Monday, January 14, 2013

Books: The Places We Go and the People We Meet

One-a-Day Photo Challenge
Day Fourteen:  Something You're Reading

"Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home."
--Anna Quindlen, How Reading Changed My Life

E-book text has been distorted in this photo 
to avoid copyright infringement.
What can I say? I'm a diehard rule follower.

I am a nester. A homebody. Home is a sanctuary, a place where I can do as I please, scratch where it itches, and, more important, let the walls fall down and simply be who I am. But I like to travel, too, and I enjoy meeting new people--just not too many of them at one time. Does any of that help to explain why books have played such an important role in my life?

From the comfort and safety of my home, I can open a book and find myself in another place or even another era, having an experience that may be exciting, frightening, romantic, enlightening, deeply moving, or all of the above. I can get so well acquainted with the characters that they become friends--or enemies--almost as if they were flesh and blood. I learn who and what they care about, what motivates them, what scares them, and whether or not they can be trusted. And I learn all of that quickly, without a lot of real-life dilly-dallying and annoying small talk.

As much as I love books made of paper and ink, I've learned to appreciate the fact that I can download an e-book at any time of the day or night, which means I'm never without late-night reading material. The library is still the most cost effective way to read, but I'm grateful for my Kindle.

The e-book I'm reading right now is Murder on the Mind by L.L. Bartlett. It's about a former private investigator who is recovering from a brain injury and suddenly finds himself having visions of people and incidents connected to a real-life murder. I chose this book because the writing seemed good and the Kindle edition was free on Amazon.com. It turns out that the price was a pretty good marketing strategy. The book is part of a series, and, at a third of the way into it, I feel pretty sure I'll be willing to pay for others in the same series.

Finally, I'm going to turn this particular photo challenge topic into one of my regular "What I've Been Reading" posts. Opportunistic much?

Murder on the Mind by L. L. Bartlett:





Crazy Little Thing by Tracy Brogan:




The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer:




To read a description and reviews of any of these books,
click on its image above.

2 comments:

  1. I'm still holding out on the Kindle technology for reading. I so love the feel of a book in my hand.

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  2. I know just what you mean. My Kindle was a gift a couple of years ago or I probably never would have learned that it does have a few advantages. Now that I can no longer afford to buy hardback books, I borrow what I can from the library, but I like reading on the Kindle, too--and lately there are times when I read on the iPad, especially when I'm.iin low light conditions. I like that the Kindle and iPad are synced and I can switch between them.

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