Library books

Don't you just love going to the library? I have had a love affair with libraries since I was five and got my first card. Nowadays, I can check out ebooks and have them downloaded from the library straight to my computer or PDA, but there's nothing like going to my local branch and getting lost in the shelves, finding new (or old) titles by my favorite authors.
There's only a couple of drawbacks to libraries. I have to wait sometimes to get a book I want to read, especially if it's a new release or a book in a series. I've learned over the years to time my requests for transfers or getting put on hold lists, but still, my need for instant book gratification sometimes is thwarted by another fan of a series or author. Also, I love having a stack of books to read and when I borrow a book from the library, I know it has a finite shelf life for my bedside table. So, my bought books get shuffled back farther down the line as far as reading and my library books get put in my bookbag for reading at lunch.
So, library? Yes, and I'm going by tomorrow to pick up another book to read over the weekend.

New versus used books

Are you a new only person? I have a friend who won't buy used books. Says they don't feel right to her. For me, used books have always been an option, for various reasons. Price, yeah that's one. When I was a student and for many years afterward, the only reasonable way I could afford to buy books was to go to used bookstores. Now, even when I can afford to buy new, I still travel to my town's largest used bookstore and meander down the aisles. Which brings up another reason I buy used books. I discover authors all the time and guess what? They have back lists. Often, the romance and fantasy authors I discover have written a series and the only way I can find the book in the middle of the series is at the used bookstore, so I haunt the aisles until it pops up. I spent over a year finding all of the books in one series I discovered several years ago. I guard those books now, they were too tough to find!
And finally, I love to discover new and different used books. I found a storybook series a couple months ago that had fairy tales I hadn't read in them and the artwork was stunning. I wouldn't have found this in a new bookstore, the books are out of print.
So, yes, not only am I addicted to books, I'm also a used bookstore junkie.

E books versus traditional books

As a reader, I've embraced ebooks for years. I use my Palm as an ebook reader and have relished the convenience of having dozen of books at my disposal in a very small space, great when I'm traveling. Are there advantages to reading traditional books as opposed to ebooks? Sure, I suppose. The smell and touch of turning the pages, the surety that your energy level and sunlight or ambient room lighting is the only "battery" needed for reading, and the availability of traditional titles are a few. But, in my mind, ebooks definitely have carved a niche in my library.
As a writer, I've struggled with the idea of writing ebooks. Not because I think any less of the publishing houses, there are very stringent editors out there. It's the availability of my books that would be the issue. I know some people who barely get on a computer, much less know to access websites or use portable ereaders to read books. And what about the availability to buy ebooks? Right now, they're available through the publishers' websites and through Amazon, as well as some of the other bookstore websites, but what about the person who goes into a brick and mortar store and asks for a certain author's ebooks?
So, after all this ranting, what's my opinion? I vote that the ebooks are here to stay and though they may be "generationally prejudiced", will continue to evolve as our reading needs do.
What's your thoughts on ebooks?