Hello and Happy Holidays!

Considering that it’s the Holiday Season, and there are tons of Holiday specials, commercials and ads trying to earn consumer attention, I thought I’d post about one of the most popular gift requests this season, ebook readers. These small, electronic devices help reduce eye strain, are portable, according to information from the makers, easy to use, and can give you access to hundreds of books.

Now, please, if you do ask for an ebook reader for the Holidays, do your research. I was at Costco the other day picking up some last minute gifts, when I heard someone ask whether they sold the Kindle. The Kindle is available through Amazon. When the costumer was told, it came as a surprise. The employee suggested the Sony Reader, which was nice, but would that be the right gift for him? There’s also the upcoming Nook from Barnes and Noble. Currently, this device is available for pre-orders only and doesn’t seem to be available until late January for delivery. If you choose the Nook, you might want to wrap up an IOU or a pamphlet from B&N that represents one. I was in Barnes and Noble recently, inquiring about the Nook, and was advised to order now if I wanted it by January 30th. They had replica devices that I was able to look at, but not an actual reader. Children curious about the information booth for the Nook loved it!

Considering there are still tons of other reading devices, I thought I’d do some research and post a link featuring objective reviews of all the devices. From my research, it looks to me like the Kindle has the edge, but that doesn’t mean you should add it to your list until you’ve investigated the options. Here’s a link: http://www.best-ereaders.com/

Now, again, be advised that this is one link. With the popularity of the little electronic hamster (Zhu Zhu pets), my daughter asked for one. You can bet that I checked all the stores, investigated to see if this would be right for her. Earlier in the week, there was a news report that this toy might be hazardous for children. I followed the reports. The next day the claims were only one of the hamsters might be dangerous due to a chemical they’d found on it’s nose and fur. Okay, I thought, I’ll look closer. By the end of the day, the consumer group who’d been testing this product admitted that the hamsters were all safe, that they’d looked at the wrong thing. I’m still trying to figure that out. My point is, read up on any gift or product you are considering, including toys and ebook readers. The more you know before you shop, the better you’ll enjoy your gift.

I admit, I placed the Kindle on my Christmas wish list after doing my research. I sure hope that I get one but if I get one of the other devices, I will be just as happy! Again, here’s a link for reviews of all electronic book readers: http://www.best-ereaders.com/

I didn’t even know until I started to research that there are so many devices out there! It’s true, as an author with EC/Cerridwen Press, my books are first available in digital ebook format. I’d known about the Kindle, Sony, Nook and Modipocket, eBookwise, and a few others. I found 15 different devices. Be sure that in your research, you take into account the type of digital books work on that device. With the Kindle, you may have to convert a book, which you can do for a very small cost with Amazon, or, if you do a little research, there’s an easy way to convert the files yourself on Mac and PC. If you’d like to know, email me at romance@francesstockton.com or visit CP author J L Wilson’s website, where she gives detailed instructions on how to do this. http://www.jayellwilson.com/Technology/kindle_faq.htm 

I hope everyone has an excellent and safe Holiday Season. Do remember to take time out for yourselves, read a book, take a long bubble bath or hot shower, make a small batch of cookies (or, if you’re like me, I ordered a tin of my favorite Baltimore inspired Berger Cookies) and will enjoy sharing them with my daughter while watching Rudolph and Frosty and The Grinch. It’s a busy time of year, stay safe, be well, read and have a Happy Holiday Season.  I’ll be back in a few days to post a list of my favorite books in 2009 and hope you will share yours as well.

Happy Holidays,

Frances Stockton

Sea Captain’s Ghost, Available Now from Cerridwen Press

Also Available: Seductive Persuasion and Rhiannon’s Pride

http://www.francesstockton.com for links, reviews, excerpts and more.

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