Thursday: Book Babble & Buzz

I am still quite “Amish” when it comes to procuring my latest reading material. I don’t “kindle” or “nook” (are they verbs now?) and happen to borrow much from the local library, but several of my good pals are into digital books. One such friend is Betsy.

Betsy and I got to know each other on  a perfect Saturday afternoon in July, 2010. We were attempting to arrive on time at Coors Field for a Rockies game against the Cubs. She wanted to carpool, and I had a car. I discovered that she was one of the most well-read people I had ever met, and over beers, post-game,  at Wynkoop Brewery in Denver, we discovered similar tastes. Now we’re in a book group together. We are very different. She can knit to knock your socks off and I can barely tie my sneakers. I paint with watercolors and she reads about Impressionist artists.

Betsy is educating me about digital books, so I asked her to chime in on this blog with suggestions for getting started with them. Therefore, even though it may seem that I am just dumping Thursday’s blog into somebody else’s lap to write, here’s this week’s “Book Babble” entry, from Betsy. (Besty—I owe you a Guiness.)

Knit Knut’s Book Buzz

I love to sit down with a good book. The FEEL of it. The SMELL of it. The sound the pages make as I am turning them. I know that there are countless others out there who feel the same way. The printed book isn’t going to disappear, but it is undeniable that the digital book is here to stay. Most studies show that in the next five to ten years, more books published in the US will be done so electronically than in actual print. Right now, as we speak, a good percentage of the fiction titles released in any week are done so digitally, before the printed copy ever makes it to the shelves.

Digital (or “ebooks”) are cheaper than their print versions, but-- if you read as much as I do—it still impacts your checkbook, wallet, or credit card.  You must ask yourself—do I really want to pay for a book I’m not sure I’ll want to ever read again, or that just seemed like a good idea at the moment?

Personally, I go to the library to give many books a “test drive,” and you can do the same with ebooks. Across the country, public libraries are now offering ebooks that you check out as if they were print versions. The only difference is, you never have to return them to the library. The ebooks at the average public library simply become “unavailable” on your device at the end of the lending period.

But--you protest--there isn't a public library here in my town! You can find ebook libraries on the web. I’ll be exploring this in weeks to come and hopefully, will be able to link blog readers to sites with free or low-priced titles. NetLibrary is a good place to start. They provide the ebooks offered by many public libraries and can be accessed directly. Most web-based libraries (like NetLibrary) allow access to “free” areas, as well as access to special collections (that sometimes require nominal fees). So do some searching and sign up when you can. (Remember—you can always cancel your membership if it turns out to be a pay service.)

Teri tells me that she’ll regularly blog about an actual printed book she read recently. I am here to offer info on digital offerings. Another link next week!

Besty (aka KK)