Kindlephile

For a super surprise for my most recent birthday, I got a Kindle!  I cannot tell you just how surprised I was!  I had specifically stated, “no gifts,” but the request was (thankfully) ignored.  Even though I had planned to spend the entire day with my family at Dave & Buster’s playing various games like Skeeball and driving a virtual tractor trailer, after getting my gift all I wanted to do was play with it and read.  Yes, I am a true reader and use reading to escape, to learn, to laugh, cry and all other emotions.  Hopefully I pass the love of learning onto my kids just by them seeing how much I enjoy myself.

The Kindle is so thin and easy to carry.  I can easily imagine putting it into my purse to take with me to doctor’s appointments.  Why wait in the doctor’s office with magazines from 2007 when you can get a fresh one delivered to your Kindle in under a minute! It’s on a 3G Network, so there’s no need to search for wifi hotspots.  Books anywhere, anytime!  I bought my first book from bed (my husband and my girls always treat me to breakfast in bed on my birthday — a rare, but highly cherished, treat)!  I did not have to get up and hook the Kindle to any wires or do anything special.  I simply went to the Kindle store on Amazon.com and wirelessly and wordlessly ordered a book.

I learned how to use the Kindle in about five minutes, but my youngest daughter had figured it out within one.  We read

Amazing Kindle

the instruction booklet which is amazingly brief and put the device to work in record time.  Amazon.com is one of the smartest companies in the world — it created an instruction booklet with just the facts you need to get started.  After all, nobody wants to spend hours and hours trying to figure out how to use something (can you say ‘remote control’ without grimacing?).

It is now three days since my birthday and I have completed one book and am working on the second.  Yes, it’s the holidays, but there’s nothing better to help de-stress than to grab your Kindle and dive into the worlds of others.  Plus, the Kindle is actually easier on the eyes than a real book.  I think it’s because the color of the background is more beige/gray than white, and there’s no glare on the screen even in bright light.

I highly recommend the Kindle — yes, I still love the touch and smell of real books, but for the one simple fact that I will no longer ever be without a book before bed makes this a must-have gift for anyone who enjoys reading!

Do you have a Kindle?  Let me know what you think!

We Could All Use a Little “Help”

I must confess and admit that I took the easy way and “read” the book, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett by downloading it from Audible.com and uploading it to my iPod.  I do this kind of thing so that I can take the book with me while I walk or workout.  Yes, it’s not music but it is certainly entertaining, and at times, I have walked really far just to hear what was going to happen next.  So, if I have a really good book to listen to, my workout and cardiovascular health improves!

Even with my back aching and my legs twitching, I kept going with help from  The Help because I was so involved in the story.  And it is quite the story!  I do recommend it.  There were times when I would come in from a walk and then continue to work around the house just so that I didn’t have to turn my iPod off.  Each character is so interesting and complex, but rich and in-depth.  Although the subject matter is serious, the book is written in a way that is both funny, lighthearted, and engaging.  I highly recommend The Help in any form:  written or from Audible.

Start a Cash Machine & Learn How to Market it for Today’s Web-Savvy World

I just found out this a.m. that a newly updated The New Rules of Marketing should be available in January, 2010.  I am so excited because, to be honest, I need some new material to quote.  I am sure there will be lots of wonderful nuggets of information about the new, new, new ways to do marketing and PR in 2010.  This is especially timely news for those of you who are looking to start your own home-based business and need help with the marketing.  David Meerman Scott provides tons of information — in fact, it can be overwhelming unless you break it down into small, doable chunks.

Another author I am really sold on is Loral Langemeier.  She writes the books like The Cash Machine and Put More Cash In Your Pocket. Between David and Loral, you will have a new cash machine and a way to market it in 2010 — experience and great advice from two experts.

P.S.  If anyone is looking for a present to buy for me, the two books I mentioned above, are a really great start

Sidestreet Books Gets New Employee!

Just because it’s a virtual bookstore does not mean we can’t hire new people!  Please welcome Catherine to the Sidestreet team.  She was born (and recently) to help you and your friends locate the ideal book to buy and read.  Also, because “Cathie” just wasn’t cutting it on the sales floor, we got rid of her and replaced her with “Paige,” a well-read, but also fun-loving woman.  Yes, Paige looks an awful lot like Cathie but shhhh….don’t tell her!  She’s also missing her face, but we’re working on that

Check out all the changes at Sidestreet Books because there are a lot!  And more are truly coming soon….

 

So Disappointed!

My family has not heard a word about the dogs we have applied for four days ago.  I do realize that it is the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, but I was hoping to hear something, anything from someone, anyone who could grant my family the wish of a dog.  One gal only needed to reply to an e-mail message!  But, it was not meant to be. I guess that by not hearing anything, I have my answer, but I am deeply disappointed in the level of customer service in this day and age. After all, I am a living, breathing prospect. Shouldn’t the sellers be courting me with, “Gee, I see you applied for Sophie. She’s not available, but we have Frank who has similar qualities. Do you want to come see?  We are open from 10-3 today.”  How hard is that?

Maybe I have spent too many hours reading books about customer service, public relations, and marketing, and I know how these people “should” behave, but see that maybe my values newly acquired from various authors are not shared by the rescue organizations. Sure, they’re great at push advertising (putting dogs and cats on TV morning shows and on Craig’s List), but where are their social marketing skills in this new era of marketing and retaining customers?

New Rules of Marketing & PR

I learned the most relevant and easy-to-apply skills from David Meerman Scott who wrote The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing & Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly.  I have quoted Mr. Scott so often that his ears must be burning nonstop.  He is also one of the most prolific posters on Facebook, and he is a real, down-to-earth, guy.  He lives and breathes what he writes about.  I e-mailed him and he e-mailed me back personally.  I tweeted the fact that I was reading his book, World Wide Rave, and he actually contacted me to find out if I liked the book.  And I don’t mean a day later, or a week later, he responded within hours.  I wasn’t even looking for a response to my tweet, but there it was.  And what reaction does Mr. Scott have on me?  I am a raving fan!

This is how the animal rescue societies should deal with live leads; they might even send fewer dogs to their deaths.  Just something to think about.

Do I prefer Lizzie’s War or Sand in my Bra?

Somebody asked me today what I like to read, and my answer for the most part is, I focus mainly on fiction.  Reading for me is an absolute joy, and if I do not have a book, I either head for the cereal cupboard and read whatever is available there on any kind of box (from Rice Krispies to Raisin Bran), or I head straight to the library.  Books are like a drug to me, and fortunately, this drug is healthy!

I just finished up with Lizzie’s War which is a story about a woman who has 4 children and is pregnant with an “oops” when her husband goes off to the Vietnam war.  He has to go because he chose the military as his career.  Her husband wants to go to Vietnam– being a Marine makes up a huge part of who he is, and fighting is part of Mike O’Reilly’s job.  Although Lizzie supports him and his decisions, she also wishes he would just choose the family first sometimes.  Lizzie’s husband is pretty funny and intelligent in his letters to his wife, so although the book does have some warfare in it, the fighting does not overwhelm the book.  Mike’s a Marine, and the guys he is with are fighters, he is also a soft, sweet man totally in love with his wife and his life back at home.  Lizzie’s War is not a book I would normally have picked up for myself, but my mom sent it to me from her collection, so I gave it a shot.
Right now I am reading Sand in My Bra, a collection of short stories about women being on trips and the funny stories that surround those trips.  It is definitely light reading.  Normally, I gravitate toward stories about the coming-of-age of Southern women.  Not sure why — I am not from the South, but I have always liked these types of stories.

Of the two books, Lizzie’s War, and Sand in my Bra, I don’t really prefer one over the other.  Each served its purpose.  Lizzie’s War was a novel with a beginning, middle and an end.  Sand in my Bra has many short stories, so nothing to get in too deep with.  With a long attention span, Lizzie’s War wins, but with a short attention span, the Sand in my Bra book wins….ummmm….breasts down!

Pick me! Pick me!

The last couple of days has been consumed by locating a dog for the family.  The new pet has to meet certain criteria and it is proving to be harder than we thought to find our perfect pet.  First, it needs to be a very old puppy, or a young adult.  Next, it has to be appropriate for allergy sufferers, and next, it needs to be fully trained.  I am not sure if this dog exists in the real world, but we have managed to find two potential candidates:  Sophie and George.  Personally, I am rooting for Sophie even though she will require a far trip to the north, but the kids are already dreaming of George.  I hope our family is able to adopt one of them, though; I’ll be grateful for either really.

In the meantime, we sit and wait for somebody to get back to us–we’re all kind of like dogs waiting for the “master” to decide what happens next, our tails tentatively wagging each time a car drives by.  It took me a long time to decide to bring a dog into the family, and now that I have made the “yes” decision, I want everyone else to be just as quick in their response!  LOL!  What I do know is that I wanted to wait until an adult (or two) were home more often to play and interact with a dog.  I don’t think it’s fair for dogs to be alone all day.  Right now, we’re all home more than ever, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon, so now is a great time to bring home a new member.  We have time, we have the space, and we have the love.  All the kids will want to help with the dog initially, and then I know it will become my responsibility.  I had to be sure that I could handle walking a dog a couple times per day.  Now that I am healthy, I can.

What I do know is that I will be buying a book about dogs.  Do you have any suggestions?  We are considering a Cockapoo.  I’ll let you know when/if we hear anything.  I am so excited and so is everyone else!  Who needs Black Friday sales when you can feel the same anticipation wondering if you’re going to be getting a new family member or not!  Or, that’s what I have been telling myself as I specifically avoid the sales.

Help Decide Cathie’s Future Face

I am wondering this morning if I should have my website programmer give “Cathie” at Sidestreet Books a new face?  Right now, she has a blank face, and she might actually be scary to small children.  So does the gal at the Sidestreet Cafe, so it would seem that if Cathie gets a new face, then the barissta will also have to get a new face.  What do you think?

A Brand New Day at Sidestreet Books.com

SidestreetBooks.com started a year ago, and not too much has changed since then, but many more changes are currently in progress; I cannot wait to share them! The premise behind SidestreetBooks.com is book lovers can go to the site and have the experience of visiting a favorite Big Box bookstore, complete with the ability to walk around with a hot cup ‘o virtual joe (and the fussier the warm beverage, the better!!), but without having to actually get up, get dressed, get in the car, find a parking space, and go inside the bookstore.  I believe it is a “novel” idea (groan…did I really just say that?)!

The SidestreetBooks.com blog will run the gamut from book reviews to letting you know what is going on at the website.  I’ll also have guest reviewers for some of the best-sellers because frankly, many of the guest reviewers write better than I do!   For today’s post, though, I simply wanted to let you know of its existence.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and if you read any good books while waiting for the turkey to roast and the pies to bake, by all means, SHARE!  I am always looking for something new to read.

Cheers,

Cathie

www.SidestreetBooks.com