There is nothing like a good book. Before I had a smartphone I used to read more often. Now this phone seems to snatch a lot of my free time. I am making a big effort to pull away from the phone and get back to reading. I just started reading “Kingpins” by the late John Brewer. I can tell this is going to be a page-turner.
I like a book that I cannot put down. As a matter of fact, how do people read boring books? I have heard people say that a book is not really good but they are continuing to read and are actually reading it for pleasure. Sometimes you can find good books at the Dollar Tree. I have bought many books there that are great and I cannot understand why these books ended up in the dollar store. I still enjoy going to bookstores and just looking around and hope the stores that are remaining will stay open.
Recently I replenished my gift drawer and I have found a lot of books make great gifts. Cookbooks and picture books are always a nice hostess gift. I have noticed a few commercials enticing people to have their book published, so it must still be in fashion to be a book author. Who wouldn’t want to have the name author behind their name? I have attended many book signings and I am always excited to meet the author and ask questions about the storyline and the characters in the book, and then to have the author sign my book is the ultimate goal.
When I say I still love books I am talking about a hard copy book when I can physically turn the pages and use a book marker to mark the place where I left off. I have not gotten into the e-books yet and my home library is still growing. I still drop in to Barnes & Noble and Half Price Books and get excited when I hear about a book that sounds exciting and quickly jot down the name of the book and the author. A good mystery is still my favorite genre or a juicy unauthorized biography.
There have been predictions that the future of print media is bleak but it has been reported that Americans still like to read books, shelling out billions of dollars for them every single year. While a hefty chunk of book sales now happen online, many bookstores, both small and large, are still raking in healthy profits. There’s a lot of room for improvement, but not everything is doom and gloom for America’s bookstores. One of the biggest competitors to book retailers has been Amazon, which in 2011 was estimated to have sold around 22.6 percent of the books in the U.S. In comparison Barnes & Noble has captured just 17.3 percent of the market. Online shopping is my last resort; that is where I go when I can’t find it in store. Keep reading, people, it is an excellent pastime—better than Candy Crush.
(Email Debbie at debbienorrell@aol.com.)
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