Buzbee on Book LUST

For the last several days I've had the sudden and general urge to buy a new book. I've stopped off at a few bookstores around the city, and while I've looked at hundreds and hundreds of books in that time, I have not found the one book that will satisfy my urge. It's not as if I don't have anything to read; there's a tower of perfectly good unread books next to my bed, not to mention the shelves of books in the living room I've been meaning to reread. I find myself, maddeningly, hungry for the next one, as yet unknown. I no longer try to analyze this hunger; I capitulated long ago to the book lust that's afflicted me most of my life. I know enough about the course of the disease to know I'll discover something soon.”
― Lewis Buzbee, The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History

I have to say that I have suffered from book lust from the time I first discovered libraries at the age of seven, and second hand bookshops when I was eleven. Over time I have added book sales, garage sales, charity book fairs, digital archives and of course Amazon for my Kindle requirements.

While it is a lust, I believe it is a harmless and very enjoyable one. And of course it is not all about lust, love comes into the equation as well.

Many of my happiest times have been with a book in my hand. I clearly remember going into a bookshop in Alnwick on a snowy winters day and drinking coffee and reading my purchases in front of a blazing open fire - Bliss.

Book Lust
DK

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Independent Book Stores - Be Proactive or die

“And so many of the indies have partnered with Google to sell ebooks right from their own websites. These stores are embracing the “new technology” instead of hiding from it, because they realize it’s about the story, not the ink on paper. If you want ebooks, your local indie can sell you ebooks. If your local independent is hanging up posters saying that ebooks will kill everything, you should tag that bookstore as a favorite in your GPS doohickey. You’ll get great deals, because that store will have a going-out-of-business sale soon. Yes, even though you try to save it with a letter-writing campaign.”
― Steve Weddle

I love independent book stores but I fear for their survival if they don't embrace the tsunami like move to eBooks.

The independents got hit by the big chains and now we are seeing the chains going under (anyone remember Borders?).

The future lies in the independents becoming the coffee houses where readers of all ilks gather to discuss what they have read. Content is king, the medium matters less. Readers like to discuss what they have read. If you doubt it, just look at the number of book groups that abound.

So get proactive readers and help keep the indies alive but not by fighting the demise of the physical book.

DK

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A Sobering but Fascinating Thought for Readers

“If you read one book a week, starting at the age of 5, and live to be 80, you will have read a grand total of 3,900 books, a little over one-tenth of 1 percent of the books currently in print.”
― Lewis Buzbee, The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History

The only thing worth remembering is that not all books are worth reading or in areas of interest for you so you may get to about 0.9%.

While I will never read every book of interest I will have no shortage of candidates for my shortlist.

Keep well


DK

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No need to Choose Between eBooks and Your Book Shelf

“I don't choose between my house phone and my mobile. I don't choose between my laptop and my notebook. And I don't intend to choose between my e-reader and my bookshelf.”
― Sara Sheridan

While I am now only buying eBooks, I have no intention of getting rid of my lovely physical library. Sheridan makes a great point that one size doesn't fit all and that the use of eBooks doesn't preclude us from enjoying the paper versions as well.

DK

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Aladdin's eReader

Consider the millions who are buying those modern Aladdin’s lamps called e-readers. These magical devices, ever more beautiful and nimble in design, have only to be lightly rubbed for the genie of literature to be summoned.”
― Steve Wasserman

What a great idea and so true. I love eBooks, I love eReaders!!

The genie of literature - that is magic. Transformation of experience by some spinning electrons and eInk.

Happy Reading

DK

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An Authors View on eBooks

“I am completely unflustered by whichever medium people choose to read my words. I'm just delighted they're reading them at all!”
― Sara Sheridan

Basically books are written in words and whether we read them on paper or electronically doesn't change the meaning that the author is trying to convey.

Most reading activity happens betwixt the book and the brain and depends on how we filter the words.

I am agnostic as to the media as I am to how my food is dished up - I don't eat the plate but the food.

DK

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Childhood Reading - a View

“The books of our childhood offer a vivid door to our own pasts, and not necessarily for the stories we read there, but for the memories of where we were and who we were when we were reading them; to remember a book is to remember the child who read that book.”

― Lewis Buzbee, The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History

I can still remember the excitement of reading Coral Island when I was a young boy (48 years ago). The book, while having gory parts related to cannibalism, was a very gripping read. Thinking back I can remember the boy I was and my passion for reading. I always loved to go to bed early so that I could read. When I was a teenager, while my friends were out about town, I was in bed with a cake of chocolate, a bag of peppermints, my books and my imagination. I dropped the chocolate and peppermints decades ago but it is still a pleasure to read in bed, bliss!

Ciao

DK

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