E-Borrowing From The Library

Last week, I had to ride the train for an hour, but I didn't think about taking a book along until I was on my way to the station.

Not that I had time to stop if anything were even open, either a shop or even the public library.

Except for the e-library, that is.

The public library has long been a place to access technology for those without funds to buy their own computers, and libraries have not slacked off when it comes to bringing in the latest gadgets. Librarians also know that many of their patrons use e-reading devices, whether it's a Kindle, a Nook or a smartphone.

What the librarians are encountering from big house publishers, however, is a refusal to allow borrowing. E-books are fairly cheap as it is, and it would hurt the bottom line if libraries took to purchasing more copies in digital and fewer hard-bound books. So even though patrons like and want e-books, the library cannot provide them.

Leave it to Smashwords, a cutting edge source of digital reading material, to pair up with a consortium of California libraries. Via Smashwords, those libraries will soon have access to an enormous collection of e-books once the system is operational.

Authors want people to read their books. That's why they wrote them. Smashwords authors are excited about the prospect of making their stories available to a wider audience.

You don't live in California?

If you can wait until July, you can purchase Newcastlewest Books' offerings at 50% off on Smashwords. It's a great way to get to know some brilliant authors and enjoy some excellent entertainment in the high heat of summer (or the cool of winter for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere.)

That's The Leaven of the Pharisees, A Terrible Beauty, and Lace Curtain Irish, all at 50% off list price. Enter coupon code SSW50.

Read.