There are a lot of inexpensive ebooks out there. Some are classics, some are crap. Anybody can self publish a book with a little effort but should they?

There are websites that will guide you to these low priced books, Book Gorilla and Book Lending to name a few. There are some established authors on their lists that will sell older books at a reduced price, sometimes only for a day. You can find some bargains but it takes time and you’ll probably end up reading books that only mildly interest you. Most of these inexpensive books are by first time authors that couldn’t find a publisher and there’s a reason for that. The writing is amateur and the editing poor or nonexistent.

Classic works by well known authors like Jane Austen or Edgar Allan Poe are being marketed in multiple formats as ebooks. Do I really need to have all my favorite books on my reader just because that only cost $0.99? I’ve decided “No” for the most part. If I want to reread an old classic I’ll buy it then. The quality of the layout varies on these so if thee’s a sample, look at it. Of course, it’s good to have a few old favorites loaded on your reader for those airport layovers or doctors’ waiting rooms.

You may discover new favorite authors by buying these inexpensive books, but I admit that I’m a diehard review reader and if a respected source like the New York Times recommends it I’m more likely to read it than  trusting a few Amazon reviews that were probably written by the author’s friends.

Happy reading!

I’ve always been addicted to reading. My mother used to kick me out of the house to go play and I’d just bring my book out to the picnic table. I still feel naked without a book of some sort in my bag. I want that chance to escape into another world at any moment. Now we have so many choices of ways to read.

I read full books on the tiny screen of my iPhone before I got my Kindles and if necessary I still will read from my phone.

My first Kindle, the original Kindle, was not a favorite but I appreciated being able to carry multiple books around with me. It seemed kind of low tech and clunky and we never really bonded. It eventually died.

It was replaced with a Kindle Touch. That is more sleek and sexy and since I make a point of carrying the smallest bag possible, it fit my lifestyle. I currently have 140 books on it. I haven’t read them all but they are there in case I’m stranded at a bus stop or doctor’s appointment. I bought a rubbery cover for it so it isn’t so slippery. It makes the Kindle feel secure in my hands. Because of its size, it goes with me almost everywhere.

Then along came my Kindle Fire. It was kind of a gift. My husband bought it for himself and decided it didn’t really meet his needs. Plus I was always borrowing it to watch Amazon Prime movies.

I like the Fire for its apps and internet capability. I use it to view books I’m publishing on KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) to make sure the formatting looks right on different devices. Also, it makes PDF documents easier to scroll though than trying to read them on a laptop. It makes reading magazines on a plane much easier. No more elbowing the passenger next to you while turning the page.

So now when I leave the house, I have to decide whether to take the Touch or the Fire. If I have room, I sometimes take both. If I’m just going to be reading and in the sun, I take the Touch. The glare on the Fire makes it difficult to use outside. The Fire has become my laptop replacement if I might need to look something up on the internet.  It’s certainly not a replacement for my MacBook but it’s a step up from my phone. I kinda feel if you are going to use an iPad you might as well use a laptop. Anyway, that’s another conversation.

I still love the feel of a good hardcover book. It’s now become a special treat. There’s nothing like a good novel taken from the library shelves and brought home to savor with a good cup of tea. The smell and weight of it is comforting. Textbooks and nonfiction sometimes work better for me in paper as well. Flipping to a certain page to get the information you need quickly is easier for me when I can actually see the pages.

So, there you have it. I love books in any shape and form.