Book Lair discussion

I never looked into Smashwords in the best before today. I found out they also have some stuff for free, so I downloaded a bunch.
However, when I send the files to my Kindle email as I do with any mobi file, I get an email saying there was a problem with my file. With every single one of them.
Does anyone else have this problem?

I never had any issues before with Smashwords, so I can't really help you here, sorry.
Although to be fair, I have only used their direct download function and epub files, not "send emails" and mobi files.

Yep, so did I, I didn't even 'add to library', just clicked the mobi option in each file...

But in order to read them on my Kindle Paperwhite, i need to send it to my kindle email, just like with all other mobi files I get that are not purchased directly from Amazon.

I figured out how to fix this, in case anyone else has the problem: Just reconvert the files to Mobi in Calibre.

Can you be more specific about what you would like better explained, Aaron?

Btw guys, have you found anything nice on Smashwords that you'd recommend? Preferably free? xD

www.smashwords.com - another site to get books online

I have to admit that I just get my children to side load books for me, so never really understand what you guys are saying when you describe the process. I just know I am supposed to ask for mobi or epub files.

Well, the site itself is very simple. You go to the book page and click the format you want to download. Then to actually read the book it depends on the platform. I know that by emailing it to my kindle address it is saved on my Cloud and so I can download it to any platform (Paperwhite, phone app, computer app, etc). It's probably very similar with Nooks and others.

Or you can just read it in a program like Calibre. In that case, you just drag the downloaded file to the program and double click to open it ^_^

I just know they need my data cord and my Nook. :D They've downloaded a lot of files authors have emailed to me, but also books right off the net, so I think it works both ways.

Technology is amazing!

Well I have no idea what a data cord, so I guess we're even xD

Ana wrote: "Well I have no idea what a data cord, so I guess we're even xD"

LOL, you plug one end into the computer and one into the device to transfer files quickly.

Really? I had no idea you could do that with e-readers.
Whaddaya know....

Well, I always load my eReeder with a cord. I have a very old model that has no Wifi or any other wireless connexion options...

All of the ereaders in our house have wifi, but other than books I buy directly from Barnes & Noble and all my magazine subscriptions, I think my children load all of them with the cord.

I know that when you side load with the cord, the file only shows up on that particular device, not every device linked to that account. For us, that's a plus since my two younger children share a Nook account with me so we can all have access to my entire purchased library. Thank God they've never gone on a book buying spree without permission!!!

Anytime :D

I totally forgot there might be e-readers which don't have wi-fi, it completely makes sense that they would need a cord.
And yes, I agree that being able to transfer certain books to only that device is a very handy tool.

I use a tablet android device for reading my ebooks. I would prefer a eink system but that's what I got for now. I use calibre to organize my library and a cable to transfer the ebooks to my device. It's handy since calibre automatically finds your connected device, but it can detect wireless devices too. As my experience goes using a cable is faster than using wireless for bigger files, but it's fine for small files like most ebooks are. I have a library of more than 3000 ebooks in store and I'm thinking on listening them on this site. I wonder if this is allowed...

You can list any books you want here. You can list them on your own shelves, or in a group you belong to. At one point I had aspirations of listing all the books I owned on a shelf, even if I had no tread them, then slowly moving them to "read", but my buying quickly outraced that. O_o

I have listed most books I own read or unread, but the biggest problem faced are the many books I have which there are no information about. I know we can insert them on our one, one by one, but that's a bit troublesome when there are more than 2 or 3 books. I'm talking here about ten's of books. As for ebooks I have a list of plus 3000 and going up. I though there was some kind of limitation but that there is not are great information! thanks

@Sorobai As Kandice said, you can list everything you want. I myself add a lot of books, since I tend to read a lot of obscure French or Chinese or other writers (well, obscure for English speaking culture, not that much for French/Chinese).

Also, if you find your book but with uncorrect data, you can go to the librarian gorup and ask them to correct it. Or ask in this group, I think several of us here (or at least Ana and myself) are librarians.

Hi Melaslithos, thanks for your advice. I know I can add books myself and correct data, what I was saying is that adding book by book is a lot of work for a pressed time reader like me! Well, somebody need to do it, and that's why I love librarians! They make our life much easier! Most of the books I'm talking about are not even listed here, they are somewhat unknow even in my country!
As for "obscure french/chinese books" that's something that interests me very much!

@Sorobai Maybe "obscure" was not the right term. It was more of a reflexion of the fact that usually, people tend to focus on books of their own culture (which is rather normal, it's what speaks to us the more usually), but this varies a lot from places to places. For example, I have read very little German writters, when it's just next to France! But GR being a very English speaking website, there is very little "foreign" litterature on here I feel.

Anyway, if you want any recommendations on French or Chinese books, just ask!

You can also go and have a look in my read books, but since I don't tag them, I'm not sure it's going to be a big help (one day, I will classify all my books. One day...)

@Melaslithos thanks for your help. I meant "obscure" as a joke. I like the classics, the books that proved themselves through the ages. But I also like to be surprised once in a while! I like to find something "obscure" be it author or be it book. Do you know what I mean!? I am little familiaried with chinese books, I am more with japapense ones. I though of read the 5 chinese classics since I read the Analects but never found engough time to do so.
As for french, well the french are an whole literature themselves!

@Sorobai

One of my favorite contemporary Chinese book is Beijing Coma. Not really a classic, but I think it can become one. It's quite a thick book, but not as long as the 5 classics (which are huge sagas).

I love Lao She too. He has a knack for telling the everyday life stories of Chinese people in an absolutely wonderful (and sometime depressive) way.

I also love Eileen Chang.

A book people talked a lot about is Wolf Totem, and a movie was recently made of it. I found that it was not fantastic writting (although still perfectly correct). Themes are really interesting and relate to modern preoccupations (ecology, loss of local cultures, etc.)

More "classic" and more olds are the tales of Pu Songling. I love also all types of traditionnal folk tales. There are some very famous ones, such as the "Legend of the White Snake", the "Butterfly Lovers" or "Meng Jiang Nu". There is certainly some anthologies of Chinese tales laying around, but I read all mines in French, so I can't recommend any.

That's already quite a list. If you give more details on what you prefer, maybe I can be more precise.

And I also saw that you want to read I Am a Cat. I can only warmly recommend this book. I found it quite funny and deliciously sarcastic.

I find it funny that I feel as if I've read a lot of Chinese literature, but really I've just read a lot about China written by American authors. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Joy Luck Club...like them, but I bet they aren't the sorts of books you have read Melas.

When the Millennium series got big I went on a Swedish authors kick and loved it, but it was such a hassle with getting inter district transfers from the library that I gave it up.

It's nice to read outside of our comfort zone sometimes.

I did read a lot of "foreign Chinese litterature" too. It's usually much easier, since it's already available in your language. Unfortunately, a lot of Chinese books are not translated.

If you like to read out of your comfort zone, you can go and have a look at the World Litterature Group. I've discovered a lot of new things through them.

hi Melaslithos, thanks for your great suggestions! I am looking to find them and the time to read all of them! It's not easy since the queue is huge and the money is short... Well, I am still a bit confused with chinese names, they seem quite similiar to each other and with different ways of writing the same name. In general I prefer the classic tales with a moral, since I can't bare those conteporaries that complain about the actual government. I understand the meaning of those books, I feel it's necessity and reason but I just can't read them for too long. It's the same with some other countries too. They became somewhat repetitives...
As for I Am a Cat, yes I really want to read it, but it's so huge that I can't find the time to start it. I must read it at home only since it would be gruesome to carry it around at public transportation!
I am interested in all japanese literature so it's a must. But this book in particulary caught my atention since I like cats and I wonder what cats think. I mean, about us!
Ah! And I also like to read outside my "confort zone" most of the time. In fact I don't feel right with this expression since reading broadly is what reading is for me in it's ensence.