What I Read on Vacation

I returned home last night from a great week in Mexico with my husband and kids.  I've written before about recommended vacation reading, so I thought this time I'd tell you all about what I read on my vacation!

Yup, that's me reading on the beach!

From the Top 10 Archives - Jen's Top 10 Favorite Books of 2001

Part of an ongoing trip through time looking back at my top 10 book lists, today we'll re-visit my 10 favorite books from 2001.  As a reminder, that means books I read in 2001, not necessarily books published that year.

Here's my list from 2001, in alphabetical order by author's last name:

Physical books vs. electronic books

Back in the day, when it came to what book format you liked, the only real question was whether you preferred paperbacks or hardcovers.  Now, however, there are so many different ways to consume books - there are still physical books, of course, but there are also e-readers, reading e-books on your phone or tablet, and audiobooks, among others.  What's your favorite way to read?

Until early 2012, despite the growing popularity of digital books, I was a staunch defender of the physical book, and swore up and down that I would never convert to an e-reader.  But Dan got tired of me lugging a ton of books every time we went on vacation, and for Hanukkah 2011, he got me a Kindle.  At first I was somewhat reluctant, and figured I would only use it for vacations.  But over time I converted to an enthusiastic fan of the Kindle, even more so when I got my second one, which glows in the dark.

Last year, I'd say I read maybe 10% of the books I read in physical form, a handful of books on my phone, and the rest - the vast majority - on my kindle.  So, clearly, it would seem, I prefer the kindle.  And yet, I just finished reading my second paperback in a row, and I have to say, it reminded me that there's something great about them.  And it's funny, because this tends to be my pattern - I'll read on my kindle for months, but when I pick up a real book, I'll often go on a bit of a roll reading physical books because I remember that I do like them after all!

The last 2 paperbacks I read, and my Kindle

That being said, here are some of my thoughts on different mechanisms for consuming books.  If I had written this a month ago, I definitely would have led with e-readers, but since I was just reminded that I also enjoy reading physical books, I'm going to start there instead.

Contemporary fiction with a sci fi edge

Today's blog was inspired by Sarah, who e-mailed asking for recommendations for books for her husband to read on vacation.  She mentioned that he loved "The Martian" and "The Passage," which anyone who reads this blog knows are two of my most favorite books of the last few years.  It's funny, other than recommending books to my husband and my father, it's pretty much always women who I am giving recommendations to, and I do definitely read a lot of stuff that is probably more appealing to women.  So it definitely was different to focus my mind on books a guy would like!

I gave slightly broader recommendations than those I present here, including some from my dystopian fiction post but the bulk of my recommendations fell into a category inspired by "The Martian" and "The Passage"- contemporary literary fiction, but with a science fiction edge.  These are books that might even be found in the plain old fiction section of your local library or bookstore rather than the science fiction section, books that would appeal not just to avowed readers of science fiction like myself but also to others who might think they don't like science fiction even if they loved "The Martian" too.  So here are 5 books that fit that bill from the last few years.

What Makes a Good Movie Adaptation?

I've already discussed movie adaptations of books coming in 2018, and my views on one specific book-to-movie adaptation (of the book "Wonder" by RJ Palacio).  Today I thought I'd reflect a little more on what chracteristics, in my mind, make for a movie adaptation good or bad.