The Kindle Chronicles

Latest Episodes:

TKC 483 David Ignatius Nov 04, 2017

Show notes

Author of The Quantum Spy

Interview starts at 12:12 and ends at 34:00

"Jeff Bezos has been a great owner for The Post. He invested in our business. He has generally stayed away and let the editors and our publisher, Fred Ryan, run the business. He intervenes only occasionally. The first meeting he had when he came to The Post, he said, 'I don't know what's going to work, but I want to lengthen the runway, so you have more time to experiment and take off.' And we have begun to take off. We're not rolling in money, but The Post is profitable again. I wondered if I'd ever see that. Our web traffic keeps exploding."

News

All-New Kindle Oasis ships on Halloween

"All-New Kindle Oasis survives ocean dunking" by David Rothman at TeleRead - October 31, 2017

"Is the Kindle Oasis Really Worth It?" - my video review of the original Oasis in 2016

Interview with David Ignatius

The Quantum Spy by David Ignatius

Other novels by David Ignatius at Amazon.com

Body of Lies, the 2008 movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, based on the novel by David Ignatius

"Our Villains, Ourselves: A Thriller Roundup" by Marisha Pessel at The New York Times - October 25, 2017

Content

PBS NewsHour profile of author Jesmyn Ward - October 27, 2017

Men We Reaped: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward

Comments

Calibre

My video review of the new Kindle Oasis - October 31, 2017

Outro

Bufo Calvin's "Because of the Kindle" project

Next Week's Guest

Carlina Duan, author of I Wore My Blackest Hair, a debut poetry collection that will be published on November 14th by Little a, the literary imprint of Amazon Publishing.

Music for my podcast is from an original Thelonius Monk composition named "Well, You Needn't." This version is "Ra-Monk" by Eval Manigat on the "Variations in Time: A Jazz Perspective" CD by Public Transit Recording" CD.

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TKC 482 All-New Kindle App for iOS and Android Oct 28, 2017

Show notes

Kindle Creative Director Seth Micarelli, left, and Mike Torres, Kindle director of product management and design

Amazon announces all-new Kindle app (press release) - October 24, 2017

All-New Kindle Oasis

Kindle Select, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Next Week's Guest

David Ignatius, Washington Post columnist and author of The Quantum Spy: A Thriller, available for pre-order with delivery November 7, 2017.

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TKC 481 Mirna Valerio Oct 21, 2017

Show notes

Author of A Beautiful Work in Progress

Interview starts at 18:20 and ends at 43:17

"Whatever kind of mindset they're stuck in about whether it's weight loss or about whether or not you should be out there running in your big body, because maybe you're going to hurt your knees or your back. You don't know. You don't know me. I don't know you. You do your run, I do my run. And then we'll all be happy."

News

"As Amazon's deadline for HQ2 bids closes, speculation on winner heats up" by Matt Day at The Seattle Times - October 19, 2017

"Where Amazon's Next Headquarters Should Go" by Mark Zandi and Adam Ozimek at Moody's Analytics - October 12, 2017

"Amazon is Most Likely To Build Its Second Headquarters In One Of These Five Cities" by Marcia Layton Turner at Forbes - October 19, 2017

"Boston Pushes Talent and Education in Amazon HQ2 Bid" by Zeninjor Enwemeka at WBUR - October 20, 2017

The Quantum Spy: A Thriller by David Ignatius - available for pre-order, delivered November 7, 2017

Tech Tip

New Kindle Oasis (8th Generation) software update 5.8.11

Interview with Mirna Valerio

A Beautiful Work in Progress by Mirna Valerio

Fat Girl Running

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan

The Masters School at Dobbs Ferry

A Cappella Books in Atlanta

Content

"(Not so scary) Books for Little Ghosts, Ghouls and Narwhals" by Seira Wilson at The Amazon Book Review - October 5, 2017

How Will You Measure Your Life? By Clayton M. Christensen

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TKC 480 All-New Kindle Oasis Oct 11, 2017

Show notes

Arthur van Rest, left, GM Kindle Device & Accessories at Amazon, and Hany Ghali, Senior Product Manager, Kindle at Amazon Lab126

Interviews

Arthur van Rest and Hany Ghali at product demo October 5, 2017 in New York City: Starts at 7:22 and ends at 9:48

Hany Ghali phone/skype interview from Sunnyvale, California, on October 10, 2017: Starts at 20:26 and ends at 41:06

To purchase an all-new Kindle Oasis, please consider starting at The Kindle Chronicles home page and clicking on the Amazon ad at the upper right. That will generate an Amazon Associates commission that supports my show, and your cost will be the same. Thanks!

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TKC 479 Stephen Ingraham Oct 07, 2017

Show notes

Author of Point and Shoot Nature Photography

Interview starts at 10:55 and ends at 40:30

"Each of us sees the beauty around us and the meaning and the pathos and the feeling that happens around us. And the more we share it one person to another, the more we realize we're really all the same. We really share an experience of life on the earth that is not just mine or yours but that belongs to us all."

News

"Europe has ordered Amazon to pay nearly $300 million in back taxes" by Jason Del Rey and Tony Romm at recode - October 4, 2017

"Amazon is Testing Its Own Delivery Service to Rival FedEx and UPS" by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg - October 5, 2017

The Everything Store by Brad Stone

Big savings on Kindles

Tech Tip

"Echo devices can now call US, Canada, and Mexico numbers for free--No extra hardware necessary" at AFTnews - September 30, 2017

Interview with Stephen Ingraham

Point and Shoot Nature Photography by Stephen Ingraham

Pic for Today by Stephen Ingraham

Point and Shoot Nature Photographer blog

Zeiss

Kindle and Print publish options at Kindle Direct Publishing

Stephen Ingraham on Google Plus, Instagram, and Twitter

Content

"Why Jeff Bezos was ecstatic over today's Nobel Prize announcement" by Tom Teodorczuk at MarketWatch - October 5, 2017

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

"Amazon support forums to shut down. Big mistake! Write Jeff."law by David Rothman

Dedication

This episode of the show is dedicated to my uncle, Bert Tighe, who passed away on October 5, 2017, at the age of 92.

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TKC 478 Sara Nelson Sep 29, 2017

Show notes

VP & Executive Editor at the Harper Division of HarperCollins

Interview starts at 21:54 and ends at 44:14

"I think publishers have some ideas about how Amazon feels about books, and I think Amazon has ideas about how little publishers about the business of books. And I think that they're both wrong."

News

"Introducing the Next Generation of Echo" - Amazon press release September 27, 2017

All-new Echo - $100

Echo Plus - $150

Echo Spot - $130

Echo Connect - $35

All-new Fire TV - $70

Echo Buttons (click at Alexa Gadgets page to be notified)

Interview with Sara Nelson

"Sara Nelson Heading to HarperCollins" at Publishers Weekly - June 28, 2017

Sara Nelson on TKC 419 - August 12, 2016

Omnivoracious, The Amazon Book Review

Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee by Wayne Flynt

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

"Making the List" by Sara Nelson at Publishers Weekly - December 22, 2008 (Includes rave mention of A Reliable Wife)

The Magnificent Esme Wells: A Novel by Adrienne Sharp - Available for pre-order with delivery on April 10, 2018

Review by Sara Nelson of The True Memoirs of Little K at Oprah.com (date unknown)

HarperCollins 200th anniversary

Next Week's Guest

Stephen Ingram, author of Point and Shoot Nature Photography

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TKC 477 Jillian Vorce Sep 23, 2017

Show notes

CEO of The Jillian Group

Interview starts at 12:16 and ends at 35:00

"When you build relationships for the sake of relationships, amazing things can happen. Your soil becomes so rich that what can grow and harvest is well beyond what you ever could have planted if you had known."

News

Amazon press release announcing all-new Fire HD 10 - September 19, 2017

"Amazon is working on smart glasses to house Alexa AI, says FT" by Natasha Lomas at TechCrunch - September 20, 2017

"Why Alexa is on track to lose the Smart Home Assistant War" by Phil Hawthorne - September 16, 2017

"Amazon has 76% smart home speaker U.S. market share as Echo unit sales reach 15M, new study finds" by Taylor Soper at GeekWire - September 18, 2017

"Amazon Isn't Just Spending Big Bucks on Groceries" by Justin Fox at Bloomberg - June 16, 2017

Tech Tip

"You can now search your library's e-book collection straight from Google" by Sasha Lekach at Mashable - September 19, 2017

Interview with Jillian Vorce

The Jillian Group

20/20 Mind Sight: Refocus, Reignite & Reinvent Your Life from the Inside Out by Jillian Vorce and Phil Fragasso

Marketing for Rainmakers: 52 Rules of Engagement to Attract and Retain Customers for Life by Phil Fragasso

Other books by Phil Fragasso

Oprah Winfrey interviews Robert Kiyosaki (YouTube)

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money - That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! By Robert Kiyosaki

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley

Hitch the movie

"The Lens of Creativity" presentation by Jillian Vorce at TEDxWaldenPond (video) - November 13, 2012

"Natick Rotary Club gathers to induct new members" by Peter Golden at WickedLocal - July 5, 2012

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

Content

PBS Video app for Fire tablets

The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick

Outro

"A Week on the Wrist: The Apple Watch Series 3 Edition" by Benjamin Clymer at Hodinkee - September 20, 2017

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TKC 467 Jennifer Cast Sep 15, 2017

Show notes

Vice President, Amazon Books stores

Interview starts at 10:48 and ends at 42:54

"We would like people who want physical books to walk out with a book, but if you walk out of our store, and you found three things to put on your wish list and two books that you want to buy for your Kindle, then we're very, very happy."

Intro

Agents of Change conference in Portland, Maine September 15, 2017 hosted by Rich Brooks, founder of Flyte New Media

News

"Dear Amazon, We Picked Your New Headquarters for You" by Emily Badger, Quoctrung Bui and Claire Cain Miller at The New York Times - September 9, 2017

"Amazon Weighs Boston in Search for Second Headquarters" by Spencer Soper at Bloomberg - September 12, 2017

"Amazon Music Focusing on Alexa, Echo to Stand Out Amid Streaming Competition" by Andrew Wallenstein at Variety - September 7, 2017

"Amazon's '1-Click' patent expires today…" by Monica Nickelsburg at GeekWire - September 11, 2017

"Amazon's 1-Click Patent is About to Expire. What's the Big Deal?" By Julia Dewitt at NPR - September 6, 2017

Tech Tip

Setting up an Echo Show remotely for my sister

Interview with Jennifer Cast

"Amazon's new Belleview bookstore shows brick-and-mortar ramp-up" by Ángel Gonzáles

Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Novel by Mark Sullivan

Outro

Apple Keynote including demo of Apple Watch Series 3 (at 32:20)

Next Week's Guest

Jillian Vorce, author of 20/20 Mind Sight: Refocus, Reignite & Reinvent Your Life from the Inside Out

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TKC 475 John Morgan Sep 09, 2017

Show notes

Executive Editor at Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Interview starts at13:18 and ends at 42:00

"Books these days as they are produced are pretty nice little objects. And then there are so many different ways that can work. You can read a book on your phone--a ton of people read books on their phones. They read them on the web, they read them on an eReader of choice--they can read E Ink, they can read on something like a tablet with the iPad. None of that process seems messed up to me. There's a lot of consumer choice, and there are a lot of different ways to read the same book."

News

Amazon seeks proposals for its second headquarters - September 7, 2017

"Amazon Wants A Second HQ--and Walsh Says Boston Will be 'Laser Focused' On Bidding" by Zeninjor Enwemeka at WBUR - September 7, 2017

"Few Cities Could Accommodate Amazon's New Headquarters" by Conor Sen at Bloomberg - September 7, 2017

"Amazon's second headquarters: These cities are contenders" by Irina Ivanova at CBS Moneywatch - September 7, 2017

Amazon Prime Instant Pickup

"Amazon removes the Fire TV box from the 'Fire TV Family'" at AFTVnews - September 7, 2017

Tech Tip

"Amazon Customers: Beware This Scam" by Joseph Steinberg at Inc. - September 5, 2017

Interview with John Morgan

Imprint, the Children's Publishing Group at Macmillan

Mr. Robot: Red Wheelbarrow

"Snowfall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek" by John Branch at The New York Times - 2012

The Witcher 3 - Wild Hunt (Playstation 4) based on The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski

Tom Clancy's The Division: New York Collapse (paperback only)

Tom Clancy's The Division (videogame)

Melchor Media

The Future of Storytelling

Tilt Brush by Google

Kesler Woodward's Painting in the North website

"Book Deal: The Wild Lands" at Paul Greci's blog - July 14, 2017

Surviving Bear Island by Paul Greci

House of Stairs and Interstellar Pig and by John Sleator (paper only)

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Content

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Illustrated [Kindle in Motion]

Comments

Next Week's Guest

Jennifer Cast, Vice President of Amazon Books, the brick-and-mortar stores unit of Amazon

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TKC 474 Nancy Pearl Sep 02, 2017

Show notes

Author of George & Lizzie

Interview starts at 14:30 and ends at 44:06

"Because of their childhoods I think they approach the world in such different ways--George the pathological optimist and Lizzie the person who knows the glass is totally empty and that you're just imagining any water. I don't know what keeps any two people together in a marriage, and I've been married 51 years!"

News

"'Cortana, Open Alexa,' Amazon Says. And Microsoft Agrees." by Nick Wingfield at The New York Times - August 30, 2017

Amazon press release - August 30, 2017

Amazon announces Alexa Prize Finalists

"Alexa, Play My Music Everywhere" - Amazon release August 29, 2017

Interview with Nancy Pearl

George & Lizzie: A Novel by Nancy Pearl (available for pre-order with release on September 5, 2017)

Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment and Reason (2003) by Nancy Pearl

"'I Want the Pages to Turn': Librarian Nancy Pearl's Summer Reading List" at National Public Radio's Morning Edition - June 29, 2017

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Birds of America: Stories by Lorrie Moore

Standard Deviation: A Novel by Katherine Heiny