Anybody Have an e-Reader ?

[Cormorant]

Oh, yeah . . . I have read that the Moon+ e-reader will do text-to-speech and read e-books aloud to you. Android has a stock TTS function, but the SVOX TTS app is supposed to be superior, and can give you an almost natural sounding reader.

I haven't tried this yet, but it would be a joy if, say, driving long distance, or standing a night watch, to have someone read "The Riddle of the Sands" or "Treasure Island" out loud as the hours pass.

[Cormorant]

In my search for free e-books related to boats and sailing, I came across this one, which I'm currently enjoying. Nice to find a free contemporary e-book to mix in with all the 19th-century stuff.

Three Ways to Capsize a Boat: An Optimist Afloat | Ebooks free download | Download free ebooks | Free ebooks download | Free ebooks | PDF download

[This is in EPUB format. If you have a Kindle or other device that doesn't read EPUBs, download Calibre and convert the file.]

Chris Stewart had a long and eclectic list of jobs. From some of the most glamorous careers – he was original drummer in Genesis – to the more offbeat – a sheep shearer and circus performer – he had done it all…or almost all. So when he is offered the chance to captain a sailboat in the Greek islands one summer, something he had never done before, he jumps at the chance. Ever the optimist, Stewart is undaunted by the fact that he’d never actually sailed before!

So begins the hilarious and wild adventures of Three Ways to Capsize a Boat. From setting the boat on fire not once, but several times in the Aegean Sea to his not-so-grand arrival in Spetses to meet the owners of the boat (who says it isn’t graceful to plow into the docks as a means of coming to a stop?), Stewart quickly catches the sailing bug. By the end of the summer, as he is facing the dreary prospect of going back to sheep shearing, he jumps at the chance to be part of a crew to follow Viking Leif Eiriksson’s historic journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Five months on a small sailboat with seven other people in the freezing waters of the Atlantic would sound like punishment to most people, but not Stewart! He takes it all in stride and always with his unfailing optimism and good spirits. From coming to terms with the long, cold nights at sea and unchanging cuisine to battling intense seasickness and managing to go to the bathroom during a massive storm (a lot harder than you’d think!), Stewart keeps his good humor…but learns, in the end, that perhaps the best things in life are worth coming ashore for.


Three Ways to Capsize a Boat is travel writing at its best, crackling with Chris Stewart’s zest for life, irresistible humor, and unerring lack of foresight. Dry land never looked more welcoming!


“Three Ways to Capsize a Boat” is a charming and lyrical read, awash with the joy of discovery, and Stewart is an immensely likeable narrator…The key to his popularity is his honest and self-effacing determination – as discussed during a mid-Atlantic storm – to live a rewarding life.” – Guardian, UK

[DeepFrz]

You can easily update your country for your Amazon account.

The only problem is your Billing Address has to be in that country. Amazon will allow you to download books, no matter where you are, so long as your billing address allows it.

[anjou]

Ive got Chris Stewart in hardback, not sure if I believe everything he wrote.
Curently just finished Mark Twains Stories of the Mississippi and just started Wuthering Heights this morning

That Mississippi sure sounds like an awsome river, the statistics take some comprehending. I think if I were navigating there, it would take a few years to see it all and then time to start over again. I wouldnt have time to get to sea.

[anjou]

Originally Posted by Cormorant

Chris Stewart had a long and eclectic list of jobs.

They say a rolling stone gathers no moss and my CV doesnt read much better than his, maybe thats why im Jill of all trades and Mistress of none.

Been there, done it all but never stayed around long enough to get the teeshirt cos boredom set in and adventure beconed.

Onwards and upwards to infinity and beyond

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by sarafina

That's pretty much where I am at on the subject.

I have the beatles in vinyl and cd, I was damned if I was going to pay to get them to mp3s. Movies in VHS, DVD and now bluray...

I am feeling the same about books...

And to charge the same for an electronic file as a printed, shipped and warehoused book???

hell ta the NO!

Every electronic book I have bought for my Kindle has been significantly discounted from the paper price.

The battery lasts a long time on the Kindle because it is not backlit. Any number of efficient battery lights available for it. I love not having to deal with storage of paperbacks on my relatively small (31') live aboard boat.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Cormorant

Oh, yeah . . . I have read that the Moon+ e-reader will do text-to-speech and read e-books aloud to you. Android has a stock TTS function, but the SVOX TTS app is supposed to be superior, and can give you an almost natural sounding reader.

I haven't tried this yet, but it would be a joy if, say, driving long distance, or standing a night watch, to have someone read "The Riddle of the Sands" or "Treasure Island" out loud as the hours pass.

My Kindle has text to speech but I haven't tried it yet.

You can also get e-reader apps, including kindle, for your computer. But I like being able to carry the reader around with me.

[Cormorant]

I'm drifting a bit off-topic here going from e-books to audiobooks, but since we touched on text-to-speech and the possible joys of listening to your books as you drive or sail for hours . . . Duckworks Magazine (Duckworks - November Treasure Chest) recently included this excellent tip for free audiobooks. I haven't listened to them yet, but they've got to be better than listening to even the best TTS.

Up till now I haven't really cared about audiobooks, preferring to do my reading myself. But now that I have my little Droid, which can live in my pocket, I think I'll try one of these on my next long drive or airline flight. . . .

[Copying from Duckworks here. Mods, if it's too much text, just delete and leave the link above.]

Audio Books Here are my suggestions for a couple free online audiobooks. They're in MP3 format, so you can load them on an MP3 player, or burn the entire book to one CD for listening on the go. These are from librivox.org, a site with bunches of free books. Probably more sailing books on this site, but I just haven't found them yet. Hope other people have some similar sailing-oriented links.


The first is the venerable The Riddle of the Sands. Link: LibriVox » The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers


The second is another classic, Joshua Slocum's Sailing Along Around the World: LibriVox » Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum


Bonus: Mark Twain's The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Stories has a thrilling story of shipwreck at sea and survival in a lifeboat. Go to this link and download items 14 and 15, which are titled My Debut as a Literary Person: LibriVox » The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, and Other Stories, by Mark Twain


Gary Blankenship