Books | Simply Evani

So lesson #1 about me: I have an obsessive personality. When I love something, I LOVE it. When it comes to items I love, I want to own 5 of them. True life examples:

– I “accidentally” go to Disneyland 3-4 times a year. It’s almost like an itch I can’t scratch, I love it there! We’re finally considering a season pass…
– I buy nearly all pairs of shoes in pairs. Not just a pair of shoes, I mean I buy 2 pairs of shoes at a time (sometimes the same pair in different colors).
– Every Harry Potter novel release required that I lock myself in my room with only water and refuse to leave until the novel was finished (bathroom breaks were allowed, food was not).

Speaking of Harry Potter, the ending of the series was hard on me. Wearing those 3D Harry Potter glasses for the final movie was among my highlights of 2011 (Sad? Maybe. Haha) Stumbling upon the Hunger Games was the perfect way to rebound from that relationship. Fast forward to today and my sweet boyfriend used our Christmas movie vouchers to pre-order our Hunger Games midnight tickets. Sure, I have work in the morning but I can sleep when I’m dead. I can’t wait!

Below is the outfit I imagine Katniss wore into the arena (I threw in some amazing Alexander Wang sunglasses, they clearly left out of the novel) and approved Hunger Games memorabilia.

1. American Apparel/ 2. CafePress/ 3. Etsy/4. Asos/ 5. Zappos/ 6. Asos

And for even more overzealous fans, here’s a great link to a blog that teaches us how to do the Katniss braid.

If you haven’t read the Hunger Games, I recommend that you do! It’s got enough action for the men but enough romance for the women. 🙂

I’m so excited! Leave me a comment just for fun!

Love,
Evani

I’m ashamed because I’ve gone to the dark side.

I’ve fallen in love…. with a Kindle.

I’ve been on the fence for ages about e-readers. At odds with myself because I’m such a tech junkie but a self proclaimed book worm. When the e-reader entered the scene, I found a million reasons to say “NO!” but now that I have one, I have to say my life has changed. Here are a few of my key points for each side: (Feel free to judge me for my intense nerdiness)

Reasons why I opposed e-readers:

1. Nothing will EVER replace the feeling of a book. Feeling the binding, physically holding the pages, even sometimes the silly tactile graphics they have on the cover.
2. The satisfaction after finishing a 500 page book. The weight of the book and turning that last page always made me feel accomplished.
3. Less impact on the eyes. With all the new technology, a physical book doesn’t cause eye fatigue the same way LCD screen do.
4. The experience of bookstores/libraries. I don’t know ANY avid reader that wasn’t a little sad Borders is gone. But the real tragedy for me is the idea of libraries being obsolete. Walking through the stacks is a stress reliever for me.
5. The memories affliated with buying a book. Anti-readers will scoff at this statement but I remember the moments at which I purchased all 7 Harry Potter books, including when I purchased the Order of the Phoenix in the Philippines.

The reasons why I love my Kindle:

1. I bought 2 books and they delivered within 30 seconds instantly to my Kindle.
2. The “electronic ink” technology makes the page feel JUST like a piece of paper and no LCD eye fatigue.
3. The ability to highlight and comment without it being permanent (I was one of those anal book owners that wouldn’t even want to open the book wide for fear of ruining the binding)
4. The ability to “lend” books to other Kindle owners.
5. Literally 2,000+ classics available online for FREE (Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Bronte, etc)!
6. On average, the books are roughly 1/3 or 1/2 the price of a physical book (The two books I bought were $7 each!)
7. The Kindle comes preloaded with the Oxford English Dictionary.
8. It weights 10.2 oz, which feels like nothing. Like the size of a small paperback book. It fits comfortably in my smallest purses.

I’ll never give up on physical books. If all goes well in my life, I will have a library full of beautiful books and a soft brown lounge chair. But I have to say, in the 72 hours I’ve had my Kindle, I’ve BARELY put it down. I’ve read 2 books and have 3 more in my e-library waiting for me. I know in my heart of hearts, having a Kindle will mean that I have the capability to read 10x the amount of books I have in the past. It’s possible I also feel less guilty about loving my Kindle because it was a gift. And someday when I have the space and money for my library, it will be there. But for now, the Kindle gets my stamp of approval. Thanks for the awesome birthday gift Rob!! 🙂

But I may still hang my head when I walk by our empty Borders.