Hi friends, and thanks for stopping by to check out what I’m reading.
I’ve always been a big reader. The only thing that has changed about my reading style are eBooks. I never thought I’d get away from holding a real book in my hands and reading it. But you know, owning a Kindle that can have hundreds, maybe thousands, of books on it sure weighs a whole lot less than toting around boxes of those same books in paperback or hard cover.
Also I can turn off the lights and read in bed before falling asleep. I put the Kindle onto nightshade mode so it’s easier on my eyes and brain. I also like that I can adjust the font size. Ah, the joys of getting older and that small print tougher to read…
The other thing I like about eBooks is getting a deal. I love free eBooks. I have written many posts featuring free eBooks that I’ve seen available on Amazon Kindle that I want to share with my readers. Freebie is one thing, but I’m also known to spend real money buying eBooks too.
Years ago I won a few contests where Amazon gift cards were prizes. The biggest Amazon gift card I won was $200. I think the next biggest I won was $50. And here and there a few $5 or $10 gift cards.
But I’m thrifty. I use that gift card balance only when I see a book I want to read available for a price I’m willing to pay. That is usually for 99¢ but it could be any amount up to maybe $3 – ha ha!
If it’s an author I really like and I want to read the book, I might spring for a little more money. Especially if it’s a box set and includes several books.
My current gift card balance is $185 so you be the judge about how sparingly I spend that gift card balance.
I think I need to find some more contests to beef up that balance!
Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe
So what am I currently reading? It’s a book by Bill Bryson called Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe. (Disclosure: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you click the link and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission for the referral.)
Even though I purchased the Kindle version, the link goes to the paperback version of this book. The cost on Amazon for the paperback is $10.99 and the Kindle version is $9.49.
Yeah it really bugs me when Kindle prices are so high. For that price, you might as well buy the paperback whether you buy it on Amazon or somewhere else. Though I’d recommend Amazon. I checked the price at Barnes and Noble – $18.99 – YIKES! And if buying in Canada at Indigo, it costs $22.00 – double YIKES!
And was it free when I got it from Amazon? Nope. It cost $1.99. I figured I could spring for it.
Am I a big Bill Bryson fan? Nope. But I did buy and read his novel In A Sunburned Country many years ago and it was hilarious. At the same time it made me want to visit Australia and stay away!
If you follow me on Twitter, you’d have noticed I did a shout out after buying Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe to alert everyone it was on sale for $1.99 on April 11, 2025.
Travels in Europe
I’ve been travelling to Europe since I was a kid, but my most memorable travels to Europe have happened in the last two years.
I did an epic hike in Spain – The Camino de Santiago.
And I also tackled train travel around Europe.
I guess my point kind of is there are million books out there about travel to Europe and I’m just not into reading them all!
Not even free travel books about Europe.
Oddly enough I’m not into even picking up freebie fiction eBooks that take place in Europe. Oh, sure, I do from time to time. It’s just that the cozy mysteries I like the best take place in Florida, Hawaii, and California. Those are places I love reading about.
So why pick up Bill Bryson’s book, a memoir, especially since it wasn’t even free? His travel writing has plenty of humor in it, and that’s why. I like reading funny books and I’m somewhat interested in reading about other people’s travels around Europe. That genre is usually called literary travel. This particular book could be more defined as humorous literary travel.
Let’s see what he has to say.
Have I finished reading the book?
When I bought Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe, I was in the middle of reading another novel. And I have many downloaded novels on my reading list.
Let me tell you when I buy an eBook I will almost always read it as soon as possible. The eBooks I spend real money on get bumped up on my reading list over the freebies!
It is taking me a long time to get through this book. Or should I say long for me. Most of the books I buy are cozy mysteries and generally I read at least one a week. Mostly I read before falling asleep at night, but at times I do sit down on the couch and read for awhile.
It really depends on my housesitting duties. If I have dogs or if I have good weather, I’m out walking a lot.
Then there’s the other thing. I’m not finding this book overly fascinating to keep my attention. And I suppose that could be because the author is visiting places in Europe that don’t hold a lot of interest to me. He’s spending a lot of time in Scandinavian countries. No offence to Scandinavia, but it’s cold up there and expensive. My budget calls for countries with lower price tags and hopefully warmer weather.
Also a lot of guy things happening. The author reminisces about a trip he took to Europe with a friend when they were 19. And what were they doing? Looking for weed, beer, and women.
I’m not quite halfway through the book and it’s still in Sweden. It does have some funny moments and I’ll keep plugging along. Eventually the author will land in Italy, Austria, and Turkey.
Next on my reading list:
There’s a novel I’ve wanted to buy for a long time – The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America. As the title might suggest to you, it’s a true story about a woman who rides her horse across America. Wow! Talk about an epic journey! She wants to go to California and see the Pacific Ocean and her starting point is Maine. This was back in the 50s and a journey of this sort takes a lot of courage.
This book came on my radar years ago but was too expensive. $15 for a Kindle? No thanks, says frugal me. Every now and then I look it up and see if it’s on sale.
Nope. Not happening.
At the end of April, Amazon was having a book sale for a couple of days. I wasn’t holding my breath, but I looked up The Ride of Her Life just in case it might be included.
Are you kidding me?
$1.99?
Sold!
I quickly snatched up a copy and sent out a Tweet so other horse lovers or women who love reading these kind of stories could also snatch it up.
Nomad. Solo female traveller. Horse lover. Checks off all my boxes!
And sorry folks. It has returned to the regular (over)price.
Stay tuned. Once I’ve finished reading Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe I’ll be reading The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America and reviewing it here.
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on May 4, 2025.
