In my opinion, nothing beats reading a good book. I am a confessed bookworm, although these days with my schedule, I tend to lean more towards magazines. But when an opportunity to snuggle up on the couch with a good book comes knocking, I’m the first one to fling that door wide open.
And I know I’m not alone. Both mega-chain and mom-and-pop bookstores generally report brisk sales, even in the face of the growing power and lure of the Internet. Here on DeafDC.com, there’s been a couple of recent book reviews, like this and this. Another fellow DeafDC.com blogger spilled the beans on how those College Bowl folks seemed to know the damnest things:
It’s only appropriate to note that my favorite book is Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader. The secret tool of any College Bowl alumnus, the series consists of thick books with super-durable paperback covers, each one chock-full of hundreds of little educational stories, factoids, and news of the weird.
Most of us love to pore over the words on the pages of a book, and debate and offer our own interpretations until the cows come home. But I have a question to ask the die-hard bookheads: Would you be willing to pony up an online subscription fee for books a lá Netflix? In other words, pay a set amount of money every month to receive an X number of books, just like the DVDs.
So far, there are three companies that I found offer the service: BooksFree.com, Bookswim, and Paperspine. BooksFree.com (an oxymoron, if you ask me) has been around for nearly a decade, while Bookswim started cranking out the service earlier this year. Paperspine is literally the new kid on the block– it was launched last week. The brainchild of Microsoft Corporation program manager, Dustin Hubbard, Paperspine is geared towards people who read one or two books a month. Noting that “books are expensive,” he explained that a person could spend upwards to $50 on several paperbacks at a bookstore. Hubbard is quick to point out:
If you read four or five books a year, the service is not that useful. But if you read one or two or more books a month the service really pays for itself.
May I introduce a novel (and less expensive) option? It’s called a LIBRARY. You can borrow a certain amount of books at one time, take them home with nearly no waiting time, and the overdue fees are sure to be a lot less than some of the monthly subscription plans offered. If you physically cannot make it to the library, most of them offer some sort of a mobile service that can usually come to your area with the requested books. But the best thing about libraries? It’s FREE to borrow. Now that’s good news for your wallet.
Am I the only one who think people using these online services ought to have a book thrown at them?
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Libraries are good! I particularly like my county library which appears to be well funded, which translates to more books. The library system is also open to suggestions for books. Finally, I can also reserve books online and pick them up when they’re ready, instead of trolling the shelves around although you do find rare gems.
The downside to library books is the time limits, like two weeks. With new books that can be limited, although with regular books, there can be a renewal. Paperbacks, on the other hand, appear to have a two month loan.
When do I find time for it? I commute on the D.C. Metro and read on it. At home, well, I have other hobbies (carpentry, gardening, etc.) and, of course, family demands.
Oh, and one more thing, I would consider buying books only if I was convinced that I would want to read it later or if I thought it was intrinsically interesting to my field of interest. So that sets a rather high bar for book purchases.
And, yes, I prefer real books to e-books like Sony’s E-Reader and the new Amazon Kindle. There’s something about bookstores and libraries… so I guess I’m more of a bibliophile. I like books and think it’s an atrocity to just even fold book pages or set the spine down. The books I have are mint condition and well maintained.
One of my dreams someday is to have a room just dedicated to books with built-in shelves. Oh well, maybe when I retire.
Hmm, reading all this, it really does make me sound like a literary/book snob. Guess it’s a good thing I’m posting it anonymously.
By the way, I would encourage the bloggers on DeafDC.com to post more book reviews.
I am currently reading Playboy Magazine’s Past Interviews of Fifty Years with Film Directors hardcover book. Stanley Kurbick’s interview was very interesting with his knowledge of scientific observations and predictions of the future, etc.
I read four books lately, Frances Parsons’ “Elizabeth Peet - Queen of Gallaudet”. I will write a book review about this book in my own blog this weekend if time permits.
Other books about the evils of corporatacy and change the way of living within nature, etc. I could not remmy the titles of those books.
“God’s Bullies” from the 80s and “Language of the Oppression” nonfiction books are still with me all the years since the mid-80s.
For many years, I hardly have time for reading books. I come back to the book readings so far.
Too many books are pure junks and total hogwash anyway. I have to be choosy what I would read particular books.
I still am no fan of nonfiction book readings. I really don’t know why. The last nonfiction book I read was John Grisham’s “The Firm” novel few weeks earlier on the way to visit Grand Canyman in early 90s. Kinda surreal for me reconstructing the settings of Grand Canyman island perfectly from reading “The Firm”.
My Arlington County library have excellent shares of good books which I could extend the return date thru online use. Recent non-fiction books and DVDs are not likely to be renewed by online. It also have handful of deaf videos (VHS), not “how to learn ASL videos”.
I usually browsing books almost everyday. I am a real fast reader - 400 words per minutes according to my elementary school evaluation of my reading ability. I also have a photographic memory, too.
People have to be really careful around me that I could absorb the wordings of any documents lying on desks or somewhere or text messages at quick glance(s).
My deaf mother accused me for not really reading anything carefully, ex. letter from Grandma. I repeated every words and lines to her. She was very shocked that I would read anything right away without reading word by word.
RLM
You mean Grand Cayman? There’s no islands in Grand Canyon :)
Just looking for another way to make that $$$$. Welcome to the capital of captialism– good ole U.S. of A.
The Firm is nonfiction? News to me.
I’ve nearly given up paper books altogether, in favor of e-books on my Palm Treo smartphone/pager. Easy to just whip out my Treo and read a few pages while standing in line or in the elevator or even when walking down the hall at work. I look like I’m working - a big bonus - when actually I’m just reading a few pages of Nelson DeMille or Nora Roberts (yes!) or even Stephen King. In that fashion, I get to read one to two books A WEEK even with two young kids, work, and all that rigamarole, uh, responsibility …
I love my books… turning the pages… going back to re-read them whenever I want…
…and I confess….I like to read books when I’m taking a bath. So utterly relaxing!
And….there’s nothing like dog-earing pages! (no comments from the peanut gallery!)
:)
Leisurely reading a Stephen King paperback book (tattered, of course) and dropping it in the bath…. $5.
Leisurely reading the May 1989 edition of Playboy with a pictorial you like and dropping it in the bath… $150.
Leisurely reading a mint edition, signed Anthony Trollope novel and dropping it in the bath…. $15,000.
Leisurely reading a mint edition of the First Folio of a man named Shakespeare and dropping it in the bath… priceless.
I have never dropped a book in the bathtub. :) And I don’t have any mint edition, signed books. Sigh.
Nor do I have any porn magazines. ;-)
Unfortunately some new books that I want to read haven’t arrived to public libraries or most of libraries only has one copy and somebody has borrowed it out.
You can always try a Goodwill store to buy books– sometimes they do have a good selection (I did buy “Lolita in Tehran” from a Goodwill store) or borrow books from friends (and guilty of never giving it back. Sorry pals!). Or I just look for used bookstores and sift through their bargain bins…
I think university libraries got more contemporary and leisure reading books than your average library– most of the public libraries are catered for children or teenagers, that I have noticed in D.C..
I think everybody should read “The Time Traveler’s Wife”, period. That and “World According to Garp”… two of my all-time favorite books.
It is easy to go through a book fast when you do not own a TV in your home. I am so glad I made that choice!
I would like to bring up the subject of “Paperback Swap” dot com again. I “advertise” this on my blog, but I realize that my blog does not have that many readers. turjopa@blogspot.com “Lantana’s Latitude”
http://www.paperbackswap.com It is WONDERFUL. And it is not only for paperbacks, but hard covers as well. I have had wonderful results with books I have asked for and I turn around and send them to someone else who is interested in the same type of book I am. We deafies often find ourselves overwelmed with stashes of books, and when you join paperbackswap you do not have to worry about this at all!
‘Enjoy!
Lantana
In addition to Lantana, there’s also http://www.booksmooch.com. Same concept as paperbackswap, but another competition of same nature. :) I was hoping to say paperbackswap but ya beat me! ;P However, thanks for the update and reminder about having libraries. 0:) I myself am a book junkie with one exception: being a college student, I’m always bombarded into watching movies all the time since they’re cheap and free here at Gallaudet. I will always adore books and have considered the option of e-books as well.
If I am not patient enough to wait for a new book to arrive at a library, I simply go to a bookstore during my free time and read that book at one sitting!
Of course, I always prefer books to e-books. If you want to find something that you previously read, you can just flip the pages. But with the e-book, it takes time to scroll backwards, and THEN forward to where you left off! Too much hassle. And it feels “more personal” to HOLD a book while reading it. Makes me feel I am getting to “know” the author.
Btw, there’s a website for “e-book club”, called http://www.shelfari.com. It is where you post all of your “recommended” books for others to see and the others, vice versa. As well as exchanging notes to each other. Neat!
I agree, e-books still have a long way to go. Paper books can be easily carried anywhere and can be thrown into a backpack or briefcase.
E-books, well, I wouldn’t want to attempt to try to read an e-book between fumbling for the chardonnay, lighting the candles, and slipping on bubbles in the bath. :)
Is Vikki trying to promote reading for recreation in the Deaf Community? I certainly hope so because if you go to any “D”eaf person’s home you won’t find a single hard-covered book in the house.
That’s an unfair generalization, and I don’t think that’s a true assessment.
Virginia, I guess you haven’t been to many “D”eaf people’s homes. Gee, I wonder why you haven’t!
Where do you come off making such a broad, untrue assumption? I’m Deaf, and my house is full of books, and quite a few are hard cover!
I’m “D”eaf too, and I’ve read more books than most people do in their lifetime!
Don’t be such a jerk.
Thank you, Noelle. You’re right - that’s a very unfair and untrue assessment. I’m quite enculturated into the community and every single room in my home has books, many hardcover. Almost every room has bookshelves. The topics are varied, from linguistics to history to biographies to anthologies to the social impact of cartoonists to art history to many other topics. And I’ve been to other people’s homes. I’m not the only one. Virginia, I think you need to re-examine your attitudes, and I say that in the kindest, most supportive way possible.
Attitudes? I’m behind Vikki 100 percent.
In response to “For RLM”,
Oops! I mistype “nonfiction” book for John Grisham’s “The Firm”. My sincere apology to everybody here.
I somewhat was in real hurry to compose the latest entry. That is my bad habit of composing anything hastily without proofreading it first.
RLM
In a real hurry to compose that long comment? If that is what you’re like when you type in a hurry, I dread to see what you’d write when you have TIME.
Vikki, I tried to post on your “excessive” blog, but comments are closed.
You can add this to the list of excessive buys. All that glitters are gold after all:
http://dvice.com/archives/2007....._makes.php
Vikki,
I’m glad you mentioned the library. By the end of the second paragraph, I was like, “BUT what about the library?!!!” Then I saw that you added that on the bottom. I love the library. Yes, the library isn’t good for picking up the latest and newest books, but in any given library there are at least hundreds/thousands of books. SURELY you can find something to read?? I’ve found many new authors that way, which led me to later buying their new releases when it hits the market.
Also there is nothing like going into a library, just browsing books for hours, discovering new authors, and diving into the library database to see what comes up.
*throwing books at people who use online services*
you should try bookswap.com, although. it’s a service where you can swap books. All you have to do is pay for shipping. :)
Looks like another bunch if pointless web2.0 applications. Too many people are launching webapps to try and offer services that already have perfectly suitable offline equivalents - a library in this case. The next dotcom bust is just around the corner.