A Book by Any Other Name… #MFRWAuthor Blog Challenge #amreading

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It’s Week 30 of the #MFRWAuthor 52-Week Blog Challenge and this week’s question is Paperback, e_Book or Audio? Well, a book by any other name (or format) is still a book. That said, I do have a preference for e-books first, then audio, and finally print.

My embrace of e-books started in 1999 when I picked up my first electronic book__on a 3 1/2 inch diskette – remember those?–at the Chicago RWA Conference. I also moderated the first ever RWA National workshop on e-books with Jane Toombs and Janet Lane Walters. I went home and read that book on my laptop. It was a PDF file and I stuck a little post-it on my laptop so I could keep track of where I was in the book.

Yes, e-books required some dedication in the early days, but I was well motivated. I’d already run out of space for print books, and had resorted to sneaking new paperbacks into the house when my husband was at work, LOL. I still have boxes and boxes of books from the 1990s stashed in boxes all over the house. Must sort through them one of these days.

Later I read on a Sony Clie PDA and invested in an RCA Gemstar e-Reader which I loved. It died about the time the very first Kindle was announced, so I ordered one, making me an early adopter of the Kindle.

Kindle 1

Proudly holding my first Kindle.

Now I read my Kindle books on a Paperwhite and on the Kindle apps on my iPad. Since getting the iPad, I got an account at Audible so I can listen to audiobooks in my car, which I thoroughly enjoy.

And yes, I still occasionally read print books, but always find myself wishing I could turn up the backlighting or increase the font.

Which do you prefer? Print, e-book or audio?

Click on the linky list below to read more posts in the #MFRWAuthor 52-Week Blog Challenge.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The free novellas for July are: How To Woo… A Reluctant Bride, Ilona’s Wolf and Marooned. Don’t forget to use the code SSW100 at checkout.

Lily and the Gambler is on sale for the summer at all outlets: Amazon Kindle, BN/Nook, Kobo and Smashwords.

Summer 2017 ad graphic

Linda

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Where Do I Start? #amreading #MFRWauthor #Blog Challenge

This week’s prompt in the #MFRWauthor 52-Week #Blog Challenge is “My biggest pet peeve in a book” to which I can only reply, “Where do I start?”

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Like a lot of readers, I don’t care for the “too-stupid-to-live” heroine. I lose patience with characters like that pretty quickly.

As a historical writer/reader, I often find myself put off by historical inaccuracies. Even if I’m still enjoying the book, I find myself mumbling to myself about incorrect use of titles/forms or address, or historical details I know are wrong. I recently quit reading a Medieval romance because the characters kept saying “Okay.” Okay is American dating from some point in the 19th c. though there are differing theories as to where it came from. But it’s definitely American.

I also don’t like books (or movies) where there is no character I can relate to or root for. I know flawed characters are great for conflict, but do they all have to be unlikable?

My newest pet peeve has to do with love scenes in carriages.

Last year, I visited Prague with a writer friend, and everywhere we went in Old Town, we had to walk on cobblestones. I understand why. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which means property owners and city managers are restricted in what they can do. In the old section of Bratislava we saw workmen repairing a sidewalk with, you guessed it, new cobblestones. While they make for a picturesque setting, cobblestones are hard on the feet and knees.

Prague cobblestones

Prague cobblestones, not as smooth to walk on as they look in the picture.

One evening Rebecca and I decided to take a carriage ride around Old Town Prague, though our carriage wasn’t as spiffy as this one.

Prague Carriage

Horse-drawn carriage in Prague Old Town Square

As we rode along, we found ourselves being bounced up and down and side to side, laughing all the way. The experience reminded me of the Star Tours ride at Disneyland, though not quite that bad. At least I didn’t need to find a chiropractor the next day.

At the time I said to Rebecca that I’d never be able to read a love scene in a carriage without laughing my head off! And sure enough, the first such scene I read brought back memories of the Prague carriage ride, and I laughed all the way through the scene. Not my usual reaction to a love scene, I can assure you. At least this is one pet peeve I can laugh about.

What are your pet peeves? Leave your answer in the comments section.

Linda

Use the linky list to find more pet peeves from #MFRWAuthors in the 52-Week #Blog Challenge