Pocket After Dark and musings about Amazon

For those of you who are willing to read e-books (sorry, Mary)...and I have been surprised to discover that there are quite a few who prefer this format...I suggest that you join the Pocket After Dark site.  Unfortunately, I tend to keep a lot of titles on my TBR plate so I forget to return to the site as often as I should but there are usually one or two titles that they offer for a limited time to be read in their entirety plus snippets from other books.  Right now they have Karen Robards' Justice and J.F. Lewis' Crossed available for a limited time.  I have a preference for the printed book so e-books tend to go to the end of my queue but this is a great way to get to know new authors.  Fortunately, my local libraries are very good about adding a wide variety of genres to their collections so it is very rare that I lack for new titles to read.

This leads me to the discovery that Patricia Briggs' new title Fair Game got released yesterday and my displeasure with Amazon!  I very rarely buy hardcover books.  It is not cost effective for me and as I said, the local libraries are pretty good about getting new titles in a timely manner and my TBR pile is so enormous that it is pretty hard to keep up with all of the series that I read and keep up with the review books that I peruse.  That being said, Patty Briggs is one of a handful of authors that I purchase in hardback.  Those who have read much of my blog know that I am frugal so it is rare that I buy things without a coupon or other discount but I was fortunate to receive several credits on Amazon and I pre-ordered Fair Game in OCTOBER!!!!  I was a bit annoyed to read someone's post about receiving their Kindle version yesterday and to look at my account and realize that my copy hasn't even shipped yet!  Now, I understand that sometimes copies aren't available but this is on the heels of having to wait to receive my copy of Tamora Pierce's Mastiff about THREE WEEKS after it was released.  Another copy that I had pre-ordered.  I am not pleased.  I realize that I am falling into the whine of those who like instant gratification but I think that given that I have 'gotten in line' months before the release and I know that copies are often released to booksellers early (after all, how could they have them stocked on the shelves on the pertinent days otherwise)...why aren't they shipped so that they arrive on or just after the release date?

What is the point of buying through Amazon?  I can't look at the book and make sure it is pristine (and yes, I am one of those obsessive people who like my bookcovers to be nice and unwrinkled, the corners of the book undamaged, etc.) and now it seems I can't even get the book when it is first released.  I am going to have to ponder and decide whether to trade my allegiance to Barnes and Noble (I was an ardent supporter of Waldenbooks/Borders).  Ok, will climb down off of my soapbox now...but I reserve the right to grumble....