I’ve always liked to read, but when I bought a Kindle several years ago… the shit got cranked way up. Now I’m a readin’ machine. Compared to the pre-Kindle days, anyway. I’d say I average one book per week. I know some folks claim to rip through a book per day, and that kind of thing. But I suspect they’re all liars, weirdos, or both.
Anyway, I’ve become fairly obsessed with searching out good ebooks for cheap. It’s a whole new hobby unto itself. I subscribe to five or six services that send daily emails, telling me about the latest deals. And I have several Wishlists at Amazon that I monitor closely. Like with CDs during the 1990s, you can get almost anything for a crazy low price — if you’re patient and pay close attention.
Over the weekend I started thinking: maybe I should relaunch Suggestaholic and share some of my finds? It would be a limited audience, of course. But I bet there are a few other lunatics out there like me. And I’d weed out all the self-published romance bullshit that seems to clog the email services. It would be stuff that’s been run through the Jeff Kay filter.
And so, I did it. Within an hour I had the site up and was posting stuff there. I chose a free WordPress theme, did a little light configuration, and was off. Check it out. I set it up to automatically post to my Twitter feed, and both Facebook fan pages. We’ll see how it goes. I’m going to try to feature at least one item per day there. If it’s your kind o’ thing, I’d be honored if you could give it some attention. And if you have any suggestions to make it better, or for products to share, I’m all ears.
Today was my first non-book post, and it’s a good one. Don’t miss it.
And speaking of new projects… I want to make you guys aware of a great new humor memoir that’s being published in a serial format, one chapter per week. Lori Campbell is a person I met through The Surf Report, and my friendship with Duff. She’s a talented writer with a couple of hilarious novels for middle school kids under her belt. Now she’s writing a memoir, week by week, and posting it here. She’s four chapters in, and it’s good stuff.
Years ago there were some serious talks about Duff, Lori, and me taking over a humor website owned by AOL, which had fallen into disrepair. I don’t think I mentioned it, because it all felt so fragile… Like, if I acknowledged the thing, it would instantly fall apart. But, it fell apart anyway. Oh well.
However, I got to spend a little time with Lori, and she’s super-cool, creative, and funny. Please check out her new project, and if you like it… help spread the word on Facebook and Twitter.
By the way, I love the idea of writing a book this way, it’s very intriguing. You’d be forced to write, and stay on a schedule. However… I’d very likely have a nervous breakdown by the middle of the second month. Ya know? I’d be writing frantically on the night before my deadline — just like in high school — running my hands through my hair, and probably sobbing. I’m not sure it’s for me. My hat’s off to Lori, and all the folks who can maintain it.
Here are the links to Chapters One, Two, Three, and Four. Subscribe for new installments.
I’m off on Friday, because of the holiday, but get to go in at 6 am on Saturday. Awesome, huh? It kinda negates the whole concept of a holiday weekend, if you have to go in during the middle of it, at the ass-crack of dawn. Yes, it’s quite a life I’ve carved out for myself…
What are your plans? Do you have anything going on? You know, beyond the normal booze and charred meats routine? Please tell us about it in the comments.
I’ll leave you now with something Adam Carolla talked briefly about this week. He was discussing the phrase “never say never,” and was asking everyone if they could come up with things that would always fall into the NEVER category. Even if large amounts of money were involved. He seems to think everybody has a price, for almost anything. Do you agree? Tell us your thoughts on this one. And what things would fall into the NEVER category for you, no matter what? Adam thinks it’s a mighty short list for most people. Do you agree?
And I’ll see you guys again next week.
Have a great holiday!
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I will NEVER wear slacks with pleats. I don’t care how much money someone offers me to do so.
I saw Suggestaholic up again and saw the awesome deal on Adam Carolla’s book… followed your link and snatched it up. Then I spent the whole afternoon reading it at my desk since I didn’t have anything else to do.
As for a never list… I’m pretty sure that list is damn short. There’s murder, rape, incest… that would be about the extent of it. Everything else probably has a price tag.
I will never call pants slacks. That’s getting into Sans-A-Belt territory.
This is all top secret, but I’m headed to the North Carolina coast to eradicate the “shark situation.” I’ll be traveling under the guise of pasty, out-of-shape tourist, so it’s doubtful anyone will be suspicious.
Afterward, I’ll celebrate with supermodels at their secret coastal hideaway. That part is really top secret (as in don’t the Mrs.).
Congratulations on rebooting Suggestaholic. It’s an underrated site.
As for the “Never” category: I never say never. I can be bought. Some “projects” are pricier than others.
I have a Nook. I have bought a few e-books lately. But I have for 4 or 5 years now mostly got e-books from the online public library system. Of course, I have a big list of books that the public library does not have. But the price of e-books keeps me from buying such things on a regular basis. Plus – I don’t have wifi – and the only way you can update a Nook now is to sync it with what you have in your online account – wirelessly. So I have to take the device to Panera bread or somewhere whenever I buy a new book.
I get to work both Friday and Saturday midnight shifts so Sunday will be spent sleeping. I’ll probably end the weekend drinking a bottle of Dark Horse by myself sitting outside at 1 am and quietly sobbing. Cheap wine has its place.
Of course the non-working hoopies who live around here will probably be deep into a few 30-paks and firing bottle rockets at one another between fits of drunken laughter. So I have that to look forward to.
I never make lists.
Dark Horse may be a little cheaper, but the red blend is outstanding.
Yes it is and on sale at The Kroger for 8.49.
I just tried Dark Horse at a wine tasting a month ago and jotted down that it was great for the price!
Nonetheless:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP67H4qfe5w
Once a man starts it can be hard to stop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_21p14TAXM
Both of these links just lead to a cheese commercial
Jazz –
You’re not using one of those cheap commercial browsers are you? When you visit the Deep Web, be sure to have Tor Johnson by your side.
jtb
I have a Nook – which limits me to Barnes and Noble – but I discovered their “Books under $5” and have been going to town. I found some VERY interesting books that way. And Jeff, thanks to your suggestion a couple of years ago, my very first Nook Book was 11/22/63 by Stephen King. But if anyone wants really haunting creepy, try “The Way The Family Got Away” by Michael Kimball. It’s only 107 pages, but so goddamn eerie, it’ll give you nightmares.
I’m going to the beach on Sunday. I better bring SPF 8000. I think I can make the translucents look like James Brown.
I just wish my teeth were as white as my legs.
LOL! Me too! We can star in some Crest ads.
After extensive reflection, or at least 30 seconds of it, I’ve realized that my ‘never’ list is pretty short. Mostly it has to do with eating gross food and letting a spider crawl in my mouth. I think I’d commit murder before either of those things. Because, ew, balut.
Oh, I’ve got tons of nevers. I’m cranky at best, so this should surprise no one. Here are a few:
Never become romantically entangled with running machinery.
Never eat food off of a hospital floor.
Never try and grab a cops gun.
Never make out with someone with florid herpes.
Never “rassle” with large wild animals.
Never “have relations” with anything non-human.
Never threaten a public official.
Never assume any firearm is unloaded.
Never bet against an idiot.
Never put anything in your butt unless instructed to do so by a physician.
Never tattoo anything above the collar of your shirt.
Never use a generator or a charcoal or gas grill indoors.
Never ride a motorcycle without a helmet.
There are more, but this ought to do.
I too have a Nook. It’s a pain in the ass and I kind of have a vague sense of distrust/unease/cheapness when it comes to buying e-books so I stick with what I can get from my public library.
I also use it as a tool to find new authors. If I like their books that much I’ll but them in paper form.
Jeff,
Thinking of pulling the trigger on a Kindle. Will use the Amazon link. What if anything do you use for screen protection on your Kindle?
Long story short “too late”: 2 weeks ago we bought Casa Revashane our retirement home that we would rent out for 2 yrs. THEN this past Saturday we sold our house here!! Well fuck, now we have nowhere to live. Is it fair that the new owners want us out on the 28th but will not have the house inspected until the 9th? Then we’ll have to fix the pissy little things they find wrong which will leave us less than 2 weeks to close and get outta here. What if something falls through? Fuck me, my head is spinning. My 4th will be an impromptu garage sale trying to sell everything. Worse(best?) case scenario is we just jump ship and move to SC. Teen daughter is freaking out but I don’t have time for it. I’m more upset about leaving my horse, I’ve learned more about myself through him and therapy.
Like Jeff, Kindel brought me back to reading. I put the app on my pad and phone, best part is not needing a light to read in bed!! We started out with their 99 cent deals and then became “unlimited” which throws in the streaming for free. I too bought the King novel about Kennedy at Jeffs suggestion. Husband and I both were not disappointed.(we had lost all interest in King years ago)
Donald Trump Eat Shit! Amy Schumer You go Girl!!
Definitely read more with my Kindle. You never finish a book and have nothing to read until you can get to the store. Plus, with the adjustable font size I never have to strain to read when tired. Ever try reading a Michener paperback while your eyes are a bit tired?
There aren’t many things I would *NEVER* do, if you paid me enough. Well, I’ll go with Adam’s and Jorge’s lists.
I never really got into the whole e-book thing. Sure, the price is right, but you don’t actually own the e-books you’ve “bought.” But I’ve been reading paper books from about the mid-1960s up to the present. Speaking of which, the last book I finished was Stephen King’s Finders Keepers. It’s a sequel of sorts to Mister Mercedes, and they were both pretty good. They are crime thrillers, with not a drop of supernatural in them.
For the 4th of July, I hope to be engaging in that activity known to the Brits as “fuck all.” I had to drive to southern Maryland today for work (4 hours round trip) and I was not happy about that.
.
Chill, I could be wrong but every book we have purchased is stored in the archive (cloud). There is a way to loan them out to friends too but I don’t have any friends that read what I do so I never tried. I out grew romance and soft porn in my 30’s and now read dystopian, weird shit mystery kinda stuff. Gotta run, yard sale starts in an hour. Happy 4th to all.