Books & Technology: The Real vs. Virtual Debate

Having worked in a bookstore during the huge push toward ereading, I am well aware of the arguments for and against virtual libraries. Personally, I'm smack dab in the middle, torn between the practicality and compactness of ereading (I have well over 2,000 books on my iPad, just for a point of reference) and the nostalgia and obsession that my collection of actual books had become (my closet has more books than clothes as the poor quality cell phone picture below illustrates). Packing to move earlier this year was the true turning point for me, the point at which I convinced myself to lean slightly more toward virtual. At the time, I had about twenty-five boxes (jam-packed DC boxes for those of you who worked at Borders and know the boxes I'm talking about) full of books. Seeing as I had to move everything I wanted to take with me in a Dodge Neon and ship the rest, I knew I had to cut back. So I made sure every single book I owned was listed on GoodReads (so that I could go back and find them again if I wanted to) and started making cuts. I donated (to friends or Good Will) thirteen boxes worth of books. Below is a photo of my bookshelf in Tallahassee... Losing it made me want to cry.

While meandering through the interwebs this morning, I came across a blog called The Fine Books Blog, specifically a post concerning the Real vs. Virtual debate. It  laid out some very valid points arguing for the superiority of the printed page and may sway some readers back toward their hardcover collection. Check it out and come back here to let me know which side of the fence you currently occupy.

 

Books: The Next Thing on My List

On the recommendation of a friend, I downloaded this from Amazon. Within the first few pages it had me hooked. The death of someone you know, even if it's someone you weren't particularly close to, can be a life-changing experience. But June Parker would never have expected exactly how life-changing the death of Marissa Jones would be. They met at a Weight Watchers meeting and when June spots Marissa waiting for a bus later that night, she offers Marissa a ride home. During the ride Marissa unbuckles her seatbelt and reaches into the back of the car for her purse and a recipe for Taco Soup. That recipe and a dresser falling off the truck in front of them ended Marissa's newly-skinny life. Afterward, while cleaning the blood off Marissa's purse before she returns it to her parents, June discovers a list: Twenty Things To Do Before My Twenty-Fifth Birthday. Without knowing why, she keeps it. It's only when she accidentally runs into Marissa's (gorgeous) older brother Troy on the six month anniversary of her death that June decides to finish the list in Marissa's place.

Here's the problem... Marissa's birthday is only a few months away and she had only completed two of the tasks (1- Lose 100 pounds and 4- Wear sexy shoes). The rest of the list ranges from the easy (13- Eat ice cream in public) to the enjoyable (16- Get a massage), from the challenging (5- Run a 5K) to the odd (6- Dare to go braless), and from the awkward (15- Take Mom and Grandma to see Wayne Newton) to the seemingly impossible (3- Change someone's life). June works her way through the list, stumbling at times but never failing thanks to assistance from her friends--and Marissa's brother Troy. But try as they might, no one can figure out number 7: Make Buddy Fitch pay. Who is Buddy Fitch? Is Marissa talking about revenge or a literal debt? Is Buddy a nickname or a legal name? Will this one task stand between June and completing a list that has come to mean so much to her?

Jill Smolinski is brilliant. The plot is creative and well thought out, the characters realistic and three-dimensional. I read this book in the space of a single day despite work, appointments, and errands and I can't even remember what else. Even Marissa (who technically dies before the book even starts) becomes a person you can relate to through what June learns about both Marissa and herself. There are so many characters who come through this period better people after finding hope, peace, love, forgiveness, acceptance, courage, confidence, or awareness. Every reader will find at least one person to identify with and I highly recommend this book.

Erica's Rating: 5/5

Publishing: My First Good News!

It's been a while since I posted (and a while is seriously understating my lack of presence) but I had hoped to have something concrete to announce before now. So, if that's the case, you may be asking yourself, why post now? Because I finally have what I'd been waiting for: something concrete to announce.

On Monday morning I sent in the contract that officially makes me an author! A short story I wrote last year titled Sing, Sweet Nightingale will be part of an young adult paranormal anthology. The anthology (title is still under debate) is about to start the editing and formatting process and is set for publication in Spring of 2012. It will include authors like my fabulous friend Lani Woodland whose second book released this week (Indelible is amazing! Buy it, read it, love it, then buy more for your friends!), Melanie Marks, Rita Webb and Wendy Swore (who are co-editors of the book), as well as a couple of other authors who are making their debut with me. I've had a chance to read some of the stories already and I am very excited to be working with such a wonderful group of talented people! I will post updates and progress reports every so often, so be on the lookout!

In related news, I posted last year that I had scrapped my then-current project Safety Net (previously titled Fallen, for those of you who have been following my slow progress for the last couple years). What I didn't say much about was the novel I then turned my attention toward. It has been on the back burner for a couple of years, something I worked on when I needed a break from my main story, but I've always felt the pull to finish it. I'm hoping that the first draft will be complete by the first of the year. I don't want to say too much about it now (you never know what may change in the editing process), but I will give you a little bit of information. It is told by a seventeen year old girl named Tabitha who lives in my hometown of Ft Lauderdale and it is NOT paranormal. I know. Shocking, huh? No ghosts, no vampires, no angels, no faeries. Just people and all the good and bad things they're capable of. It's tentatively titled My Own Prince Charming and I have high hopes for it.

In other tangentially related news, I got a job in publishing! I now work for a magazine as something of a factotum. I answer phones, source photos and videos, help develop the digital side of the magazine, run their newsletter campaign, and copyedit, among other things. Also, I have a full-length article in the upcoming issue and I am very excited to see my name in a internationally distributed publication! It's not fiction, but it's really darned cool. And, this job is an actual, viable step toward my ultimate career goal: becoming either a novelist or a fiction editor. In fact, I've managed to take steps toward both possibilities this year. I am gaining experience in the publishing field and have actually sold a piece of fiction. I had a feeling that 2011 would be a good year.

Better late than never, right? ;)