The History Book Club discussion

How many of us read while waiting in line at Starbucks or when bored in some other line waiting to check out groceries?

I know that I have peeked and tried to read a few pages every chance I get.

So I thought I would open up a thread for those folks who want to talk about those books that you have read in bits and piece on your iPhone or iPad.

How do folks like the awards that pop up in your stats when you have listened to audible books or iTunes books in audible?

I have found them to be addictive.

Have not come across them yet

Finally talk the wife into buying a Ipad 2 and I am loving the Kindle app. A big fan of how it syncs between your Kindle devices. I use it mainly to read in bed when the other half is asleep on the other side.

The Kindle app is great and it is perfect for bed at night; it is backlit; you need no lights on whatsoever.

The only down side is I find I can only read on the Ipad for about an hour before my eyes start to get sore.

Really, do you have a Kindle too; that never bothers my eyes but it is not good in darker locations.

Yes I have a Kindle and I can read that for hours on end. I think it the back-lit screen that causes my eyes issues after a while.

I just my ipad and I'm wondering if anyone has found free books for download? I still love going to the library to get real books, but I just got a new job so I will be traveling a lot for long periods of time so having the digital books will be really helpful.

Hi Lisa there are many books available through Amazon for free that can be read on the Ipad

Here are some freebees with some links to other free resources:

Hello, I recently purchased the 3rd gen. iPad (I have the orig. as well) and I must say the retina screen is fantastic . . . the Fonts are really crisp and clear. I've decided to make it my primary eReading device for all my books and magazines. I have 9 different reading apps . . and they provide me with many opportunities for altering the reading experience.
I also have access to many free eBooks from Gutenburg, B&N, Amazon as well as my local public library. LOVE THIS STUFF !!!

I am with you I love my Ipad but I still lean to the Kindle as my primary reading device.

I have to admit, for night-time reading, I prefer the Ipad than the Kindle.

I tend to use my iPad (2) for everthing away from my desktop, but there are times I miss the Kindle device. I'm thinking about the iPad3 but seeing if I can hold out for the 4 - possibly not. (lol)

And I still enjoy the occasional paper book, too - less and less, though. I do so enjoy the covers of books I'm currently reading sitting around the house, but I have thousands of covers now, do I need more?

I try to alternate my reads between Ebooks and paper books.

I'm still saving up for my Kindle, so I use the kindle app on my iPhone while I wait :) I love it, but the size can be irritating. I'd much prefer a tablet size.

Erica wrote: "I'm still saving up for my Kindle, so I use the kindle app on my iPhone while I wait :) I love it, but the size can be irritating. I'd much prefer a tablet size."
Hi Erica,
I use my iTouch for books also (same size screen as iPhone) but have Zinio on my iPads for all my magazines as the larger screen on my iPad really makes navigation of the whole page possible. Also iBooks is used for magazines in PDF format that I don't get from Zinio. And I purchased the Mophie stand from the the Apple store and installed my new iPad 3rd gen. on it and use it for reading at home . . . my arm doesn't get tired and it can change angles and position so I can use it reading in bed or at the desk. I hardly have taken it off the stand since I started using it . . as it also allows recharging with cables provided . . . and it can be used for original iPad as well. (No affiliation with the product . . just a happy user.)

Interesting tips Tomerobber.

Here is a good free offer on Kindle in the Nonfiction area:

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

by Benjamin Franklin

Synopsis:

"The first book to belong permanently to literature. It created a man."
-- From the Introduction

Few men could compare to Benjamin Franklin. Virtually self-taught, he excelled as an athlete, a man of letters, a printer, a scientist, a wit, an inventor, an editor, and a writer, and he was probably the most successful diplomat in American history. David Hume hailed him as the first great philosopher and great man of letters in the New World.

Written initially to guide his son, Franklin's autobiography is a lively, spellbinding account of his unique and eventful life. Stylistically his best work, it has become a classic in world literature, one to inspire and delight readers everywhere.

Here is the link to the free Kindle offer:

Here is good free offer on the Kindle in the non-fiction area

#Havana62: To the Brink of Nuclear War

by Philip Gibson (no photo)

Synopsis:

What if there had been social media during the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis?

This is not a story told in the usual book format. It is the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis told as if through posts on private social media feeds. The book follows the thoughts and actions of the main participants in the drama based on what those participants actually reported, or could have believably reported in private social media accounts, given who they were, what they knew and where they were at the time.

The year is 1962. The Kennedy brothers are in the White House. Nikita Khrushchev is in the Kremlin and Fidel Castro is in the Presidential Palace in Havana, Cuba. For a time, now widely referred to as "the most dangerous moment in human history", these men hold the future of modern civilization in their hands as the world teeters on the brink of nuclear apocalypse.

Here is the link to the free Kindle offer

Bentley wrote: "Here is a good free offer on Kindle in the Nonfiction area:

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

by [authorimage:Benjamin Franklin|28951..."

Thanks for this one Bentley. I picked it up today.

Glad to help out

Here is a great discounted book on my favorite historical figure

Churchill: A Life

by Martin Gilbert

Synopsis:

Written by master historian and authorized Churchill biographer Martin Gilbert, this masterful single-volume work weaves together the detailed research from the author’s eight-volume biography of the elder statesman, and features new information unavailable at the time of the original work’s publication. Spanning Churchill’s youth, education and early military career, his journalistic work, and the arc of his political leadership, Churchill: A Life details the great man’s indelible contribution to Britain’s foreign policy and internal social reform.

Offering eyewitness accounts and interviews with Churchill’s contemporaries, including friends, family members, and career adversaries, this book provides a revealing picture of the personal life, character, ambitions, and drives of one of the world’s most influential and remarkable leaders.

Here is the link

Here is a good free offer on Learn Out Loud in the Nonfiction area:

The Selected Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Synopsis:

However, this is a volume one of selected essays and not the complete version cited above.

LearnOutLoud.com presents The Selected Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Volume 1. The 5 essays contained on this audio program have been hand selected and represent specifically Emerson's early career as a writer. This material serves as an excellent introduction to anyone new to Emerson's work.

Born in 1803 Emerson is renowned as a seminal American author, poet and philosopher. A lifelong lover of nature, he is one of the founders of the transcendentalist movement. In his time he was quite active as a lecturer and was a contemporary of Frederick Douglass, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau among others.

Included in this audio program are:

* The American Scholar Address
* Circles
* Prudence
* Love
* The Divinity School Address

Narrator: This series is narrated by Jon Reiss. Enjoy!

Here is the link to the free Learn Out Loud audio offer:



Note: Underneath this free offer for the month of March there are some other free offers you may be interested in.