A whole seven days to gorge!
Seven days dedicated to the wonder and variety of electronically formatted literature. The first full week in March. The ebook distribution site, Smashwords usually has a dedicated section. You'll find over half a million books on the site, and 82,146 of them are free.
True, the touch and smell of the printed pages is missing. The page curling under your thumb and the smell of new ink and paper blended caught between a well-made cover is a bonus, I don't want to lose that.
For ease of handling, a library snug in your pocket has a plus. For those of us who look back on our tender years and find modern small print a strain. (I disagree with my optician, small print is getting smaller. More precise digital printers make the best use of space - a whole new twist on shrink to fit.)
The variable fonts of the electronic page, the switch from day to night viewing. The choice of page colour, creating a better contrast with the text. Adjustable brightness, online, offline reading. Multiple app platforms on one device. It works for me.
Childhood hours spent late in the night tucked under the covers, balancing a torch and a book to find out what happened next, a back lit page would have made it easier and with an auto shut off to save the batteries after I’d fallen asleep.
The other side of the coin, spoilt for choice, and that's the key to read an E book week, seven days to dig out that new writer, the new voice that touches the sweet spot and draws you back for more.
Over on this side of the water, we also have the delights of World Book Day, 5th March. Most of the world marks it on the 23rd of April, the United Kingdom (including Scotland and Wales) and Ireland get into it earlier.
The date is a focal point on the calendar, the idea is to encourage reading. Print or digital, tablet or phone, wherever your app may be. Accept the mission, to make books available to all.
Check it out
Martyn
