MONDAY MASHUP: Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher Trailer, Rachel Vincent & E-Piracy, Big Brother E-Reader & Fifty Shades Birthday Cake
Welcome to our new feature where we talk about random things we’ve seen around the blogosphere. It could be an interesting article, a book trailer, maybe a fun piece of news we feel you should know about, and maybe even a stylish pair of shoes or handbag we’ve seen (if Laura has her way!). Basically it’s a bit of a mashup! Enjoy….
Tom Cruise As Jack Reacher Trailer
This is perhaps not a good subject for me, as I have read quite a few of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series and enjoyed them. Then I heard they were going to made into a film. Ok, as always I was nervous about how the adaptation would be handled, but I thought this could be good. But… then I heard Tom Cruise was going to play Reacher. Now, anyone who has read the books must surely agree with me? Tom Cruise is not Jack Reacher in the slightest! For a start he’s meant to be 6ft 6, I imagined him bigger, rougher around the edges and less guy next door. The trailer does look good though, so I probably will watch it and just grumble all the way through about the casting!
Source: NME
Rachel Vincent & E-Piracy
I am a big fan of Rachel Vincent, it was with interest I watched a saga unfold on her Facebook page when someone posted a review of her book BEFORE I WAKE on Goodreads, including a link to an e-piracy site. It turns out it was all a misunderstanding and the reviewer did not realise she was linking to the piracy site. However, some of the comments showed that quite a few of her readers did not truly understand the nature of e-piracy. As an avid reader, it saddens me that so many people think that it’s OK to download digital books illegally. I also think if something looks too good to be true, it usually is. It’s a horrible trend that might mean the next book in one of my or your favourite series may end up not getting published. So if you are genuinely unsure of what e-piracy is, then I would recommend you give Rachel’s blog a read.
Source: Rachel Vincent’s Blog
Big Brother E-reader?
I love my Kindle, it makes traveling with books so much simpler and one-click downloading gives me great instant gratification and means that I don’t have to wait if I desperately need to read the next book in the series right now! Naively, there is one part of my e-reading that I have never considered before this week. And that is that publishers and sellers maybe using my e-reader to keep track of me and my reading habits. But it seems they can and are:
With digital content we have the ability all of a sudden to glean new insights into our customers,” says Todd Humphrey, Kobo’s executive vice president of business development. “How often do they pick up and engage with a book? What’s the average time when they start to read? How many pages do they read an hour? How long does it take to read a book? And through bookmarking, people tell us where they stop…
Yikes. I know I’m used to it online, I know we’re tracked on website we visit and searches we plug into search engines. But this sort of tracking feels quite intimate, reading habits are quite personal are they not? I have to confess this makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable. At the moment the details of which e-reader companies track what is unclear, but I wonder if readers we should be demanding a bit more information about what information is collected about us and should we not have the option to opt out? Does this make you feel a bit uncomfortable too?
Source: Guardian Books
Fifty Shades Birthday Cake?
I think I may have promised to try and not talk about Fifty Shades so much in my Monday Mashups, I think I’m going to fail… But I have a good reason! A friend on mine tweeted this picture made by Richards’ Cakes, how amazing is this birthday cake of Christian?! I take my hat off to the baker because this is incredibly clever. What do you think, fancy it on your birthday? 
Source: Richards’ Cakes
22 Comments
LOL That cake is a little bit freaky, although very clever of the cake maker. I’m not sure I like anybody knowing my movements, whatever they are, so I definitely think the ebook reader companies should make it known if they do this sort of thing or not.
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I’m sorry, but the figure on the cake looks a bit like the guy from the Plenty adverts Yuan Sheet!
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Ha ha, I kind of agree that cake is slightly freaky, but very clever.
In terms of ereaders I think there should be more transparency on what they track and give readers the opportunity to opt out.
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Well, as my birthday is coming up soon then it would be a no on the birthday cake, purely cos you all know how I didn’ really take to the fifty shades phenomenom. (Vicki, Carolyn and Laura are all worried about me and are think I should get proffesional help! lol!)
I haven’t read and Lee Childs books, so I can’t comment on Tom Cruises applicability on being the lead in the movie. That being said, he has knocked it out of the park playing Lestat in Interview with the Vampire and I did like him in Rock of Ages and Mission Impossible!
We all knew that E-piracy would be an issue when books went electronic. Its a shame because its both avid fans and authors that suffer. A big issue is the cost of electronic books and the territory issue thing. I can see it going the way of movies and music where release dates are very close together in each country in order to try and combat it.
I don’t get why the information on where I bookmark or highlight quotes is of any use. Ok, so the abandonment of books may be useful with regards to a busines model. Makes me glad I still go old school and buy physical books
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I shall have to find a suitable birthday cake for you on that week’s Monday Mashup, *racks evil brain*
In terms of ebooks, I think we all agree there is s lot wrong with the current models in terms of pricing, also the fact they have VAT on in the UK. But…. Authors really do not earn a lof money they’re not like a the music industry with their multi million contracts and we have to be careful to protect something we all love so much. Well that’s my opinion anyway.
In terms of privacy the bookmarks etc tell them how often you read, the speed you read how people read different genres. I could ultimately influence how they market to you, how books are written and the structure of different genres.
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*shakes fist* Those evil publishers! lol! No seriously, I agree! The authors that are starting out really don’t make that much. Its only when you get to household names who manage to sell their books for movies that you see them making the mega bucks. Its the nature of the beast, unfortunatly.
As for cake ideas…. As long as its chocoloate, I’m happy! lol!
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Chocolate has possibilities lol!
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Hmm, I’m not very happy with Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. Nothing fits for me – the size, the voice, it’s just not the Jack Reacher I have in my mind.
As for Kindle, I didn’t know that! I’m not really happy with my reading habits being monitored I must say.
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Not he’s just so wrong as Reacher isn’t he?!
I’m not a huge fan really, although he has been good in some films – Top Gun, Mission Impossible. I didn’t mind him in Interview With A Vampire, but I haven’t read the book (I really must)!
I don’t know if it’s the Kindle, I don’t believe they have disclosed that, but other ereaders companies have and I agree I think it’s really invasive.
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I don’t mind Tom Cruise as an actor (even though I’m not really a fan of him as a person) and I quite like him in many movies. He certainly rocks Top Gun and Mission Impossible.
You should read the Interview with a Vampire, Lestat comes off as a much better character than he does in the movie.
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I know, it’s one of those books I really must get around to pick up, it’s virtually a vampire classic!
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I haven’t read the books but unfortunately have never been a Tom Cruise fan and am instantly turned off a film if I know he’s in it. Have to disagree Gemma – I absolutely HATED him in Interview With The Vampire and only watched it to see how it fared as I love the books (Don’t even get me started on the Queen Of The Damned film!) … saying that I am tempted by Rock Of Ages – it looks a good film so maybe I can try and ignore him in it.
The e-readers. No – I don’t like that. I don’t like that at all. It’s almost like they’re in bed with me reading along. Creepy!
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Carmen, I agree on Wueen of the Damned. The fewer words said on that the better. Maybe it is just me but the egotistical Lestat was a perfect fir for Cruise. lol!!! I did read the book after going to see the film though.
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I loved the film otherwise, Brad Pitt was perfect. Maybe it really is just my hatred of Tom Cruise
I just finished reading the Rachel Vincent post – wow there’s an interesting debate going on in the comments. I think I was one of those who thought authors earned more too and you forget that not everyone in the world gets NHS. Sadly, I’ve seen this a lot recently around Blogland, not just with authors but with artists and illustrators to seeing their worked ripped off. It’s horrible
I saw an author, I forget who it was now, say on Twitter that a lot of people are prepared to pay £’s for a coffee and a cake in one of ‘those’ coffee shops but don’t think a book that’s taken all that hard work and that they get to keep forever is worth the same amount. It really struck me as a good point and I now use that comment when people try to justify piracy to me.
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Lol! Yeah, not the biggest Tom Cruise fan either. Thats why at times I begrudgingly say he is good in a role.
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Agree on Tom Cruise, there are some films I’ve enjoyed him in. In particular Top Gun. But I think the casting is just so wrong for Reacher, and he’s not my favourite of actors.
In terms of ereaders you ar so right it seems so much more invasive and creepy, because you do read in your bed.
The Rachel Vincent thing has got quite big since I originally wrote this post. Lots of comments on her blog and Facebook! We do forget that authors don’t earn very much they are normal people are not celebrities, just because we’re big fans. Such a valid comment on the cost of a posh coffee. I know which one I get the greatest reward out of!
I’m going to disagree on Tom Cruise in Interview with a Vampire, I didn’t think he was too bad, but I haven’t read the books, so maybe that would colour my perception.
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Naughty girl – you have to read Interview with the Vampire, it’s awesome!
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Got to agree with you Carolyn. Its a different beast from the film!
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I know, I know! I’ve bought the audiobook so hopefully when I’m back at work & driving more
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I want to read the Soul Screamers series. The cake, Funny, i’m giggling.
So far I like the stats ereaders are taking. Knowing the highlights are shared and Amazon gives recommendations from what is downloaded, read I am not surprised but it doesn’t bother me at all.
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The cake is funny isn’t it! You know in hindsight given all the other data that is collected about us, I don’t know why I was surprised about what they are collecting from ereaders. I’m still not sure I like it though.
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I find the whole concept of e-piracy a little absurd because libraries are already FREE! I mean, I haven’t purchased a book in months because if I want a book that isn’t up for ARC reviews I just go to my libraries website, put in a request and get a happy surprise when my email tells me I get to read a new book! Sure I have to wait, but still, there is no excuse for stealing when there are so many resources for free books anyway.
-Anya
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