Books! How do you read and what do you read?

Currently reading A Natural History of the Future: What the Laws of Biology Tell Us About the Destiny of the Human Species by Rob Dunn; I love this quote from it:

"When we try to control nature, we often come to imagine ourselves as outside nature. We speak of ourselves as if we were no longer animals, as if we were a species alone, disconnected from the rest of life, and subject to different rules. This a mistake. We are both part of and intimately dependent on nature. The law of dependence states that all species depend on other species. And we, as humans, are probably dependent on more species than any other species ever to exist. Meanwhile, just because we depend on other species does not mean nature depends on us. Long after we go extinct, the rules of life will continue. Indeed, the worst assaults we carry out on the world around us nonetheless favor some species. What is remarkable about the big story of life is the extent to which it is ultimately independent of us."
 

SifuPhil said:
It's always amazed me how THIS -

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... can be condensed down to THIS -

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Of course, you lose certain things in the process ...
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Thought provoking post. This may shock some, but I wonder what the purpose and the future of the library has become. A nearby town has set aside more than an acre for a new library, and construction looks about to begin, but I ask myself, who will read those endless shelves of books? I read every night, but I honestly can't remember when I read the last paper book. Perhaps we need state or national digital libraries, but that raises the question of how authors and publishers will be reimbursed. Complicated question, but we may as well accept that the world is changing, and get on with it.
 
Sometimes I have to change up the genre of book I’m reading. Sorta like how after you’ve eaten a lot of sweet stuff you have to eat a dill pickle. When that happens I usually look for science fiction or dystopian.

right now I’m reading The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird (2021). Another plague overtakes planet scenario but thought provoking in a different way. The emphasis is on societal changes and not technology.

It is a page turner, little hard to keep characters straight, scary and distressing at times. Especially since we’re just coming out of a pandemic.
 
ElCastor said:
Thought provoking post. This may shock some, but I wonder what the purpose and the future of the library has become. A nearby town has set aside more than an acre for a new library, and construction looks about to begin, but I ask myself, who will read those endless shelves of books? I read every night, but I honestly can't remember when I read the last paper book. Perhaps we need state or national digital libraries, but that raises the question of how authors and publishers will be reimbursed. Complicated question, but we may as well accept that the world is changing, and get on with it.
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When libraries and paper books no longer exist I don’t want to be living on the planet Earth.
 
ElCastor said:
Thought provoking post. This may shock some, but I wonder what the purpose and the future of the library has become. A nearby town has set aside more than an acre for a new library, and construction looks about to begin, but I ask myself, who will read those endless shelves of books? I read every night, but I honestly can't remember when I read the last paper book. Perhaps we need state or national digital libraries, but that raises the question of how authors and publishers will be reimbursed. Complicated question, but we may as well accept that the world is changing, and get on with it.
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I still read paper books, I'm reading one right now. I do have a kindle and also read books on it and my laptop but I still read (and love!) paper books. I also love walking around in the library and bookstores; I could browse there for hours.
 
I will never give up my paper and hardcover books!
I will never give up my library!
I will always browse books in a bookstore and when there are church and yard sales; I will be there to see if there are any books.
I did use an e-reader when I worked but now it is gathering dust in the desk draw...oh, maybe I will try and sell it at a yard sale!
 
I just finished a very satisfying read, “The French Girl” by Lexie Elliott. Part mystery, part psychological thriller (?). Kind of hard to pin down but a page-turner, none-the-less
 
Just trying to finish up an audio file on my book, has been hard to do, I had a small peice of a bullet, that came in pass my helmet into my eye , they did not remove it because my other wounds were so bad at the time, in 1981 I had it removed but it had gone to the back of the eye, gave me glaucoma, five operation's later , I have trouble seeing close up, so its hard to write, cv19 just about killed book sells for some of us, because we could not do book signings, have not made up my mind to release the audio file of my book yet. Sorry if not on topic, just blowing off some steam.
 
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ElCastor said:
Thought provoking post. This may shock some, but I wonder what the purpose and the future of the library has become. A nearby town has set aside more than an acre for a new library, and construction looks about to begin, but I ask myself, who will read those endless shelves of books? I read every night, but I honestly can't remember when I read the last paper book. Perhaps we need state or national digital libraries, but that raises the question of how authors and publishers will be reimbursed. Complicated question, but we may as well accept that the world is changing, and get on with it.
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Library buildings have evolved into far more than book storehouses and lending machines. Next time you're walking past a library, drop in and see what's going on in there. Sounds like you'll be surprised.

I enjoy both paper and ebooks, and am deeply grateful to live where there's a large, thriving public library system.

Authors and publishers are well compensated for ebook checkouts. In fact, it's more costly to libraries to lend ebooks than physical books. The checkout lifespan of a physical book is limited only by its condition. Ebooks, which are licensed rather than purchased from publishers or clearing houses (e.g.,Amazon and Overdrive) and can be lent out only a specified number of times.
 
StarSong said:
Library buildings have evolved into far more than book storehouses and lending machines. Next time you're walking past a library, drop in and see what's going on in there. Sounds like you'll be surprised.

I enjoy both paper and ebooks, and am deeply grateful to live where there's a large, thriving public library system.

Authors and publishers are well compensated for ebook checkouts. In fact, it's more costly to libraries to lend ebooks than physical books. The checkout lifespan of a physical book is limited only by its condition. Ebooks, which are licensed rather than purchased from publishers or clearing houses (e.g.,Amazon and Overdrive) and can be lent out only a specified number of times.
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Which maybe explains why my library only acquires 1 or 2 copies of some new books which makes the wait list very long for popular authors. I read with a Kindle and use Overdrive app.
 
Our library branches are multi-functional .. used for ESL classes, meetings, study areas, computer use, rooms for pre-school story-time (pre-Covid).

My latest reads are by author Lisa Gardner. I tend to read everything by one author, then move on to the next author .. and on, and on.
 
moviequeen1 said:
I've been a life long book reader,as I mentioned in a previous post,keep track of the books I've read over the years.I have no desire to get a Kindle or Nook,prefer to have a paperback or hardcover in my hand.
Keesha,I loved'The Secret Life of Bees' by Sue Monk Kidd,didn't like the movie version'08,book is better.
I like to read memoirs,history,fiction.
I just finished reading'The Underground Railroad' byColson Whitehead,fictional book of the runaway slaves in the South using the railroad to get a better life. The author won the Pulitzer Prize,couldn't put the book down. Another book I read a couple of weeks ago was Jodi Picoult's book'Small Things'.The story is about an African Amercian,nurse,Ruth who is charged with murdering an infant at a local hospital where she works.The boys parents are white supremacists,terrific but a tad too long.
I've read James Garner's memoir which was fascinating reading,my favorite sportscaster,Dick Enberg who died in Dec '17 wrote his memoir'OhMY"{his famous saying} wonderful book. Sue
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Some advantages of a Kindle over paper ...
* Much lighter and easier to handle than a heavy hardback or a too easy to close paperback.
* The print can be any size and style you wish.
* The backlight is easily adjustable to whatever is most comfortable for your eyes.
* No need to use a reading lamp in bed -- one that might keep your significant other awake.
* No need to use a book mark, just close the cover and the page is saved -- even if it slips out of your hand.
* If you want to finish a chapter before sleep, the books tells you how long it will take.
* Books can be downloaded for free from a wide variety of sources, including libraries. No need to travel to pickup or return.
 
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