Sometimes, my sweet husband can be a little grumpy. And he would definitely admit to that. He’s also a huge reader, but using the library’s e-books and e-audio books has been something that has made him a little grumpy. He does prefer to read electronically most of the time, so that has meant that he’s been BUYING books. And he’s married to a librarian! Recently I decided it was time for this to change. When libraries first began offering e-books, I will admit that it was not for the faint of heart. You practically needed a computer science degree to make it through the complex, multiple-step process. But fortunately, as with all technology, it has gotten much, much easier. When I tried telling this to my very techy but very grumpy husband, all I got was complaints and resistance.
For the last few years I’ve been reading in all formats. Print, ebook, e-audio, and even the occasional ebook on CD. I admit that when ebooks were new on the scene, I viewed them with a bit of suspicion. After all, how could anyone stand to lose the feel of fingering the corner of the pages as you get ready to turn a leaf to the next passage? Without paper pages, could you still flip to the end, just for a minute, to see if a beloved character’s name was still there? What if there was a map? Or a character list? Or a timeline? I just didn’t believe that e-books could offer the reading experience I loved. Years later, my suspicions have been put to rest as I find myself reading in different formats for different purposes. I read non-fiction in print. If I need to speed read, I get my hands on both the print and the e-audio so that I can read both in the car and at home. If I’m relaxing, it’s print. If I’m on vacation, it’s as many books as my heart desires – all electronic. The variety of formats has allowed me to have books with me all the time, wherever I am. And that is never a bad thing!
And so one Saturday my husband and I trekked to our local library in Avon and renewed his library card (more grumbling about cards that expire). After only a few fits and starts, he was off and reading – but now with more options. Not only are we saving money on his reading habit, but the grumbles (at least on this subject) have stopped as he is too busy reading to complain. Have you ever noticed that reading improves your mood? It sure does in our family. No Saturday morning is complete without a book, a dog, a cup of coffee (for Mark) or a Diet Coke (for me) and some good music. One of these days, we’ll work on streaming free music through Hoopla. But I think we’ll have to take this one step at a time.