I have been converted

I really like the new Fort Frances Public Library. It is bright and airy and a welcoming place to be. I can sit down with a book off the shelf and begin reading. If after one or two pages, and I find that I am not enjoying the writer, I can return it to the shelf and begin the search for another book.
If I am going to be late in returning the book, I can go on line and extend the lending time. I can borrow books, movies, and music. I can reserve books for the future from home or at the library for future reading. Technology has made that all possible.
My mother has macular degeneration and just over a year ago, the family acquired a Sony eBook reader for her. The beauty of the electronic book is that multiple titles can be loaded on the electronic devise, so that she has a library with her. Because of her diminished eyesight, the print can be enlarged so that she can read the book. She really enjoys the book. And if my mother could adapt to the electronic book anyone could.
Electronic book editions are far less expensive to buy than hard or soft-covered books. Several different manufacturers offer up different e-book readers. The internet provides hundreds of free titles to load on the readers as well.
Today the applications that run the larger e-book screens are available in special applications for most android, I-phone or Blackberry phones. It allows your library to be your phone.
I had never imagined that I could be easily converted to an e-book reader. I like the feel of a heavy hard cover book in my lap. I liked the feel of the paper as a turned a page or flipped back to reread a paragraph that I found particularly well written. I liked to be able to flip to the end of the book to see the outcome and then follow the author as he or she developed the nuanced paths to its conclusion.
I liked the size of the words in the book and the spacing that made reading pleasing. I didn’t flinch when hard cover books went from $17.95 to $29.95 to $38.95. I could justify the cost by the hours of reading pleasure the books provided. And even though my library shelves groan under the weight of the books, I find myself returning to reread my favorite authors.
I never even thought about acquiring an e-book reader. I have tried to read documents on my computer and found the words on printed paper are much easier to follow. Even though I write my column on the computer, the feel of the paper in my hand always feels better.
But that now seems changed. My wife gave me an e-book reader for my birthday. It is light. It is easy to adjust as I read in bed or in a chair. It came with a 100 titles of all the books one should read in their lifetime. And I immediately downloaded three currant best sellers and have enjoyed them.
I can flip back and forth on pages as I do with a book. I can reread that paragraph over and over to feel the words and enjoy the sounds of the sentences. I haven’t figured out how to jump to the end of the book, but that will come. I have moved from extra small type size to small. The larger seem too big for me.
Having now read four books, I find myself hooked on my e-book. Will I still pick up a hard cover book on the shelves at a book retailer? The answer is yes. However the ease of downloading immediately a best seller from the internet makes this really attractive.
Our neighbours on the island to the east have “Kindle” and “Sony readers” loaded with summer reading material. Two youth who arrived this past week at the south cabin on the island came with their “Kindles” filled with books for two weeks of reading.
Both youth and all generations are now picking up these new gadgets making the e-book reader is one of the fastest growing consumer products in North America. And they can choose from over 68,000 titles.
–Jim Cumming, Publisher