Thesaurus Bookshop
WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT A KINDLE? NOTHING!
I just don't get it. A Kindle is an ebook reading device from Amazon. Thats all it is. It is not the most beautiful thing in the world that some people seem to think it is.
There are many other reading devices out there that are a good as or if not better than a Kindle.
People bang on about how good Kindle's are without really exploring other options.
With most other ebook reading devices you can get books from any eBook source as well as Amazon.
Even an ipad is better that a Kindle. With an ipad you can buy books from iBooks but you can also purchase eBooks from any other eBook website.
With a Kindle you have to purchase all your eBooks from Amazon. In general they are not the cheapest source of eBooks on the market.
You are cutting out all the other suppliers of eBooks including our eBook site Thesaurus's eBook Store .
Locally produced eBook sites have a huge range of Australian content. Amazon has very little Australian content. They just don't care.Also most Australian eBook sites are very price competitive. You are also supporting your local shop. I say this not because I think you should out of some kind hearted desire to support us but because it does not make sense not to when our prices are competitive.You may be paying the GST but that is also money that stays in the Australian economy.
I was talking to a guy today who was going on an overnight bike ride and was going to take his kindle because it was so convenient. Hello! How many books was he going to read overnight? He will probably read a few pages of one book. I put it to him that perhaps one paperback may be just as convenient probably more so. It is lighter, it bends and will not break, it works when its wet or dirty. As I said I just don't get it.
So lets put things into perspective and don't get caught up in all the eBook spin that we are being fed.
Myth 1: Kindle books are generally no cheaper than most Australian eBook web sites including our own.
Myth 2: On an eBook you can take hundreds of books away with you on holiday. True, but how many books does the average person read on holiday. One maybe two. Why not take a couple of paper books. They are light, you can bend them, they will not break or scratch, it doesn't matter if you lose it or leave it behind.
Myth 3: Kindle books are easy to download. Well, so is every other ebook.
If you want to try an eBook use your iPad or Android tablet. With those devices you can do lots of other social networking things. Don't buy a Kindle!
At Thesaurus We Love People Who Love Books!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Thesaurus Books eBook store
Dear Thesaurus Bookshop
Customer,
There has been much talk over
the past couple of years about the eBook vs pBook. Is the eBook going to take
over? Are bookshops going to disappear?
Our answer is NO and NO.
Why?
There are many people who
enjoy reading from their eReader and just as many people who love to read a
print book. And many more people who enjoy both. It doesn’t seem to be an “age
thing”. In fact, I think there are more older users of eReaders than younger
people. From the 30 somethings I speak to, they are tired of reading from a
screen by the time they finish work. It’s a print book for
them.
There are pros and cons for
each format. We have all heard the arguments and you don’t need to hear them
again. The bottom line is that an ebook is just another format. As I read the
other day…”Escalators didn’t make stairs
obsolete!”
There are many books just not
suited to an ebook format and some just as good in both
formats.
If you want to try an eBook I
would suggest not buying a Kindle. The reason I say this is that you can only
buy from Amazon with a Kindle, and they have very few Australian books
available. With almost any other device, tablet, or eReader you can buy your
ebooks from any source including Amazon.
At Thesaurus we have gone into
partnership with “Readcloud”. “Readcloud” is an independent Australian software
company that provides an ebook solution to Australian Independent Bookshops.
This allows you to support your local bookshop even if you read your books on an
eReader.
Thesaurus Bookshop is committed to offering its customers any book
they want, in any format they want. Our eBookstore offers over 100,000 eBooks
from a range of global and Australian publishers including Random House,
Hachette, HarperCollins, Penguin, Allen & Unwin, John Wiley & Sons, Text
Publishing, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Scribe Publications, Walker Books, Murdoch
Books, Hardie Grant, Health Press, UQP, SPUNC and Black Inc. with many more
publishers coming on board.
Ctrl
and Click on the website and check out the various categories.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Are Classics worth stocking in a Bookshop
Are Classics worth stocking in a Bookshop
Last year we saw an interesting phenomenon. Publishers, in particular Random House and Penguin Books reduced the price of their range of classics. I mention those two publishers in particular because both have been proactive in the presentation and image of their range. Random went first, reducing their handsome range of classics to $12.95 followed by the elegant range of Penguin Black Classics to $9.95. (I am not including the ever popular range of Popular Penguin in my thinking).
Why have publishers gone down this path? It is not as if the publishers have reduced the price of these classics by a couple of dollars as many of the black classics were around $19.95. These books are now incredibly priced and are very affordable
I believe publishers have reduced the price of their classics to such reasonable prices is to ensure the continuance of sales of classics in paper format and do not completely disappear because many of these books are free as ebooks. When you purchase a ebook you get hundreds of classics free. That’s great but they are no fun to read as an ebook and with many classics you need to go back and forth often to reacquaint yourself with characters and themes. This task is impossible or difficult with an ebook. There is nothing easier than flipping pages of a paper book.
Publishers have been incredibly successful in their quest to stop the slide of Classics’ sales. Sales of classics in our shop have doubled over the year. So the slide has not simply been halted but reversed.
Now given that as yet ebook sales are a very small part of the Australian publishing landscape publishers in reducing the price of classics have created a new generation of classics readers. This is a huge added bonus as those readers have found a new joy in reading paper books and will purchase other paper books. Which by the way are coming down in price as well.
I found the Blog copied below in the “Pick The Brain” Blog. It extols the value of reading classics.
So I congratulate publishers on being proactive with the pricing of classics and urge them to continue to work with booksellers. I believe that a strong network on paper booksellers that the industry will remain vibrant and not wither under the weight of Amazon, Google and Apple.
I urge you to read the blog below.
10 Ways to Improve Your Mind by Reading the Classics
Written by Editor in Chief, Pick The Brain
The other day I came across some disturbing statistics on reading. According to a Jenkins Group survey, 42% of college graduates will never read another book. Since most people read bestsellers printed in the past 10 years, it follows that virtually no one is reading the classics. Although it’s unfortunate that the intellectual heritage of humanity is being forgotten we can use this to our benefit. By reading the classics to improve your mind you can give yourself an advantage. These examples illustrate 10 ways reading the classics will help you succeed.
1. Bigger Vocabulary
When reading the classics you’ll come across many words that are no longer commonly used. Why learn words most people don’t use? To set yourself apart. Having a bigger vocabulary is like having a tool box with more tools. A larger arsenal of words enables you to express yourself more eloquently. You’ll be able to communicate with precision and create a perception of higher intelligence that will give you an advantage in work and social situations.
2. Improved Writing Ability
Reading the classics is the easiest way to improve your writing. While reading you unconsciously absorb the grammar and style of the author. Why not learn from the best? Great authors have a tendency to take over your mind. After reading, I’ve observed that my thoughts begin to mirror the writer’s style. This influence carries over to writing, helping form clear, rhythmic sentences.
3. Improved Speaking Ability
Becoming a better speaker accompanies becoming a better writer because both are caused by becoming a better thinker. Studying works of genius will teach you to express yourself with clarity and style. By improving your command of the English language, you’ll become more persuasive, sound more intelligent, and enjoy an advantage over less articulate people.
4. Fresh Ideas
Isn’t it ironic that the best source for new ideas are writers who’ve been dead for centuries? I’ve derived some of my best ideas directly from the classics. It makes sense when you consider the competition. Everyone you know is reading the same popular blogs and bestselling books. Observing the same ideas as everyone else leads to generic and repetitive thinking. No wonder it’s difficult to sound original! By looking to the classics for inspiration you can enhance your creativity and find fresh subject matter.
5. Historical Perspective
I could argue this point myself, but why bother if Einstein has already done it?
Somebody who reads only newspapers and at best the books of contemporary authors looks to me like an extremely nearsighted person who scorns eyeglasses. He is completely dependent on the prejudices and fashions of his times, since he never gets to see or hear anything else. And what a person thinks on his own without being stimulated by the thoughts and experiences of other people is even in the best case rather paltry and monotonous.
There are only a few enlightened people with a lucid mind and style and with good taste within a century. What has been preserved of their work belongs among the most precious possessions of mankind.
Nothing is more needed than to overcome the modernist’s snobbishness.
6. Educational Entertainment
Reading great books is fun. The key is getting past the initial vocabulary barrier. It’s actually less difficult than you think. Even challenging authors use a limited vocabulary. After the initial learning curve, you’ll find the classics as readable as modern books and infinitely more stimulating. Classics have endured because of entertainment value. There’s a reason filmmakers keep remaking old books — they have the best content.
7. Sophistication
If you’d like to excel in conversation, knowledge of the classics is essential. These are books that keep coming up. They’re a part of human history that isn’t going to disappear in 10 years like 99% of books on the bestsellers list. By reading the classics you gain a deeper appreciation of ideas generally taken for granted. Plus quoting Aristotle or Voltaire is a great way to win an argument.
8. More Efficient Reading
I just finished reading The Road by Cormac MacCarthy. It’s so good that it won the Pulitzer Prize. Afterwards I read the first few chapters of Lolita . I was shocked by Lolita’s superiority. Truly great books don’t come around every year. If you only read contemporary literature, you’re drawing from a diluted pool. Why not make the most of your reading time by finding the best of the best?
9. Develop a Distinct Voice
If you’re a writer/blogger, ignoring the classics is a mistake. This has nothing to do with subject matter. Regardless of what you write about, you need to be persuasive and develop a distinct voice. The best way to learn is from the masters. I’ve seen several articles recommend examples of good writing — they’ve all been other blogs. I have a feeling most people reading this article already read enough blogs. Spending some time with the classics will give you an edge.
10. Learn Timeless Ideas
We like to believe, in our modern arrogance, that technology has changed everything. In truth, it feels the same to be alive today as it did a thousand years ago. The lessons of the classics carry as much weight as ever. They contain information that is directly applicable to your life. Don’t believe me? Try reading Ben Franklin’s Autobiography without learning something. Reading the classics develops an understanding of the human condition and a deeper appreciation of modern problems.
In closing, I’d like to briefly anticipate criticism. This is not an attack on everything modern. To read nothing but the classics would be as foolish as completely ignoring them. The aim is to combine the wisdom of the past with the innovation of the future. The two are inextricably linked — the best books are yet to be written.
Also, this is not an appeal to snobbery. Quite the opposite. Reading the classics is a cheap hobby. Used copies can be borrowed from the library or purchased for 1/20 the cost of trendy books that are the talk of high society. Please stop associating the classics with your English Lit. Professor.
Last year we saw an interesting phenomenon. Publishers, in particular Random House and Penguin Books reduced the price of their range of classics. I mention those two publishers in particular because both have been proactive in the presentation and image of their range. Random went first, reducing their handsome range of classics to $12.95 followed by the elegant range of Penguin Black Classics to $9.95. (I am not including the ever popular range of Popular Penguin in my thinking).
Why have publishers gone down this path? It is not as if the publishers have reduced the price of these classics by a couple of dollars as many of the black classics were around $19.95. These books are now incredibly priced and are very affordable
I believe publishers have reduced the price of their classics to such reasonable prices is to ensure the continuance of sales of classics in paper format and do not completely disappear because many of these books are free as ebooks. When you purchase a ebook you get hundreds of classics free. That’s great but they are no fun to read as an ebook and with many classics you need to go back and forth often to reacquaint yourself with characters and themes. This task is impossible or difficult with an ebook. There is nothing easier than flipping pages of a paper book.
Publishers have been incredibly successful in their quest to stop the slide of Classics’ sales. Sales of classics in our shop have doubled over the year. So the slide has not simply been halted but reversed.
Now given that as yet ebook sales are a very small part of the Australian publishing landscape publishers in reducing the price of classics have created a new generation of classics readers. This is a huge added bonus as those readers have found a new joy in reading paper books and will purchase other paper books. Which by the way are coming down in price as well.
I found the Blog copied below in the “Pick The Brain” Blog. It extols the value of reading classics.
So I congratulate publishers on being proactive with the pricing of classics and urge them to continue to work with booksellers. I believe that a strong network on paper booksellers that the industry will remain vibrant and not wither under the weight of Amazon, Google and Apple.
I urge you to read the blog below.
10 Ways to Improve Your Mind by Reading the Classics
Written by Editor in Chief, Pick The Brain
The other day I came across some disturbing statistics on reading. According to a Jenkins Group survey, 42% of college graduates will never read another book. Since most people read bestsellers printed in the past 10 years, it follows that virtually no one is reading the classics. Although it’s unfortunate that the intellectual heritage of humanity is being forgotten we can use this to our benefit. By reading the classics to improve your mind you can give yourself an advantage. These examples illustrate 10 ways reading the classics will help you succeed.
1. Bigger Vocabulary
When reading the classics you’ll come across many words that are no longer commonly used. Why learn words most people don’t use? To set yourself apart. Having a bigger vocabulary is like having a tool box with more tools. A larger arsenal of words enables you to express yourself more eloquently. You’ll be able to communicate with precision and create a perception of higher intelligence that will give you an advantage in work and social situations.
2. Improved Writing Ability
Reading the classics is the easiest way to improve your writing. While reading you unconsciously absorb the grammar and style of the author. Why not learn from the best? Great authors have a tendency to take over your mind. After reading, I’ve observed that my thoughts begin to mirror the writer’s style. This influence carries over to writing, helping form clear, rhythmic sentences.
3. Improved Speaking Ability
Becoming a better speaker accompanies becoming a better writer because both are caused by becoming a better thinker. Studying works of genius will teach you to express yourself with clarity and style. By improving your command of the English language, you’ll become more persuasive, sound more intelligent, and enjoy an advantage over less articulate people.
4. Fresh Ideas
Isn’t it ironic that the best source for new ideas are writers who’ve been dead for centuries? I’ve derived some of my best ideas directly from the classics. It makes sense when you consider the competition. Everyone you know is reading the same popular blogs and bestselling books. Observing the same ideas as everyone else leads to generic and repetitive thinking. No wonder it’s difficult to sound original! By looking to the classics for inspiration you can enhance your creativity and find fresh subject matter.
5. Historical Perspective
I could argue this point myself, but why bother if Einstein has already done it?
Somebody who reads only newspapers and at best the books of contemporary authors looks to me like an extremely nearsighted person who scorns eyeglasses. He is completely dependent on the prejudices and fashions of his times, since he never gets to see or hear anything else. And what a person thinks on his own without being stimulated by the thoughts and experiences of other people is even in the best case rather paltry and monotonous.
There are only a few enlightened people with a lucid mind and style and with good taste within a century. What has been preserved of their work belongs among the most precious possessions of mankind.
Nothing is more needed than to overcome the modernist’s snobbishness.
6. Educational Entertainment
Reading great books is fun. The key is getting past the initial vocabulary barrier. It’s actually less difficult than you think. Even challenging authors use a limited vocabulary. After the initial learning curve, you’ll find the classics as readable as modern books and infinitely more stimulating. Classics have endured because of entertainment value. There’s a reason filmmakers keep remaking old books — they have the best content.
7. Sophistication
If you’d like to excel in conversation, knowledge of the classics is essential. These are books that keep coming up. They’re a part of human history that isn’t going to disappear in 10 years like 99% of books on the bestsellers list. By reading the classics you gain a deeper appreciation of ideas generally taken for granted. Plus quoting Aristotle or Voltaire is a great way to win an argument.
8. More Efficient Reading
I just finished reading The Road by Cormac MacCarthy. It’s so good that it won the Pulitzer Prize. Afterwards I read the first few chapters of Lolita . I was shocked by Lolita’s superiority. Truly great books don’t come around every year. If you only read contemporary literature, you’re drawing from a diluted pool. Why not make the most of your reading time by finding the best of the best?
9. Develop a Distinct Voice
If you’re a writer/blogger, ignoring the classics is a mistake. This has nothing to do with subject matter. Regardless of what you write about, you need to be persuasive and develop a distinct voice. The best way to learn is from the masters. I’ve seen several articles recommend examples of good writing — they’ve all been other blogs. I have a feeling most people reading this article already read enough blogs. Spending some time with the classics will give you an edge.
10. Learn Timeless Ideas
We like to believe, in our modern arrogance, that technology has changed everything. In truth, it feels the same to be alive today as it did a thousand years ago. The lessons of the classics carry as much weight as ever. They contain information that is directly applicable to your life. Don’t believe me? Try reading Ben Franklin’s Autobiography without learning something. Reading the classics develops an understanding of the human condition and a deeper appreciation of modern problems.
In closing, I’d like to briefly anticipate criticism. This is not an attack on everything modern. To read nothing but the classics would be as foolish as completely ignoring them. The aim is to combine the wisdom of the past with the innovation of the future. The two are inextricably linked — the best books are yet to be written.
Also, this is not an appeal to snobbery. Quite the opposite. Reading the classics is a cheap hobby. Used copies can be borrowed from the library or purchased for 1/20 the cost of trendy books that are the talk of high society. Please stop associating the classics with your English Lit. Professor.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
It's Summer!
Season's Greetings and Happy New Year from Thesaurus.
May your Test Captain always reliably score double tons and may your summers be full of contented reading beside the ABC commentary.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Thesaurus Top 10 for the Week! (with micro reviews)
There is something for everyone
1. Cabin Fever: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney, (Penguin)
The latest in runnaway best-selling kids series.
2. Death Comes to Pemberley, P.D.James (Allen & Unwin)
Love your crime with a Regency twist?
3. The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes (Random House)
A Booker Prize Winner - and for this year too! (2011)
4. Inheritance: Inheritance Cycle, Christoher Paolini, (Random House)
A fantastical conclusion to Saphira and Eragon's epic adventures.
5. IQ84: Book 1, 2 and 3, Haruki Murakami & Jay Rubin (Random House)
An mpressively sized and impressively delivered reimagining of 1984.
6. Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography, Walter Isaacson (Hachette)
A topical and moving portrait of the creator of Apple.
7. All That I Am, Anna Funder (Penguin)
A novel of memory and surving living with the past.
8. The Street Sweeper, Elliot Perlman (Random House)
Page turning and well written = a winning combination.
9. After Words, Paul Keating (Allen & Unwin)
A deliciously delightfully decadent decoding of our culture.
10. Mawson and the Ice Men of the Heroic Age - Scott, Shackleton and Amund, Peter Fitzsimons, (Random House)
Another assured biography from the ever reliable Fitzsimons.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
The internet has not impacted on my reading habits in the slightest.
A very subjective response to the above topic...
And you read. And read. Everything. After Going Postal and the witches there are the guards, who turn out to be favourites and then Death stories interspersed with the gods and also the wizards. Lastly you read of Rincewind and you love the world so much that he wins you over. It’s the winter break and you go on holiday through the pages. You’ve never read anything like this before. The immersion in this world is just what you needed and it took the internet to show you how to access it. There is no way you would have approached a series like this and yet now you know there is no other way. Kate is amused at your effusive thanks.
One of the contributing factors to surviving a thesis is to discover a distraction that will remove you so completely from what you are writing that you can recover both your sanity and your critical distance. Terry Pratchett might not receive a thank you in your acknowledgment section but deep down within yourself you know that you would never have survived without Discworld.
There was always that one book The Colour of Magic on your family shelves. You did not like the aggressive caricature on the cover nor Rincewind when you opened it. There was another splash that time when you hired out The Wyrd Sisters animation from the ACMI library and subsequently read the book. Better, but there were too many to face jumping in and starting from all the way back at Rincewind did not appeal. It would take many more years and a completely different approach before you dived into and properly appreciate the slightly interesting flavoured waters.
It was at work. Kate had mentioned Terry Pratchett and she was buying the latest for her brother. He doesn’t read anything but he loves these, she said. Kate’s upfront, she tells you right out that she likes only some of Pratchett’s work. But this latest is about the wizards at Unseen University and should be worth the price of a hardback. The wizards, you ask. Yes, she replies. There are patterns throughout the novels that you can follow. Lead characters and so on. Like all the ones with Death. It’s best to read those ones all together. The wizards are fun. So are the witches. The gods not so much. Then there are the guards. The guards? You are intrigued. It works like this. She opens the internet windows and your eyes.
Wikipedia has accompanied you through your undergraduate degree. You do not trust it and feel you never will. But here, plain for all to see the Discworld books are there in a table with a list of main characters and also the ‘theme’ or ‘strand’ that they are a part of. I don’t like Rincewind much. You admit this to Kate. Really? She is surprised. Well, read those last. Start anywhere as long as it is in the start of that group.
Going Postal. The pages flick through smoothly and it smells comforting. The cover is not by Josh Kirby and the man on the front grins reassuringly as conmen are want to do. The Rowden White library holds a dizzying array of his books and it overflows into a mild panic. But you remember the wikipedia and you take this one and two with Granny Weatherwax on the cover. The Witches strand. If this doesn’t work it doesn’t matter, you tell yourself. You should be writing your thesis; researching your thesis; working on your thesis; reading your thesis. Thesis, thesis, thesis! The word crowds your conscious for attention. You ignore it and you read.
And you read. And read. Everything. After Going Postal and the witches there are the guards, who turn out to be favourites and then Death stories interspersed with the gods and also the wizards. Lastly you read of Rincewind and you love the world so much that he wins you over. It’s the winter break and you go on holiday through the pages. You’ve never read anything like this before. The immersion in this world is just what you needed and it took the internet to show you how to access it. There is no way you would have approached a series like this and yet now you know there is no other way. Kate is amused at your effusive thanks.
But you know that these characters live with on with you, in you, as does Discworld. Even Death has a resonance beyond the pages. You know also that Terry Prachett is right about the comfort of the anthropomorphic. [I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN.] But you do. You really do. Away from the thesis you reclaim a sense of you. You return to the world of JSTOR articles, of analysing and of academia. The thesis goes well. It is comforting to know that whenever you need to escape from this world there is another floating alongside, through space on the back of four elephants standing on the shell of a giant turtle. So, now you thank Terry Pratchett and perhaps Wikipedia is owed an acknowledgment too. For in this instance, the internet did not just impact on your reading habits, it impacted directly on you.
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