http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/59794
I've never been a fan of ebooks and I'm really not sold on this for 4 reasons:
1. There is nothing better than spending a lazy day browsing the shelves of a new or used bookstore.
2. The smell of a new book when you first open the cover. Rates right up there with that new car smell.
3. The feel of a book in my hands, the pages, the glossy colorful cover, the sound a page makes when I turn to the next page
4. The sight of stacks and stacks of books in my home, on bookshelves, piled on tables and in stacks on the floor.
There are some things that just can't be replaced.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
My Problems With Books
One of the downfalls of starting too many books at once, a downfall for me anyway, is that I end up spending more time staring at the stack of books trying to decide which one to get back to first than I actually spend reading the books. When I finally do finish one from the stack of unfinished books you would think I'd keep moving down the stack but nope, I have to go pull a brand new book out of one of the other stacks which then becomes yet another already started book.There are times I wish I had some sort of weird superpower that would allow me to read as many books as I want all at the same time while retaining every page of every book and storing it away in my superhuman memory. Well I can dream can't I?
My other problem with books has to do with having to finish a book regardless of how bad it is. I always hope that somewhere in the remaining pages the book will take a turn for the better and of course this has certainly happened. But for the most part if the book stinks right down to the last page I HAVE to read that last page and finish it off before banishing the book to my give away pile.
Space is another issue and I'm currently low on shelf space to the point that books are packed away in storage boxes. I've even had bookshelves collapse under the weight of the books. Apparently my bookshelves weren't meant to house my books three stacks deep on every shelf. So now as I finish a book I decide whether it's something I would ever consider reading again. If it was just a so-so book that I will never have the urge to pick up again even in the worst moment of boredom or has no sentimental value (given to me as a gift by someone I care about and possibly has an inscription) it's going to go in my give away pile.
Another exception would be any books from my favorite authors. I've read a few stinkers here and there from my favorites but I do keep their books for my own personal collection value.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Hell Must Have Frozen Over
For years now I have felt the town I lived in was destined to never have have a decent bookstore.
Sure, we had a Waldenbooks in the mall, a teeny tiny Walden's that occasionaly served it's purpose of providing me with decent reading material, most of which had to be ordered. Hell, I even worked there for a couple years but for the most part it just wasn't enough and really didn't have the feeling of a bookstore in which you want to spend hours, perusing the shelves, thumbing through books while settling on a comfy chair tucked away in a corner somewhere. And an instore cafe?....unheard of. Author signings?...forget it. That obscure magazine you heard of?...you'll never find it.
But a miracle has happened, happened last week as a matter of fact:
Borders bookstore is now open
Gleeful book store enthusiasts flipped through pages first thing this morning.
The 22,000-square-foot store features nearly 100,000 book titles, more than 5,000 compact disc titles and about 5,000 DVD titles.
The long-anticipated store also has a digital center and a coffee shop.
A description of the store:
. A diverse and relevant assortment of up to 200,000 book, music and movie titles available in an inviting atmosphere with plenty of comfortable seating throughout the store.
· A Seattle’s Best Coffee® café that will serve its full line of premium coffee and non-coffee beverages, including lattes, mochas and blended beverages, and a fresh food menu, featuring pastries and sandwiches.
· A Paperchase shop with a wide selection of fashionable notebooks, journals, wrapping paper, greeting cards and other gifts and stationery items from U.K.-based Paperchase® Products Limited.
· Internet access. Through an alliance with T-Mobile®, Borders stores are T-Mobile HotSpots®, allowing customers using Wi-Fi enabled laptops or PDAs with a T-Mobile account the ability to comfortably surf the web, access email, connect to their corporate network, or download large files all while connected to the nation’s largest, carrier-owned Wi-Fi network.
· Borders Rewards® is a free loyalty program where all customer purchases count toward earning Borders Bucks that can be used on future purchases. In addition, members enjoy exclusive Borders Rewards Bonus Events and receive members-only coupons and savings opportunities throughout the year.
· “Borders Recommends” titles and reviews displayed throughout the store. In addition, knowledgeable booksellers are happy to suggest titles well suited to each customer.
· Multiple self-serve Borders Search stations offering customers the opportunity to check the availability of a particular title and where it is located within the store. In addition, the stations in each store’s music department will give customers the chance to listen to a CD before purchasing it.
· Borders Group Savings and Services Program offering discounts, deferred billing, complimentary price quotes and specialized customer service to businesses, schools, libraries and non-profit groups. Membership to this program is free.
· The Borders Original Voices program, now in its 11th year, highlights the work of new and emerging authors and artists and helps Borders share its passion for books, music, and movies with customers from one enthusiast to another. Over the course of a year, more than 200 new works are featured in Borders stores.
Yes, I'm in heaven.
Sure, we had a Waldenbooks in the mall, a teeny tiny Walden's that occasionaly served it's purpose of providing me with decent reading material, most of which had to be ordered. Hell, I even worked there for a couple years but for the most part it just wasn't enough and really didn't have the feeling of a bookstore in which you want to spend hours, perusing the shelves, thumbing through books while settling on a comfy chair tucked away in a corner somewhere. And an instore cafe?....unheard of. Author signings?...forget it. That obscure magazine you heard of?...you'll never find it.
But a miracle has happened, happened last week as a matter of fact:
Borders bookstore is now open
Gleeful book store enthusiasts flipped through pages first thing this morning.
The 22,000-square-foot store features nearly 100,000 book titles, more than 5,000 compact disc titles and about 5,000 DVD titles.
The long-anticipated store also has a digital center and a coffee shop.
A description of the store:
. A diverse and relevant assortment of up to 200,000 book, music and movie titles available in an inviting atmosphere with plenty of comfortable seating throughout the store.
· A Seattle’s Best Coffee® café that will serve its full line of premium coffee and non-coffee beverages, including lattes, mochas and blended beverages, and a fresh food menu, featuring pastries and sandwiches.
· A Paperchase shop with a wide selection of fashionable notebooks, journals, wrapping paper, greeting cards and other gifts and stationery items from U.K.-based Paperchase® Products Limited.
· Internet access. Through an alliance with T-Mobile®, Borders stores are T-Mobile HotSpots®, allowing customers using Wi-Fi enabled laptops or PDAs with a T-Mobile account the ability to comfortably surf the web, access email, connect to their corporate network, or download large files all while connected to the nation’s largest, carrier-owned Wi-Fi network.
· Borders Rewards® is a free loyalty program where all customer purchases count toward earning Borders Bucks that can be used on future purchases. In addition, members enjoy exclusive Borders Rewards Bonus Events and receive members-only coupons and savings opportunities throughout the year.
· “Borders Recommends” titles and reviews displayed throughout the store. In addition, knowledgeable booksellers are happy to suggest titles well suited to each customer.
· Multiple self-serve Borders Search stations offering customers the opportunity to check the availability of a particular title and where it is located within the store. In addition, the stations in each store’s music department will give customers the chance to listen to a CD before purchasing it.
· Borders Group Savings and Services Program offering discounts, deferred billing, complimentary price quotes and specialized customer service to businesses, schools, libraries and non-profit groups. Membership to this program is free.
· The Borders Original Voices program, now in its 11th year, highlights the work of new and emerging authors and artists and helps Borders share its passion for books, music, and movies with customers from one enthusiast to another. Over the course of a year, more than 200 new works are featured in Borders stores.
Yes, I'm in heaven.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Beginnings
I've been spending time looking around here on blogger reading various book/reader blogs and was inspired to start my own.
This blog will be as it is named - on books and cats and other things that may cross my path in any given day. A warm, furry cat on my lap and a good book in my hands is one of the best ways I find to relax. They seem to go hand in hand.
I'm still under construction here, adding links to other reader blogs and various things but I hope if you love books as much as I do you'll stop by every now and then or make me one of your daily reads.
This blog will be as it is named - on books and cats and other things that may cross my path in any given day. A warm, furry cat on my lap and a good book in my hands is one of the best ways I find to relax. They seem to go hand in hand.
I'm still under construction here, adding links to other reader blogs and various things but I hope if you love books as much as I do you'll stop by every now and then or make me one of your daily reads.
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