I picked up three or four new Kindle books this weekend, and I think one at Smashwords during the week. (←Link goes to my book) When you have a lot of author friends and acquaintances, you know when their books first come out. You also know when they’re free or at a reduced price. I adore books! Being a writer, this should come as no surprise. Reading is a need I love, and I would like to do more of it. I try to make bedtime my reading time. During the day I’m busy writing and working on marketing, so in order to fit it in, I have to have my laptop off. I admit to having the TV on in the background though.
There are more books in my Kindle then I’ll ever get to at the rate I’m going now, but I am planning on more reading time in the near future. What do you do 
when you get a new book? I noticed I have a ritual when I buy a new book. Right away I have to open it, scroll back to the beginning, read all the pertinent information—title page, copyright, all that good front matter stuff. I love it if there’s a cover inside on the very first page. Then, if there’s a prologue I have to read it. Sometimes I even have to read chapter one. I look at the table of contents and will check out other books by the author, if included. I may not go back to that book for awhile, so if the blurb is in there, it sure helps when I get back to it. I do this ritual with print books, too.
If you look at my Goodreads page you’ll see I’m always reading more than one book at a time. (Don’t be afraid to add my book while you’re there.) It’s because I follow the ritual above. Sometimes I don’t stop at the prologue or chapter one. It depends on my mood. If the book is a short story or novella, I might finish it right then, depending on how long my eyes will stay open. In that case, it never gets to Goodreads, unless I rate it like I did this one.
After reading back through this post, and thinking about it, I realize I am a book addict. As a child I didn’t start out liking to read, although I was always a good 
reader from an early age. My dad made me read. I remember he joined a book club and books were delivered periodically. *Children’s Classics like Hansel and Gretel, Silver Skates, and Heidi. When I didn’t want to read, these books just kept coming, and my dad insisted I read them. As if that wasn’t enough, I had to tell him what I read. Today, I thank him for teaching me to love and appreciate books and stories. He also made me do school work in the summer, but that’s a different story. And write? Yes, he made me write! Thanks, Dad.
If you love books and reading, do you have a ritual when you first purchase a book in hard copy or eBook? Am I the only one with this quirky ritual?
Since I am a writer, as well as a reader, I’d like to invite you to sign up via email (Sidebar) or click Follow at the top of the page to receive updates about my books. It would make me very happy if my books found their way to your library. While I’m asking, I see I’m pushing toward 999 Likes on my Facebook Author Page. One thousand is my next goal, so if you care to… (I’ve turned into such a promoter. I hope you don’t mind.)
*I used Amazon as an example. You can find children’s classics at many book stores, either online or brick and mortar.
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel 
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