#3 and #12, and a book giveaway!

The list keeps on providing me with material to write about. If I had known this before, I could have made so much progress with my little blog. I am happy to report that I keep crossing items off the list; days pass, before I know it I will be celebrating another birthday, and it will be time to make a new list! I better hurry then...

#3 Read a Jane Austen book: Emma was the chosen one, as it was a free download on eReader the first time I tried ebooks. Two things come to mind: 1) How was it that it took me sooooo long to read a Jane Austen book? And 2) How was it that it took me sooooo long to try ebooks?

I do not have to write about the sweet time lost between the pages Bits of Emma. I enjoyed the multilayered descriptions of a place and time long gone, the humorous criticism of tradition, the attention to detail, and the keen development of all characters. Next will be Pride and Prejudice, I am sure I will enjoy it too.

I must sidetrack here and write about my ebook experience. I never thought I would like to read an ebook, not in a million years! I love books, I love how they feel, how they smell, I love the tactile experience of reading. I have books all over the house, we are big fans of libraries and bookstores, and we are known to spend our money carelessly when it comes to the printed word. Yet, I am a fan of technology, and I am practical too. So, here I am, in Italy, with a very limited access to books in English or Spanish, then my friend Debbie tells me about downloading documents onto her iphone, and soon after this I read this post by Sara Rosso, and I just had to try. It was easy! completely and utterly easy! I created and account with eReader, then I browsed their free books, downloaded two of them, and in less than 15 minutes I was reading- reading on my iphone, mind you. The book goes wherever I go, it is not bulky, it doesn't weight, and I am saving a tree.

I will not stop buying real books; there are some things you cannot get from a digitalized copy of a book. But I am also paying for ebooks now. I like to have the two options, it makes sense to me. If you want to know more about ebooks, formats, or anything geek related, you MUST visit Sara's When I Have Time blog, where she shares all her knowledge in all things technological. Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy fame. Check her blog, but I suggest you come back and finish reading, as I am giving away a book.

#12 Read an unlikely book. Unlikely to me, at least. I have become part of the huge parade of followers of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. All my friends with daughters were talking about the books as the best thing since chocolate covered coffee beans, my facebook was alive with all the talk about the teenage vampire, you would have thought they were talking about Mr. Darcy! I decided to check what all the buzz was about, and after two downloads and many long nights, I am definitely smitten. I can identify with Bella in all her wanting. This unlikely heroine will break the rules with passion, she will follow her heart to a larger, unknown, more interesting world. I can hear echoes of her in my past, if not my future. There, I wrote it out loud. No shame in liking an unlikely book.

And finally for the book giveaway. Who by Fire by Diana Spechler is one book that you won't be able to put down. I first read about it on this post at Bleeding Espresso, and I was intrigued. I bought the book in the States with the idea to donate it to the now defunct Sisterhood of the Traveling Books, and I truly want someone else to enjoy this story of family, religion, and humor. If you want to win, please leave a comment on this post by 11:59 p.m. CST (Italy time) on Friday, March 20, 2009. I will mail this book anywhere. It is time to de-lurk!

Happy reading!