One of the best perks I’ve discovered since switching to reading books digitally is the abundance of free (and legal!) eBooks out there.  Sure sometimes I miss that physically feeling of holding a ‘real’ book, and physically ‘seeing’ yourself get closer to the end as you read page-by-page.  And I do still read a paper-book now and again, usually when someone buys one for me (thank you Victoria lol)  – but you just can’t argue with the price of free.  Today, for example, I picked up 6 new eBooks.  All free.

I can’t honestly say that all of them are books I would have otherwise read anyway.  In the end I may not even enjoy them.  But the fact remains that they were free, and all of them are of authors that I’ve never read before.  So not only am I getting some free stuff, it is also broadening my literary horizons.  Add to that the fact I got all 6 in about 15 seconds, without ever leaving the house — yeah, you can see why I’ve embraced the eBook revolution with open arms. Even if you don’t happen to have one of these so-called eReaders, that doesn’t mean you have to be left out.  You can still enjoy the freebies of various sites right on your computer (if you are comfortable reading a full size book while at your desk).  By going to Amazon.com and downloading the Kindle For PC application you gain access to the Kindle store and their weekly / semi-weekly free book downloads.  Currently you can pick up a couple interesting titles:  Cape Refuge, by Terri Blackstock, which has a 4/5 star rating.

On a small barrier island east of Savannah, Ga., lies Cape Refuge, the site of Hanover House, a halfway home for ex-cons and derelicts run by the island’s most beloved no-nonsense Christian couple, Thelma and Wayne Owens. But when the Owenses are found murdered in their warehouse church, the island and its inhabitants get turned upside-down. The Owens’s daughter Morgan’s husband, Jonathan, is charged with the murder, but former drug addict Gus Hampton and Hanover House resident Richard Dugan also fall under suspicion. As the Owenses’ other daughter, Blair who has spent a lifetime rejecting faith and love because of facial scars from the mysterious burns she suffered as a young child examines her parents’ papers, she discovers that Thelma and Wayne had a very shady past. Also drawn into the web of intrigue is a homeless teenager who comes to Hanover House seeking shelter from an abusive family.

Like I said, would I have bought this on my own?  Probably not, but it’s free and it might be good!  The second book of that series is also free, Southern Storm. Other places to check out that offer a wide selection of free reading material:  Smashwords, Latest Free Books, and MobileRead. Also you can check out the massive MobileRead Wiki for an almost staggeringly large listing of material you can pick up completely free. You might come across some real gems hidden around those sites, I know I’ve read quite a few amazing titles that I never would have bought in a store, but I gave them a try simply because I came across it free online.  It just goes to show that in the age of digital publishing you really can’t choose a book by its cover (since most don’t even have covers!).

I had a funny one-sided conversation with my mom yesterday, where she was talking — rather humorously — about my brother and his obsession with his car.  She was saying how amusing it is to see him spending so much time (and money) caring for it and modifying it, because that is exactly how our father has always been with his cars as well.  As soon as he (my dad) would buy a vehicle he would spend a few thousand dollars getting extras for it:  window tint, rain guards, rims, etc etc.

I had to inwardly laugh and cringe, because that is exactly how I am as well.  I’ve only ever bought one new vehicle, but within the month I bought it it had new rims, tint, rain guards, an auto-start, seat covers.  Nothing crazy, just the basics.

I never really gave it much thought, but that “accessory obsession” extends to pretty much every gadget I purchase.  The day I got my iPhone 3G I already had 5 cases for it.  Granted they were free (thanks to a friend who worked for AT&T), but if they hadn’t been free I probably would have bought at least a few of them myself.  And since then I’ve bought at least 4 more cases, a music dock, battery pack, etc.  The same goes for my Kindle 2, which had originally been a present for my mom.  She gave it back to me, couldn’t really get used to it, and I’ve already bought myself 2 different covers for it.  I just can’t seem to help myself.  I’m not one to go out and blow 1,000 bucks on a new TV every year, but I’ll drop 50, 60, 80 bucks on an add-on for a gadget that I just HAVE to have.  Do I really need it, probably not, but it feels like I do!

In my own defense though I do tend to keep these things for quite a few years, and when I finally do upgrade I end up giving the previous model to family or friends.  So nothing is really going to waste.  Every day I come across some other little gadget that gets me practically itching to buy it — I’ve only been out of work 5 days and I’m already getting antsy to get a job so I can justify another gadget purchase.

I’m a sad sad person lol.