Back To The Bookstore?

Since I got my Amazon Kindle e-reader in March I have been feeling a little guilty about buying most of my new books online.  

I’ve always been a book person, I worked in publishing for a long time and I feel for the way that electronic book publishing and e-reading is impacting the industry. 

I never thought that I would prefer to read on an actual e-reader, I resisted for months as I thought that I would not be a real “book person” without my hardcover first editions.  But this is not the case anymore.  In two months I’ve downloaded 10 novels online and purchased three books in the bookstore (two of them were reference books). 

This weekend I was browsing in a real bookstore and it got me thinking about the benefits of buying and reading books on my Kindle AND buying and reading books at the bookstore: 
The Bookstore

• There are still a few really great independent bookstores.  Ben McNally Books in Toronto is one example.
• You can ask for help from an experienced bookseller who will help you find a book you will love.
• Nothing beats walking around the bookstore and seeing some of the cool/interesting and eye catching covers.
• While walking around you might stumble across a rare find which is not on any bestseller list, but is the best book you’ve ever read.
• Rochelle mentioned to me that she was interested in reading Shania Twain’s new autobiography, but for now you can only buy it in the bookstore in Canada. Not everything is available right away for downloading on the Kindle. 
• I still prefer to buy reference books that I can keep on my desk from the bookstore.

Downloading books on my Kindle e-reader

• When I read about a book that looks good I can sample a chapter right away and see if I like it before buying it.
•  It is less expensive in general to buy books online.  
• I can take my Kindle with me anywhere and if I’m stuck waiting at an appointment I will always have something to read.
• The cover with the light is one of the best inventions ever. I can read while my husband sleeps and the cover makes the Kindle feel like a book.

Conclusion

If you love to read then chances are you will enjoy reading physical books and books on an e-reader. Sadly I will probably continue to buy more books online than in the bookstore and I keep hearing the same thing from others who’ve been using e-readers. The good news is that people are saying that they are reading more books than ever with their e-readers. Hopefully new opportunities will be created for publishers, writers and booksellers who have always struggled in a competitive market. 

Thankfully, one thing is clear – booklovers will always be around.

What's your preference when it comes to reading?

If you secretly enjoyed watching The Bachelor then you will love Some Girls: My Life in a Harem

I recently downloaded the first chapter of Some Girls: My Life in a Harem on my Kindle, was hooked then bought and finished the book in just a few days. It is a memoir by Jillian Lauren, mostly about how she went from being an NYU theater school dropout to being paid to spend eighteen months in the harem of Prince Jefri Bolkiah the youngest brother of the Sultan of Brunei.

It is hard to believe that the story is true - but it is. The lavish parties where the girls all fought for the attention of the Prince and the cat fights that regularly took place sounded a lot like the Bachelor's famous parties that took place before the "rose ceremonies"on TV. In both scenarios the "guests" at the party are carefully monitored and contained in over the top accommodations to make the women feel special and pampered. In both scenarios the men are not worthy which is frustrating for the viewer/reader.

The book touches on Jillian Lauren's childhood and growing up adopted into a Jewish family. Her adoptive father was verbally abusive but loving and her mother was also loving but was weak and didn't stand up to her husband. She later tries to find out more about her birth parents.

What I liked about the book is that the author is brutally honest and admits to needing to be the chosen one at the palace parties and also to enjoying the money. The epic shopping trips alone would make me question my own morals. But she doesn't make excuses for her decisions even though she was only eighteen at the time, and allowed herself to be exploited by those who prey on pretty young women.

 

The book is available in paperback and is a good and easy read.

LOVING my new Kindle e-reader

My husband bought me my first ever Kindle e-reader for my birthday. I've wanted one for a while and have been dropping some (not so) subtle hints. 

One of the things that I love about my husband (besides the fact that he gets me nice gifts) is that he appreciates my love of books and doesn't make me feel bad about buying so many of them. Now that I have a bookstore at my fingertips this might change because buying me an e-reader is like giving a child 24-7 access to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

I am very thankful to Amazon for creating the "wish list" function. Otherwise I probably would have done a lot of damage.

In one hour I downloaded the following books:

1. Sing You Home by Jodie Picoult

2. The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich

3. Love You More: A Novel by Lisa Gardner

4. Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner

Yes, Lisa Gardner is one of my favourites. When I worked in publishing my mass market paperback mystery/crime addiction felt like a bit of a dirty secret, but now I see that there is nothing wrong with enjoying a suspenseful, easy to read thriller. And I read a lot of them.

One of the other great things about the Kindle is that it came loaded with the Oxford Dictionary of English.

Because it is my birthday, I'm also going to share this photo of a beautiful and delicious Edible Arrangement that I received from one of the sweetest girls I know.

And a couple of pics from my birthday dinner....

 Handsome Aussie husband

Younger (just by a bit) brother, Andrew