I love paper. I love the feel of the New York Times in the morning as it crackles in my hands; I love to sit with a book under the blanket my grandmother knit for me; and I love stationary, Kate’s Paperie is my dream store.
But I was intrigued by a new concept and a new media company, Vook, that may change how I read. Will you “vook” one day like you google? Maybe. The company launched last October; their concept – produce a digital book type that combines video, links to the internet and text into one application.
The only reason I even looked at Vook is because one of my favorite fiction authors, Anne Rice, has decided to “vook”. I have an entire shelf filled with Rice’s work – The Witching Hour is my favorite. She recently launched a multimedia edition of “The Master of Rampling Gate,” a previously published vampire story set in an England mansion in the 19th century. I checked it out – Vook is having a promo for the piece at 99 cents (don’t know how they are making money) – and I found it interesting. Though I still don’t like reading online (nope, don’t have a Kindle), I liked the videos attached to the story. The internet links were a little bit too obvious I thought and didn’t add much. But I loved seeing Anne Rice talk about her work and the story. I have never had the chance to see her at a reading, it but was a close second. (though going to her store in New Orleans when it existed was awesome). And she is definitely a fun woman to celebrate this month.
To vook or not to vook – that is the question.
