Just for the record

Needless to say, this review is incredibly late. It's just that I wrote, way back when, a long rave about the Kindle 1, then a year or two later wrote a long rave about the Kindle 2. So, when I (predictably) bought a Kindle 3, I was bored with the whole long rave review thing, and just sat back and started enjoying my latest Kindle. And that was almost seven months ago.

But I'm thinking I should really put something on the record, especially considering that the Kindle 4 is probably not all that far off! So, how about this: With no notable improvements needed over the previous model, the Kindle 3 wisely concentrates on making minor tweaks to improve the Kindle experience. Most notably, I'm enjoying the thinner, smaller size of the device, which reduces the dimensions in all areas except screen size. So we now have a smaller, lighter, easier-to-carry Kindle, with no sacrifice at all in the area we care most about: the reading surface.

Second, the screen contrast on that reading surface, which was always perfectly fine, is now even better. Words are now notably crisper and darker, and the background behind the words is notably lighter. The Kindle reading experience is now easier and more comfortable than ever.

Finally, with the Kindle 3, I loved that I was given the ability to choose between the usual white Kindle and the new graphite-colored model. I chose the latter. There's just something about the dark grey, textured case that's really classy. Now more than ever, my Kindle looks really great sitting on a bar next to my glass of Chardonnay (as readers of the web version of Kindle Taproom can tell by the photo I positioned at the top of my blog). Of course, you may prefer the white model, but isn't it great having a choice?

Anyway, as I said before, I'm not going to go on and on this time, just briefly noting for the record that my newest Kindle (3G and Wi-Fi equipped, by the way), improves on the already excellent previous models. So, if you're thinking of taking the plunge and either buying your first Kindle or upgrading from an older model, I say go for it.

Don't touch that car!

Kindle Singles are short pieces of writing, including many fiction and non-fiction offerings, that are available for a song on your Kindle. I recently picked up Stephen King's new short story, Mile 81, in this new, popular format. What did I think of it? Glad you asked.

For a longish short story, Mile 81 manages to cram in some decent characterizations (even among the several victims who are only briefly seen) and many scares. The scares, not so incidentally, are generated by a pretty well-crafted piece of imagination: essentially a monster from space who (at least currently) is shaped like a mud-spattered station wagon that's sitting alongside an abandoned rest stop like a Venus Fly Trap, just waiting for curiosity seekers to check it out.

The story reminded me of those small gems that the author would routinely include in his periodic telephone book-sized anthologies of decades past: an efficient little story that gets the job done quickly but not by cheaping out on the richness or drama or that all-important creepiness. In this case, you'll never look at a moldy old station wagon again.

A cool bonus (and possibly the main reason this Kindle Single exists in the first place) is also included with one's purchase: a meaty little promotional excerpt from 11/22/63, Mr. King's novel about the JFK assassination and the time traveler who tries to prevent it. As rich and imaginative as Mr. King's short stories can be, it's his long, ambitious novels where those qualities will most often really shine. And from this excerpt, 11/22/63 doesn't look to be an exception to the rule.

So, if you're at all a fan of Stephen King, you can do worse than spend a few bucks for an early look at both a polished little short story (that will undoubtedly be a highlight of a future King anthology) and a late-career novel that just might be- judging by the subtle, intriguing, and nuanced excerpt seen here- right up there with The Stand in its creativity and memorability. Heck, I'll be more than satisfied if 11/22/63 is as least as good as Mr. King's decent, perfectly satisfying Under the Dome of a couple of years past.

Anyway, Mile 81 is fun, cheap, includes a meaty glimpse of a possibly great novel, and is only a click away on your Kindle. What's stopping you?

Mile 81 is available on your Kindle for $2.99.

Light pun-ishment

Have the Monday blues? Here are a few silly yet somewhat amusing puns, courtesy of the "Pun of the Day" web site.

I tried to record an album in a reptile shop, but there was a terrible gecko.

I finally found a spotter at the gym. It's like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

He kept an alarm clock in the back window of his car. He was always ahead of his time.

Dissatisfied with the lack of thoroughness in the demolition of the old tavern, he got into the bulldozer himself and razed the bar to a new level.

An elevator makes ghosts happy because it lifts the spirits.

You can see more puns at www.punoftheday.com. Most of the puns are submitted by readers. I must say, you readers are a clever bunch.

Summer days

Well, summer is just about over, but we managed to get away a fair amount of times, both to the New Jersey seashore and Pennsylvania's Pocono mountains. Actually we visited a number of nice spots in each of these destinations. Here are a couple of photos recently taken in Ocean City, New Jersey, a favorite place of ours for a quick day trip or a last-minute overnighter.

The first photograph shows Ocean City's famed boardwalk on the morning of Wednesday, August 31. Bikeriders are allowed on the boardwalk until about noon or so. That morning, we had a nice breakfast on the boards and shopped for a bit.



The second shot, also taken on August 31, shows a salt water taffy machine in one of the fudge and salt water taffy stores on the boardwalk, viewed through a window in the back of the store that separates the retail floor from the employees-only production area. The machine dates back many decades and is regularly maintained to assure its continued operation.



We may get one or two more shore trips under our belt before the weather gets cold. In fact, we may even get back there once or twice in the winter, because the off-season deals are so good. We'll just have to concentrate more on the nice hotel rooms and the handful of restaurants that will still be open, and not so much on the freezing boardwalk with its mostly-closed stores. Still, a brisk winter walk on the boardwalk is never completely out of the question!

Small grins

Here are a few amusing bumper stickers I've recently seen in my travels...

I have the body of a God. Trouble is, his name is Buddha.

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

I just filled my car up with gas. Now it's worth $50.00.

More to come!

Danger, death, and Dewar's

Jeff Abbott's Adrenaline is a bang-up thriller centering around up-and-coming CIA agent Sam Capra, who goes undercover with various unsavory criminal types in an effort to find his kidnapped and very pregnant wife, Lucy. Complicating Sam's unsanctioned operation is the fact that Sam's office was bombed on the same day as Lucy's kidnapping, and Sam is soon blamed for the many deaths the bombing caused.

Taking on murderous thugs on the one hand and evading his former colleagues on the other, Sam has his work cut out for him. A military espionage operation, complex yet always fascinating, soon comes into play, but Mr. Abbott wisely never drifts far from the emotional core of the story: Sam's unbridled drive to find his wife and unborn child.

Fast-paced yet never letting its slickness overcome its smarts, Adrenaline is a terrific read, and apparently the start of an intriguing new series. Oh, and without telling you too much, aside from the book's other attributes, Adrenaline sets up a unique family dynamic that I suspect will be quite a challenge for Sam to navigate in future adventures.

The book also has one final heartwarming attribute that made it a winner for me: an unending affection for bars, whether they be stylish piano bars, neighborhood watering holes, or cozy European bars located in historic buildings. Despite Sam's many intense trials and tribulations, at least he gets to enjoy several quality drinks in several nice places during the course of the story, even accepting a bartender job at one point during his rogue operation!

Adrenaline is available on Kindle for $12.99, with Amazon also offering an "enhanced" version of the book for viewing on tablet computers and other mobile devices, for the same price. I didn't read the enhanced version, so I'm not sure what the enhancements entail. Instructional mixology videos, maybe?

A thoughtful story

The state of celibacy, often viewed as a special gift that can bring about a calm, meditative lifestyle, can be a conscious choice one makes, or a condition gently suggested by circumstances. Let us take a moment to look at one particular case...

While attending a church-sponsored Marriage Encounter Weekend, Frank and his wife Anne listened to their session's moderator declare, "It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to one another."

The moderator paused, then addressed the men in the audience. "For example, gentlemen," he said, "Can you name your wife's favorite flower?"

Frank, pleased that he knew the answer, leaned over, gently touched Anne's arm, and said, "Gold Medal All-Purpose, isn't it?"

And thus began Frank's life of celibacy.