Your Smartphone as a Reading Companion

I was not an early adopter when it comes to Smartphones.  I really enjoyed my little bright blue slider phone – it fit perfectly into my hands and was so easy to use for texting.  After a while, though, I caved and got my first iPhone (a 4).  I have progressed to now having the iPhone 7.

Now, I am always – ALWAYS – using my smartphone for reading.  Not reading as in reading ebooks or listening to audiobooks.  Although I do that, too – and doing both is free with your library card through hoopla and eLibraryNJ.  While I read a regular, paper book, I use my phone to learn about anything and everything I wonder about in the story.  Sometimes I use it for confirmation of what I think I already know – like the definition of a word; sometimes I want to see what the place described in the story looks like; sometimes I check if something mentioned is fact or fiction; sometimes I don’t know what that something mentioned is at all and need to know more.  I have discovered so much from being curious beyond the story itself.

Here are just a few things I have used my phone to find out about recently (and what book inspired my search):

·       What the sign looked like on the White Hart pub in Scole, England, how a “cruck-sided” house looks, and what is a “free house” when referring to a pub (The Man with a Load of Mischief  by Martha Grimes) 

·        More about the sperm whale skeleton at the Nantucket Historical Association; what are the “frigate shoals,” and how Henderson Island looks (In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick)

·        Atari gave real gold prizes for winners of their Swordquest contest??? and that Riptide television show sounds very familiar – did I see it when I was little? (Yes to both! – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline)

·      What the Trellick Tower in London looks like (What Came Before He Shot Her by Elizabeth George)

·       Which are the “magnificent seven” cemeteries in London and what does Brompton Cemetery look like (The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz).

·       What is the temperature in the Arctic and what is the Northwest Passage like today? (Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition by Paul Watson).

·        And, what is the temperature in the Antarctic?  Who was Scott and Amundsen? (At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft).

·        What is an “oast house” and how does it look? (A Fearsome Doubt by Charles Todd)

If you are curious, too, take a look at these books:

Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders

Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words

One more thing - remember when you are learning from the internet that you need to pay attention to the source of the information.  Do not just take one site’s word for it.  Be a smart searcher.  For tips on evaluating websites and other sources of information, take a look at guides created by John Jay College ofCriminal Justice (CUNY) and the University of California – Berkeley.

-          Andrea M., Hopewell Branch