book – Humble Dave

I LOVE to read. It’s mostly my Mom’s fault, since she always read to me as a child, was a public school teacher, literacy teacher, and ran the literacy department for a public school system. It’s in my blood.

Now I understand all these book publishers need to make money. And, of COURSE, the authors deserve to make money. But WHAT THE F**K. $17? For an e-book? There are no printing costs. No paper, no shipping to bookstores. The publishers literally just have to read, edit, and market. $17. I feel like somewhere in this equation greed has really taken over.

20 years ago I was buying paperbacks for $5.99. Those were the expensive ones. I remember when they went up to $7.99 for some newer, bigger, more popular books and I thought, “That’s expensive, but, hey, prices go up!” Then ebooks. $2.99, $5.99, $7.99. It was wonderful. Then the $9.99 books came out and I was like, what? For a digital copy that I can’t lend to anyone, or sell when I’m done? And, if you read the Terms and Conditions, YOU DON’T ACTUALLY OWN IT! Nope, you bought the right to read it, but they reserve the right to yank it right off your digital device for “reasons.”

I started reading the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson a couple years ago. I bought the Way of Kings ($9) in April 2016 and Words of Radiance ($10) in May 2016. Then I realized that the series was incomplete… and waited.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that Oathbringer was out and thought I’d read that, but it had been so long I needed to re-read the other two. Just finished yesterday, and went to buy Oathbringer. $17. The local libraries have about 2 dozen copies but there are 3 dozen people waiting for them. So, if I want to read it before I begin to forget the other two I’ll have to buy a copy.

$17. For… a book. That I won’t actually own, and can’t sell or lend (which also means I can’t borrow it from a friend). That has no real physical presence. On a side note: The paperback is listed at $20, and the Hardcover at $22. What in the hell is going on here?

Anyway, I’ve had enough of this for now. I’m not buying it. Sorry Mr. Sanderson. Pound sand Macmillan.

</rant>

I love books. Love ’em. Over the course of my life I’ve read literally thousands of different books, and many of them more than once. I have my mother to thank for instilling in me a love of reading. In fact, the only reason that my writing is the least bit palatable is because of all the wordsing I do. You know I’m good because I can make up new words, like “wordsing,” and you second guessed yourself into thinking it might actually be a real word (it wasn’t, but it is now!).

But the question is: What do you get for someone who loves reading and books, but owns all the books they want (or has time for)? Well I’ll tell you: You get them a decoration that looks like a book. BOOM! I just blew your mind.

The Excelvan decorative book light is exactly that. It has a sturdy wooden cover with a decorative curved binding. It feels solid and earthy in your hands. You like it. And then you open it and are gently BLINDED BY THE LIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE! I’m just kidding. It’s not blinding. It’s a gentle white light. I do liken it to the light of knowledge, which can be found in any book, from The Diggingest Dog to War and Peace.

Once opened, the book-light warms any room with its gentle glow. It fits anyplace you could put an open book. The magnets in the cover keep it closed and ensure the lights are off. They can also be used to open the book a full 180 degrees and keep it open, creating a 360 degree ring of light.

It’s powered by an internal battery that lasts for about 8 hours, and is charged by an included USB power cord. The port is small and out-of-the-way so it doesn’t interfere with the asthetics. While it is plugged in, there is a red light to indicate it is charging which turns blue once fully charged. When unplugged there is no charge indicator.

I’m seriously considering buying a second one of these, because I know I’m going to miss this when I give it to my favorite book-lover. I’m sure my mom will love it!

As always, live the dream!

-Humble Dave

Amazon Product Link: Excelvan USB Book Light

Tag: book

[RANT] WHY IS THIS BOOK $17???

Excelvan Decorative LED Book Light

Disclosure: I received this product at a discount in exchange for testing it. All opinions are my own.