Book Haven discussion

Julie wrote: "The book is still a book. The words and story are what I attach myself to. I could never keep all the books I would like to in physical form. This way I can keep them forever and they can go with ..."

One interesting question is at what point do people make the leap from attachment to the physical book to a virtual one. I still like real bookshelves and books, but am using a reader as well. The same is true with CDs vs. MP3s. I want substance and liner notes, but it is too convenient to browse a music collection on a screen and then click for instant play. Or am I lazy?

John wrote: "Julie wrote: "The book is still a book. The words and story are what I attach myself to. I could never keep all the books I would like to in physical form. This way I can keep them forever and the..."

Call me sceptical but I don't think it possible to feel attached to a virtual 'book'. A physical copy has a smell, a texture. If you've had it a long time, it has stains (in my case, usually bloody ones - from cat scratches). A few of mine have nibbled corners, from when the cats where kittens. They have obvious memories attached and always will. I don't have an ereader, or a Kindle or anything and have no desire for one. They just aren't the same animal, in my opinion.

I don't really get it. What difference does it make? The book is not about the format, it's the story that matters. Nothing can damage your e book. It's in pristine condition always. Pride and Prejudice reads the same either way, so how is not the same animal? You still get cover art and color illustration. It's just a different format. It's like saying paperbacks aren't the the same animal as hardcover. It's just a different format. There's nothing to fear, really. Don't knock till you try it.

Julie - for some of us - even those of us who use an e reader - holding a book, looking at the cover, reading the dust cover's notes and turning the pages gives some readers a feeling that I can't fully explain. In my case, it sums up either past memories or what I hope will be future memories. I look at some books and think, "AHHHHHHHHHH - I remember it well."

I recently attended a wedding, and the music was on a cassette and it wasn't working right. This prompted a discussion about cassettes, CD'S, and vinyl records. One gentleman told us he collects vinyl records. He is sentimental towards them the same way you speak of physical copy books. All I can remember of vinyl was that if you didn't buy a 100 dollar needle, the thing scratched, and would eventually scratch no matter what, thus making the sound terrible, making it skip, and rendering it utterly useless. (lets not call up the 8 track thing, where it changed track in the middle of your favorite song) I can't bring up a memory from holding a record or CD . The memory comes from the first chords of the song, taking me back to a time when that song meant something special to me. I still feel the same way no matter what I'm playing the song on, usually my mp3 player.The same holds true for the book. I don't pick up the book and look at the cover and have memories stirred. It's when I open the book and read that first sentence. A book depreciates the second you walk out of B&N ( or wherever you buy the book), The most you can hope for is half the price back if you are extremely careful with it. Meaning you must barely read it for it to be considered mint condition. ( Buy one to read, one to collect?) The book, if well loved will eventually show signs of wear, it will age, pages will turn yellow,brittle, etc. As to the mention on smells- YUK! I had to store a set of books in my freezer to get that smell out, not to mention what cigarette smoke will do to a book. (I don't smoke) You can't get that smell out EVER! I've had to hold a book way out from my face to keep from having to smell that moldy smell.( Sorry.) Why not preserve it forever? The memory is in your mind and heart and soul. But, one thing I haven't heard anyone mention, is the harm to our environment. We are all doing our part by using the kindle etc for reading, newspapers, magazines etc. I really think it's a good thing. After all do you still watch your favorite movie on your VCR? Wouldn't you prefer to watch it in the amazing bluray format? I mean did the movie change any ? Casablanca is still Casablanca right? Only MUCH better. ( I still cry at the end- LOL)I'm trying to understand the reluctance to accept the ereader format, I really am, but I think people are holding on to physical books,not out of sentimentality but out of fear of change, of letting go of the only way you have ever experienced something, thinking that it in someway diminishes the experience. It really doesn't. It's just different. I'm slow to change too in certain things, I think it's dangerous to fall behind. Things change these days so fast it can be overwhelming, and I too seek out things that were simpler because I know how it works and it brings me comfort, but I know too that I can't stay there forever, I have to take the plunge or I'll never catch up. The older I get the harder it is to keep my mind opened and I struggle with it like everyone, but I think if you open your mind to all the possibilities ereaders and ebooks have to offer, you find it just as pleasurable as always. Give it chance,is all I'm saying. Please don't think me rude, I'm not trying to step on any toes, I'm just trying to give you something to consider. Do you really miss vinyl, VCR's and clunky typewriters?

I give most of my books away to friends and family when I am done with them. Some I keep. I did find out recently that my local library accepts used book donations. I don't know why I never thought about that before. I check out books for free every week, why not give something in return?

Julie wrote: "I recently attended a wedding, and the music was on a cassette and it wasn't working right. This prompted a discussion about cassettes, CD'S, and vinyl records. One gentleman told us he collects vi..."

We have a friend who has literally made millions of dollars selling vinyl records in Europe. So I guess there are some people who still like them. Me, my collection was lost in a flood. And what do I do with over 100 VCR tapes of things I just had to have. We no longer can view them - no tape machine here anymore - and I don't want the expense of changing them to DVD's and then the next thing will come along soooooo

So, so true. We don't buy CDs or movies anymore. I use Netflix, hulu, and Amazon. Music on mp3. I don't have the clutter of CD cases etc in my car. It's literally hundreds of songs on a chip! Also no clutter on movies either. I store them digitally when possible. Same with books. My fire fits in my purse. Hundreds of books to read everywhere. Think of holidays where you were forced to pack books, mags, files, whatever. That could get expensive these days. Lots of plusses. Very few cons. Nothing damaged, lost, borrowed but never returned that can't be backed up or replaced without having to look everywhere for it, and doesn't cost a fortune or need insurance. Plus no clutter!

I guess it goes to show that everybody is different. Not one person in this household of six has a Kindle, ereader or anything. We still buy cds and dvds, and we even have a few old tapes knocking around. You remember those old tape players you could hook onto your belt? They are still here too. I think I'm a bit old-fashioned. I don't even consider 'digital art' to be real art. I'm aware that there are people who will strongly disagree, but please, don't all attack at once. This is just my opinion. I'm not saying everybody has to agree with me.

No attack intended. I just think we've watched changes occur with various media and most of us took it in stride. Books though seemed untouchable. It's been in one format, save audio, for centuries. Did you hang onto that eight track with outright refusal to try CDs? If anyone feels attacked, it's me. I'm the only one defending the digital format. But, I knew that going in. We can coexist. No hard feelings.

I keep most of them. I also use paperbackswap. For books I doubt I will reread I list them on there. I'm a huge re-reader and love collecting series. To me books around me are bliss!

You know, I used to feel the same way. I have bookshelves that are 24' wide by 20' tall, all first editions of my favorite books. The rest are boxed upstairs in two attics - I have simply run out of room. So, in self defense my family bought me a Kindle Fire for Xmas. At first, I was suspicious, e-readers were for people who pansies and didn't really love books. The smell of the paper, the feel of the pages, the colors on the cover were all part of the the experience of reading. BUT,I gave it a try. Now, I would never go back to a paper book. I love my Kindle; access to indie authors, free classics, no need to store things, and email along with apps and web access have me completely hooked. Now, they joke that I'm always on it, and they'll hide it, if I don't pay them more attention. What a change a day can make!

Melinda wrote: "You know, I used to feel the same way. I have bookshelves that are 24' wide by 20' tall, all first editions of my favorite books. The rest are boxed upstairs in two attics - I have simply run out..."

a couple days ago I bumped into just one more reason not to get kindle - I was travelling in town transport bus from work to train station... the bus driver pushed the brakes so hard I accidentally slammed the sharp point of my elbow joint right into my mp3 player, which got pinned in between my body and the joint... result? display totally ruined and I had to buy a new one... my point? yes there are protective cases and all, but this is one thing that physical books are less sensitive to

I get the advantages, but dont count on me becoming one of the convertees saying how they would never get back to a paper book :)

I am WAY too proud of my bookshelf :)

I too am WAY to proud of my bookshelf. I have both a mahogany skin and a leather book cover case for my Kindle Fire, so it looks and acts like a high quality book, so no worries about the screen getting damaged. In fact, mine looks like Pride and Predjudice by Jane Austen. Can't tell the difference until you open it up. Keeps the Kindle safe and me happy!

Melinda wrote: "I too am WAY to proud of my bookshelf. I have both a mahogany skin and a leather book cover case for my Kindle Fire, so it looks and acts like a high quality book, so no worries about the screen g..."
That sounds awesome! My daughter got me a cover for Christmas that's textured, plus I have a standard black leather one. I love "tricking out" my Kindle with skins, cases etc. It just keeps it fresh looking. The new dock is cool too. I have several cookbooks on the the kindle and I can put it on the dock and place it on the counter and look at it while I'm cooking, plus the speakers are great for music and movies. The prices on that can vary, some are reasonable and some more expensive. I got one that's sort of a generic version, but it works for me. Lots of fun!

PS: I think Amazon should send us a couple of gift cards for our promotion of their product here. LOL

Melinda wrote: "I too am WAY to proud of my bookshelf. I have both a mahogany skin and a leather book cover case for my Kindle Fire, so it looks and acts like a high quality book, so no worries about the screen g..."

well, try a ride in Bratislava town transport sometime, and we will see how well your kindle fares against your own elbow :D
no offense meant, just trying to lighten the mood lol :)

and there is another thing that I wouldnt swap anything for, not even for a kindle - I didnt see them, but I can imagine all sorts of weird looks at me when I took out A dance with dragons in its hardback version, or later, when I took out Memories of Ice out of makeshift protective case, all that on a train, after work, night train, lol... y know, all ppl around, or most of them, cell phones, smartphones, notebooks, tablets and all that kind of can-do-everything stuff, plus some e-readers at times... and then, me, taking out a big, thick tome, making myself comfy (when most ppl in the train think either of doing little or just dozing lol), and then taking out a THICK tome :D... I can tell you thats priceless :)

I love both print and ebooks. I'll never fully convert to ebooks. Especially since I think most are overpriced considering you don't really own the book.

But as I take a break from decluttering and dusting my bedroom. The 900 books in here are stressing me out. The 900 print books which are mostly mass market paperbacks take up 4 full size bookcases, the top of my desk, a plastic underbed container and a minibookshelf. My Kindle has almost 600 books on it and it fits in my purse. I only paid for about 20 of the books on it and the most expensive one was $6.

So .., I really see the benefit of both. I can read at work and use the Kindle there. I try to keep to my print books at home to reduce the stacks. But I check the Kindle price for books first and it it's cheap on Kindle that's where I get it, if my library doesn't have it. I don't buy anything now that my library has.

Melinda wrote: "I too am WAY to proud of my bookshelf. I have both a mahogany skin and a leather book cover case for my Kindle Fire, so it looks and acts like a high quality book, so no worries about the screen g..."

I have a Pride and Prejudice book that's a fake book with a safe inside. My mother got it for me for my birthday. Must be a common cover for things!

The good ones I keep, the bad I give away or swap. Love my kindle and although I get a lot of free books, I like to support authors who have put so much work into their novels with very little benefit. A book is a book even if it's not in paper form.

Depending on where it's printed, I like to keep the cuisine indigenous

I give most away to friends and family. What is leftover goes to the library.

On the ebook debate, they can coexist but, in my household, that has 4 ereaders, books are purchased more frequently than the files downloaded. I would say 8 books purchase to every one ebook. I was a big proponent of the Nook but, I don't get the same visceral enjoyment from an ereader but, they are great for downloading library books.

My books all go onto to my book shelves. I like to collect the full series too. I dont usually buy books that threaten not to be good. Any books I may not want I take to our used books store and let them get what they want out of the bunch.

I take (most) of my books to school for my students to read. As a Reading teacher I enjoy sharing good books with my students!

The books written by my favorite authors, I keep (many of which are riddled with Post-it® Notes marking key terminology, passages, and/or quotes, etc.). The books that I know I'll read again, I keep. The books that are epic series that I suspect I might read again, I keep. The books that I just can't bear to part with, I keep. The books that I know I won't read again, I trade for credit at my local used books store. The books that the used books store doesn't accept, I donate at the store's discretion, which I trust.

Since receiving my iPad as a gift a year ago, I've been given, selected as free (from "Pixel of Ink" ) and purchased ebooks. I've found that I enjoy reading an ebook while working out on the elliptical trainer at the gym. I don't have to turn actual pages from beneath the elastic that is necessary to strap a book to the control panel! With the iPad, I just swipe! Even so, like Mary, I'll never convert completely to ebooks. I like to hold a book in my hand, especially when reading outdoors (where the iPad isn't practical because of its weight) basking in the sunshine of a typical California day. I also like owning collections of books that I can touch and see per the paragraph above. I'm definitely a collector and I like to own signed copies whenever I can get them. So, I go to the book-signings of my favorite authors whenever they're in my region. (I'll drive a few hours if it means I can do a meet and greet and get a personalized signature!)

I'm a book geek and proud of it!

I donate my books to charity

I return them to the library :)

I used to have an issue with hoarding books. I liked the way they looked and, in a few cases, thought a second read may be in the future. Eventually, I got tired of trucking them around when I moved (too frequently). A few moves ago, instead of unpacking them at my new place, I donated over 200 of them to a local charity and have never looked back!

Now, unless it's a gift for someone else, I almost never buy books. If I can't find it at my library or in digital copy, I don't minding missing out on it. Then again, I'm lucky to live in a county with a VERY well funded library system.

i keep them in boxes since i can't bring them in my new place... they'll just gather dust. the others are displayed on my book shelf.

When I've accrued a large enough stack, I typically build my own custom Transformer.

His alternate mode is a library made out of them and his main weapon is verbal barrage incorporating various book quotes that can bring down a dream debate team of Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Bill O'Reilly and James Carville.

There are some great charities to support our troops if you have an assortment of paperback books.

http://www.operationpaperback.com (my favorite)
These folks just collect large amounts of gently-used books (hardcover and paperback but paperbacks that fit into a side pocket of cargo pants are preferred) and ship huge quantities at once over to known FOBs that don't have BX/PX services.

http://www.soldiersangels.org (I'm a member)
These folks send everything to all kinds of places, from one-on-one gifting to warriors in the field to the en masse support of wounded warriors in hospitals, Soldiers Angels has needs for books, all genres, used, eBook or otherwise. Soldiers Angels actually has a collection maintained in some hospitals for the wounded (and their visiting support of family, friends, etc. who sit by a bedside) mostly over in Germany where yes, there's a BX to buy new books but somehow, people don't think to "go shopping" when they are at their wounded loved one's bedside...however, the bookrack down the hall at the nurses' station is another matter :)

There are other organizations, even donating books to your local VFW is probably helpful because the VFW and VA work together, too. Giving the books to military personnel is one of the few low-cost ways to support our troops with something that lasts longer than a stale cookie in the mail.

-sry
p.s. Chrissy, I'm completely broke--beyond poverty and into destitute--so I honestly cannot remember the last time I had money to BUY a book either. The Great American Library System is incredible. Having lived overseas in non-English-speaking countries myself I can attest that our library system is far more extensive than anywhere else in the world, except possibly India's. The real crime is that our literacy rate continues to fall to sickening levels.

Razmatus wrote: "Kendyl wrote: "I love to accumulate books. I'm very proud of my collection and enjoy adding books to my shelf. ...[stuff about Asimov series]"

I have to chime in here, even though we're talking about donating books not discussing book recommendation. Buy the Foundation Trilogy and then #4 and #5 but after that, Isaac Asimov didn't write them and they aren't worth reading IMO. I'm old enough, I was reading them when they came out (gasp! OMG I feel so frakkin ancient just saying that!) As for the Robot Universe stories, I'm not sure you're going to get the complete set by buying ANY anthology and his robot books are definitely worth reading prior to reading Foundation. He ended up merging the two universes ultimately, with an elegant and artistic introduction of R. Daneel's "plan for humanity"....kind of a good robot god story, which I found a little amusing and a little bit of a cop out when I read it the first time.

Asimov's robot books, individually, are also worth owning. I think the best are (not necessarily in this order, just as I'm remembering them)






and please note that I, Robot is not on this list--deliberately. I hated that story and it's a short story, not a full-fledged novel anyway. Another outstanding robot short story that was turned into a novel and then into a fabulous movie was . It was one of Asimov's early stories and in fact, THIS is the story where/when he defined the 3 Laws, not in I, Robot. Just sayin'

I'd also note that while was an interesting concept, Clarke is very much an acquired taste and can be intensely dry, boring and literary at times with ZERO action and even less dialog. Be warned. His prose is quite lovely and his word pictures quite good but if you want a space war, Rama is decidedly NOT it. My favorite Clarke is actually one of his earlier works, The Fountains of Paradise. My first-ever science fiction was his The City and the Stars Both remain, for me, the only Clarke's I'll recommend unequivocably.

And any of these that you buy and don't want to keep to re-read DEFINITELY would be popular donations to serving military!! :)

It depends on the book. I get Harlequin Nocturne and after I read them I give them to my daughter and she reads them and passes them on. I have a friend at work that I pass romances on to and she in turns passes them on to other friends. If the book is part of a series I read, I tend to keep them.

It all depends. If it's a book or series that I really enjoyed and will probably re-read at some point in time, I'll keep them...for instance, the Dresden Files, the "Murder, She Wrote" books, anything by Stephen King or Agatha Christie, Anne McCaffrey's Pern series (the ones written by her, not her son, Todd), etc. If it's a book that was just okay or I liked but don't plan on re-reading, then I donate them to my local library.

Well, it depends on the book, really. If i really like it, i put it on my book shelf because i probably will read it again. I let nobody touch it. Other books, i keep on my shelf as well but somewhere deeper and unseen, or even give them away if somebody asks for them.

I'm a collector. My Grandmother buys all sorts of books at the secondhand stores she visits two or three times a week. I usually keep them, unless I really didn't like them for some reason. And then I give them away to anyone who wants them. :)

I have a kindle, but since my wifi's not set up I haven't done anything with it yet, lol. But even once it's set up, I think I'll probably still collect books. I have three or four boxes stashed around my house in various places; and they aren't little boxes, either.

Well since my last response to this, I have purged over 100 print books. I still prefer reading in print when I'm just sitting at home and relaxing. But man do I love my Kindle and I tend to go for the Kindle version if the library has it over print. Makes it easier to take it out and about and to read at work when it's slow.

I'm not trading as many print books as before. I used to post anything I could on book trading sites. Now unless it's a book that has a waiting list, it goes in the thrift store box. I keep nothing. There's nothing I read that's hard to find or expensive to replace. I don't need it hanging around the house.

I keep my favourite books. Will pass some onto my oldest sister if I think she will like them (but she always gives them back when she's done).

If I don't want to keep them I take them to a local second hand book shop to see if they want to buy them off me (I buy WAY too many books, so I need to get some kind of return if I can). If they don't want them then they go to a charity shop.

Unfortunately for my house I keep them! I always give out books I really enjoyed to family and friends if I think they will enjoy them, but the books always find themselves back to my shelves. I even still have all the books I loved to read when I was little, which have now been passed to my daughter to take up wall space in her room!
I'm worried they may eventually need a room all to themselves!

i donate them to my community center now

I put them on one of my shelves and save them for later =p Love collecting books. It's also nice to be able to recommend them to friends and lend out.

If I liked it, I keep it and if I didn't I list in on paperback swap.

If I love it, I'll keep it and reread it every few years. There's nothing like a shelf of old favourites; books that you know you enjoyed, but have half-forgotten some of the plot twists. :)

When I am finished reading a book it goes into my library here at home.

Yangsze wrote: "If I love it, I'll keep it and reread it every few years. There's nothing like a shelf of old favourites; books that you know you enjoyed, but have half-forgotten some of the plot twists. :)"

Exactly! nothing better than that old shelf.

Any book I write in or underline is a "keeper" (for future reference, of course) -- mostly non-fiction.

Last year my son designed and implemented a library for a local nursing home for his Eagle Scout project. We held drives and collected over 1000 books for his project. Since then, I save my read books and take them to the home, so the patients always have new reading materials.

If I really liked what I have read, I usually skim through it and read the good parts. :)

I put it in my bookshelf if it's not that good. If it is, I put it near my bed (like my bedside table.) I don't give my books away. :)

If it's good, I keep it. If it's not that great/I won't read it again, I either donate it to a bookmobile/give it to a friend/take it to a used bookstore for store credit.

I'm a hoarder. I rarely loan books, and I can't bear to donate them. I enjoy rereading things, and get a hankering to reread even books I don't like, if the topic matter is relevant to something I'm thinking through. It just doesn't make sense to give them up.