Books!

I bought two books today, and I can’t wait to read them. One is long and one is short.
I really do need to set aside more time for reading. And more time for housekeeping. But since I hate keeping house, I’ll read first.

 

 
 My oldest asked what I wanted for Christmas and I told her a Kindle. Then she asked which one. Okay, I’m techno-challenged. I had to go look at them.

Considering the amount of trouble I have with the touch screen on my phone and the fact that I often can’t get the doors to the supermarket to open for me when I walk up to them, I decided buttons would be a good thing. I asked for the one with buttons, except I keep trying to touch the screen.
It’s been the best thing to happen to me for a long time. If I have my Kindle, I can read. I love it! And I can sync it to my computer so I can read wherever I want and when I want and I can pick up where I left off.

Now, it’s filled with books. I read as much as I can. I’ve always been a reader. I devoured books. I traded with family and friends. I’d even visit the used bookstores and bought cheap books. I seriously preferred new books, those fresh ones that someone hadn’t sneezed upon, etc. But money was tight and my appetite was greater than my budget. So like any junkie I’d do almost anything for a book fix!

I love ebooks! I found a slew of boxes in a closet the other day filled with books. OMG! There must be six boxes in there and I forgotten I’d stashed them on there. I looked at how much those boxes weighed and the number of books in each box. I have more than that on my Kindle. My Kindle is lightweight and can hold a whole lot more books. After looking at that pile of books, I really appreciate the Kindle even more.
No, I haven’t figured out all the buttons or how to do anything more than read on it. But I’m loving it. I can take books with me where I go. I can read in odd places and I don’t have to worry about anyone wondering what I’m reading. Never judge a book by its cover and never judge the reader by the book that they hold in their hands.

My reading tastes are all over the place. I adore a good cozy mystery and I love a wonderful English historical. But I have friends in this business, so I’m apt to read a really hot sexy book or a sweet one just because I know the author, or I’ve tried to help a new author with a release. Do I love everything? No. But I will recognize a well-written book.

I just refuse to comment on one that I really dislike.  Remember being taught if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all? Are there bad books out there? You betcha!  Time is too precious to waste it on a book that you dislike! Find something else to read!
I recently read Southern Fried Dragon. Okay, I’ll admit the title caught me. For those outside of the USA, we have what’s called Southern Fried Chicken. No, we don’t have northern fried chicken only southern. I knew it was a new release by the author. The writing world is actually quite small so I knew Nancy Lee Badger was a Southern writer. I knew it was a Civil War book set in Charleston, SC, USA. I started reading and was shocked to discover I’d bought a shape-shifter book. (My fault for not reading the blurb!) I really don’t read paranormal. I’ve read a few and they just aren’t my thing.

I have a difficult time with time travel, sci-fi, and other such things because they require something from me that I don’t have. It’s as if I left that behind with my childhood toys. But I continued to read because this author had done a marvelous job of showing the attitude of the people and describing the city and its culture.

For those who love dragons, it’s great! For those who don’t, it’s still a good book. And isn’t that what really matters? Nancy Lee Badger kept me reading in spite of the shifter in it. She made me smile and laugh and want to cry. She developed characters and settings, and it was beautifully edited. (Someday I’ll tell you about edits, and how they make a difference.) She wrote a really good book!

I’ll try to keep you up to date on what I’m reading and what’s in my TBR (to be read) pile. And I’ll try to bring you a few fun tidbits from fellow authors – that insider stuff that as a reader you might not know. Here’s one, Bev Pettersen’s The Christmas Crossing (found in Sweetwater Springs Christmas anthology) was a finalist in The Carolyn Readers Choice Award. If you love horses, you’ll love her books. She’s an excellent author and a very sweet person.