LaPalm Books

March 6th-12th is Read an eBook Week!

I confess…I’m a stubborn supporter of eBooks. My first love remains to be the tattered pages of a musty old book. I’m particularly fond of library books – you know the ones sporting mystery spots, taped covers, and folded corners? When I’m reading one, it’s easy to imagine the countless other faceless bibliophiles who’ve enjoyed that book before me.

Sure, you can “share” digital versions, but the feeling isn’t the same.

I fondly remember my mother, grandmother, and aunts lugging piles of paperbacks and magazines to family visits. They had a system: one person subscribed or purchased the item and once they read it, it was then put into circulation, making the rounds to everyone else. Their sharing was economical, but more importantly, it created a womanly bond. The articles and plots gave them a common interest-something to discuss over coffee or on the phone.

You can’t replicate relationships with eBooks.

Even as I write, the bloggers and literary magazines lament the potential loss of printed books as eReaders, phones, and PCs become the preferred form of entertainment. I don’t doubt the rising numbers. Percentage of downloads increase every month at an alarming rate, and it’s no wonder. EBooks are easier to obtain, cheaper, and formatted to be compatible with practically any device. But, I don’t envision the disappearance of printed books altogether. Rather, I see them as an alternate choice-giving more options to dedicated readers and newbies. I wouldn’t be surprised if some who balked at reading now find themselves doing it more because of the convenience.

In my world, books and eBooks can co-exist just as landlines and cell phones, desktops and laptops, and the Internet and libraries work as a team. Because you see, we need them both to remind us reading and books aren’t for select people…they are for everyone.

Which brings me back to Read an eBook Week! Many authors listed on the leading eBook site, SMASHWORDS, are celebrating with discounts from 25% off to FREE on their titles. I’ve enrolled STILL LIFE as FREE with coupon code RE100! So please…take a chance, find a book from a strange writer, read something totally out of your comfort zone, and support these indie authors.  

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and let me know what new adventures/authors you find this week!