Overbooked Reader

AlphaSmart Dana is a battery-operated keyboard with screen word processor manufactured by NEO Direct, Inc. (formerly Alphasmart, Inc.). It weighs a hefty 2 lbs. and features a full-sized keyboard. When it was first released in 2002, the Dana was a pioneering device in its category. It featured a Palm OS operating system, a a back-lit (can be switched on and off) touchscreen with stylus, 8 megabytes of internal storage (plus 2 SD card slots). It could sync with personal computers and laptops. And it could connect directly to printers. Today, these specs may seem frivolous. The production of the Dana has, in fact, been discontinued by its manufacturers. However, demand for this, and other similar devices, has experienced a revival as budding and professional writers search for new avenues toward writing without distractions. I discovered the AlphaSmart Dana during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Participants from the Philippines were discussing what devices t...

In Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage , protagonist  Tsukuru Tazaki is a young man, traumatized by a great loss. When he was 20, Tsukuru was abruptly—and without reason given him—ejected from his group of five friends, composed of three boys and two girls.  Four members of the group had names that mean colors: ‘red,’ ‘blue,’ ‘white,’ and ‘black.’ But Tsukuru’s name means ‘colorless.’ He is aware of this distinction, and sees himself as someone who contributes no value to the group, and to the world. No wonder his friends abandoned him. Preoccupied with thoughts about dying and death, Tsukuru is depressed for months after his abandonment. But he is made of stern stuff, and manages to pull himself together. He now manages railroad stations, which has been his dream job ever since he was a child. Still, he is unable to find true meaning and happiness in life, as his troubled past continues haunting him. When Tsukuru’s girlfriend gives him an ultimatum—to ta...