Well, there were some books, but quite a few less, as in less than half. I’m talking about a visit to my local, big-box bookstore. Less than six months ago I was in there, perusing the shelves, looking for something to read and there was an entire floor of shelves stacked edge to edge with reading material. Now? Let’s just say there are games and toys and other bric a brace and precious fewer tomes to tickle the fancy. Disappointed? Yes, I am. The bookstore has always been an adventure, a sort of treasure hunt. Sure, it’s possible to comb through the world wide web but it’s tons more fun to touch the pages, maybe bump into someone who has read something good, or even be told what to avoid. I know, I know, all the reviews are online. Sterile they are because you can’t look into someone’s eyes and ask questions.
At any rate, the days of the bookstore in the big-box form are numbered. There will be the specialty shops out there, operated by book lovers. And I’ll go looking for them because books are still relevant in whatever form they take. The people involved with them offer some interesting insight, too. Happy reading!
The Bent Page 
Kindle Review
I’ve owned an Amazon Kindle eReader for several years now. The device works very well, especially when you consider that you can download a book in less than a minute. So, after some serious testing, here’s a brief video to show it in action.
Despite the high initial cost of my Kindle, I’ve now downloaded enough books at reduced prices to make up the difference in the price of the unit itself. And, when you consider I didn’t burn any gas driving to the bookstore, I’m definitely ahead. Not that I mind a ride to the bookstore, because I do enjoy perusing the shelves as mentioned in an earlier post. But this is the way the world is going, browsing on the internet instead of inside a building, reading on a tablet as opposed to on paper. For leisure reading, the books that simply entertain and perhaps don’t require space on the shelf, the Kindle more than does the job. When traveling, don’t leave home without it.
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on January 23, 2012 at 6:42 pm Comments (1)