There was a time, in the long ago, when our only choice was to read “real” books. That is to hold an actual thing bound as a hardback or paperback. We had to hold the book open—sometimes to press it to keep it open—and keep it at the proper reading height. Sometimes those tomes were heavy. Sometimes the binding was such that it took real effort to keep the book open and we creased the spines. If we dropped the book, we lost our place. We couldn’t easily prop it open to read while we ate, or we had to hold the book open one-handed if we wanted to drink a cup of coffee. Those days ended for me when hubby bought me an ebook reader for Christmas. I’ve hardly had a better gift!
The reader was made by RCA. It had a handle for easy handling and a backlit screen. I’ll admit, I sometimes get new technology and I think about it for awhile before I start using it. Not this ebook reader! I had it up and running and looking for places to buy ebooks right away. Back then, Powell’s in Portland was just about the only place, other then through RCA itself. Since then I’ve bought another reader like that one when the company sold it, and two Kindles.
We used to move a lot. I remember times when we had boxes upon boxes of
books to lug around. Then you need places to put them. Now I can carry the equivalent of those boxes on one Kindle. Granted, actual books won’t run out of power in the middle of a chapter and have to be recharged, but the convenience of my Kindle outweighs the inconvenience.
People say they like to hold a book in their hands. That they love the smell of the paper. (They’ve obviously never “smelled” the paper when the basement floods and boxes of books stored there have gotten soaked.) I say, more power to them. I’m glad there are still real books available. Using a Kindle cookbook isn’t to my liking, so even I see a need for the real thing now and then. But for the most part? I’ll love and cherish my electronic book reader!
How about you?
Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.
Burning Bridges by Anne Krist
One Woman Only
Only a Good Man Will Do
Naval Maneuvers
weren’t reading enough, you were lazy or stupid. Jack’s teachers said as much about him in his classes. His problem was not plain to anyone looking at him. He looked sweet as an angel, but normal. Without some physical sign, there was nothing wrong. At least, that’s what people thought. So while I was given a pass for not being able to run, Jack was not given a pass for not being able to read.
same things the other kids did, or how much hurt he bottled up inside. His mom tried so hard to help him but didn’t know exactly what to do to make things better. Later, she gained her master’s degree in education with a specialty in reading so she could help other kids with Jack’s problem, so some good came of his hard time growing up. And as his family now, only I truly understand his pride in finishing his degree summa cum laude. It was a huge accomplishment and I’m so proud of him.
From its DVD writable drive to its mic plug. I’ve lived with this machine for so many years I had to look up the date we bought it. Now its chugging away back in the office trying to recover files at the manufacturer’s settings so we can see how much stuff we’ll be able to recover. (Note to self: Have “Back up more!!” tattooed on forehead.)
by Becky Wade that were Christian books (yes, I like my reading eclectic 😉 ), True to You and Falling for You. Both made me laugh and Falling for You made me cry, too.
to be published because no editor wanted first person point of view. Now of course, that’s not the case—lots of erotic romances are in first person, and a good many other genre books are, too. Times change, opinions change.
us to stretch since another character’s emotions have to be revealed through the POV of the focus character. That’s not always easy.
Duty, honor, service aren’t just words. Apply them to loving a woman, and see how hot Naval Maneuvers can get!
ut luckily for me, my mother taught me that dust bunnies regenerate (like bunnies) no matter how many times you Swiffer the floor, and you’re just going to get back in bed again, so making it is only so important. I’m not sure my husband knew my feelings on housecleaning when he married me, but he hasn’t filed for divorce yet, so I might be okay.
different from standard fare. I once proudly told my mom that Jack was so easy to cook for because he was happy with chicken and spinach. Yeah, well, after years of chicken and spinach a woman longs for a bit more. Some chili or pasta, for instance. Still, I don’t have to give up writing in order to work my way through Joy of Cooking—Jack wouldn’t eat most of that food. There’s always a silver lining!
do!) when not writing. When Mom taught me about dust bunnies she actually said, “Forget dust bunnies. There’s always time for a good book!” And boy, was she right! I admit to enjoying watching all of those people building furniture and cabinets and such on HGTV, as well as murdering people (and getting caught!) on ID. The brain needs a rest, y’all!
dentist’s office because that affords me guilt-free reading time. Five hours between flights? Gosh, that’s too bad. I guess I’ll just have to read. Thirty minutes between ordering my meal and receiving it? Darn it, I’ll be forced to open this book I have in my purse.
The reason this is such a welcome indulgence is this. Jack grew up with dyslexia in the dark days when dyslexia wasn’t really recognized as a problem. When we grew up, if you couldn’t read it was because you didn’t try hard enough, or you didn’t read enough (figure that one out!), or you were stupid. I despaired of his ever reading anything other than technical manuals or the IRS guidelines. Now, with text to speech programs, he can listen to books and we actually spend quiet evenings “reading” together. It’s a together time that I love!
Of course, I don’t look anything like this young lady (sadly), I don’t really enjoy beaches, and I burn if I’m out in the sun more than ten minutes. But I have the Kindle, so life is still good! Happy reading, summer, winter, fall, and spring!