I will admit openly to stealing this idea from Hugh Howey. He’s one of my heroes in the indie publishing world and someone I admire a great deal.

This post is all about the love of reading. As a child, I was horribly, painfully introverted. Reading, as was writing, was a means of escape. It was my mother who gave me this love of reading. I firmly believe this was the best gift she ever gave me. Without that love and passion for reading, I doubt that I would have developed the love and passion for writing.

My favorite childhood memories were the weekly trips my mother and I would take to our local library. To this day, whenever I step into a library, I am instantly at peace. The world around me falls away. The smell of all those beautiful tomes is more relaxing than any scented candle or day at the spa.

As I grew older I would read read my books and all the books my mother would come home with. While many people go to yard sales to buy knick-knacks or furniture or what-nots, mamma and I went in search of books. Finding books for a nickel was akin to hitting the lottery. 20 books for a dollar? Heaven on earth!

I loved reading then and still do today. Though I have to admit to not being able to read three or four books a week like I used to. I’m too busy writing them — which is also like Heaven on earth to me.

I still love paperbacks and hardcover books and still visit my local libraries as often as I can, but I also love my Kindle. One of the things I love most about my kindle is that it’s like having every library in the world right at my fingertips. We have a lot of cold, dark, snowy winters here in the Midwest, days where you can’t leave the house because the snow is too deep or the windchill factor dangerously low. Instead of having to bundle up like I’m getting ready for the Iditarod, I can make a cup of hot chocolate, curl up in my favorite chair, and open my kindle. I’ve got hundreds of books on my TBR list, but if I want something different, I can visit the Kindle Store and find something new. One click and it’s mine. Hundreds of thousands of books all in the palm of my hand. I get goosebumps just thinking about it!

Because I believe reading is so important and I love the Kindle Unlimited Program, I’m going to do a special give away. I’m going to give away ONE Kindle with 6″ with glare free touch screen and wi-fi, valued at $79. I’m ALSO going to give away five (5), six-month Kindle Unlimited subscriptions which are worth $60 each. Yesterday, I discussed why I
liked this program — yes I am a member and use it all the time — and answered some common misconceptions about the Kindle Unlimited program.

I will choose five winners from those who comment on this post and tell me why you love to read, what reading meant to you as a child or what it means to you now. What were some of your favorite books as a kid? As an adult? No, you don’t have to answer all these questions, they’re just suggestions. I will announce the winners before I leave for the InD’Scribe Author and Reader event in September.

I was telling my friend, the divine and beautiful author Kathryn Le Veque about borrowing Hugh’s idea. She was so excited about it that she is going to give away five (5) Kindle Unlimited Subscriptions too. So now, you’ve doubled your chances of winning! Just visit Kathryn’s site by clicking here.

UPDATE: The response to this has been amazing! People are asking about hashtags. Please use #giftofreading, #giftofreadinggiveaway, or #suzantisdalegiveaway for tweeting or FB posts. Thank you all!!!

Now let’s share the gift of reading!

Suzan