I don't buy fiction. As a retired/unemployed librarian I'm a big believer in using the library for recreational reading. But I'd heard all the hype about great collections of easily downloaded books, so I decided to give it a try.
It's hogwash. Or my taste is too esoteric.
I've checked out a handful of ebooks from my local library, but mostly when I get on their site the books are 1) not available in ebook form, or 2) there is a lengthy wait-list to get it. I need a book right now! It could be all those years of working in libraries and just having books fall into my lap has spoiled me.
The upside of the ebook revolution is all of the older material that is now available for free (allow you do have to read reviews of the free editions to see which is better), so I'm going backwards in time and reading things I've never read before. The good news is if I don't like it, I just click delete and pick something else. The bad news . . . well it's not really bad news, but I am a little embarrassed by all the "great works of literature" I've never read, and the ones I've tried and don't like.
The answer to the question "what are you reading" right now is Alice in Wonderland.
I downloaded this edition, or I should say a sample of it. It costs $2.99 and I wanted to see if I'd really enjoy it or not. So far it's quite good, so I'll probably pay the cash to finish it. I've also got Les Miserables and an edition of Grimm's Fairytales available.
In real books, I'm reading One Thousand Gifts.
So that's what (and how) I'm reading right now. Do you have an ereader? How do you feel about paying for books this way? Do you think the availability of books for loan is up to par? Inquiring minds want to know!
linking up with writer's workshop
I haven't bothered trying to get books from the library since I've heard the wait time can be annoying. I do pay for some books but most come to me through newsletters that let you know when a book is free on Amazon :)
ReplyDeleteYou might also want to check out the site NetGalley for access to TONS of new and pre-release books for free
I mostly read real books, but I do love the request feature at the library for my kindle. It feels a little like Christmas when I get an email letting me know that a book is waiting for me!
ReplyDeleteNow that is true! I got an email this morning letting me know a ebook was available and that was fun.
DeleteI read both eBooks and print books. Sometimes I prefer one and sometimes the other. I will say, if I'm reading a lit book with vocabularly that extends my own, one of my favorite features of an e-reader (in my case my computer or phone) is being able to look up a word's definition without having to leave the text I'm reading. And while I absolutely love print books, paper pages in hand, my overflowing house thanks me for moving some of my book obsession to the digital age. :>
ReplyDeleteI read Alice last year and that second looks good. I love my kindle. kelley—the road goes ever ever on
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