What sort of pages are your favorite? Hi, I’m Debb, and I’m a word addict. Give them all to me. However, they arrive. I’m not fussy, but can only read certain things in certain formats.

Are you an e-reader or do you prefer physical copies? There’s also a third option – the audiobook. I will happily read fiction however it comes. I have a double papasan that’s essentially a squishy chaise lounge, and I love to curl up in it with a warm drink, a blanket, and a great physical copy. There’s something about connecting to the pages of the story that seems to amplify the experience. I’m currently reading my way through several Love Inspired stories by my friend Ruth Logan Hearn.

But so often these days, I receive review copies via ebook. At first, the idea of non-physical books horrified me, but the convenience is second to none. My husband doesn’t love a lot of light in our room when he’s trying to sleep, and I have found a low light setting on my Kindle app means I can keep pages turning even while he drifts off. Score. More reading and together time for me. At the moment, I’m finding it hard to put down the latest by Gabrielle Meyer. Time travel, anyone?

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However, I cannot, not a hope, read a nonfiction book this way. The information does not compute. If I am researching or studying, it’s got to be the physical copy. Now, it can be paper or hard back, I’m not fussy about that, but I need to be able to mark up, highlight and even put little flags in places to revisit. If you’ve ever used an e-reader, I can hear you yelling me that this is possible with such devices or apps. Absolutely. They’re so clever. But I cannot absorb information this way. (Bizarrely, except the Bible, I do love highlighting when I’m reading scripture.) At the moment I’m reading More Iditatorod Classics (research) and Mastering the Art of Writing Fiction by our own DiAnn Mills.

And a number of years ago, I discovered audiobooks. They can be tricky for me because my professional background is radio presenting. I spent twenty years in a newsroom. Badly voiced things make me want to run and hide and cover my ears. But while working on my running ability (I have very little game here), I found listening to an excellent story would actually keep me pounding the street to find out what happened next (sermons work too, but don’t fit this blog post). Now, a good audiobook accompanies me everywhere I go. I have found a few Christian ones on NetGalley, and my husband has treated me to an Audible subscription. For a glorious two hours more, I have Love and the Dream Come True by Tammy L Grey to keep my mind busy while my legs try to keep moving.

How about you – can you read in any format, or are you sold out to one in particular? Do let me know. So long as you’re reading, there is no wrong answer.

Meet Debb Hackett

Award winning writer Debb Hackett is a military wife and mom to two teenage girls. Debb writes contemporary romance about faith, hope and love and prays her stories will pull people closer to Jesus. She runs the Biblical devotion series The Word on Wednesday and is part of the staff team at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.  Debb and her husband Willy, a military test pilot, make their home just outside London, England.

Learn more about Debb on her BRRC profile page or website.