It’s finally greening up here in Vermont! I got out today for a slog of a run, but I’m still coughing. It’s touch-and-go for my half-marathon. We’ll see what happens. Right now, though, The Widow going on sale for ninety-nine cents through the 20th — a seriously good deal! — got me thinking about my change of heart when it comes to e-books.

I love print books. I love wandering in bookstores and libraries. I love my crooked TBR pile and my shelves of books on everything from forensics, the geography of Ireland, American history, art history, Vermont hikes, Paris, how to paint furniture and Southern cottages, and novels — Rex Stout, Mary Stewart, Alistair MacLean, Ian Rankin, Nora Roberts, Elizabeth George. So many! I don’t always keep books. I often pass them to my mother and youngest sister or put them in the library sale. But I keep a lot of them.

For me, e-books have been a convenience and a way, especially, to read backlist books not available in print. But I haven’t loved the reading experience. At least until the past few weeks. I was on the go and wanted to read The Punishment She Deserves, Elizabeth George’s latest Lynley novel. It’s a thick book. I debated lugging it around but I had my laptop with me. I made a deal with myself. I’d try reading it on my iPad mini. If I couldn’t get into it as an e-book, I’d get the print version.

I got into it. It’s a great book and I’d have loved reading it in print, but I loved reading it on my iPad. The entire e-reading experience finally worked for me. The bookmarking, the night screen, getting around, a sense of where I am in the book (one of my beefs with ebooks). Everything fell together. The unique qualities of an eBook were assets to my reading where not long ago they’d been distractions. 

I know. It took a while!

I’m so glad I’ll enjoy the e-reading experience more than I have in the past. I love having the option of print, eBook…and audio.

On that note, yes, indeed, The Widow is on sale in eBook for a mere ninety-nine cents. A New York Times bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, the story introduces Boston homicide detective Abigail Browning. Four days after her wedding, her life changed unimaginably: her husband was fatally shot along the rocky Mount Desert Island coast. Was it a random act of violence, or could someone have wanted Christopher dead? Now, seven years later, she gets a fresh clue that takes her back to Maine for answers. 

I’d love to hear about your experience with e-reading, and if you’ve read The Widow — whether in print, eBook or audio. 🙂

Enjoy!