Friday, February 26, 2016

To Read eBooks Or Not To Read eBooks?

I've been a reader since I can remember. A book has always been glued to my hands. There was a drought I went through where I was always out and living life than reading, but since having my my babies, I've returned to my long lost love for reading. Also, I've managed to instill the love of reading into my kids, so that's a huge bonus.


Any reader will tell you there's nothing like the feel of a physical book. The thickness of it, the smoothness of the cover or the smell of the pages. There's no comparison. That's why to me, this age-old debate of "what's better" between eBooks or physical copies is pointless. Personally, it's a matter of convenience, and to some, it can also be a financial matter. I'm a parent and in raising a family, a lot of sacrifices have to be made. I don't have the luxury of reading whenever I want to. No, instead, I fit in reading when I get a chance, which is more often than not, during the night while my kids are sleeping. Which is why I believe the Kindle is my saving grace. Instead of turning on the light and disturbing my kids' sleep, I can use my Kindle PaperWhite with a back light to read. I don't have to cut my reading time to only during the day, which is nearly impossible on most days.

Don't get me wrong, I still purchase physical books. I go to my local bookstores and will splurge on a few books every once in a while when I have some extra cash to spend. I may need new shoes, but instead, I head to Barnes & Noble for their clearance section or with my coupon and get some books. Cash for lunch? Nah. Let me purchase a book from Amazon instead. Sure, I need a jacket because it's been cold lately, but I live in California, "real" cold weather doesn't exist here so let me get a book with that cash instead. My point being, books are my top priority. Of course, my kids' needs above anything else, but books are a close second! As much as I love to support my favorite authors and even new, up and coming authors, I'm often strapped for cash and head to my local used book store. They're as low $1 so I can get a little crazy in there. I've come across a few hidden gems, too, so it's not too bad.

I don't care for either hardcover or paperback. I love both. I even have a few copies of the same book just because the cover is so gorgeous. I can't do that anymore, though. And because eBooks are so much more cheaper (Amazon is THE best), lately I've been purchasing more eBooks than before. My Kindle has been my best friend this entire year. I think I've only read ONE physical book so far. I've owned multiple tablets/eReaders, but I prefer my Kindle because the brightness of the tablet hurts my eyes after a short while, and the e-ink on the eReader is great. I carry around my Kindle everywhere with me in my purse. It's so much more lighter!

This debate has got to stop. Books are here to stay, and unless my worst nightmare of George Orwell's Fahrenheit 451 comes true, we shouldn't worry about a book's existence because I truly believe it's here to stay for a long time to come.

HAPPY READING, ALL! :)

Review: City love By Susane Colasanti


Sadie, Darcy, and Rosanna are living together in New York City the summer before their freshman year of college begins. With no parents, no rules, and an entire city to explore, these three girls are on the verge of the best summer of their lives.

Sadie is a native New Yorker. She is hopeful, romantic, and an eternal optimist who is ready to find her soul mate. Then she meets her dream boy: cute, funny, and quirky in all the right ways. The chemistry between them is unreal. Could he be the one?

Darcy is a free spirit from SoCal with rebellious tendencies and unlimited financial resources. Moving to New York City is just another adventure for her. Darcy wants this summer to be all about boy adventures—nothing serious. But how much fun is too much?

Rosanna leaves Chicago for NYC so she can put her past behind her and reinvent herself. The only thing standing in her way is the grand total of seventy-three cents she has saved. Then she meets a guy who wants to show her the glamorous side of New York—a side that she would never get to experience on her own. If Rosanna doesn't resist, she may find herself in city love.

Told from alternating points of view, City Love captures the moments in each girl's life when everything is thrilling, amazing, and terrifying all at once . . . in a way it will never be again.

RATING: 2.75 stars

Let's just say that this book is the reason I don't read romance books, or love stories. They're cheesy, so unrealistic and too predictable. There's no originality. First of all, I want to go on record to say I'm in a happily, loving and committed relationship, and have been for the past six years. I have nothing against love. If anything, I love love. I love being in love. With that said, I just think love stories are so... blah. I can do cheesy, I'm OK with cute, fluffy reads (and movies), but sometimes, maybe it's  the author's writing, but sometimes the romance can fall short of sweet, and then it becomes boring and over-the-top corny. It took me so long to read this book that I actually regret finishing it. I contemplated DNFing this book but wanted to give this author a chance, but it was so hard to focus and so hard to get into the story when the plot line was all over the place! In no way am I bashing the author, I will be giving her other books a try, I think this is more of my personal problem towards romance stories. It's hard to sweep me off my feet and make my heart skip a beat or get me to be this mushy person (I swear, I'm a great gf, hahahaha) but this was a difficult read. I couldn't relate to any of the characters, and the story ended just as two characters were in the middle of a conflict and I'm not sure whether that was an intentional cliffhanger, not that it matters since the story line was so wacky, immature and so bland to start with. If you're looking for a romance with an early teenaged mentality, this is the book for you. Otherwise, don't bother.