Saturday, October 8, 2011

no more books?

I love to read; or I should say I used to read a lot, the accident and subsequent death of the kids changed my ability to concentrate so my enjoyment for reading has diminished greatly. Now alas reading has become something I hardly do, so I blog instead. And on a rare occasion I find a book that I can get through then I am grateful with a capital G. Suggestions would be appreciated on any good reads, I'd like to try making a renewed effort to do some book reading again.

My house is a readers house that fact cannot be denied, look at the bookshelf on my balcony.



Now lets look at the down side to this book shelf.  It is so huge you need 
                                            this and this to clean it.


And guess who does the cleaning? Moi.

It's filled with books and other stuff, many of the books I've read many times over, they are like old friends.


My two guest rooms have a stack of books by the bed side, the bathroom has a basket of reading material and then there's my cook books too.


Like I said old friends.

But the other day I'm not sure what possessed me, I went ahead and did it, broke the ice and made my first holiday purchases. You might ask what it is that would make this last minute shopper extraordinaire shop in October? And what in the world this has to do with books!?

When you have grandchildren who have a lots of everything it becomes difficult to buy them cool gifts for Christmas. Last year we got them the greatest sports watches in bright colors like red, lime green, khaki and blue! 

They do love to read but I wonder if I'm doing the right thing here, I love seeing them with real books. Then again if Kindle's with encourage even more reading then I think getting them their own reader. This is me trying to convince myself I made the right decision in buying them. And there's always the fact that their Mom my daughter gave their purchase her thumbs up!

Kids in this generation are such techies -nerds, and my guess is the kids are going to be thrilled with their gifts.   I have to admit however that this was a hard purchase to make because of my personal love of books, and because I'm a bit of a dinosaur. So tell me dear readers, do you own a reader or are you a book person?  Would you buy a reader for a pre or teenager for Christmas?

25 comments:

  1. I think this is a GREAT gift. I too love books and will always prefer holding one in my hand and turning the pages but if keeping up with the times will continue their love of reading then I would say it is the perfect gift. What a great grandma you are!

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  2. Have to comment again because I just read your About Me page. I am so sorry for the loss of Gretchen and Eric. I lost my daughter as an infant, 4 years ago this week and I can't imagine the pain of your loss. I admire you for your strength and the spirit of moving forward you show through your blog. So glad to have found you.

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  3. I am torn between new technology and old school thinking. I love the convenience of a Kindle but I love owning books. Our grandchildren may not appreciate this difference, but like you said, if it gets them reading, that's what counts.

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  4. I can so identify with your post because I struggle with whether I should get an Ireader or not. I looooove books! In fact I was going to ask you when did you sneak into our house and take all those pictures? :)
    I did get a Kindle as a present and I have to say...I love it. It is NOT the same as a book...but it's wonderful in it's own way. The best part by far for me is the speed and ease in which I can purchas a book. CLICK! It's done! I especially love it when I'm hungry for new read at 11pm or I just fininshed a book and I want the next in the series.
    I still have my bookshelves with all my faithful friends. My Kindle has just joined the gang!
    Thank your grandkids will love them...They are so much less sentimental that us. :)
    Found you from Write on Edge.

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  5. Books will come back to you. They want to be read and give comfort.

    Kindle's are great. I use both and I don't know anyone who uses it exclusively, it's more of a supplement to hardback books.

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  6. I love the feel of the book in my hand. Love the sense of pleasure I get when I look up at my bookshelves filled with my little collection. (I don't dust, lol!!!) Still, I think I want a Kindle. How nice it would be to take on vacation or pull out of my purse when waiting at the Dr's office. I have not used a reader so I don't know how it will 'feel' to use it but if someone gave me one for Christmas or my birthday.... well , I would not turn up my nose!

    I agree, I think the reading will come back. It's not like a stroke... my mom had a stroke a few years ago and not that she was an avid reader but her concentration is so much less. She reads Guidepost because those are short enough stories that she can get through it. Maybe that's a place to start??

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  7. I'm loving all you comments ladies, thanks so much for reading and "getting" not only my attraction for but my concern with the kindle vs books.

    I still will never envision the day when the grands will cuddle up in the bed with a "good kindle" for that it will always be books thank goodness!

    Who know's maybe I'll get one myself and it will help me push thru my reading difficulties.

    In the mean time I'll stick to books and dusting of course!

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  8. Jen,
    I too am a reader. I was given a hand-me-down Kindle and while nothing will replace a paper based book with some heft to it, I surprisingly love my Kindle! It's great for traveling since I read so fast - I can take one light piece instead of 4 books - and you can download word games as well.
    I'll try to think of some books you might like - what did you enjoy the most genre wise in the past?

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  9. Thanks Andrea,
    I love a good mystery,spy, love or murder really anything that has great characters that you just want to get to know!

    I'm surprisingly not picky, that's why I'm so frustrated that my two book a week habit is still a two book a year habit five years after the kids death! Uhh!

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  10. Hi Jen! I'm a new follower of your blog :) My name's Jenna, and I am a fourth year English major who LOVES to read and write. One of my most treasured items in my bookshelf full of the novels I love to read over and over again, but I also own a Kindle. I like to read books in both formats. Each has its own unique advantages and disadvantages.

    I think Kindles will make amazing gifts for your loved ones! Go for it! :)

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  11. I just wrote about kindle vs. books. I want one, but I can't imagine getting rid of my actual books though.

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  12. Great minds Anastasia! I imagine most of us wouldn't!

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  13. Jenna,
    Glad to meet you. It seems most people find a happy medium between their old friends "books" and the "new friend" their e-reader.

    Thanks for chiming in!

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  14. Have you read this book "Tuesdays with Morrie" I can bet from whatever I know of you that you will love it, if you read it :) Good week ahead Jen !

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  15. I've heard about it but never read it. Just read a rather lengthy excerpt from the book and it sounds wonderful.

    I wonder if one of my friends has a copy, or maybe the library; although the walls might crack if I walk in!
    Thanks for the suggestion Shades of Grey.

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  16. I don't personally own an e-reader but I know several people who do and they all absolutely LOVE them! I've been told so many times that, "You should really get one." Maybe I will...

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  17. I'm gonna play with the kids Kindles and see what their like.

    That will be a change :) usually they're all over my laptop now I'll be all over their stuff.

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  18. I am so sorry to hear about the accident. You are an incredibly strong person! All my love, Vi

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  19. I'm just like you I cant imagine not to read a real book when i am curled up with my cup of tea next to my fireplace. You are taking Baby steps toward reading again and that's wonderful!

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  20. Ariana,

    I actually downloaded a book onto my laptop today. I'm hoping that might make it easier to read since I do spend a good bit of time on the computer in the first place. I'll let you know how it goes!

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  21. I am a huge fan of the Kindle idea, which surprises me, because I definitely fall into the "real book feel" camp and I never thought I would embrace this technology so whole-heartedly. I still read printed books when I have the opportunity, but nothing beats the commuter convenience of having everything in one tablet. I say, if it gets the kids reading, that's the most important thing. Plus, there are a ton of free classic books - so you could read for eons and not spend a penny!

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  22. I guess the e-reader is as regular a sight in the hand on the LIRR commuter as a cup of coffee now a days.

    I was just poking around yesterday Sharon to see what titles were available for free.

    There's nothing worse than getting someone a gift that ends up costing their parents a bundle.

    There are tons of free books out there, I'm just not sure yet about younger children's titles; that I'll have to explore more.

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  23. I am a book girl. I love the feel and weight of a good book in my hand, the sound of the pages turning and the smell of fresh paper. Both of my children have Nooks and love them. A couple of weeks ago, I was reviewing a book that was sent to me as an epub file (NOOK) and I had to use the Nook for the first time. I have to admit, I kind of liked it, especially being able to bookmark pages and make notes to go back to later when I wrote my review. That was really cool. However, I doubt I will ever give up my books.

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  24. I glad to hear that Emily, especially the part about your children liking their nooks. My grandchildren are 9,11 and 13 and are avid readers. What your saying makes me feel like i made the right gift choice. Thanks!

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I'd love to hear what you have to say, so go ahead and leave a comment. I'll get back with a response as soon as possible.