Greetings Booklovers!

Dear Readers and Friends,

By any chance, did you receive for Christmas this year one of the new e-readers? I hope so, assuming you don’t have one already. There are a number of good ones available or soon to be available including the Kindle, Sony’s e-reader,  Que, Skiff, Alex, Copia, Cybook and now Apple’s  iPad.

I’ll admit I don’t have one yet. There was a time when I couldn’t imagine reading a book any way except as pages attached to a spine with a cover. However you look at a book, it is a darned good product. It is portable. It requires no energy. It is re-readable. It takes up little space (unless you collect them like I do). It is shareable with someone snuggled beside you or as a pleasure to handoff to a friend.

It’s difficult for me to think of my home without bookshelves filled to capacity. What better pleasure is there than to browse a bookstore or library shelves reading the titles, pulling an intriguing spine from the shelf to explore its pages? At home, I browse my selves, too, always pleased to find old book friends and to discover new ones I forgot I’d purchased and have yet to read.

But back to e-readers—this isn’t the first time the book has undergone a physical change. A trip to a museum a few days ago reminded me of that fact. I saw a cylindrical leather holder from Persian times in the museum display. It was ornately decorated and fastened closed with a leather clasp. The docent explained that it was for conveying scrolls. In those days, scrolls were filed away in libraries on shelves that look more like wine racks to us than library shelves. How strange our bound books would seem to the ancient scribe who worked with scrolls? Can you imagine trying to read a scroll on an airplane?

Though I don’t have an e-reader, I have not ignored e-books. A number of my historical romance titles are out in e-book form including the re-release of SPEAK OF LOVE and A TENDER MAGIC from HardShellWordFactory. The ghost story anthology I contributed to, TRESPASSING TIME, is also available as an e-book. My plans include future re-release of more of my titles in electronic format.

I almost put an e-reader under the tree for my husband (and myself) this year because he wants to subscribe to his favorite business magazines with an e-reader—to save paper and table space at home. The only reason I didn’t do so was that we can’t decide which one is right for us. However, an e-reader is definitely on our to-purchase list.

One thing is certain, whatever form the future book takes—bound or electronic—readers will continue to seek out good information and exciting stories. Writers and storytellers will continue to report the facts and weave their wonderful tales.

Wishing you good e-reading,
Linda Madl

	If you’d like to read something of mine, consider A Tender Magic, re-released from Hard Shell Word Factory. It’s a fairy-tale-like medieval story about Leandra, heiress to an island kingdom, a loyal knight, her wayward sister—and a love potion. Now I ask you, what good can come of that?
“Magic, mischief, and sweet sensuality...Linda Madl weaves an irresistible spell!” -- Betina Krahn, author of THE BOOK OF TRUE DESIRES

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Wishing you good reading,
Linda Madl