Day 4 - Favorite Book

Oooo, this is definitely the hardest for me, as there are so many books I love. Robin McKinley is my favorite author, but she doesn't publish things very often. She wrote "The Hero and the Crown" which was the very first adult fantasy novel I read. (Very first was the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis.) She's often shelved in young adult, though, which I don't understand at all.

My second favorite author is Neil Gaiman. Unlike some other things I read, I don't devour his books as soon as I bring them home. They usually sit on my shelves for a little while, until I'm in just the right mood. He's a brilliant writer; I love his style and dry humor. I love his words. But he can be creepy (in a delicious sort of way) and that isn't always what I want. Bobby says he doesn't get why I can read his books, but not watch scary movies, and I can't explain it to him. I just know that Neil Gaiman really is fabulous.

My mother-in-law asks:

So have you checked out the Kindle yet? Any thoughts?

I say:
I have! It looks really neat, and I'm curious about how their digital "ink" really performs, but I don't think I'm ready to hop on the bandwagon yet for 4 main reasons:

1) I share books back and forth with my mom and the used bookstores. Not possible with digital editions.
2) Reading a book is comfortable. Staring at a screen, less so.
3) One of the publishers who contracted with Amazon changed their minds about something and made Amazon pull the book from the Kindles of people who'd purchased it already. They were refunded and all, but, I'm sure it's kind of like, "Umm, I was reading that!" Not to mention the big brother connotations. (Ironically enough, the book was George Orwell's 1984, big brother indeed.)... See More
4) I don't think the cost of digital editions is really enough less than that of paperbacks to make it worthwhile to overlook the other disadvantages. (I clicked on one just now to compare: $7.99 to $6.39. And it's available used for $2.39 from private sellers on the same site.)

If I were more into daily publications like the news and online feeds, I'd probably be more enthusiastic about the format. As it is. Ehhh. Nah.

So there it is people! Publishers, make digital copies cheaper, dammit! I'll have you know, I am the book authority in my friend circle, so people listen to what I have to say about books. And what I'm saying right now isn't positive. Money can make other complaints non-issues.