Book Store Stuff

I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday because I had a gift card to spend there. Yes, I have a Nook and could have just spent it all on ebooks right from the comfort of my own desk. But I happen to love print books as well. OK, yes, I could have ordered print books from the comfort of my own desk, too. Fine, I wanted to browse, in 3D. People still do that, ya know.

Well, sorta. It's limited these days though. You see, the B&N near me is being rather quickly overtaken by "stuff." I've written about this before (not bothering to look up the link) so forgive me if I repeat myself. But why does a bookstore need 27 different kinds of jigsaw puzzles on the floor? Why so many desk accessories? And fandom paraphernalia galore??

I wanted to buy The Paladin Prophecy while I was there. I just got through reading it--library book--and loved it so much I wanted a copy all my own. (You can read my review on Amazon and Goodreads. Same at both, but a person needs choices.)

The book was nowhere to be found. This book is published by a big publisher. It's new. It's getting great reviews. But the teen section of B&N is really the teen paranormal romance section, and slim pickins at that.

Nothing on the shelves by Scott Westerfeld, either. Really? Not a single one of his books? And some of the biggest teen books out there were oddly absent. There was all of two rows of teen books, and most of the books sat face-out. Is that significant? I think so. You can draw your own conclusions.

The trip depressed me. Partly because I made that trip and still had to come home and order the book I wanted online--from Amazon, I tell ya, because I spent most of my gift card on a drawing book and a notebook of blank music paper for my daughter--and then used what was left on the card to buy ebooks from a couple of INDIE authors:

Task Force Gaea by David Berger, whom I met a the Necronomicon.

Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves by James Matlack Raney whom the aforementioned David Berger highly recommended.

On the other hand, it made me feel better about the fact that my books aren't on those shelves, and likely never will be. Not because I'm not good enough to be part of the elite, but because if big press authors aren't there it's no great insult for my small-press book to not be there. AND because....

It really sank in that brick and mortar book stores are becoming obsolete. They're carrying more and more stuff, and fewer books. The one by me never has author signings either--even big names. The personal touch is being lost. I won't have my books on B&N shelves because soon there either won't be B&N anymore, or it will be something completely other than a bookstore.

There was a time when I said I would lay down and demand to buried with the bookstore. Now....

Great Big Ole Hypocrite

Well, I bought a Nook.

Yep, after my big ole diatribe about how I'm not jumping on that wagon...I jumped on the wagon.

Am I ashamed?

Heck, no.

Originally, the Nook was $259. I had started looking at it seriously, though, when Barnes and Noble tacked on a $50 gift card with every order. Then, I suddenly got a panicky feeling, as though I'd be making a huge mistake by buying it. I looked at a Kindle again. Nope, it wasn't that. I just wasn't ready.

Or so I thought.

Yesterday I got an email from Barnes and Noble regarding the Nook and it's new price. The one that had originally been $259 is now $199. And they added another one--the only difference being it's Wi-Fi only rather than 3G...and it's $149.

Yes, I caved! For that price, come on! Who can blame me?

Oh, shake that finger all you want. Talk about me behind my back. Call me a hypocrite....

I have a Nook and you don't :P.

Paper, please.

I've got quite a few ebooks stored on my computer via Kindle for PC, and it's been pretty nice. Since I have a netbook, the compact size makes reading on a computer more convenient than using a desktop or even a standard laptop. And it's lightweight, so I can carry it around almost as easily as you can carry around an ereader.

But, there are disadvantages to reading ebooks with a computer app. First, you have to boot up the computer and start up the app, rather than just hitting the "on" button and going instantly to the book. Also, the screen on a computer is back lit, so it tends to tire your eyes. Plus, the battery life of a netbook is much shorter than that of an ereader, so I have to be able to keep it plugged in a good amount of the time.

This has all gotten me researching ereaders. I like the convenience and ease of buying ebooks. And all the free ones out there--well, who doesn't like free?

I've compared online, and handled both the Nook and Kindle in person. They are both very cool. After careful deliberation, I decided on a Nook.

I won't go into the reasons for that choice, though, because I have since decided against both.

I've just realizded I'm not ready to jump on the boat with both feet yet. I like being able to nab a free ebook here and there. If it's free I don't feel so bad about not reading it if I don't have time. But paying nearly full price for an ebook...I just can't stomach it. If I'm going to spend $10 on a book, I want to be able to put it on my shelf if I love it. Or pass it on to a friend or the library if I don't.

As I said, I've already got several free books on my Kindle for PC. I could buy a Kindle and use that to read them, more pleasantly than on my netbook. But spending $259 to read free books? Doesn't add up to me. Besides, I like the Nook better, and I can't read Kindle books on a Nook. So, I'd still have to read all those free books on my netbook. (Yes, I know Barnes & Noble has a computer app now, too. I have that loaded, and yes I can get some free books through them, too. Of course, they're not the SAME free books, so one way or the other, Nook or Kindle, I have to resort to the netbook for part of my libary.)

Sounds like I'm talking in circles, eh? Well, that's pretty much the direction my brain's been going over this. I suppose when an ereader comes out that will allow me to buy books from whomever I want--Amazon, B&N, Borders, or anyone else--and read them all on one machine, with one library, I'll reconsider. I have a feeling that's not going to happen, though.

For now, I guess I'll stick to my paper books, and my computer apps, and keep reading.