Friday, December 21, 2012
Books for the apocalypse
There's been a wave of books that take place in some sort of future dystopia, places and worlds where, after some great cataclysm (known or unknown) humanity has remade itself. Many of these new books are written for young adults, but by no means limited to them.
I could go on, but since we're supposedly facing the end of the world this Friday, here are some highlights from some of the best apocalyptic fiction I've read this year:
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War & The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks - I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of zombies. I avoid books and movies about them, since they tend to emphasize the gore factor a bit too much for my taste. But then I heard that a movie was being made based on the book, and that fans of the book were up in arms about it. I had to read it.
World War Z (the book) is told, true to it's subtitle, as an oral history. Divided into chronological sections, the story is told through interviews with survivors of the war. The people interviewed range from military to doctors to ordinary people, and follow the spread of the plague, the governments' responses (or lack thereof) and how people managed to survive and, ultimately, beat back the zombie hoards. The first-person narration is gripping and brings you to the heart of the crisis. The raw terror, the helplessness and the desperation are tangible, as is the toll both the war and the terrible solution that won it took on what remains of humanity.
Brooks' companion nonfiction book, The Zombie Survival Guide, is referred to a few times as a "civilian survival manual" during World War Z and is written as such. Offering practical advice from where to go to what to bring with you, the guide is written in the same world as World War Z. It also offers more information about the virus that causes people to turn and a retrospective of recorded attacks dating back to 60,000 B.C. to the attacks that set off the global war. I'd recommend reading it after you've finished World War Z, as the history, advice and scenarios will hold more meaning.
Wool: Omnibus & the Shift series by Hugh Howey
The Wool series began as a one-off Kindle single by science fiction writer Howey. But, as the novella became a best seller, fans demanded more. Wool: Omnibus collects the five novellas that have been published so far. Howey has also written two short stories in a planned trilogy (the Shift series) that fill in the history of the world of Wool. Once the third book is published, Howey has promised to continue with Wool 9, and the Shift series should definitely be read after Wool: Omnibus. As a bonus, the Kindle edition of Wool 1 is now free!
Wool takes place in an underground silo where generations of people have lived after an unknown global catastrophe made the surface of the planet uninhabitable and deadly. The story of Wool 1 begins with the sheriff of the silo, Holston. Beyond that, it's difficult to describe further without giving major spoilers. One hint, though: people do leave the silo for "cleaning," however, they do not come back. And often times, they volunteer.
The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster - Written in 1909, this short story is amazingly prescient. Forster imagines a world in which people live in vast underground structures and have lost the ability to live independently. People are dependent on the Machine, which cares for their every need, and the vast majority of life is spent in isolated cells. Exile from the Machine means death and very few question the Machine's existence or actions. The story follows Vashti and her son Kuno, who wants to see the world outside of the Machine. And, as the Machine begins to malfunction, Kuno might get his wish. It's a great story, especially considering it was written 103 years ago, and it's available for as a PDF EPUB or Kindle book. (Hat-tip to Mike for recommending it!)
Good luck and happy reading!
~ Allison, Adult Services
* Although if anyone wants to buy me a spot in one of these, I won't object.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Be Tech Savvy @ Carnegie-Stout
Photo by: Josh Fassbind, flickr.com/photos/ joshfassbind/4683365102 |
Stop by the Recommendations Desk to browse through our collection of books & DVDs that will help you get started with your new device. We also have step-by-step guides to help you use the library's downloadable collection, and of you're new to computers, we also offer computer classes to help get you started.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Library eBooks on your Kindle: A how-to guide
First, visit our Downloadable Collection site and browse for a title. Once you’ve found an eBook you’d like to check out, look under the “Format Information” heading. Add the title to your cart, making sure you select the Kindle Book edition.
When you’re ready to check out, go to “My Cart” and select “Proceed to Checkout.” Sign in with your library card number and your PIN, and then click “Confirm checkout.”
Once you’ve checked out your eBook, you will be taken to the Download screen.
Click on “Get for Kindle”. You’ll be taken to the Amazon.com website, and click on “Get Library Book” (you may need to sign in to your Amazon account).
To manage your public library Kindle eBooks, sign into your Kindle Library on Amazon.com. eBooks that you have borrowed from the library will be marked with “public library” by the title.
When an eBook expires, it will remain on your Kindle until you delete it, but you will be unable to open the eBook. Expired eBooks will be marked with “Loan Ended” on your Home screen.
Happy e-reading!
~ Allison, Adult Services
Thursday, September 22, 2011
OverDrive and Kindle, partners at last!
This means you can check out a copy of Alexandra Fuller's new autobiography Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness or The Warlock, latest in the Nicholas Flamel series!
There's hundreds of other great titles to chose from! Not sure where to start? Check out some of these great titles, or ask the Recommendations Desk for a suggestion. We have new releases, classic titles, romance, mystery, horror, and don't forget our downloadable audio books!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Free Resources for Your E-Reader
Don't forget, Carnegie Stout Public Library is holding a one-session class to introduce students to Overdrive, an online service accessible both in the library and from home. Overdrive allows library patrons to download free audio books, eBooks, and music. Downloaded media may be accessed on a home computer or portable electronic device. For more information or registration check out our website.
Unfortunately, if you have a Kindle, you will be unable to use the library’s collection of eBooks. Amazon has chosen a proprietary form of software and will not allow libraries to check out eBooks that work with their software. You may of course purchase e-books directly from Amazon. However, there are several places to download eBooks for free. Many of these sites have older titles that are copyright free and some are new titles by aspiring authors.
ARTICLES:
Check out these two articles which discuss Google books, currently the largest collection of digital books. There is also a lot of good information regarding the Kindle.
Laura Miller from Salon has an article discussing Google eBooks.
http://www.salon.com/books/laura_miller/2010/12/07/google_ebookstore/index.html
And check out this explanation of Google books by The Tattered Cover bookstore:
WEBSITE LISTS:
We have also put together a list of websites where you may download eBooks for free. Many of these sites can also be used for Nooks, Kobo and Sony Readers, as well as simply reading on your PC. There are several different types of formats available, such as: ePub, PDF, HTML, Mobipocket, and Txt. You will need to check to see if your device can read the particular format.
http://www.suite101.com/content/free-ebook-websites-a318293
This article lists several of the free sites.
http://ebook-store-review.toptenreviews.com/top-7-free-ebook-websites.html
Top Ten Reviews reviews seven free sites.
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/20-best-websites-to-download-free-e-books/
Hongkiat.com has a blog post listing the twenty best websites for free e-books. The blog also added another 16 extra listings. The post was updated about a year ago and a second set of websites can be found here.
INDIVIDUAL WEBSITES:
Here is a partial list of the sites where you can download free e-books, with an informational quote from each website.
http://www.gutenberg.org/
“Project Gutenberg is the place where you can download over 33,000 free eBooks to read on your PC, iPad, Kindle, Sony Reader, iPhone, Android or other portable device. “
http://www.free-e-books.net/
“Free-e-books.net is the Internet’s #1 online source for free eBook downloads, eBook resources and eBook authors.”
http://www.getfreee-books.com/
“Getfreee-books.com is a free e-books site where you can download free books totally free.”
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Free-e-books/379001668/
Claims to have thousands of free eBooks, but only about 100 or so are listed. Can be used on iPad, iPhone, Android, NOOK, and PC.
http://manybooks.net/
“There are more than 29,000 eBooks available here and they're all free!”
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/
“Listing over 900,000 free books on the Web”
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-e-books/b/ref=sv_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&node=1286228011
Look on the left under Special Features/Free E-Book collections. “Free classics and out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books, as well as limited-time free promotional e-books available for Kindle.”
http://www.smashwords.com/
“Discover Great E-books from Indie authors and publishers.”
http://www.kobobooks.com/
299 titles in multiple formats.
http://www.archive.org/details/texts
“The Internet Archive Text Archive contains a wide range of fiction, popular books, children's books, historical texts and academic books.”
http://books.google.com/e-books
“Read nearly 3 million free eBooks and hundreds of thousands of titles that are ready for purchase; you can read all of your favorite books using just about any device with an Internet connection. You can read Google eBooks on the Web, with Android phones, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and supported eReaders.. You can't use your Kindle to read any eBooks you buy from Google.”