If you’re like me, you occasionally love to soak in a nice, long, bath and read a good book. And you also may have noticed that it can sometimes be difficult to read that way. For some of you, this handy accessory might be the way to go: The Taymor Bath Caddy Spa/Gift Set.

As you can see in the picture, this little bath caddy spans the width of your tub, and sits on either end. It’s expandable to fit most any size tub. There are places to hold whatever you might need, but it also comes with several accessories to give you a start on your bathtime pampering: a loofa, pumice stone, sponge and nail brush.

Most importantly, it includes a book rack, so you can set your book on the caddy in order to read it.

Here, unfortunately, comes the problem however, because the caddy does not come with a way to keep the book open.

Fortunately, my previous post listed several options for accessories to keep your book open as you read. Pair one of those options with the Taymor Bath Caddy, and you’ve got the perfect way to relax in the tub with a good book!

I love reading, but what I don’t always love is the hassle of always having to keep a book open as I read it. Sure, most of the time, holding a book open myself is fine. But what about then I’m eating? Or on the treadmill at the gym? Or what if I need to hold my cookbook open to see the recipe as I’m cooking? There’s lots of times when you need to keep a book open, and there’s just no handy way to do it. Now, you can be low tech like my mom and stick something on the book to keep it open, (my mom uses a small hammer). But, that’s sometimes a hassle too, and if you don’t have something heavy enough, you are out of luck.

Fortunately, there are several ingenious inventors who have come up with some very clever ways to achieve hands-free reading. Here are a couple I found:

The EZ Book Clip from, where else, http://www.ezbookclip.com/. The EZ book clip is simply a steel wire formed into a “clip.” You stick the ends of the clip into your book, and the clip keeps your page open for you. To turn the page, slide the clip up until the pages are free, turn the page, then slide the clip back down again. What I like about the EZ Book Clip is that it’s compact, and can double as a bookmarker! It comes in several sizes, colors and designs, so you can get just the right style to suit you and your reading material.

The Book Clip at http://www.bookclip.com/ is a different take altogether on the “Book Clip” idea. This device is made of plastic, and works by clipping the device onto several pages of your book, then sliding the plastic arm so that it holds both sides of the book open. The second photo of the Book Clip shows that the back of the clip is longer than the front. This makes it simple to turn the pages by just sliding the clip up until the page is free, then sliding it back down again.

Finally, one of my favorites in this category is The OpenPage Book Holder, which I wrote about extensively in one of my first posts (when it was still called “The BookMate”).

The OpenPage Book Holder is not just a “clip,” but an entire book cover that protects your book while it holds the book open, and keeps the book closed tightly when you’re not reading. It also has a built-in bookmark.

You can see my original article about the BookMate to see how it works, or, visit The OpenPage Book Holder Website. It’s one of my top picks for a way to keep your book open while you read!

For those that don’t know, the next generation of Apple iPhone went on sale today. And just as predicted in the previous post, Fictionwise.com/eReader.com released a FREE version of their eReader software for the iPhones, and iPod Touch.

This app has most all the great features that eReader has on other devices, PLUS, the ability to read landscape thanks to iPhone’s ability to automatically adjust the view when turning the device from portrait to landscape.

Reviews have already been mixed, though. Some reviewers are lamenting that they could not get their previous eReader purchases to work on the iPhone version. Other people are saying they could not download free books and view them on this eReader software. Yet others are complaining about the software being slow.

One reviewer has said that there is no way to download books directly to the iPhone, but other reviewers talk about downloading books directly from eReader.com, so it’s a bit confusing right now how this works. BUT…it’s definitely a start. I’m sure they’ll have all the bugs worked out in a few months, then I’ll be off to buy MY iPhone!

From a report on jkOnTheRun, good news for those of us who have an iPhone or are looking to buy an iPhone. According to jkOnTheRun, eReader, a subsidiary of Fictionwise.com, one of the leading eBook Stores on the internet, is in the process of porting their eReader software to the iPhone. The guys at jkOnTheRun asked Fictionwise.com about this, and here’s what they were told:

Apple released their SDK for iphone/itouch on March 6. We have two Mac development experts doing the work to make eReader function on the iphone/itouch right now. Apple will allow third party applications, like eReader, to be used by customers after the next iPhone/iTouch firmware update which is currently estimated to be released on June 30 and we expect to be done with our porting work at about the same time.

However, there is also a wild card in that Apple must approve of each and every application released for iphone/itouch, and we are currently seeking information about what the criteria are to qualify. We will certainly support these devices if we possibly can and Apple allows it.

Thank you!

Best Regards,

Fictionwise/eReader Support Team

I can’t see anything that would keep Apple from approving the eReader application for their phones.

What I’d be curious to see is whether or not the iPhone version of eReader would be able to purchase and download eBooks directly to your iPhone. This would be the real advantage of the software, since as far as I know, this feature is only available on Windows Mobile devices. But, porting a purchases and downloads feature to iPhone would make a lot of sense…it’s something the iPhone is really custom made to do.

According to the statement above, Fictionwise.com was anticipating they will be finished with a beta version of this by the end of June. New iPhones will be released July 11. Could Fictionwise.com have an iPhone version of eReader ready to download by end of July? Time will tell.

For anyone who buys used books and/or magazines, this product is really a must have! The Smelleze™ Book & Antique Deodorizer Pouch is a fabric pouch that contains a natural, odorless, non-toxic, non-flammable and non-caustic material. Place this pouch along with the book you need deodorized in a ziploc bag, or plastic container. Let it set for a few days, and the odors will be gone! It also absorbs moisture, so it protects your books from mold and mildew. And since it’s odorless and non-toxic, it’s safe to use even if you have allergies. $11.99 for an extra large pouch at Imtek Environmental Corporation.

Bindependent.com is a website primarily created to give online support to people who have suffered brain injuries. And while this website also hosts a large store of things that are helpful to those who have disabilities, many of the items sold there are also helpful to the public in general.

Case in point, the “Hold and Read,” a simple little device that holds a book open for you so you don’t have to. It’s lightweight and compact, and when you’re not using it to hold your book open, it can be folded and used as a bookmark. Only $6.97 each at Bindependent.com.

From a story on Engadget:

Researchers at Maryland and Berkeley Universities developed a prototype dual-face, modular e-book reader that allows readers to fan pages to advance in a book or via trackball. If you’re doing some serious research, the displays separate from one another, allowing one to display in landscape mode while the other runs in portrait. To complete the book meme, the device can be folded over to run in a more compact manner, and a simple flip changes the page.

Check out the story on the New Scientist Technology Blog, and watch the prototype in action.

From c|net news comes the report that Princeton University is making plans to publish all of their textbooks in Amazon Kindle format.

This is an outstanding idea, that I’m looking forward to seeing the results of. Anyone who has been to college or who has had a child in college knows the INSANE number of books you’re asked to carry around. With this system, you could potentially just carry around one Amazon Kindle, and you’ve got all your books with you at the touch of a button. Very cool.

From Britian comes a clever little device that’s so simple, yet so handy: Thumbthing. According to the Thumbthing website, “it’s the perfect book accessory for a new generation of book-reader.”

Basically, you slip the Thumbthing onto your thumb like a ring, and place the pointed end into the spine of your book. The “wings” on either side will effortlessly hold your book open for you.

This handy little device comes in several sizes to fit your thumb perfectly, and several different colors to suit every taste. And the price is right: a mere $3.00 per Thumbthing. Visit the Thumbthing website for more details and a list of websites that sell the Thumbthing!

From a story at Engadget, here’s a new eBook reader from a company called iRex Technologies: The iLiad Book Edition.

Earlier in the year, iRex Technologies released the iLiad, which they described as “…a portable device that lets you read and write as you do on paper everywhere you go.” The iLiad was more computer than eBook reader, allowing you to do many things most eBook readers don’t do.

The iLiad Book Edition has less features than the iLiad, but for people who really only want a book reader, the features the iLiad Book Edition does have are more than enough. It boasts a large 8.1″ high-contrast, high-resolution display, 256MB internal flash memory that can be expanded with memory cards up to 8 Gigs. It’s fairly light, at 14 ounces, and has a rechargeable battery that can work for up to 15 hours on a single charge!

The iLiad Book Edition can read files in several different formats including .prc eBooks which are available at sites like MobiPocket.com. But just in case for some reason you’re unable to download books right away, it comes pre-loaded with 50 classic books including Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. See a complete list of books included with the iLiad Book Edtion by clicking THIS LINK.

By connecting your iLiad Book Edition to your computer, you can not only download new books, but by using MobiPocket’s Reader software, you can also download newspapers, website blogs and other content. You can even download your own files to be read with the iLiad Book Edition.

But, unfortunately, as with most eBook readers, all these features come with a hefty price: $770 US. Is the convenience worth the price? I guess it’s up to you to decide.