A story in five parts, set in San Diego:
- I attended BlogHer. While this is not the place for a full diatribe on all that entails, I did meet a few incredible women. And, though I met nary a book blogger in the sea of 3,500 women, I did connect with Monica Vila, Founder of The Online Mom, who was recently interviewed by Julie Bosman at NYT for a piece on how & why eReaders are a hit with younger readers. We connected instantly over a shared passion for not giving a hoot how kids consume stories (paper books, Kindles, etched stone tablets) but just that they do. And if an easy reading tool gets them reading more - if the immediacy of a book on the castle they just walked through is available as they travel via train on a school trip - well, then, who are we to be bummed out about that?
- I had dinner with my brother. Thrice. Our first dinner he mentions he's reading Warren Buffet's book. Then, a day later, he's reading something else. I mention a book casually during our second dinner and a few days later, wouldn't you know it, he's already halfway through it. I pause. I let this sink in. This is a guy who, though related to me, simply doesn't read much. What has changed? The Nook is what's changed. He got a Nook a few months ago and has been reading more than he's ever read before. What did he love most about his beloved new Nook? That he could finish reading a book and download another one immediately. He is digging the "I want to read it right now" vibe his Nook is all too happy to support.
- I had to read Wolf Hall. I am nearly finished with my Murakami re-read project. I have each book in print form as they are much-loved. I even purchased several at Vroman's recently so I had fresh copies without marginalia to experience them anew. I traveled to San Diego with two of them. Of course, I finished them both. I promised a group of lovely folks that I would read Wolf Hall for an upcoming discussion, yet I did not bring my Kindle, did not have an iPad, my phone coverage was spotty at best (AT&T, I'll say no more). Fine, I thought. Perfect. I will simply go to the Barnes & Noble and pick up a print copy of this international bestseller. And yet - Barnes & Noble did not have a copy of said bestseller. I was told they could order it for me and I'd have it in just over a week. No dice, I said, I needed it NOW.
- I went to a soon-to-be closed Borders. And guess what? They had four copies of Wolf Hall. In paperback. 30% off. I had it NOW, just as I had wanted, but I felt dirty. Dirty because I didn't want a hard copy in the first place (where was my browser-based solution for all this?), dirty because I wanted Barnes & Noble to succeed on this front for the sake of their business but they didn't, dirty because I went to a closing Borders and feasted off its almost-carcass just to satisfy my NOW reading need.
- The cloud I complain about delivers. I work with a lot of tech clients. Instead of "paradigm shift" and "fostering engagement" the new buzz word at the tippy top of the boardroom bingo list is "cloud." Cloud computing. Let's put it in the cloud. We'll retrieve it from the cloud. Will our customers understand the cloud? Ad nauseam. So, while I absolutely "get" THE CLOUD, it has yet to remind me of reading. Until today. Hello Kindle Cloud Reader. You are just what I needed this past week in San Diego. Because you know what I did have with me at all times? My laptop. And what could I have done if I knew about you then? I could've read Wolf Hall NOW.
There is much to be said about how reading devices are not just changing how we read but how writers write and as you all know, I'm fascinated with every facet of this conversation. I want to support bookstores of every stripe, yet if this past week is any indication, we can no longer ignore the fact that immediacy could be the difference for some people (even me!) and, well, are we going to bury our heads in the sand or are we going to embrace this?
I'll caveat all this with the privilege debate (eReaders for the rich et al) as well as the critical library debate as well as the third world debate as well as the bookstores as community hubs debate. All of these are vital pieces of the conversation and many must co-exist with the cloud for a truly robust online/offline reading/writing world.
However.
If having a book NOW, as opposed to a week from now, means the difference between reading it and truly engaging with the content or not - what would you rather champion? For yourself? For your children? For future leaders of this very messed up country? It's a topic I'm exploring in all different ways and I'd love your take on it.
