No More Kindle

I’ve had my Kindle since 2011, I think? Maybe 2012. I’ve read fewer than ten books on it since I first received it as a birthday present. But I think I last read a book on it over a year ago. Some might upgrade to a new device, and that’s fine, but I’m not. Why upgrade something I have no desire to use? So I’m not upgrading anything. I’m sending it back to Amazon for their trade-in program in exchange for a gift card. There isn’t anything I need at the moment from the site, so I’ll just let the gift card sit in my account until I feel like using it.

Do you actively use your Kindle?

On Completed Series

Have you ever stopped to think about all the series you’ve read? Especially the ones you’ve finished. Well I just did. And guess how many I came up with? Two.

There’s always a chance I’m missing some, but I think I’m pretty spot on. Merci Rayborn and The Hunger Games. Those are the only book series I’ve read from start to finish. It probably sounds crazy, but it really isn’t.

I’ve written on here before about the length of series you’re willing to read, and I remember several people saying that four or five books is just too many for a series. I thought it was garbage back then and I still think so today.

The majority of the series I read are 10+ books. Spenser. Bosch. Alex Cross. Jesse Stone. Elvis Cole. Alex McKnight. And several I started and never finished. Mystery writers tend to write long series, and I have no issue with that as long as the writing stays top notch.

Do you have any idea how many aeries you’ve completed?

Back at it

I last finished reading a book nearly two months ago. And then I started a book I knew nothing about. Bad choice. The book is now my latest DNF.

So last night I was deciding on what to read next. I have books from the Amazon list. I have books for my reading challenge. And I have books that are right in my wheelhouse of crime fiction. I decided to go with what I know. I started the next book in the Elvis Cole series. And only later did I realize that I’d not read in the series since 2014. That’s outrageous. I love Elvis and Joe, and it took the first five pages for me to realize how much I’ve missed them.

Do you have any books you turn to when you’re in the midst of a reading slump?

Robots Writing Books

Let’s face it, robots and different programs are doing things for humans today. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that robots are now being used to write books.

In Japan a major writing competition accepts submissions written by robots, and one submission advanced past the first round of judging. It didn’t win. Not yet.

I’m not sure why anyone would be surprised by this. Technology is doing far more complex tasks than writing books at this very moment. I think it’ll be interesting to see how these robots fare against humans.

Do you think there will be a time in which the publishing industry is compiled of authors and robots both writing books? I think yes, but maybe not in my lifetime.

Two posts today because I didn’t post yesterday. And watch my video on Amazon’s Bosch!

Unexpected Bestsellers

The term bestseller in this instance doesn’t mean on any bestseller list. It just means a book that sells REALLY well. And I’ve come across one in particular since my switch to a new section of my store. First, my new section is education and parenting. So you’ll have primary education workbooks, textbooks for teachers, all things science, and parenting.

One of the things I’ve noticed in the past is that we ALWAYS have What to Expect When You’re Expecting. People want babies, I guess. But what I didn’t realize is how many people are actually looking for it. There’s a new edition on the way, but I checked Amazon out of curiosity last night and it’s in the top 100 bestselling books on the site! Seriously.

A book that came out in 2008 and isn’t young adult. That was a bit of a surprise to me. It’s the bestselling pregnancy book on the site.

Have you ever come across a book that sold way more copies than you’d have thought?

This Week in Books #7: Bosch

Welcome back to Johnny Reads and This Week in Books. This week I’m talking about Amazon’s Bosch. Bosch is the show adapted from Michael Connelly’s bestselling book series that follows LAPD detective Harry Bosch.

But this is not your typical crime show. Not even close. Bosch is excellent. Now watch so I can tell you exactly why!

Have you watched any of the first two seasons of Bosch? Or are you a reader of the books?

A Revelation

I’m sitting here reading about embarrassing mothers in literature, right? Just a regular article. And then I see something that leaves me like 😲. I’ll share.

There’s this movie. One that I imagine you will know as soon as I write the name of it. Mrs. Doubtfire. You know it. Sally Field. Robin Williams. Lots of laughs. But did you know it’s actually based on a book!? I definitely didn’t. I also didn’t expect it to be young adult. But yes, the movie was adapted from a book published in 1987.

Which leads me to today’s question. There are so many movies adapted from books nowadays that we can’t possibly know all of them. What are some of the movies you’ve enjoyed (or not) that you didn’t initially know were based off of books?

I think this one takes the top spot for me. There are others, but they’re not as well done or respected as this.