I used to say that I would never read an e-book because I felt that supporting e-books would be the undoing of a world that I’d love since a child – the world of pages. Yes, cream-colored pages with black type bound to a hard back cover that fit neatly into the palm of my hand. I enjoyed the feel of the pages beneath my fingertips, the smell of a book that carried the scent of my favorite library or bookstore and the sound of a freshly turned page. Until one day I went to my favorite bookstore and found the sign “Closed.” In the end it really didn’t matter that I had held out on purchasing electronic books. The revolution was on and e-books subdued the publishing world and changed the game entirely.
Suddenly I was on a number of email lists and I found myself in a world of books of every kind. It was more than I’d ever imagined because now there was no longer a select group of authors with books being presented. It was a global flood of writers from every corner of the planet all with something to say. Now my email was being deluged with books for free from every imaginable genre. This was a feast of epic proportions for me, a serious reader.
But after an extended time of reading non-stop it became gluttony. Reading wasn’t fun anymore. It was compulsive. I had the need to read – creating an e- book junkie. I longed to go back to the days when the amount of books I read was dictated by the amount of books I could hold in my arms. It was a time when I could read a book and the book didn’t read me electronically measuring how fast I could read. Yes, I enjoyed the new horizons of global authors and the doors that e-books offered to the masses. It was a great equalizer for writers around the world. Yet, it came with side effects.
I had to rein my reading in. Slowly I began to unsubscribe from my favorite book reading sites. It was difficult at first because I missed the daily onslaught of new lists of books for me to read. I missed the free days and discount book sales. Suddenly my world became quieter. I was less compelled to read. The need to read was gone. I took a deep breath – I was my normal reading self again, a person that reads for leisure. I love reading more now than I ever have. I love my e-books.
For readers that would love to have the slow pace of being in control of the books you read instead of being deluged by lists of shiny new e-books, here are two great places that can fill your reading needs in a way that you won’t become obsessed with reading. Avid Readers Group is one that I created to help those that were like me, and Wattpad is my absolute favorite reading group. They have wonderful books and you select them at your own pace.
Best of reading days to you!!!