IP Picksš: A Buzzy Spy Thriller Back on the Market
ā A cool e-reader, 'Goonies' for grown-ups and a 'Buffy' spin on motherhood
Welcome to The Optionist. Thanks for reading along.
I read a lot. No shock there. After all, thatās The Optionistās bread and butter. What may be slightly more surprising, however, is that Iāve pretty much gone all digital at this point. Why? Well, by the time I gave up being a professor a decade ago, Iād amassed more than 70 boxes of books. Thatās 70 back-breaking boxes that I kept shipping and schlepping around the country. So I made it my goal to have my entire library go digital ā a decision that seems especially wise now that I have more than 2,000 titles on my Kindle alone (the majority related to the Optionist).
I love my digital reading devices. For the past decade, my go-to e-reader has been a first-generation Kindle Oasis, which I love for its grippy side chin, beautiful screen and waterproof exterior. But that trusty companion is finally starting to show its age and Iām on the hunt for whatās next. It hasnāt been easy. In fact, lately Iāve begun to feel like the Goldilocks of reading devices: This one is too heavy . . . that one is too big . . . and that one is too damn bright at night. I know many of you are also digital-first readers, so you probably know exactly what Iām talking about.
There are three things Iām looking for when it comes to finding my Kindleās successor: I want something thatās good for reading PDFs; something that has a nice one-handed form factor; and I want something I can easily take notes on. I donāt like the Oasis for PDFs because they donāt scale well on small screens. Although they look a lot better on my iPad, itās too big and heavy for extended periods. Also, an Apple Pencil doesnāt feel paper-like enough to me. So from time to time this summer, Iām going to share with you the digital readers Iām playing with in my hunt for the perfect device.
First up is a small travel-sized device that checks some of my boxes: the BOOX Palma 2, which is basically an Android phone with an e-paper screen (it has Wi-Fi, but no cell connectivity). I saw a bunch of glowing reviews, so I began to wonder if it might be ājust rightā for this particular Goldilocks.
Amazon is currently selling the gizmo for $299.99; Best Buy has it for $20 less. The Palma has a 6.13-inch HD Carta 1200 e-paper screen with 300 PPI resolution. Itās basically just an updated version of the original Palma, but with a faster processor.
What does all of that mean to a layperson? For reading text, it looks great. It really shines out in the sunlight. And the dual-tone adjustable front light makes it easy to read in bed as well. My biggest complaint ā my only complaint ā is that thereās a bit of a lag when the screen refreshes compared to my Kindle. Nothing major, but itās noticeable to me.
On the plus side, because it is Android-based, you can basically load any reading app onto it. I use the Kindle app as well as some publisher-specific galley apps and they all work seamlessly. One thing Iām using it for is to read news, something that I didnāt expect. I have a bunch of newspaper and magazine apps loaded on it like The New York Times, and although the pictures donāt look great, the text is beautiful. In fact, it has all the apps youād find on a phone, so you could use email (assuming you have Wi-Fi) and listen to podcasts or music (it also has Bluetooth).
That said, I use it as a dedicated reading device. And you know what? I kinda love it. It feels great in one hand, it fits in a pocket easily and the battery lasts more or less the same as other e-readers (i.e., days of heavy use).
Sure, you could do all of this on your phone without the need for a second device. But reading on an e-paper screen is a helluva lot easier on the eyes than a computer screen. Plus, itās nice to use a device where youāre not constantly getting distracting alerts and pings every five seconds. Lately, Iāve found myself reaching for the Palma for my before-bed reading. (Bonus: The light from a paper screen doesnāt interfere with sleep like a regular phone screen does.)
For the past couple of days, Iāve had jury duty (Iāll pause here for your applause), and I brought the BOOX with me while I sat in the courtroom waiting to see if Iād be selected. Iāve been reading the whole time and itās become clear that this is a great take-anywhere device. After I fulfill my civic duty (again, youāre welcome), Iām headed on a hiking trip across Ireland with some friends. Iām pretty certain that this will be the e-reader I travel with. If I commuted to work on a subway, bus or commuter rail, this would be my go-to device.
That said, I donāt think Iād love this as my only e-reader. Sometimes I like having a larger screen. Itās also not as good if youāre scanning through a book quickly looking for a particular section or searching for a particular word. The iPad is still tops for that due to its quick refresh rate and big screen. It also doesnāt have a pen-based input, so you canāt scribble notes on it if that matters to you.
On to this weekās picks, which include a terrific backlist spy thriller thatās returned to the market and a rollicking adventure thatās Goonies for grown-ups. The full lineup:
A YA thriller about a girl who thought she murdered her three friends until one of them shows up a year later with no memory of what happened
An adventure-drama about the hunt for a magical creature that feels like an aged-up Goonies
A horror tale that echoes Rosemaryās Baby, but with dark humor and a modern sensibility
A buzzy spy thriller from a few years back thatās just returned to the market
A true-crime drama thatās a Canadian Catch Me If You Can
