XX

I still read actual, physical books...and I don't foresee that changing anytime soon.  Love of reading and books is one of the main qualities that brought me and my wife together almost six years ago, and we've both opined in recent history (in light of the e-book technology boom) how much we still (and probably will always) love the physical aspects of reading.  One of the key components of reading for us is the satisfaction felt from the progression through the pages of a book; the anticipation of what's on the next page, turning that page, reading and finding out...all culminating with closing the back cover and forcing our bookmark into a (temporarily) homeless state.  I'm not saying that e-readers are a bad thing -- it's just not for me, not at this time.

The point of Books 2.0 is not necessarily to enjoy or advocate it, but to be aware of the options available, the benefits and limitations of those options, and evaluate the impact such a movement can have on libraries and general readership.  Much in line with a classmate's motivation (discussed on her 23 Things blog), I opted to explore Booklamp, a self-described Pandora for books.  I previously discussed my use of Pandora and others like it, so the appeal of Booklamp seemed obvious to me.  I've never really asked for a recommendation for a book to read.  Certainly, I've had books recommended to me by my wife or friends, sometimes based on something else I've read, sometimes not -- but seeking out recommendations is kind of foreign to me.  BookLamp claims to recommend books based on writing style, pacing, length, subject, genre, and countless other data.  I tried a few searches: one based on the author Michael Chabon (one of my favorite fiction writers), and another based on Stephen King's Cujo.  The results for Chabon resulted in a number of other writers who I didn't recognize, and probably will not pursue (I actually think a lot of the recommendations were based on name similarities rather than writing style); Cujo posted no results.  I'm not sure if it's just that the site is in its Beta version, but based on the bulk of user feedback it seems that many classic books are not in their database yet.  I like the idea of this site, but am not sure I'll ever come back to it.

Since I've now become familiar with RSS feeds (and have continued to enjoy mine regularly throughout the semester), I opted to check out DailyLit.  This service's modus operandi is exactly what its name would suggest: a daily feed of your chosen book.  There seems to be a fairly wide variety of books available (I was impressed to see Tolstoy's War and Peace -- although I probably shouldn't be surprised since it's public domain!), many of which are current titles made available for free from publishers.  Since this service is based on daily segments (or every other day, or only weekdays -- based on preference) sent to the reader via email or RSS feed, I chose a non-fiction "arts" title that I felt could be easily digested segmentally and possibly irregularly: Stewart Copeland's Strange Things Happen.  This book, by the drummer of the band The Police, is a memoir recollecting the days in the 1970s and 1980s when the band was first around, then covers Copeland's various endeavors in the years between then and the band's reunion tour in 2007.  I'm a fan of the band at least marginally, and am interested in Copeland mostly based on his drumming style, so I think giving this read a whirl (in a free, RSS feed format) is a no-skin-off-my-nose approach.

I think Books 2.0 is an interesting trend.  I'm not sure if audiobooks were ever considered a threat to traditional bound books when they first were introduced, but they have certainly not replaced them (and never will).  I don't think e-reading devices like Kindle and Nook will entirely replace books, either.  Since I'm currently an employee of a Barnes & Noble bookstore, I've gotten closer to the Nook phenomenon.  The store manager has said that most Nook customers say the device hasn't replaced traditional books for them; it has merely enhanced their reading experience, with folks choosing to use the Nook at times when needed or convenient (while travelling, for instance), and going back to books at other times.  I know this is the stance I would take should I ever employ such a device, which is similar to my stand on mp3 players.  I love my iPod, but it hasn't replaced physical music formats for me (VIVA LA VINYL!) -- it has enhanced my music experience by making it more portable than it was previously.  I'm 33, which makes me old enough to have grown up prior to all these fancy new devices (but not old enough to not embrace them!), so I wonder how younger (and future) generations feel about physical format vs. digital when it comes to music and books.  Is physical format media something they could ever miss?