Sunday, August 1, 2010

Readers and booklovers - always hunting for the next one

A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down and commence living on its hint... What I began by reading I must finish by acting.
Henry David Thoreau



As librarians, at the core of our work day are Books! We buy them, we read them, we promote them - and we just never run out of a "to read" list! I already find it a challenge to get through my 'borrowings' and my basket of future reads is added to every day, so I fear becoming a regular browser/user of these online book groups - I may never surface if I get too immersed in them. The one factor that will make it easier for me to turn away from these dens of pleasure is that many tend more to discussions on fiction, which I don't dip into much. And as this programme has already impacted on the time I spend sitting at the computer, when I would usually more than likely be reading a book - well, that would be craziness indeed to spend time looking for yet more treasures to fill my mind (and notebook) with. I looked at several sites, but didn't really have any great joy with the titles I went hunting for, although I did discover a favourite author is soon to publish another book, which is a sort of follow-on to his previous book which I count amongst my all-time treasures. That was a very happy find!



We are constantly hearing about the many new devices appearing, giving people more options as to how - and where - they do their reading, but one thing is obvious from the abundance of these online groups - the written word will never die. I also don't believe the physical book will disappear anytime soon - if anything, our online world seems to have given a fresh "push" to the publishing world. It seems easier for people to get published today, with no apparent negative impact on the 'best seller' market - and of course people are so eager to join in discussions, be it online, in book groups (organised or informal), one-on-one or with their neighbour or friendly librarian! We can rest assured there is no shortage whatsoever of places to go a-hunting for the next recommended read!

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