If you’ve read my column/blog/mental dumping ground/whateverthis is, you know of my love for e-books. I read a lot, averaging a book every other day — I’ve slowed down a bit — and have been known to get actively shaky when I finish a book and don’t have another at hand, ready to go. So the concept of being able to carry a few hundred with me wherever I go was irresistable.
Since then the convenience and savings in both money and shelf space has converted me to the point where I prefer to buy e-book versions wherever possible, saving the print version for gifts, special editions, or books that won’t translate well to a small screen (say, pop-up books; pop-up technology is woefully behind the times).
For many people, reading on a small screen simply doesn’t compare to a printed book, and that’s fine. And enjoying e-books doesn’t mean you have to abandon the printed word forever. But if you like the idea of being able to knock off a chapter or two in line at Publix or on the bus, I highly recommend them, and now’s a good time to give it a try.
March 8-14 is “Read an E-Book Week.” Check out the list of sponsors, most of which are offering free e-books for download for a variety of e-book readers.
And to help you make sense of this, starting tomorrow I’ll post reviews of popular e-book sites as well as the various e-book reader applications that are available. Get reading!
It doesn’t get much better than free.