paperbook equivalents, and as a potential buyer, you need to look into your popular authors/genres and compare prices if this is important for you. Amazon does provide a list of free books and there are many 'give-away' sites where you can obtain a free copy of a book, often in exchange for a review on Amazon. It is important to note that not all books are available in e-book form, and there are geo-restrictions on some books, meaning that you cannot buy the electronic version in the UK. Again this is something you need to consider, particularly if you have a limited number of authors you read. Overall the restriction on formats and the pricing is an issue I don't see improving as Amazon and the publishers have a captive market.

The Wi-Fi is easy to set up and is useful for buying and downloading books, as well as downloading firmware updates. I personally like the 3G, as it there is nothing to pay, and you can use it to access the internet aboard. If your area does not have 3G (coverage can be checked on Amazon's website) you can often still connect using the slower GPRS connection, which still allows you to download a book in under a minute. If you use 3G or Wi-Fi you can sych your books between devices, using the free Kindle reading apps, so for example, you can read a chapter on your Kindle, then carry on reading from that point on your Andorid phone. The web-browser is simplistic and the poor navigation due to the five-way direction controller, is a pain for anything more than checking e-mails and accessing Amazon.

Battery wise, I can get about two and a half weeks with heavy use and Wi-Fi off. This is less than the 30 days Amazon promotes, however it is better than my phone and laptop and is more than enough for my needs. Others have reported longer use, and it heavily depends on usage and the number of new books you add (indexing uses up battery). With Wi-Fi on the battery drains quickly so I'd recommend turning it off when not in use. 

The Kindle can display illustrations and due to its 'newness' can entice children into reading. However due to the monochrome screen and the small display size, I would suggest that the Kindle be saved for children who are beginning to free read, and so are less reliant on pictures/colour. 

Key Points

- Light and easy to hold

- Great display and contrast

- In-expensive

- Large e-book store

- Speech to text function

Overall a fantastic device, with some limitations and is format restricted. Good for mainstream readers and those who do not want a multi-function device.

The Kindle is available from Amazon UK in either the Wi-Fi + 3G version or the Wi-Fi only version.

Review: Duragadget Kindle Cover with Stand

The Duragadget cover and stand is flip-style leather case available in a range of colours from Amazon
 and Play.com. It retails from £10.99 - £15.49 depending on colour.

From Amazon.co.uk

The case feels well made and is only a fraction of the cost of the official case. There is a bit of a smell to it but that dissipated quite quickly and I can no longer smell it. I choose the red option but there are several other colours available, I now regret the colour choice as it clashes with the grey of the Kindle, but of course that is personal taste. The fact the corners are not covered annoys me some what, especially when holding it as the leather rubs against my palm. It fits snugly onto the Kindle, but makes the Kindle heavier and bulkier than before, which would be an issue if you regularly travel with the Kindle. 

The stand, whilst functional, does not feel very stable, and I prefer not to use it, nor do I really see the point. It is difficult to press the buttons whilst the case is in the stand position which is a hindrance when reading. 

The case leaves gaps for all the buttons, ports and the keyboard, allowing full operation whilst in the case but it covers the speakers which I have found interferes with the text-to-speech function, but this isn't a big downside if you don't use the feature. A screen protector would be beneficial. 

Overall more of a fashion item, than a functional one. I do not see the point of the stand and have increasingly found the bulkiness and stitching to be an annoyance so have stopped using the case. If you use the speakers for text-to-speech or audio-books then you may have issues with the case as the cover muffles the sound from the speakers. However, for the price a good alternative to the official case.