The Only Thing I Want to Kindle Is A Fire
Author: jill
•6:34 PM
Maybe you have heard of them ... the new eReaders? Perhaps you are an avid reader who always keeps up-to-date on new things in the publishing industry. Or maybe you are technically inclined and enjoy all things digital ... televisions, i-Pods, computers.

But books? Really? Digital books. Hmmmmm.

The eReader is sort of like a very small laptop onto which you can download books. Every major electronic company has one ... Apple has the i-Pad, Sony has their version, Indigo has the Kobo and Amazon has the Kindle. You can download books from the comfort of your own home, in your jammies. You don't even have to get up from your favourite chair. And it is light and very thin, so it is very conducive to travel.

But, isn't a book easy to travel with?

Don't get me wrong ... it looks super cool. And, I am not saying that I would not give it a try, however - and I have a feeling I am in the minority when I say this - I love a good, old-fashioned book, with pages and stuff.

I love the feel of the pages in my fingers ... turning them as I read, flipping through them, occasionally using them as a fan when it is hot. And, don't tell anyone, but sometimes I flip ahead in the pages just to find out what is coming up next. I love the different sizes of the pages. Books come in different sizes and sometimes, I am drawn to a book just because of its size. Like, a big thick cookbook speaks to me in every time. And sometimes, the publisher will put the book together with smooth edges or with those rippled edges - makes it seem really old-fashioned to me. All the edges are the same on the eReader ... wait, there are no edges. It's a computer.

And, what about the cover design? Sometimes it is raised or glittery, and I like to feel it. I cannot feel the cover of a book on a computer. In fact, I probably shouldn't even put my fingers on the screen.

I have written about this before ... I love to walk around the bookstore. Looking and touching the books. And then, when I get my new book home, I love to curl up with it and start the adventure. Can you still curl up with a hard, cold eReader? I think not.

What happens if your battery runs out, just as you are about to find out who did it? Or, if they end up together? Or if it is a boy or a girl? Or that he really is a vampire? That would never happen with an old-fashioned book. And, if you drop your book, you don't have to worry about it breaking. Nope, a book ... hard- or soft-covered ... would never break.

So, for now, I'm sticking with my book ... the old-fashioned kind. With a raised design on the cover and real pages to turn. Because I like to curl up with a book and hear that crackle as the glue pops when I open it real wide. And I like to smell the fresh ink in a new book. And when I am really in love, I like to hug it and keep it where I can see it.

So, I guess, for now the only thing I want to kindle is a fire.
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Wishing I had the Secret Formula
Author: jill
•10:36 AM
While Daddy gave "the big kids" a bike-riding lessonWhen We Were Kings, Addison and I went to Indigo the other day. I feel so relaxed there - curiously relaxed. Addie C. ran around like a crazy girl, and yet, I still felt at ease with myself and with her. She chatted happily with anyone who would listen; and was frightened by the cover photo on a Muhammed Ali biography - she came face-to-face with "The Greatest" and turned to me with a look of horror. We discovered all sorts of new things ... cute Alice in Wonderland tea sets, the softest plush bunnies and bears I have ever felt, adorable boxes of Easter cookies, and of course, lots and lots of books. It is a great place to wander around and waste some time. I bet we were there for about two hours ... sigh ...

But what is it that makes you want to move from looking at a book to buying a book? Is there something in particular that draws you in?

It turns out, that nobody really knows the answer to that question. I recently read an article written in the New York Times (originally published in 2007), and it is generally acknowledged by all those in the publishing industry that there is no sure recipe for success. In fact, there has been the occasion where the publisher is so sure of huge sales that a very generous advance has been forwarded; only to find that sales dwindled. And conversely, there have been times where a book has been expected to do average sales, and it has gone on to be a best seller. But, nobody seems to be able to reliably predict when these times will occur. 

I think that part of the reason is because what appeals to me may not appeal to you. And there are a number of people who enjoy reading - it is not small niche in the consumer market. In fact, Indigo (Canada's largest book seller) reported a 2.3 percent increase in sales for its third quarter in 2008 - which was a time marked by economic decline. Their sales for one year will be in the billions of dollars. Yes, books and reading have a huge market ... at least, for now. But I wonder if, in the digitally enhanced world we live in now, my children will continue to read as adults. Just for enjoyment. And how will they select a book? But, I digress.

Let's consider what kinds of books people enjoy ... other than the Twilight Series. Those historically-based dramas that my Dad adores, just don't do it for me; and neither do Harlequin Romances. Some people love mysteries, others enjoy biographies or true crime. Some people find an author and want to read every single thing that person has written. Some people love legal thrillers, others enjoy sappy romances. Some people just like to read anything. And some people try to read one hundred books in one year from a predetermined list.

But once you have established what type of book you want/enjoy, how do you decide which one to purchase? If you do not have a list to follow, that is. Sometimes I am drawn in by the title - you know, something catchy or vague and intriguing. Since my challenge began, I have come across many book titles and some have really peaked my interest ... like Lucky by Alice Sebold - lucky in what? Is Lucky a feeling or a person? Or a pet? And tell me that you are not intrigued by the book (on my list) A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, by David Foster Wallace, and I will call you a liar. Right to your face, too.

Sometimes I am drawn in by the look of the book - the colour scheme, the image, the design. And other times, I am attracted to nothing other than the subject - a particular type of cookbook or craft project; and in these cases, it really does not have anything to do "the look" or the title of the book because it is the information contained within the pages that I am interested in. In those instances, I look to the Table of Contents and then consider how the information is organized on those pages between the covers; and that is how I make my decision. For instance, on my most recent trip, I wanted a cookbook; and, I had narrowed it down to two choices. Unfortunately, I could not afford to buy both - they were both the same size (approximately), the same subject, I liked them both equally and they were the same price. So, I had Addison pick for me ... you'll have to wait to hear all about it. But you will - I assure you - on another day. Addie informs me she chose the one with the green cover because she likes green.

So there you have it ... from an-almost-four-year-old ... go for the green book "ecause I like that colour better than brown."

One thing that does impact on a purchase is the marketing of the book. You know ... where it is located in the store. Is it in a big display as soon as you walk in the door ... like, the Alice in Wonderland things? Is it an Oprah book? Or is it on the bottom shelf, largely unacknowledged? I feel bad for those books because I bet there are lots of great stories that go unnoticed - just because of where they are located on the shelf.

And, imagine if you put your heart and soul into something, for it to end up on the bottom shelf at the book store ... where it would go unnoticed by many. Or, in the Bargain Books ... marked down to $5, practically being given away. Don't get me wrong ... I LOVE the Bargain Books and I buy them all the time, especially the cookbooks. But, I wouldn't want to be a Bargain Book. I can assure you that if I had a book published - a book I had put my whole self into - and I saw it thrown onto the Bargain Books table, I would feel sad. I would want my book up beside the Oprah's Book Club Selection. No ... I would want my book to be the Oprah's Book Club Selection.

Do you think I'm arrogant? Please don't ... it's just that I have learned from Jonesy that you should shoot to be the best. Imagine where you would want to be, and then make it happen. As long as you put your whole self into it. I do not want to be the book on the bottom shelf ... I want to be the Oprah's Book Club Selection.

So, as Addie and I walked around the book store, checking out every single book in the place, I could easily pick out the one's I would like to buy. There is no secret formula, nothing in particular that determines which book I would buy. Just my intuition. And more than that, I could easily pick out the books I would never choose to read. It is unfortunate, really; because I could be missing out on some really good stories because of an initial impression after a quick glance.

And, if you are a book and I pick you up, you have approximately one paragraph to make me want to buy you. Because you always read the first page, don't you? And in those first words, it is determined whether or not a purchase will be made.

But that is a discussion for another day. For now, there is no decision to be made by me. I know the books I will be reading ... and that is that.

But you? You can choose yours ... get going ... go choose a book to read and then tell someone all about it.
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