One of my resolutions for 2010 was to read more. And to kickstart it, for Christmas I asked, and received (thanks mom) my first read for 2010, Open - Andre Agassi. This is the autobiography of Andre that originally drew attention for his use of drugs during his career. I've not got to that point in the book yet, but that wasn't why I wanted to read it. Andre, and his nemesis Pete Sampras, were huge influences in my tennis development. Everyone I knew wanted Pete's serve, and Andre's return. Then there was the whole rivalry between the two of them. The supposedly outlandish "Image is everything" Agassi and the very private very quiet Sampras.
This book is so good I can't put it down. In fact I have to remind myself that this is not fiction! I grew up knowing his dad placed him in front of a tennis ball machine at an early age, but had no idea how much Andre hated it, and hates tennis. This is a great read even if you're not a tennis fan; it doesn't go into the details of his game, and only recounts a handful of classic matches, but goes into great detail about who Andre Agassi really was. The book is so good it prompted me to purchase Sampras' autobiography as well. Hope it's just as good.
The year of the e-reader
They say Christmas 2009 was the year of the e-reader. Amazon couldn't keep up with Kindle demand, e-books flew off their virtual shelves at a record pace, and every hardware company in Asia is coming out with an e-reader of some sort. Heck, Apple may or may not be coming out with some sort of tablet device that will do everything. For me I had largely ignored the whole e-reader thing. I didn't like the look of the Kindle, and since that was the only one with a direct link to a bookstore I've ignored the Sonys, and the other unfamiliar named 'readers. Then I stumbled across the Nook.
The Nook, an e-reader from Barnes & Noble, I discovered in December though it was announced I think back in October. Like I said, I've had no interest in e-readers. What was different about this e-reader is it's dual screens (the larger top screen an e-ink one, while the lower smaller one an LCD), it's buttonless, and it is running Android meaning there could be more about this e-reader than just e-reading. I recently got to play with one at a B&N (another selling point) and found it to be pretty cool, and usable. Good thing for my wallet that it's not available until February, otherwise I would have walked out of their with one. Now it's a wait and see game. What will Apple come out with at their reported January 27/28 event, and will it be enough to sway me to it?
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