[Leica] IMG: Warm Spot on a Cold Day

[jshul at comcast.net (Jim Shulman)]

There's an even cheaper way to read the latest books (at least around here):
The local library.  

For something that I absolutely HAVE to read right now, I'll either borrow
it from the local library--a three-block walk from my back door--or in rare
cases hunker down at the caf? in Borders (a five minute ride) with two cups
of coffee in a comfy chair. That's rarely a savings, since I inevitably a
few others books during the trip (if the register line's not too long.)

For everything else, I've tried something different:
I wait about two years after a book has appeared.  Most of what I like to
read isn't so time-sensitive that it requires an immediate purchase.  By
that time, I can find it in the used book section of amazon.com for about
$2-3 in hardcover--a far cry from the $25-30 of new hardcovers, or the $10
for virtual books.  With shipping, it's about $6-7 in most cases--still
three bucks cheaper than Kindle. 

The books arrive at the house about a week to two weeks after my order.  I
spray some Windex on my "readers", and have at it.  When I'm finished, the
book gets passed along to a friend, or winds up in the donation rack of the
corner library.  We're at capacity on all our bookshelves (isn't that the
case for virtually all book-lovers?)

I save three bucks a book vs Kindle, not to mention the initial cost of the
reader. 

More on Kindle here:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/08/03/090803fa_fact_baker
Remember, these are the folks who deleted "1984" (of course, I love irony)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18amazon.html


I read several newspapers a day gratis online.  When they charge for
access--and I hope they do--I'll gladly pay the fees.  I love newspapers,
but don't particularly like newsprint or piles of paper.

The savings aren't really savings, though.  The money is just spent
differently:

We usually donate about $200-300 a year to the local library, since it's
largely self-supporting (the county gives a miniscule amount toward
libraries).

This year I took the equivalent of a Kindle reader and bought a $200 gift
certificate (plus about the same amount in hardcover books) from a local
independent bookstore (Reader's Forum in Wayne, PA) that was facing some
hard times.  At last check, it appears that they're going to make it in
2010.  Reader's Forum is the sort of place that has stacks and stacks of
fascinating books, arranged somewhat haphazardly, with a staff of two
(owners) who are well-conversant with their clients' tastes and the store's
varied inventory.  If Reader's Forum disappears, it's just the chains and
the Internet (Ardmore, PA's Paperback Book Shop just closed after 46 years).
The two owners keep insisting that I'll be able to use my $200 gift
certificate about the middle of this year.

I still have a large backlog of stuff to read.

Jim Shulman
Wynnewood, PA




-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+jshul=comcast.net at leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+jshul=comcast.net at leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Tina
Manley
Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2010 9:26 PM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] IMG: Warm Spot on a Cold Day

At 09:10 PM 1/2/2010, you wrote:
>I understand.  How do you like your Kindle?  I have been thinking about
>ordering the larger one when available (sort of like my elusive Epson
3880).
>We spend a lot on books every month, but as you note, there are times when
>they are not the best solution.
>
>Best Regards,
>
>Ken Carney