Regardless of what you’ll do or where you’ll go, most people love the idea of curling up with a book while on vacation and relaxing. Be it on the beach, in a cottage in the mountains, or even in a hotel room, reading is often an indicator that yes, you are really on vacation. Everyone’s idea of a good summer read is different and one person might be into “chick lit” while someone else might be into murder mysteries or even vampire stories. How do you decide?
When the Kindle first came out, I was completely against it in the same way that I hear so many people are against it. “It isn’t a book,” “It won’t read like a real book,” or “I won’t like it.” Now that I have a Kindle and the Kindle app on the iPad, I am all for the Kindle! For one, the price of the book is far less than a paper copy and it takes up little room in my home. That I love! Once you start reading on a Kindle or on the iPad, it does mimic a real book with the tone of the “ink” on the “paper” and especially with the iPad you feel like you are turning the pages. I wish I could read everything on my Kindle!
Yesterday on the Today show, novelists Harlan Coben and Jennifer Weiner shared their favorite books for the summer and that got me thinking about my own book list. I currently have “Bossypants” by Tina Fey on my Kindle and it’s there because it’s a great vacation read. I can put it down for a few days or even weeks and when I pick it back up, I don’t feel like I’m lost. I also have “Cruise Confidential: A Hit Below the Waterline: Where the Crew Lives, Eats, Wars, and Parties. One Crazy Year Working on Cruise Ships” by Brian David Bruns on my Kindle. An interesting read for anyone who likes cruising, it’s not going to win any awards for great writing, but where else will you get to learn about what goes on behind the scenes on a cruise ship? Of course, I love my favorites like Sophie Kinsella and Anne Tyler and the free books that are available. Which ones are free? There are free classics and out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books, as well as limited-time free promotional ebooks available for Kindle. Think books like “Pride and Prejudice,” “Little Women,” “Dracula,” and the list goes on and on. The Internet Archive has over 2.5 million free titles, Open Library has over 1 million free titles, Project Gutenberg has over 30,000 free titles, and ManyBooks.net has over 26,000 free titles. With so many free titles available, there is no excuse not to read.
So what will you be reading this summer? It might be something someone else would love to read so please share!