Sunday, January 27, 2019

What's on Your Kindle or Nook?

The price of ebook readers came down slowly in 2010, and then fell faster in following years. On major sales days, Kindles are about $35. I have several, and am on my second Nook. 

But don't ask me to name the hundreds of books on the devices. I remember many of those I've read, and a number I've not. But all too often I'll see a book mentioned and visit its page on Amazon, where I'm informed I bought it two years ago.

Friends -- authors and readers -- say the same thing. We have more books than we could read in a year -- or five.

After a couple years, we've surely lost interest in a book (or fifty). Why do we keep books we don't intend to read? I think it's a combination of enjoying a collection and...laziness. Okay, not laziness, just work avoidance.

When our books sat on shelves, we could quickly search them to find one or decide which to cull to make room for more. My husband can walk in a room with 400 books and snatch the one he wants from a shelf. And they aren't organized by title or author. They're like his children -- he generally knows where they are and can't get rid of them.

Physical books signify comfort for many. So, what are ebooks? I think they're more like money in the bank. There if we need them, but able to be removed anytime.

With so many books on my ereaders, I don't know what I'm missing unless I spend an hour or so going through the book covers. I'm beginning to think that if I take off the books I'll never read it'll be easier to find the ones I was really excited about when I downloaded them. 


So, a new goal. Not a New Year's Resolution. I don't have a good track record with those. Each week, I'm going to take five books off my Kindle. I won't stress about it -- if I take off twenty and can't bear to part with others, I'll keep them. 

I'll report back, not just on the number removed, but whether it's easier to find the books I want to read. And then I'll try to review more of the ones I've read.

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