Yesterday I went to my daughter’s gymnastics class and realized I’d left all of my electronic devices at home. Even my phone! Oh, the horror! I had a full hour of free time and nothing to read! Luckily I found an old paperback stuffed into the side pocket of my car.
I confess, I’m a bit of a techno junkie. I rarely buy paperbacks anymore. The last hardcover I bought was Stephen King’s Under the Dome and my wrists ached for a week. Every now and then I check books out from the library. For old time’s sake, I guess. Even my kids read most of their books on their e-readers. (We are a mixed family. My daughter and I have Nooks, my son has a Kindle.)
Sitting in the parent’s room at gymnastics, I was surprised when a woman next to me asked what I was reading. It was an old Dean Koontz book and I wasn’t all that impressed with it, but we got to talking about books. We swapped book recommendations. We exchanged ideas about the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. We discussed favorite books and hated books. Before we knew it, the hour was up.
As much as I love my Nook, I left that evening feeling a little conflicted. Despite my love of technology, there is a drawback to reading on a screen. Nobody asks what you’re reading. You might as well be going through emails or reading marketing reports, for all passersby know. Impromptu book talks generally do not occur.
I love my devices. I love reading a page or two of a book on my cell phone while waiting in a long line at the grocery store. I love reading 900 page books without getting sore wrists. I love stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce with my right hand and holding my Nook high with the left (so as not to get it splashed with said spaghetti sauce), and finishing that awesome chapter I couldn’t put down the night before. But last night I realized that I also love seeing the dip of someone’s head trying to see what I’m reading. I love talking about books with a stranger who becomes a friend. I love hearing what people around me are reading, what they like, what they hate.
I think I’ll pick up a paperback next time I’m at the grocery store. I think I’ll savor the feeling of paper in my hands and the smell of newly cut pages. Maybe it will lead to a conversation. Maybe it will lead to a great new book recommendation. And maybe, every now and then, it will lead to a new friend. Because really, book people are the best!
The
Corpse Goddess
By
Kristi Jones
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
ASIN:B008EZXJ7E
Number of pages: 274
Word Count: 79,034
Blurb/Book Description:
Party girl Meg Highbury wakes up the morning of her twenty-first birthday with one hell of a hangover – and a walking corpse in her apartment. Meg turns to her straight-laced neighbor Armando for help and together they discover that Meg is a Valkyrie.
What’s more, her first duty is to trade places with the corpse. But Meg is being sent to her Death Duty too soon. In a race against time, Meg frantically tries to find a loophole to her gruesome fate, but while Meg is determined to live whatever the cost, Armando's strict moral principles keep getting in the way of her plans for escape.
Can Meg walk the 'right' and narrow path, possibly sacrificing her mortal life, for love? And if she can, will Armando have the stomach to love a rotting corpse of a girl who is falling apart in more ways than one?
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
Author Bio:
She currently lives in south Texas with her husband and two children, who inspire her daily. She is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas and Romance Writers of America. She loves old movies, being a Mom, the feel of paper in her hands and things that go bump in the night.
1 comment:
That's true. If someone strikes up a conversation with you it's about the gadget rather than the book. On the plus IDE there are no disgusted looks when I'm reading something hot and raunchy. :)
Congrats on your new release.
Post a Comment