reading books

I wrote last night that my book browsing has dwindled, but I must admit that my book reading time hasn't changed much in the past twenty-some years. While I'm not certain, I must average about a book a week.

So...if I'm not browsing the bookstores, where am I getting these books that I read?

Those who know me could probably attest to the fact that I've enough books on shelves and in boxes in my home that I probably would never go dry for an unread book -- these from my single and heavy browsing days.

Secondly, though, I make great use of my local library system. Laughable, I suppose, from someone who never visited the inside of the library on his college campus. However, I have invested heavily (financially and time-wise) in my local library. And the library internal loan system means that any book in any one of fifty or so libraries could be in my home within a week of requesting it. This is where I do my book browsing...on the library search page! (And being on the library Board of Trustees means that I never have to pay a late fee!)

While I won't spend $30 on an author who is new to me, I WILL borrow a book by a new author. It is not unlikely then that I will later buy that persons newer books if I've found the storytelling to be consistently appealing (for instance, author Paul Watkins is now on my list of possible authors I will buy new, having read a number of his works from the library.

Then, of course, there are the used books. Is there a dedicated book reader out there who DOESN'T like used book stores? It is amazing to me what gems can be found among the dusty books shelves of a used books store or in the clutters of an on-line used books seller. It is, perhaps, even more amazing that anyone would ever get rid of a book, but I certainly am grateful that some do. Here, though, I am more likely to also pick up a book by an untested author, to try a book just because it sounds or looks interesting. It's a shame, though, because no one but the bookseller is making any money on it.