As I have mentioned previously I do the majority of my reading nowadays on my Kindle. Books in English are expensive to buy here as they are naturally imported, which makes it rather costly when you get through two to three books a week! What I do is get my books from Amazon, from the 100 Bestsellers free list which is constantly updated. I do occasionally treat myself to a "good" book but usually go for the free ones.
This is my good old Kindle which I have had for many years. It has about 300 books on it, which I have read. I usually delete a book after reading it (after all they are free) unless it is exceptional good otherwise at some point I will run out of space. Amazon also has free travel books, some of which are worth reading.
I usually 'buy' about ten books at a time and get rid of those I realise I chose by mistake. There are a few readable books amongst the dross on the bestseller list and occasionally a real gem, it is knowing how to pick them - I avoid any with a cowboy in a stetson on the cover or a man with his shirt artistically unbuttoned, couples in a suggestive clinch, historical ones with the heroine wearing a costume from the wrong period, anything with 'hot' in the title (usually soft porn), witches, cosy mysteries etc. If the hero and heroine come over all unnecessary the first time they clap eyes on each other that is a no no too. All in all I usually manage to find a few worth trying and also of course there are the classics, anything out of copyright is free.
I think many of the writers are first-time authors trying to get a foot on the ladder of publication. Plots can be very repetitive, a favourite is...heroine discovers her boyfriend/fiancé/husband has betrayed her/died tragically so she flees to remote cottage/run down business/beach house fortuitously left to her by a distant/unknown relative, meets local handyman/vet/farmer with a troubled past...you get the picture. Halfway through the synopsis I know what is coming next and can´t be bothered to find out if I am right! Crime fiction, which I like, can be quite good if the author isn´t too fixated on gory detail.
All in all it is fun going through the list to see what I can find and over the years I must have read a couple of thousand books on my Kindle, I wouldn´t be without it.
I’m such a Luddite, I will not let go of my books
ReplyDeleteNot for anything x
I love my 'real' books too, the smell and feel of them apart from anything else but I have got used to my Kindle now. Needs must when books are so expensive here.
DeleteI have never had a Kindle. But if I lived in Brazil I might do.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think you might Rachel, especially for the type of book you like reading - the selection here is poor, mostly either potboilers or classics.
DeleteI enjoy crime fiction too but like you I prefer the plots not to be gory. I like to try and work out the clues after the crime rather than dwell on the actual crime. One of my favourite authors is Stephen Booth. His books are set around the Peak District and the locations are so well described and accurate.
ReplyDeleteWendy (Wales)
I haven´t come across Stephen Booth, I´ll have to look out for him. One of my favourite crime writers is Ann Cleeves.
DeleteAlthogh I don't read Ann Cleeves I heard her on Desert Island Disks a year or two ago and she sounded a lovely person. On the back of it I read one of her books. I did like it but not so much so that I would read more. If you haven't heard that particular one I recommend it if you can get the DID archive.
DeleteThank you Rachel, I shall see if I can find the archive.
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