Dear So and So.....

I'm a day late again!! Darn!
 I am sorry!

Dear Amazon,

OK, I admit it I like my Kindle.  But that doesn't mean it couldn't be improved.  Like navigating through the reading through the selections for instance.  I sure hope that somebody somewhere is working on a better method than just one page at a time, from the beginning.  Some of the genres show over 30,000 (or more) titles.  I can flat out guarantee  you I'll never buy item # 29,628, because trying to get there from book #1 could take the rest of my life!  The farthest I've been willing to get through is only about 350 titles!! Of course, by the time you fix it, I'll probably be to old to read anymore anyway!

Wishing I knew what #29,628 is!!
Mel


Dear Favorite Authors and others,

I admit to being amazed that I like using the Kindle (for the most part).  It great for exploring writers new to me.  It's portability is wonderful!  So lightweight!! I would like to assure you however, that when I see a new book from you, I want it in hard cover.  Immediately! 

Most of my favorites are my favorites because their books are treasures and I want to hold them close and experience them in the old-fashioned way....in a chair, by a light, with a beverage, and a great book clutched in my hand, reading away into the night. 

Loyally,
Mel


Dear Authors and publishers (not necessarily in that order), 

When it comes to  pricing books for e-copies like Kindle, I think you are making an enormous mistake!  Many books available for sale, have a disclaimer from Amazon (I guess) stating that the "Price has been set by the publisher."  OK, I don't have a problem with that, the seller always sets the price.  Nevertheless, when I come across a book that is over 5 years old (and there are many), the price can range all over the map....including the same price as a brand new release by the same author.  This makes no sense to me.  There are used book stores all over the place, none of them still sell old books for the full price unless they are antiquarian selections!  Maybe I'm missing something here, but I really don't think that's fair.

Disgruntledly,
Mel


Dear Everyone,

I buy biographies of famous people.  Not all of them of course, just those I admire or am curious about, or feel drawn to.  Covers a broad spectrum too!  I buy bios of both living and deceased, they can be actors, or politicians, or historical figures.  When I see one that sparks my interest I buy it.    I try not to flip to the photographs first, but I usually do anyway.  The photos are usually from private collections or family photos so they probably haven't been published before.  I enjoy seeing family members, candid shots, and hearing little tidbits of things that lead to making their lives what they are (or were).

However, I have a...(ahem)...teeny, tiny confession to make!  I rarely actually finish the biography. It varies by book of course, but I usually get about 2/3 to 3/4 through and lose interest and I never go back to it!  Makes no difference if it is a light-hearted romp through a movie star's early career or the tragic story of loss , pain, and death.  Either way, I get to about  the half-way mark and I start to get antsy, wanting to "get on with it".  I know that the end is near!  Not the author's ending, just the ending of my attention span.  I feel bad about it, but I guess there is a reason that most of them weren't famous for their writing skills!

With apologies to those I have purchased in the last couple of years and didn't finish....including Martin and Lewis, Andy Williams, Dwight Eisenhower, Dick Van Dyke, John Adams, Abigail Adams, Gene Wilder, Michael Caine, Mary Tyler Moore, Julie Andrews, Patti Lupone and others.  Though I guess they would rather I buy and not finish than not to buy at all!  :)

Embarassedly,
Mel


Dear Barnes and Noble,

I have a feeling that the "race" between  the Kindle and the Nook is a foregone conclusion.  I really don't see much of an advantage to your gadget except of course, for color!  I don't particularly need or want color.  Book print has always been black on white anyway!

My condolences,
Mel

Dear Kindle,

I really DID NOT NEED games on Kindle!!  In the first place they are slow, hard to see, difficult to play on those tiny little letter keys.  Besides which I really DID NOT NEED to be lured off to play yet another round of blackjack when it isn't even real money and it's 3:oo in the morning!!!  Thanks an whole bunch...NOT!

And another thing, magazines and newspapers on a 6" screen??  Really??  Why???  You don't even have color!  (Print may be black and white, but photos???)  Who wants to try to read Vogue or House Beautiful on a Kindle???  And trying to see the tiny print from a magazine even smaller on a Kindle....darned near impossible!  I will not ever purchase a magazine for a Kindle!  It's just a dumb idea!

Astoundedly,
Mel


If you like Dear So and So, and want to give it a try, just pop over to Kat's Place at Three Bedroom Bungalow ( http://3bedroombungalow.blogspot.com/ ), hook up with her Linky and add your own! It's a great way to blow off steam, and you can read lots of other letters!