Books are Still For Lovers

Last year, my friend Lisa put together Books are for Lovers, a sort-of support campaign aimed at brick and mortar bookstores. And let’s face it, bookstores need love too. I don’t think anyone wants to see physical bookstores disappear from society, even if we read more e-books than regular ones.

Ink and paper books just have a distinctly special smell, a texture that cannot be imitated, and the experience of reading one is completely different from that of reading an electronic book.

So this Valentine’s Day, we encourage you to treat yourself, and maybe even those you love, to a real ink and paper book from a brick and mortar store. Barnes and Noble, independent bookstores, wherever your community goes to buy books in person.

I’m going. Not sure what I’ll choose, but I have a list of books I’d love to read, so we’ll see what I can find. The question is how many will come home with me.

If you participate, be sure to stop by and tell me what you bought! Oh, and also, visit Lisa’s blog and enter the Books are for Lovers contest.

Speaking of lovers, being the hopeless and ridiculous romantic that I am, I love Valentine’s Day. Not because I receive expensive gifts or get to eat out (though, that does happen on rare occasions), but because I love when people express their love for others. I love to give my kids a special little something—even if it’s just a chocolate bar. I don’t need an excuse, of course, but having a day designated for that expression is sometimes a good reminder for people, and the truth is, I think we all need reminders sometimes.

So tell me, what are you doing for the people you love this week?

The Controversial Ebook vs Paper Book Discussion

(Also, some FRAWESOME deals of the week.)
*I inadvertently scheduled this blog to post on Monday instead of Wednesday. No idea why, but clearly the universe wanted this out before then, so I'm just going to go with it. Count this as my regular Wednesday post, okay? Thanks!

A couple weeks ago, some friends and I had that inevitable discussion about ebooks versus the ink-and-paper versions. I’ve had this talk before with a number of people, and have come to some personal conclusions (which are solely my opinion and feelings).

1. There is nothing quite like holding an actual book in your hands, smelling the paper, turning the pages, stroking the cover, etc. I will ALWAYS prefer paper books to ebooks, no matter how convenient or inconvenient. And I will ALWAYS *heart* libraries and bookstores.

2. I love my Kindle, and also the Kindle app on my iPhone. I love that wherever I go, I can pull up a book and start reading. Ereaders are possibly the best invention ever.

3. I love books. And when I find one that resonates with me, I buy it. More often than not, one copy to keep, and one to give away or loan out. And if I really, really love a book, I have been known to buy both the hardcover copy AND the ebook. That’s right, I BUY BOTH. (And no, I am in no way rich.)

4. I have an extensive library of ink-and-paper titles in my house. I also have a growing ebook library. If you were to walk into my house and compare the actual books to my ebooks, you’d find a lot of repeated titles.

5. My actual book library is still bigger, and continues to grow faster than my ebook library.

In conclusion, I believe that while ebooks seriously ROCK, there will always be a place and purpose for their ink-and-paper counterparts.
Yes, I know publishing is changing. I understand that the market is constantly evolving and growing and becoming something completely unpredictable. I’m okay with that, because I think avid readers will adapt with it. But I also think that goes both ways. I think the market will adapt with the needs of people. And scary as that sounds, it’s also exciting to see how much more easily accessible great books will become for those who need them.

So what do you think? Is one market-type going to overtake the other?

*Also, dudes, if you’re a fan of Elana Johnson’s Possession, don’t miss out on this FANTABULOUS, AWESOMESAUCE opportunity to win an exclusive (never to be released digitally) character booklet filled with beautiful illustrations based on the next installment, Surrender. Also, you can read the first two chapters of Surrender here. All you have to do is preorder Surrender by Elana Johnson. You’ll find all the details here.

**And if you love reading like me, don’t miss the amazing deal on the ebook versions of Lani Woodland’s Intrinsical and Indelible. 


Yay for fun opportunities! And guess what? I just found a bunch more awesome deals, including some free stuff,  all listed here. Be sure to check them out.