Here at BwP, the management is proud of its 500+ post history, and intends to continue. Now, however, we announce a paradigm shift. I will be blogging more book reviews, and the reviews will be of low-cost e-books.
Here's one reason for the shift:
This summer I downloaded an Amazon Kindle reader and bought my friend Bob Mustin's e-novella, The Blue Bicycle. I thought I had done everything right, but I couldn't access the book after paying for it-- though Amazon assured me I had purchased it.
I got occupied with other things, and just today tried again, and managed to get it to work. Reading a book on a laptop is not my idea of the most enjoyable reading experience out there, but it is quite cheap, so yay for that.
Bob's novella was a lovely read. The first chapter is narrated by a voluble young guy named Artie with a knife-throwing carnie dad, a long-suffering mom, and a circa 1968 "Apple Krate" bicycle with a stick shift that's been spray-painted blue by his Nova Scotian, Acadian French grandfather, Merle.
The narrative follows Artie-- whose name changes from AJ to Art and back to Artie-- from childhood to middle age, and the bicycle stays with him. Bob is a craftsman of a writer, and if you appreciate well-drawn characters and food for thought in your reading, The Blue Bicycle is your pick. The thing is, it won't set you back much to read it.
That's kind of the key, to me. E-books are the ITunes of literature, and they should bring some freedom for those of us who are unwilling to shell out $12-$24 for the latest thing New York has decided we need to read.
The question is, how many authors are out there in the digital world with stuff that's worth paying for? Even as low as $1.99?
Enter Breakfast with Pandora.
Here's the official announcement: You send me a free copy of your electronically-available book, I read one paragraph, and if I like it, I'll review it or at least blurb it in this space. If I don't like it, I'll send you an email saying no dice. There's no guarantee when I'll put up the review, because my time, as the saying goes, is limited.
I want to do this because digital seems to be where we're going. It doesn't mean I no longer believe in books on paper. Not a chance. I love 'em. But it does mean that I am looking for what the 21st century author is doing to sell his or her book, and that I think there are going to be some gems out there that I want to read.
And that I admire anyone who goes it on their own.
So let the submissions begin. I am most interested in literary fiction, but I will accept genre fiction, creative nonfiction and memoir, short story collections, and poetry. I don't like horror, vampires, werewolves, excessive violence or "steamy" anything.
The email address is teenage underscore heroes at sign yahoo dot com. I look forward to reading yours.
I agree that Bob's book is a great read. His characters are superb; they lift off the page! I think his rendering of the child's voice is particularly well done. Bob is an excellent writer and I look forward to his next release.
Posted by: Lyn Hawks | November 22, 2010 at 04:30 PM