I have been looking for a certain book for about a month now. It is available from some online places but at ridiculous prices as it has to be delivered from Canada and for some reason, it is even more expensive to be delivered from UK sites than it is to be delivered from abroad. Like a lot of things in life, it makes no sense whatsoever. Any sites where I have found it at a reasonable price "don't deliver to my current address".
I went to 5 different bookshops and couldn't find it. One particular big chain of book shops who pride themselves in being "Bookselling company of the year" (this was back in 2008 but they do still go on about it a lot) were particularly unhelpful with one sales assistant telling me. "Oh, I didn't know that author wrote more books then the 3 we have in stock". She then disappeared for a full 20 minutes in the back before coming back out to inform me "We don't have it. But you can get it online at various online stores." I already knew I had that option.
So I gave up on bookstores for that particular book and decided that I may have to pay the ridiculous delivery prices. But I wanted to make my feelings known about this and so I emailed the author. I wasn't expecting a reply, I just needed to vent my annoyance. Surprisingly the author emailed me back after 2 days saying she was "sorry" and that it would cost her "about the same amount to get the book sent to me herself" but she "would send me a book template through email which she would sign". She never did do that.
I still really wanted this book though but am too stubborn to pay delivery prices around 3 times more than the actual book itself! It does not cost THAT MUCH to get a book that is 367 pages long to The UK.
I then looked at Kindle prices and then discovered Nook. What the hell is Nook? I had no idea. It's like a kindle apparently. But I always found it weird how you can read from one of those electronic book things. But "book" prices are so cheap to get on these things. Both on Kindle AND Nook. And they obviously don't take up any space. You can store thousands of books on these things. All that reading! So why do I find it so difficult to even think about getting one? Saying that, at the minute, I find it difficult buying just about anything as funds are so short but even if I did have the money-could I bring myself to but one of these "e-books"? If I did buy one of these gadgets then I could buy so so so so many books at around a hundredth of the price. Surely this makes perfect sense the to get one of these?? For the long run?? But I just couldn't shake off the feeling that there is something ever so slightly loathsome about having one. I didn't really know the difference between a kindle and a nook so I looked it up and the following I copy and pasted:-
1. The Kindle is from Amazon while the Nook is from Barnes and Noble
2. The Kindle uses a keyboard for input while the Nook uses a touch screen display
3. The Kindle does not have a micro SD slot like the Nook has
4. The Kindle has an integrated battery while that of the Nook is user replaceable
5. The Kindle lacks the "Lend Me" feature of the Nook
Now a few words stick out like a sore thumb. "keyboard", "screen", "micro SD" and "battery".
All these are now part of reading. That is where technology is going.
I know I sound 90 years old rather than a 30 year old but reading something from one of these things is a shape of things to come in the future. A future where technology will completely take over until there won't even be a need for human existence! Far fetched? Maybe. But it's a step in that direction.
I remember a few months ago when I was in work. It was break time. A girl who started the same time as I did had a kindle. She kept constantly taking about it. Apparently, she had downloaded some books of a popular series that was currently on TV and kept whipping out her kindle at every opportunity. "Ooooh I really do like reading" was a thing she would constantly try to put across.
I had a book in my bag. In all honesty, I actually did feel a bit old fashioned and I didn't want to get it out to read. I always wouldn't take my phone out in front of people too as that is pretty old and doesn't have a widescreen TV or a thing where you can download apps or something that tells you what current temperature it is in Zimbabwe. I didn't know anyone around me who I really wanted to talk to so I took my book out and started to read it.
A couple of minutes later, one of my work colleagues asked me what I was reading. I told her. "May I have a look? It sounds amazing. After you've finished may I borrow it?" Someone else comes in "What you reading mate?" Another person "What book is that?"
See where I am going with this?
The girl was clearly getting annoyed having probably had a lot of books on her kindle yet nobody was taking an interest in what she was reading even though she kept dropping in comments such as "oh that bit wasn't on the TV show" and "oooh yeah this book is really compelling". I was getting annoyed because people weren't letting me read my book in peace but was also pleased with the fact that people I didn't know were talking to me about something I was interested in because they could see what I was reading. A conversation starter.
The same thing happened over the next few days. I finished my book and then started to read another. People again asking about it. It still was pleasing and annoying at the same time-more annoying for the girl as she ended up stopping bringing her kindle in and started bringing in books.
There's something about having a book-an actual real book in my hands
that is quite romantic, charming and cool. Reading from an electronic
gadget just doesn't have the same feel to it. I understand students who
may find it useful to store books that they need for their studies but
then they will never go to libraries and study the old fashioned way.Even though I am having trouble getting this book that I cannot find anywhere-it is all part of the charm. When I finally do get it, it will be amazing. Much more of an achievement then just being able to download it to a machine. How dull. How boring. Is society really that spoilt now? Unfortunately, yes it is.
They say "never judge a book by it's cover" but at least books have covers and personally I would rather read from something that has a cover then something that has no cover at all.
