What will you be reading..?

[timberlysmom]

I'm planning a cruise with just myself and my two pre-teens. I figure I'll have lots of time to read since they only hangout with me when necessary. I've got a couple of Kurt Vonnegut books I've not made it to that I plan on reading (wondering if maybe those are too deep to try to read on the Lido deck though...). Maybe some Stephanie Plum novels (nice, easy, brainless, reads!)... What will I find YOU reading?

[calliopecruiser]

Judging from what I did on my last cruise, I used the library to try out new authors - ones that I'd heard about and seen on best-seller lists but haven't ever read. Discovered a few good mystery authors that way.

[LesaL]

If you like mysteries, try anything by Dick Francis and Felix Francis. Felix is the son and took over after his father passed away.

 

For light romance with a touch of the supernatural try the writings of Debora Geary.

 

I have found both to be great for cruise reading. Love having a Kindle.

 

Lessa

[angelofsin]

My cruise is still a few months away ( I am sailing 5/2014) so who knows what book I will be on at that point in time.. I am sure I can find something in my library of books to keep me entertained.. probably a book of poetry that I can sit out on balcony and read.

[timberlysmom]

I love mysteries, so I will be checking out the library and Felix! I'm torn on a kindle. :-/ I would love to have a million books at my fingertips...but I'm kind of an old fashioned book lover...I love the smell of them (weird, I know), and the way they feel in my hands. Also, it hurts a lot less when you fall asleep while reading and smack yourself in the face with a book than when you fall asleep while reading electronics and smack yourself in the face with those. :D I might grab some off my bookshelf and just throw them in my bag. I've read most of them 3-4 times already, but always find something new in most of them.

[JamieB21]

I've bought a few autobiographies and also paperback titled "Cruise Confidential: A Hit Below the Waterline: Where the Crew Lives, Eats, Wars, and Parties... One Crazy Year Working on Cruise Ships". It should be fun to read whilst on board.

[timberlysmom]

I own 'Cruise Confidential'!!!! Loved it! You might be tempted to hunt for the crew hangouts if reading while on board though... Lol!

[GratefulVoyager]

I like mysteries, but when traveling I try to find a book that has something to do with my destination. Last cruise-The Glassblowers Daughter when in Italy, a couple which took place on the Greek Islands, etc. Next cruise is Baltic so planning on Stieg Larson The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, maybe something about Tsarist Russia.

[Splinter]

I love my Kindle. Have never hit myself in the face with it, but love the fact that when I do doze off, it shuts itself off in a couple of minutes, AND saves my place. Never had a paper book do that when it shuts on itself when I fall asleep. Also like the ability to enlarge the text (my eyes are getting older) and use the built in dictionary. It's great for travel as I can take tons of books with little or no room (or weight) in my luggage.

 

Anyway, if you like mysteries/suspense, try some of the English translations of the novels of Jo Nesbø (Norwegian author). I am addicted and have read these on lots of trips.

 

I agree with reading something related to the cruise destinations too. For example, read David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas for a Panama Canal transit, James Mitchner's Caribbean for any Caribbean cruise, or Cape Horn by Felix Riesenberg for a cruise around the southern tip of South America, or John Steinbeck's The Log from the Sea of Cortez for a cruise on the inside of the Baja peninsula.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Splinter

[ChiGal1962]

On my last cruise, I actually read a very long biography of Catherine the Great. Not something I would probably get through in my normal life, but with all those sea days, it was actually great. I threw a few cozy mysteries in to change things up as well.

 

And while I do love the touch & feel of books, thank GOODNESS for my tablet when it comes to traveling. I remember trying to take about 7 books on my 1st cruise, as that was all I could lift, and was done with them in the first 4-5 days.

 

If you are going to use the ship library, I recommend going on boarding day. It seems to get stripped of the good books pretty quickly :)

[Lois R]

I love mysteries, so I will be checking out the library and Felix! I'm torn on a kindle. :-/ I would love to have a million books at my fingertips...but I'm kind of an old fashioned book lover...I love the smell of them (weird, I know), and the way they feel in my hands. Also, it hurts a lot less when you fall asleep while reading and smack yourself in the face with a book than when you fall asleep while reading electronics and smack yourself in the face with those. :D I might grab some off my bookshelf and just throw them in my bag. I've read most of them 3-4 times already, but always find something new in most of them.

 

Hi.....I don't own a Kindle either. And I don't own an I-Pad either

and my phone is not Smart either.

[travelnap]

Hi.....I don't own a Kindle either. And I don't own an I-Pad either

and my phone is not Smart either.

 

I also prefer a real book over the Kindle or other e-reader. I usually take 7 or 8 paperbacks along and then leave them in the ship's library for others to enjoy when I finish them. I will pick up a variety of authors, almost always fiction, some lighter and some a little meatier, but usually nothing too heavy, as I am there to relax. Patterson, Clancy, Grisham, Baldacci, and similar authors are usually in the mix. On sea days I will read a couple of books a day, as it helps me relax and keeps me out of the casino.

 

Lois, my I-Pad is yellow, and still has lines on it, so I don't think it is the real thing. My smart phone also has a cord on it, but I did update it from the rotary dial to the new push button models. I am joking of course, but my cell phone is used only for calling and texting, not surfing, so I guess I am not a technophobe. Neil

[Faith77]

For years I put off buying an e-reader. I live in a college community and am lucky to have many used bookstores and libraries to choose from. But as I've aged I've had problems reading paperbacks and I hated carrying hard covered books around.

 

So I bought my first Kindle Touch about a year and a half ago. I love being able to increase font size and look up words in an online dictionary. I'm also more adventurous in my reading choices now so I've discovered new to me authors.

 

On my last cruise (to Hawaii) it was really nice to "carry" 25 novels plus short stories and essays. Now I mostly use my reader but still read paper books when I can get hard covers on sale or borrow them from the library. I just carry around my e-reader during the day and reader a hard cover in the evenings. Faith

[AmoMondo]

Well I'm another kindle fan and it's lighter than most paperbacks so no chance of hurting yourself my smacking your face with it! Completely versatile, have a reading light if lighting gets dim, can change font size at will (tend to like it up a bit if I'm reading in bed first thing in the morning....my eyes don't seem to focus so well then). Take hundreds of books with me, so don't need to decide what to take to read with me, as AI always hVe plenty unread and can just pick depending on my mood. They are so much cheaper than real books and you also get the option every so often to borrow one for free..I also love the convenience/speed of getting a book too. Every bought what you thought was a standalone book to be left hanging becuase the story concludes in the sequel? No problem with a kindle, just download it straight away instead of going mad until you can get to a v

Bookstore or a book comes in the post.

 

I do have the follow up to ken Follets First World War story, so I may well start that next week on my cruise as it is sure to be a lot of reading!

[Lois R]

I also prefer a real book over the Kindle or other e-reader. I usually take 7 or 8 paperbacks along and then leave them in the ship's library for others to enjoy when I finish them. I will pick up a variety of authors, almost always fiction, some lighter and some a little meatier, but usually nothing too heavy, as I am there to relax. Patterson, Clancy, Grisham, Baldacci, and similar authors are usually in the mix. On sea days I will read a couple of books a day, as it helps me relax and keeps me out of the casino.

 

Lois, my I-Pad is yellow, and still has lines on it, so I don't think it is the real thing. My smart phone also has a cord on it, but I did update it from the rotary dial to the new push button models. I am joking of course, but my cell phone is used only for calling and texting, not surfing, so I guess I am not a technophobe. Neil

 

Neil,:) I am not a techie at all.:eek:....I have my laptop and my phone?

I know most people would think I am from the dark ages...I really

don't care what they think though. I have a Samsung Flip phone....

It does what I need.....and I just never upgraded. I rarely, if ever

text. It is a phone for me.

[travelnap]

Neil,:) I am not a techie at all.:eek:....I have my laptop and my phone?

I know most people would think I am from the dark ages...I really

don't care what they think though. I have a Samsung Flip phone....

It does what I need.....and I just never upgraded. I rarely, if ever

text. It is a phone for me.

 

I am a lot the same way, I am not anti tech, as I have my laptop, a small tablet, and my cell phone, which is also an older flip phone, but I spend all day on a computer at work so, I like to disconnect once and awhile too. I probably wouldn't have the cell phone but a few years back my sisters gave me one for Christmas because they thought it was terrible I didn't have one as much as I travel. I usually turn it on about once a week to see if I had any messages or calls, so I still rely more on the old land line for communication. I know quite a few people really like the E-readers, but I have never cared for them, as I still love the look and feel of a real book. Plus I can just leave it for someone else to enjoy it when I am finished, you can't do that with an E Reader.

[timberlysmom]

I'm a tech nerd... I love my smart phone, my laptop, and my iPad! I'm also an old-fashioned book nerd.

I do, however, like that someone pointed out the kindle is beneficial when it comes to low light reading!! Having a book light clipped to my deck chair at night might just be the ultimate, unforgivable sign of nerddom. My daughter has a kindle, she uses it mostly for games (subway surfers, anyone?), and I actually have the kindle app on my phone as I had a textbook that was only available that way last semester - I found I was easily distracted by everything else there was to do on my electronic device and ha a hard time focusing on reading...

[AmoMondo]

I'm a tech nerd... I love my smart phone, my laptop, and my iPad! I'm also an old-fashioned book nerd.

I do, however, like that someone pointed out the kindle is beneficial when it comes to low light reading!! Having a book light clipped to my deck chair at night might just be the ultimate, unforgivable sign of nerddom. My daughter has a kindle, she uses it mostly for games (subway surfers, anyone?), and I actually have the kindle app on my phone as I had a textbook that was only available that way last semester - I found I was easily distracted by everything else there was to do on my electronic device and ha a hard time focusing on reading...

 

I manly only use by iPhone for phone calls and the sudoku app, bus tracker and the odd text. Only really use it for emails when travelling. Oh but I love, love my IPad, it's absolutely my favourite toy - can't remember the last time I switched on my home PC. It's so convenient just sitting on my sofa beside me, no waiting for it to power up, just flip open the cover when I want to check something out. Also like renting movies onto it when I go overseas. Helps pass time stuck in airport lounges. I did start off with the kindle app rather than a kindle but whilst it was great for reading on the sofa, it was awkward reading in bed and no good at ll out in the sun when on holiday. Battery drains down much quicker too than a kindle which is another factor when you're travelling.

 

Both kindle and IPad go on every trip with me regardless of its duration!

[sirfuller]

I'm not cruising until September, but a week after I get back I will be hosting my book club. So, I'll be reading "A Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. Might be too much of a downer for a "fun ship"! :)

[innkeeper17]

Will be bring Korean language aides. I lived there for three years....long ago and will be going back in the fall. Its true the use disuse theory you know

[timberlysmom]

Bummer books can work on a "fun ship"! So long as you read them in the sunshine! ;) I have a friend that lived in Korea for a while...she actually met her husband there! He was in the military and she is a diplomat's daughter. It would be a romantic story, except their first date was at Burger King....(how do I know this, you ask...? She complains every year when he takes her to BK for their anniversary!!) She can read some Korean, but can't really speak it. I took Latin as my language. It's safe to say I won't be conjugating any Latin words or translating The Iliad on my cruise! :)

[NW Native1]

I love to read - but when sailing solo I got tired of carrying the books around. Since I'm never sure what I will want to read I always take a bunch of books, but they can get heavy to pack around. So for my last cruise I bought a Kindle - just a simple Paperwhite. I loaded ten books on my Kindle for my last cruise. It was so easy I can't believe I put it off for so long. It was great to read whatever I was in the mood for instead of which book I had packed for the day ashore. I've raved about it so much that my son wants one :)

[sirfuller]

I love to read - but when sailing solo I got tired of carrying the books around. Since I'm never sure what I will want to read I always take a bunch of books, but they can get heavy to pack around. So for my last cruise I bought a Kindle - just a simple Paperwhite. I loaded ten books on my Kindle for my last cruise. It was so easy I can't believe I put it off for so long. It was great to read whatever I was in the mood for instead of which book I had packed for the day ashore. I've raved about it so much that my son wants one :)

 

I could not agree more. I'm the type who reads a couple books at a time so I would pack another bag filled with books. My Kindle quickly resolved that issue!

 

Sent from my SPH-L300 using Forums mobile app

[artist47]

I could not agree more. I'm the type who reads a couple books at a time so I would pack another bag filled with books. My Kindle quickly resolved that issue!

 

Sent from my SPH-L300 using Forums mobile app

 

I have an answer for the OP but I also have a question for the Kindle people --- I have been thinking of buying one myself, for exactly the reasons you name - also I'm taking college classes toward a degree and can save money on textbooks, blah, blah....here's my question for the Kindle people:

Do you have to load the books on there, before you leave? And is it true you can use the Kindle to check your email while you are on board? What kind of Kindle should I buy? All I want to do is watch a few movies, check email and read books. That's it. No games or such. Can you help point me in the right direction on which Kindle to buy?

 

 

 

Now, to answer the OP: On this upcoming cruise, I was just planning to use their onboard library so I could avoid packing any books -- I did want to see if they had the Stieg Larsen books (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, etc.) I am a painter and I plan to get some serious painting time in, so I have to bring my half size French easel, which takes up quite a bit of space. Even if I just hand-carry it, it's bulky, even though it is smaller than the ones you might see in movies or on TV. So I'm really space conscious this time, and if i brought all the books I would like to "touch on" then I would be in trouble.

 

Also and this is very important : I don't think any of us should read anything by Joseph Conrad whilst cruising. :p

 

Can anyone help me with my choice of Kindle?

Thank you!!!!

Edited February 18, 2014 by artist47

[Sarah@Sea]

Do you just put your Kindle (well I have Tab 3 7.0) in your beach bag or such if you decide to get in the pool, I suppose to "trust" no one to get in my bag and I wouldn't leave the area without taking it with me...like if I were to get lunch etc I'd take my stuff.