September 15th, 2008 | 
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I have always loved the writings of Faye Kellerman. Her characters Peter Decker and Rini Lazarus have always been entertaining. Her latest book, Mercedes Coffin, is a great read for her fans and for someone new to her writing as well. I opened the book Saturday morning and couldn’t put it down until a few hours before I had to be at work at 11:00pm. Needless to say I wasn’t fit for much at work that night. But I couldn’t wait until my breaks to sneak in another paragraph or two before trudging back to work. By the time I got back home the next morning I had finished the book and was wondering when the next one was coming out. Of course, I have read almost all of her books with these two characters but I seem to have missed one.
I went to her website to see if there was another book in between that I had missed and low and behold she has done two other books that contain short-stories with these characters. Now I will have to go to the library and see if they are available. That is what I do when I’m broke otherwise I run on down to Books-a-Million to pick up the latest releases. I haven’t been keeping up on Ms Kellerman as the last two books were a collaboration with her husband. I don’t like his stuff as much however so I don’t read them unless I happen to be desperate for something new to read. Don’t get me wrong Jonathan Kellerman has some good characters but his novels tend to get a little graphic or have a tendency to drag a little bit.
Now their son has also published a few books. Jesse Kellerman has published 3 books so far each of them in January. I haven’t had the time to read these either so there is some more new material for me to look for when I get a chance to read another book.
Each of these writers have their own style. It must be nice to have all of that talent in one family. It gives each of them lots to talk about as well as having plenty of common ground. On the other side there are probably problems with “ego” with 3 famous writers in the family. Now from reading the excerpt on the ‘Garden of Eden’ on Ms. Kellerman’s website it notes that one of the stories “Luck of the Draw” is credited to Rachel and Ilana Kellerman. From the information on the web this is Faye and Jonathan’s daughters. WOW, how did they get all of their kids into writing. I’m lucky to get my children to text me let alone actually write a book.
Right now I am trying to homeschool another of my children. The first two did not work out so well but with my youngest daughter (who is 12) I may have a better chance of getting her through school. There is this great free resource for Florida called the Florida Virtual School. They have everything available online and free (well so far) beginning with 6th grade up through 12th. There was a post at the beginning of the semester that they have a sister site or resource available for younger children. They stress short lessons with lots of writing exercises in all of the classes including Math. So, despite everything at least my daughter is learning how to type a paragraph.
Cheers and until next time!
Jolene
Get Your Copy of Mercedes Coffin
Faye Kellerman Talks about her book Mercedes Coffin
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I just got my refurbished Kindle 2 (US Version) and it’s a blast to read books in the digital format. You merely browse, click, and you’re set to read a new book on the way to work. It’s a great way to ‘hide’ books you’re reading too since nobody really knows what’s on your device without taking a peek (or glaring obnoxiously) at your screen. Great for stuff you don’t want others to actually see you reading.
The Kindle 2 has a very simple and pleasing design (some may beg to differ, that’s fine) and is also relatively quick to use. The interface is rather snappy, it’s just the eInk screen that takes some time to catch up since such screens don’t have quick refresh rates like the average computer monitor. Amazon.com also has the largest selection of books available at the best price in the market thus far. Yes, some older titles should definitely be cheaper, at maybe $6.39 like the Hitchhiker’s Guide books, but 9.99 on average is perfectly fine. And with the upcoming Kindle reader for the PC and the existing iPhone Kindle app, there’s still something to read books on should your Kindle break down for whatever reason. Sure Barnes and Noble have one-upped the Kindle in many ways with their Nook reader, but that’s also physically larger, has more expensive eBooks and doesn’t really include international users in on the fun.
To cut my long review short, I think the Kindle 2′s great because it has:
a) The largest selection of popular books
b) Lowest priced eBooks thus far
c) A sleek, simple non-distracting design
d) A huge fan base of supporters that can help you out online
e) Many versions to choose from: Kindle Int, Kindle 2 Refurbished, the DX and the Kindle 1 Refurbished
Improvements I’d like to see from Amazon and the Kindle 3:
i) Lower prices for older books (>2 years old) – $6 to $8 for all older titles would be swell
ii) More durability – The current Kindle 2 is fine, but the next version should be built with a solid screen protector and a more shock resistant chassis so we can treat it more like a regular book.
iii)Native PDF support like the Kindle DX. Sony has an edge on this.
iv) Slightly smaller footprint – The depth is great, but it’s still a tad big.
vi) and lastly…A 7-inch screen with improved contrast (this is targeted at the eInk Corp mainly)
Anyways, kudos to Amazon on starting this eBook phenomenon. Keep up the good relations with publishers and keep improving future versions of the Kindle. For those deciding among the Kindle 2, Nook or Sony PRS-600, I’d say they’re all great buys. The Kindle 2 has the best selection of new books at the lowest prices, Sony readers can read digital library books and the Nook, well, seems to have some nifty features of it’s own too like Wi-Fi and native PDF support. Decide what’s important and take the plunge.
GREAT REVIEW FOR THE KINDLE and thanks for taking the time to write it.