Best Books of 2010

November 7, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
Add Comment

As we get closer to the end of another year, you’re probably looking around for some ideas for Christmas gifts. A lot of people have a bit more time after Christmas so books are always a popular choice for those who enjoy disappearing into the pages for a few hours. So how do you choose something worthwhile to give to a keen reader?

If you’re looking for some great gifts for a booklover, Amazon
has announced it’s Best of 2010.

They’ve named Editor’s Top 100 Picks as well as the Customers’ Favourite 100 Books, making it easy to trawl through some great, popular books whether you’re choosing something for yourself or as a gift.

I’m wondering if you’d agree with their selections. What have been your favourite reads this year? Are you likely to find much reading time between now and the end of 2010?



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Best Books of 2010? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Born Storytellers

August 30, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
3 Comments

Our family headed off to a book launch yesterday afternoon.  The book is part of the Born Storytellers series which contains short stories written by various school students.

Kevin Price chose to be a professional writer in 1987. He began as a columnist for an advertising industry magazine and a lifestyle magazine before moving on to copywriting for local advertising agencies and businesses.

While he still writes advertising, he now also teaches storycraft to bright young minds in Western Australian schools and writers centres and edits the resulting works for the Born Storyteller books. He completed his first novel in 2007, which remains unpublished. He is married, has two daughters, and writes in his rural studio in the hills north of Perth in Western Australia.

Since its inception in 2005, Kevin has delivered his creative writing program, Learn to Write like A Born Storyteller in ten West Australian schools and a leading writers centre. He has edited and published over 200 young authors in 18 volumes.

We were very proud to hear our daughter, Emily, read part of her story at the launch. I can now say that she’s a published author.

Kevin Price, who taught the students the skills they needed to get their story to publication, spoke about the power of stories and how important story tellers have been throughout history. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the students from the four schools that had their books launched yesterday was indeed powerful.

I really believe that we were created to have a very strong connection to stories. Stories can connect us with each other and our creator in very powerful ways. Stories can be so much more than an entertaining read on a lazy afternoon. We can’t afford to neglect the importance of storytelling.

There was a great collection of talented storytellers at the launch yesterday. I certainly hope they’ll all continue to put their storytelling skills to great use.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Born Storytellers? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Putting Shantaram on the Shelf

December 6, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

shantaram.jpgThere is something enormously satisfying about placing a book on a bookshelf. A book you’ve read. A book you’ve enjoyed.

When you remove the bookmark for the final time, close the book, and find a place for it amongst other books you’ve read, there’s a sense of accomplishment.

There’s also a sense of sadness that the story in which you’ve immersed yourself has come to an end. What happens now? Where did the characters go? What did they do after that? That’s especially the case when the book is based on fact. If the book is pure fiction then there isn’t necessarily a life after the book. The characters have lived within that story and now the story has ended. If the book is based on real people then there are unresolved issues. What now?

I finished reading Shantaram today. While it’s a fictional novel, the characters and situations are based on real people and circumstances. Most of the book is based in India, which is what drew me to the story originally. It’s a raw book and at 932 pages it’s a long book.

I don’t make nearly enough time for reading so I’ve been working my way through this epic for a long time. It’s a great story but not for the feint hearted. If you want to let your mind wander into a strange and exotic world, consider grabbing a copy of the book, and get ready for an amazing ride.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Putting Shantaram on the Shelf? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Audio Books

November 25, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
Add Comment

Desiring_Godfree.jpgDo you listen to audio books? I certainly haven’t in the past because I enjoy the ability to read the words from the page in front of me at my own pace. I like the fact that if I didn’t get the meaning of a sentence first time aound I can go straight back and re-read it or pause to reflect over a paragraph or two.

I was recently given a voucher to use at christianaudio so I decided if I’ve got nothing to lose, I might as well give it a try.

The first thing I found was that they have a free book to download each month and for the month of November, that book is John Piper’s Desiring God, a book I’ve wanted to read for quite a while. That was the first one to add to my list. I then found a couple of other John Piper books at sale price so I downloaded all three.

I started my audio book experience this morning with Desiring God. It’s not quite the same as holding a book in your hand but that can be a little dangerous when you’re cycling. I listened via my iPod on the way to work and I’m impressed. I can exercise my body, mind and spirit all at the same time. I think I’m going to like audio books.

Listening to audio books certainly won’t take the place of reading the paper version but it does mean that I can make better use of my time.

The good news is that christianaudio is running a twice yearly sale with almost all digital downloads currently available at US$7.49. The sale ends on the 4th of December.

Do you listen to audio books? Have audio books replaced ‘the real thing’ for you? What do you see as the differences between the two?



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Audio Books? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Kindle Finally Available

October 7, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

amazonkindle.jpgI’ve loved the idea of the Kindle ever since Amazon started selling them, but being in Australia meant that I couldn’t buy one.

The waiting is over. If you’re in Australia or many other countries around the world you can now buy the latest generation Kindle Wireless Reading Device. Aparently they’re set to work on 3G networks.

With this new Kindle, you can get your books, newspapers, and magazines delivered while at home or abroad in over 100 countries.

At Amazon, we’ve always been obsessed with having every book ever printed, and we know that even the best reading device would be useless without a massive selection of books. Today, the Kindle Store has more than 350,000 books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs available. This is just the beginning. Our vision is to have every book ever printed, in any language, all available in under 60 seconds on Kindle. We won’t stop until we get there.

Whether you prefer biographies, classics, investment guides, thrillers, or sci-fi, thousands of your favorite books are available, including 104 of 112 books currently found on the New York Times® Best Seller list. New York Times Best Sellers and most new releases are $9.99, and you’ll find many books for less.

It would make reading a lot simpler than carrying around bundles and bundles of books, magazines and newspapers. Looks like I need to start putting some money aside for a Kindle.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Kindle Finally Available? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.