Deb Joanne Says It’s What’s Inside That Counts

So it’s Deb’s choice this week, which means I can write about whatever I want! WHEE! SO MUCH FREEDOM!

Uh, just one problem with that. I have writing and soon-to-launch-my-first-book induced mush-brain. As in, no matter how long I sit, staring at a blank page, I can’t come up with an idea for a post. So, instead of wasting a whole day, I went to Twitter to ask people what I should write about. Seems crazy, right? Yeah, well, I’m kinda desperate here; I have a ton of things to do and just don’t have the time to waste on thinking up a good theme.

The first suggestion I got was sandwiches. Certainly an honorable theme—I mean, who doesn’t like sandwiches?

So here are my favorite sandwiches in order of preference.

  1. Tally Ho roast beef on a bun with double Swiss cheese and gravy. OMG – messy, delicious goodness (make sure if you go, to get a side of fries with gravy, too). Oh, and Tally Ho is the name of the restaurant—it’s not the name of the sandwich.
  2. Grilled cheese. Preferably from the Gorilla Cheese truck, but really, even a homemade with Kraft singles on white will do.
  3. Grilled chicken, roasted red peppers and goat cheese on a pita from The Bean Bar
  4. Bologna on white with butter and a touch of mustard (hello, childhood!)

Okay, I think that’s enough about sandwiches.

The second suggestion I got for a blog post topic was technology and how it relates to reading and writing. Well the writing part is kind of obvious, so let’s talk about reading.

I’m really torn here. I have a Kindle, which I bought a few years ago. I wanted an e-reader that I could put manuscripts on, so at the time, the Kindle was the best option. Now, I’m not going to get in any sort of debate here about Amazon, the company, but let me tell you, I love my Kindle. So much so, that it has a name: Kevin. Nope, I’m not even kidding.

This is Kevin.

I get the romance of reading a book, a real book. Believe me, as a writer, I so get the whole thing about how nothing is quite like a paper book. BUT, there are so many reasons why I love Kevin and what he allows me to do. Uh oh, I feel another list coming on:

  1. I can read big books in bed. I’m a bed reader. Well, I am now. I stopped reading in bed for a long time because I can’t manage big and/or hardcover books in bed.
  2. I can read manuscripts easily without the eyestrain of staring at a computer. This is a big deal because, quite frankly, I stare at a computer too much for my day job and my own writing. Also, taking manuscripts with me on a Kindle makes me a lot more portable and not tied to home when I have crit work to do (yes, I can make notes on Kevin).
  3. If I finish a book while I’m at the doctor’s office or somewhere that doesn’t sell books, I can buy one and be reading it in seconds. Seconds! As much as I love this feature, it’s a bit of a problem financially.
  4. I can carry all my books with me wherever I go. If I’m feeling like I want a comfort read, I have it, even if I’m at sea or on a plane.
  5. My physical bookshelf at home (which is still overflowing, trust me) is now reserved for REALLY special books—signed ones or ones I’ve been given. I don’t have to go and cull the non-special books every once in a while.

I could go on, but you get the idea. I really like the freedom Kevin allows me. But there is a flip side. See number 5 above. I do collect signed books, which means I’m buying some books twice: one to read and one to collect. My wallet’s not very happy about that. And I can’t easily share books on my Kindle, except with my mom (we share an account) so books I really love and want to share with friends get bought twice. Or, if it’s one that’s signed, I’ll buy a spare to lend out, just in case it doesn’t find its way home. That’s three copies.

But it comes down to what’s on the inside. What’s between the covers is the meat of the book, just like although bread is nice, it’s the filling of the sandwich that really matters (not a bad tie-in to my two topics, huh?).

And if you ask me if I prefer if people buy my book (out in less than a month—yikes!) in digital or hardcover, I’ll say this: I don’t care if you buy it in digital format, hardcover or borrow it from your friend, dog or library (just please don’t download it illegally) as long as you read it and enjoy it, I’m a happy author. Really.

Now. I’m off to go have a sandwich. Which I’ll eat while reading off Kevin. A sandwich in one hand and a book in the other—nothing finer, in my opinion.

Now you: I want to know if you’re an e-reader fan or do prefer the crisp pages of a real book? And while you’re at it, what’s YOUR favorite sandwich?

17 thoughts on “Deb Joanne Says It’s What’s Inside That Counts

  1. Like you I enjoy them both. I love physical copies, turning pages, caressing the cover, but ebooks give me flexibilty and instant gratification if I’m looking for something to read. I agree about it being hard on the finances though.

    My favorite sandwich? Probably a turkey, bacon with cheese and bean sprouts on a bagel with basil, Parmesan pesto. Mmmmmm.

    • Oh, your sandwich sounds delicious! And on a bagel, for that extra texture kick – bravo! And yes, both book formats definitely have their pros. Thanks for stopping by.

  2. Sandwiches and Kindles — a great combo for a post. Kudos, Deb Joanne!

    My favorite sandwich is a BLAT. (Bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato.) The slices of avocado really add a special flavor to the traditional BLT. Plus, it’s just fun to say BLAT.

    I love my Kindle. When TG got me one, I didn’t think I’d be a willing adopter of the new technology, but wow. Talk about convenience and easy readability. As you noted, it’s possible to read big books in bed again, without my arms going to sleep. For that alone it’s worth it.

    • The bed-reading was the real game-changer for me, Linda. To lay in bed on a lazy weekend and not have a huge tome resting on my chest? Yeah, that’s worth it right there. And a hearty YES to avocado and its delicious creaminess. YUM.

  3. So funny that you took my sandwich suggestion!! I was making a tuna with pickle, mayo and mustard on whole wheat at the time that I suggested it!! (yeah for lunch time tweets!!) I do agree with LindaG that BLAT’s are delicous too!! yummm bacon!

    As for book preference, I could take either format as long as I have a book to read. I purposfully bought a HUGE purse to accomodate ANY size book or my ereader (Kobo) to take along with me any and everywhere. (People think my big purse is because I have two boys. Pfft.) I do love having my Kobo when it comes to checking out copies from the library. My children LOVE the library (which is AWESOME!!) but there are times where I can’t hang out there for hours so getting the ebook from Overdrive is very useful since it’s all done via computer.

    Great post Joanne!! 🙂

    • Thanks, Alicia! And I’m so glad I took your suggestion – I’m learning about new sandwiches today AND talking about reading-what could be better?
      And it’s funny that you talk about big purses-I’ve always been a smaller-is-better purse kind of gal, but now that my book is coming out soon, I think I need a bigger purse so I can carry around a copy to both fondle regularly and show to people.
      Thanks again for your suggestion and for coming by today!

  4. I remember one of the first jobs I had was working at a sandwich shop and learning the finer points of how to make a good sandwich, ie layer your crisp and don’t put your tomato slices against your condiments, etc…

    That said, I love ruebens but I love grilled cheese too.

    As for e-book or hard copy, I don’t have a designated e-reader yet (I use my computer) but I can see the appeal. I do know one thing, Joanne–however someone reads SMALL MEDIUM AT LARGE they are going to love it!

    • Aw, thanks so much, Erika!
      And yes, placement of sandiwch fillings is paramount. Nothing worse than soggy bread. Blech.

  5. Okay J today’s post right up my alley, FOOD, SANDWICHES, oh my favourite sandwiches are: Grilled Cheese, toasted egg salad, BLT’S and my mostes (I know no such word but it sounds good) Bologna on a Kaiser bun with lots of mustard and lots of lettuce.

    I to am a bed reader, and find it difficult to hold a large heavy book (thanks to my daughter I also have a Kindle and I love it) and it to has a name it is DAUGHTER, why you ask because she is a writer and we share are love of books. Okay Debs I know Mother’s are weird but lovable (well sometimes).

    To all the readers out there it does not matter how you read a book, by buying it or by downloading it we thank all the wonderful writers (especially our Debs) for the wonderful entertaining books that we have to read.

    Have a great day and keep on writing so we can keep on reading.

    • Hi Mom. I think I got my sick love of bologna from you! Isn’t bed reading so much better now that we have e-readers? No more chest-dents.
      And your Kindle’s name is “Marcia’s Kindle” – I know, because I named it. 😛

  6. Well okay but I renamed it Daughter after my favourite writer. “Marcia’s Kindle” is so boring.

    Have a great day on my way to play maj with the girls.

  7. I love both options for pretty much the same reasons. I’ll never give up paper all together- I love seeing them all lined up on the shelf too much to give that up.

    • I do look at my special books shelf quite often. Something about having them there just feels good, doesn’t it? There’s also a permanence to real books, too.

  8. Well, the sandwich question is so loaded and mine changes from day to day. I usually end up ordering some version of turkey, avocado and honey-mustard, largely because it is both tasty and fairly healthy. The other sandwiches I love are usually piled with cheese or fried things, so I try to avoid them…though that doesn’t mean they aren’t my favorite. See what you did here? So complicated!

    As for e-readers, I have a Kindle, and I really do like it. I love the feel of a physical book, though, too. And, more importantly for me, I love having a library full of my favorite books on a real-life shelf in my living room. Recently I read a book on my Kindle that I loved so much that I ended up going out and buying a copy to have on my shelf. So now I use my Kindle to read books that I don’t anticipate having that “I need to store this on my shelf” feeling about. I also use it to buy research books for the books I’m writing. I buy physical copies of books if I expect to really love them (of course, its hard to always know how you will feel in advance) or if I somehow know the author.

    This just became a really long comment.

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