After the unfortunate death of my Sony Reader, I went through the five stages of grief, as the loss of my device was a very dramatic event. I denied that it was broken, I threw a temper tantrum, I told a Best Buy employee that I would do anything to have it back, and I cried on the train, but I finally came to accept that I had sat on my Sony Reader and I alone was to blame. As I browsed sadly through the eNYPL catalog, images of the distinctly curved cracked screen flashed through my head, and I imagined the day when I could once again comfortably read a book on my 1 1/2 hour (sometimes standing) train commute. Finally the day came when I was united with a new eReader — a Kindle Fire from the Christmas gift giver, Santa Claus. I instantly downloaded a book and my obsessive use of the eNYPL catalog began again.

Whether you are a new or seasoned user of eNYPL, you may realize that searching the catalog can be a little tricky. Not all our favorite authors and titles are available to download instantly, so the best way to search is by browsing, which can be time consuming. So, I have decided to help you out! Every so often, check back for some of my eNYPL browsing tips and book recommendations when you're in need for a read. Be sure to also check out NYPL's new eBook Central if you have any questions about your device.

Today, I would like to start you off with a reading recommendation. The first book that I downloaded onto my new device was 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill. It has been on my to-read list for quite some time and happened to be one of the books that was waiting to be read on my ill-fated Sony Reader. 20th Century Ghosts is a collection of horror stories written by Joe Hill, a.k.a. Joseph King, Stephen King's son. While the collection is classified as horror — and there certainly were spine tingling tales — overall I thought the stories were more twisted and weird (but in a very good way).

This addictingly odd collection features a boy who transforms into a giant bug (Kafka fans?), a young outcast that befriends a living inflatable boy (my favorite of all the stories), a horror novel editor that finds himself in a real horror scenario, and plenty more. All the stories will grab your attention as you quickly devour Hill's writing.

If you like Hill's collection or creepy, twisted stories in general, here are similar titles that are available through eNYPL: