Me and my eBook Reader

Last Wednesday was my birthday -- smack in the middle of the week, not that it makes a whole lot of difference for me! The Man surprised me with a wonderful Ibsen play, Ghosts, then dinner at a nearby Aldwych 1 restaurant. It was a great night.

But the best bit was when we got home and he unveiled... a Sony eReader!

I've read so much about these darn things I could barely believe it was right there, in front of my eyes. The future of publishing. The end of publishing. The killer of books. And there it was, nestled in its purple leather case, staring unblinkingly up at me.

I shivered with trepidation. The I reached out, touched it, and...

I fell in love. The 100 free classic books! The ease of choosing a book I wanted and having it... within seconds! And the best bit of all: the fact that my lovely Kensington and Chelsea has a digital library with a wonderful selection of books to choose from! It's amazingly easy: you put in your library card number, select the book you want to download... and voila. You have a limited time to read the eBook before it reverts back to the library (I think; I haven't fully investigated the 'return' of library ebooks yet).

I'm not saying the eBook Reader will take the place of other books in my life. But it is certainly handy to carry around with you to use when you're in that 'I need something to read, now!' state. A little anecdote: last Monday night I was stuck in a Tube tunnel for about 30 minutes on the 'new and improved' Circle Line. I'd finished reading one book already. In my former world, I would have sat there and been forced to listen to the annoying bloke beside me braying about how he forgot to set two places for invited guests during his wedding reception (yes, really). But with my eBook Reader, I simply opened another book I had downloaded, and let him fade away into oblivion.

If only real life could be so easy...

I Spy

When I took the Tube every day to work, reading material was essential. Every Monday I'd leave the office at lunch and venture up to the Finchley Tesco's to see what my fiver could get me. In most cases, it was a paperback on the bestseller's list, which I'd then devour over the course of my journeys that week. I'd covertly check out what my fellow passengers were reading, too.

Now that I don't take the Tube, I can't tap into into the collective mind of the London underworld. Or, at least, I couldn't -- until now.

CoverSpyLondon has launched a nifty website where you can see what the Tubites are reading without actually having to undergo the pain of travelling by Tube yourself!

Bloody brilliant.

Tube Mystery

One of my favourite blogs for all things Tube-related is Annie Mole's Going Underground. Last week, she featured a fine gentleman spotted on the way to Canary Wharf station by Cdl Creative.

It boggles the mind. But then again, it is the Tube where a parallel universe of propriety exists.

What am I talking about? Click here to find out.

Update: And this creature (of the animal variety, this time) just spotted on the Tube, too!

London Transport v. Sloths

Spotted on the way to Gatwick Airport. Photo courtesy of Annie Mole.

Is Your Week Getting Softer?

Spotted at Warwick Avenue Tube Station, Photo courtesy of Dan Hon.