By popular demand, and because I <3 @Travis_Pearson, today's giveaway is the oh so popular INCARCERON. No, I have not read it yet. In fact, I'm not even sold on reading it yet. But you guys sure do want to read it, so here it is! You're chance to win it!
I spent the day yesterday in Tucson, Arizona at their Festival of Books. I attended three sessions with authors and was overwhelmed by the fact that in each session, someone asked the question, "What do you think will happen to books now that ebooks are on the rise?" All of the authors admitted to being scared that the traditional bound paper bookstores will disappear in five years. Then most authors were quick to append, "But e-readers don't smell" or "What will we sign?" Members of the audience asked, "How do you curl up with a Kindle?"
As a believer in free enterprise, and the power that our money has in dictating our future, the answer seems simple to me. IF YOU DO NOT WANT BOOKS TO DISAPPEAR, BUY PAPER BOOKS. Don't buy the Nook. Don't buy the Kindle. Buy yourself a copy of the book. We've all seen that the electronic versions are going to cost the same amount of money as their paper counterparts, so buying an eReader will likely end up being the more expensive route in the end.
Not only are readers more expensive, but how will you spread the word about great books? The Kindle doesn't allow you to share files. The Nook only lets you share with other Nook users, and only a certain number of times. My copy of WILLOW by Julia Hoban, has been read at least seven times. None of the people who read it would have purchased it to read it, but some have purchased it now that they have read it. This model of sharing books and spreading the word is important and needs to be preserved.
Having tried out a few readers in stores, I find that they are less comfortable to me. And, even with the invention of the easy-on-the-eyes e-ink, I find them more taxing to read. I spend a lot of time online everyday, I don't want to read my books on an electronic device. I want paper in my hands.
Put aside the social aspect that a bound book brings, and take a look at the environment impact it has. Most people argue that the readers save the planet because they aren't printed on paper. They might be right. But what about their batteries? We all know that batteries eventually have to be replaced. What will happen to the heavy metals that are in those batteries that are thrown away? The vast majority of people still toss old batteries in the trash because hazardous waste disposal sites and events are few and far between. The pollution that will leave in the ground and our ground water is, in my opinion, much more detrimental to the environment than the recycled paper, or sustainable-forest-supplied paper that most publishers use to print their books. Plus, it takes paper what, a year or two to decompose? Those heavy metals will be in our soil for a lot longer than that and will have a lot worse effects on our planet than paper books that might happen to get tossed in the landfill. We can hope though, there will be recycling programs for used devices and their batteries. Production of an ebook does produce significantly less CO2, but I'm not convinced that the CO2 production comparison is the most important environmental factor. Most environmental groups agree that until ebook manufacturers disclose the chemicals and compounds found in their devices, we will not be able to make a completely informed decision about their environmental impact.
Some people may presume that I am anti-technology because of the last paragraph. I'm not. In fact, I subscribe to more tech posts daily than I do book posts in my Google Reader. I love my smartphone, love my netbook, laptop, Zune, GPS, and usually get pulled to the side when I go through an airport security checkpoint for a deeper inspection of my bag because of the number of charger cables and electronic devices I travel with. I rely heavily on these devices. In contrast, I still buy CDs. I buy CDs and rip the file to my laptop, so that I can play it on my phone or Zune. I have a hard copy in case my laptop's hard drive crashes, or my laptop gets stolen. Do I download music? Sure. If I only want one song off of an album, or if the download is significantly cheaper than what I could buy the CD for. I weigh my perceived financial risk when choosing to download a song, and make my decision based on the outcome of that perception. I always make sure to buy DRM-free, but I'm not sure that's an option with e-books. Plus, you've all heard the horror stories about the person who lost all 30,000 songs they downloaded from iTunes and couldn't get them back. Can you imagine if that happened with our precious books?
My last point, and I think you dystopia-lovers might relate to this, is that what happens if, heaven forbid, there is a massive electro-magnetic pulse (EMP)? If all of our books are electronic and virtual, think of the wealth of knowledge and culture that will be lost! (unless you keep yours in a lead-lined safe) One author said that we'd have stories in the future, but not books. If something happened to wipe out our electronics, we would lose so much, both personally and anthropologically. In my mind, paranoid as I may be, this type of electronic destruction is more feasible than a world-wide fire or natural disaster that takes out every tangible thing on the planet. Do I think it'll happen? Hope not. But I'm just sayin'.
So, the only conclusion I can come to is that if you want to save the paper book, vote with your money. Tell the publishing and technology industries that you don't want books to disappear, or become cost-prohibitive, and purchase copies of bound books instead of their electronic counterparts. It's the only sure way to make a statement that will be heard to preserve our way of reading.
1999 Me: Comic Books? Pshaw. Right. Like, whatever. Those are for eleven year old boys. (I probably really sounded like that, seriously)
2009 Me: Comic books? Manga? Graphic Novels? Please! I love them! I don't know much about them, but it seems like every one I get my hands on is great!
2010 Me: I bet there are like tons of people who just haven't given Manga a chance. Hm. Maybe I'll do a giveaway?
So now you get to enter to win a Manga/Graphic Novel 3-pack: BATTLE ROYALE VOL. 1, DARK HUNTERS VOL. 1, AVALON HIGH:CORONATION (sequel to Meg Cabot's AVALON HIGH).
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I'm sure a lot of you saw the Blog Tour post I did for DAWN OF THE DREADFULS, which is the prequel to PRIDE & PREJUDICE & ZOMBIES. If not, hey, that's okay. You can read it now if you want. Or not.
Enter to win my copy of DAWN OF THE DREADFULS today as part of our MONSTER Birthday Party!
Open Worldwide. Ends 4/15. Make sure you check out the master MONSTER Birthday Party Post to see what we've got going on as far as giveaways go!
CTRL+click this link to view form in a new tab.
Come one, come all, to my virtual birthday dinner party contest.
What the heck is a virtual birthday dinner party? Well, I'll tell you what it is...
It's a magical place where you design a dinner party based on one book (any book!), and in return, I give you up to 20 extra entries for the giveaway of your choice this month.
Here's how you do it:
1) Pick your book.
2) Decide your menu and activity.
3) Design your invite, menu, and activity.
4) Email me a copy of your invite, menu, and activity plan, or a link to where you posted it on your blog. (you do not need a blog to participate, but it could be a very fun post)
5) You may combine your invitation and menu as I did below, but are not required to.
6) Your activity must be listed on your invitation (mine's dancing)
7) Accepted but not necessary are the following: place cards, dance cards, playlists,seating charts, you get the idea. You can go as big and elaborate as you want, but all you have to do is send me the minimum one file with your menu/invite in it.
8) If you participate, you will automatically get ten extra entries. The top 3, as picked by a yet undetermined panel, will receive an extra ten entries each. We will score on originality, aesthetics, and consistency with the book (i.e. our ability to identify the book by looking at the invite). Please no book covers or book cover fonts and NO EVITES! Keep with the theme, but be yourself.
Wisdom begins in wonder. --Socrates
What do we have in store for you today, my child?
How about a chance to win a preorder of SISTERS RED?
Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.
Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.
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Today's awesome is a signed copy of Lauren Kate's debut, THE BETRAYAL OF NATALIE HARGROVE. Here's a snippet from the book inspection:
Plot Sketch: Natalie Hargrove rules Palmetto High. She's the senior girl. What she thinks matters and what she does sets trends. She dates Mike King. She puts people in their places, both socially and verbally with her debate skills. She is a shoe-in for Palmetto Princess. Only thing is, people don't know about her past and what she was before she started as a Freshman at Palmetto. When Palmetto Prince contender J.B. has some unfortunate events happen to him, it's Natalie's past that comes in to play, Natalie's past that drives her actions. Ultimately, is it Natalie's past that determines her fate? Who betrays Natalie Hargrove? Read to find out.So, enter to win a signed copy right now, whydontcha? And be sure to check out all of the other giveaways this month during our MONSTER Birthday Party!
Verdict: I Heart It! I have to say that the ending of this book cinched it for me. Starting out, you think Natalie a shallow, self-centered gold-digger like her mother, but as you go on, Kate does a good job of showing us why Nat acts the way she does. Her backstory comes in to play and a little reflection after finishing the book goes a long way to understanding and appreciating the story. It was unexpected, and well done. It's not uplifting, but it is thought provoking. Parental warnings: SEX!, Drugs, and homicidal themes all occur in this novel, so you'll want to screen it first to make sure it's appropriate for your teen. I don't know much about Southern culture, so I don't know if Kate's cultural references are valid or not, but I can vouch for her geographical references. I was especially impressed with some of her flora references and the accuracy thereof (e.g., venus fly trap native range).
Read the full inspection.
