The eBook Revolution and a Happy Book Blogger

The year 2011 is quickly coming to a close. This year has seen some dramatic changes for the book publishing and marketing industries.  I can honestly say that the Amazon Kindle has made this a fabulous year to be a reader and a wonderful year to be a book blogger.

The ebook revolution has made a huge difference in the accessibility of books, reports, articles, magazines, newspapers and essays. Amazon has reported that they are selling more ebooks than print books. I believe this trend will continue and I think this opens new doors of opportunities for both authors and readers.

I would like to share a few of my personal observations about the Kindle and the way it has changed my life for the better.

• I downloaded the free Kindle for PC Application to my laptop computer in 2009. I ordered several ebooks and was very pleased with the experience of receiving them in a matter of seconds and reading them on my computer screen. The only problem was that I could not carry my laptop computer in my purse and it was a difficult to curl up in bed with a computer.
• I began dropping hints to my husband that I would like to have a Kindle ebook reader. He didn't know what a Kindle was until he noticed a co-worker using one at his job. She showed him how it worked and he liked it. He also knew that I would like it. In October of 2010, my husband surprised with a Kindle 3.
• I had been writing book reviews on this blog for over a year, but I did not have access to the kinds of books that I really wanted to review. When I got my Kindle, a whole new world opened up to me. I was able to purchase and receive new books on their release date, receive books from authors via email and access free ebooks from Amazon.Com. I am now able to check-out ebooks from the public library and read them on my Kindle.
• My goal for 2012 is to continue to read, review and promote ebooks using this blog, social media outlets and video book trailers. I am a happy book blogger who is dreaming of writing and publishing a book for the Kindle during the next few months.

I would like to thank everyone who has taken time to read this blog during 2011. I appreciate your time and your participation. I wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR and hope to see you again in 2012.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.

Lending Kindle Books

I took a little vacation from blogging this month to do some home renovation, cleaning and preparing for the holidays.  I look forward to a great year in 2011 and I hope you will join me by reading this blog. 
I received a new Kindle a couple of months ago and I just love it.  I have over 200 books in my Kindle library.  Many of these book were offered as free books for a limited amount of time.  
Yesterday, Amazon announced that it would be possible to lend Kindle books to other readers.  This is a great way to access more books and save lots of money.  The awesome thing about this program is that you don't have to own a Kindle to borrow a book.  You can download a free Kindle Application to your personal computer or telephone and read Kindle books just like having a Kindle.
The owner of a Kindle book can lend a book only one time for a period of two weeks.  The owner can't access the book while it is circulating....just like a real book.  At the end of the two weeks, the book is automatically returned to the original owner.
I would like to offer you an opportunity to borrow some of my Kindle books.  Publishers have the option to decide if their books are included in the lending program. Here are some of my Kindle books that are elgible for the lending program.  If you would like to borrow one of these books, please add a comment to this blog post and include your email address. 

The Winners Manual by Jim Tressell.
The Judge Who Stole Christmas by Randy Singer
Troublesome Creek by Jan Watson
Fireflies In December by Jennifer Erin Valent
The Dickens With Love by Josh Lanyon
Great Parents, Lousy Lovers by Gary Smalley
Naked Lens: Video Blogging & Video Journaling to Reclaim the YOU in YouTube by Michael Kaminsky
Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes
Writing Fiction For Dummies by Peter Economy and Randy Ingermanson

First come, first serve.  Just tell me the book you want to borrow in the comments below and I will email it to you. 
Happy Reading and Happy New Year!

The Kindle 3

Several weeks ago my husband surprised me with a new Kindle 3 book reader.  I had been hinting for a long time, but I was totally surprised when he brought it home.  I had been using the Kindle for PC application for about six months and really liked it.  The only problem is that I couldn't stick my laptop computer in my purse and take my books with me everywhere I went.
Well, I have a Kindle now and I can take my books everywhere I go.  I am sure there are many things that this little gadget will do that I have not yet discovered but I will tell you the six things I love about my Kindle;

(1) I have access to over 700,000 thousand books from the Amazon web site. 

(2)  There are dozens of Kindle books available free of charge.  Some of these books are the public domain books, but many modern authors are also allowing their new books to be downloaded free for a limited time.  I belong to a couple of Facebook groups that feature free Kindle books each day.

(3)  It is very fast.  When I choose a book, it takes about 30 seconds for the name of the book to appear on my Kindle.  I can choose a brand new book and be reading it the same day that it is released by the publisher.  I can also pre-order books so they will arrive on my Kindle on the release date.

(4) I really like the way I can highlight key passages and add notes to my books as I read them.  The really cool thing about the highlighting feature is that I can see the passages that other people have highlighted. 

(5)  With the wi-fi feature, I can highlight passages in my book and post them on Twitter or Facebook.  Honestly, I have not used my Kindle very much to post on the web.  I have been too busy reading my books.

(6)  The Kindle books are reasonably priced.  Most of the books are $9.99 or less and I am not charged sales tax. I don't have books piling up all over my house ~ My husband is happy about that !

I love to read books and write book reviews.  The Kindle is making the task of finding good books so much easier.  Three cheers for the Kindle!