Though I tend to buy business books (used) on Amazon, I visit my local branch of the Brookline library when I want new fiction to read.
It's less than 2 miles away, my little Putterham branch. It's way cheaper than what my husband does: he buys new books at Barnes & Noble. And lately, I realize that it brings me a sense of solidarity with the senior (that is, more senior than I) citizens of my town.
When I went there last week to return a book for Sylvia, my elderly neighbor who no longer drives (and who flagged me down on the sidewalk for this small gesture of good-neighborliness), I realized something:
It's the older generation who counts on this library. A steady stream of grand dames came and went. With a hefty stack of books tucked under their arms, they were on a mission - a mission to read. Sylvia is a former teacher who belongs to a book-of-the-month club. She had me return a bio on the Kennedy clan, and the new book she'd reserved was Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. Not bad for a woman closer to 90 than 80!
I swear to Pete, I had all I could do not to give each one of them an animated thumbs up, as if to say, "I'm with you, sister! I may work on a computer all day but I still love my local library!"
I tell you all of this during the same month that I bought my husband a Kindle as a combined birthday/anniversary gift. You see, he spends hundreds of dollars on books every year, because he inhales them - and never reads them twice. How many crime and action novels can one house hold? It's insane. And since our son has the same taste in fiction, they can both read these books on the Kindle.
Me? I will keep going to the local library and buy used business books from Amazon.
It's important having all of these options, as long as we're all still reading.
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Print is still a choice. Often it's a good choice. It's just not the only choice any more. Print buyers are still learning to navigate a growing array of media options. Successful printers don't assume they are the default, they look for situations where print is the best solution.
ReplyDeleteI too am a HUGE fan of my local library (Beverly Farms Branch Library - long may she continue to dodge budget cuts and remain open!) When I read a book review or get a recommendation from a friend, I jump online and reserve the book. Haven't spent a dime at Borders or Amazon in years, and I read a new (to me) book every week or so.
ReplyDeleteI take my kids to the library on a regular basis, but they are more often than not more interested in playing computer games or chatting up their friends than in books - it saddens my book-loving heart!
Interested to hear of Alan's reaction to the Kindle. I borrowed a friend's not too long ago, and didn't like it much. Love the feel of the book in my hands too much I guess. But long term, who knows where I'll be getting my books when I'm 80? I was not a big fan, 15 years ago, of reading the newspaper online. But today it is the way I keep up with local, national, and world news.