Monday, 24 February 2014

Waiting for books

As my Facebook feed suggests, I'm counting down the days until I get my Audible credits and Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson comes out (two days for my credit and next week for Sanderson's book). To quote the great Spaniard - I hate waiting. There are few things as wonderful and frustrating as discovering a new series or new author because unless they have retired from writing you'll have to wait for the next book to come out. I know some that will wait for the entire series to be finished before they try it, just so they won't have to wait. I don't do that, simply because my desire to enjoy or find out now is stronger than my hatred of waiting later. It also means that I often end up juggling books, plots, characters, and such as I wait. I've rarely had a problem with this, so I don't find myself rereading everything before when the new book comes out. But Angel will tell you that I'm like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning if I'm expecting something.

Waiting for Audible credits is pretty bad because it means that I'm waiting for books that have already come out that I just have to wait to get. I mentioned to my dad that this next credit is already spoken for - Dead Six by Larry Correia and Mike Kupari. Dad thought the book was selling for $14 (it's actually $24) and wondered why I would spend a credit on it when the credit cost me $11. I explained that one of the reasons we got Audible was to curb my impulse binge book buying. I'm always looking for a new book and am known to grab books I'm interested in when I'm at the store. I am greatly able to curb my book buying by knowing that I have a new audio book I get get every month. Hence, my reason for using a credit on a book that isn't much more than the credit cost me.

I've come to really enjoy Audible. It lets me enjoy books when I wouldn't normally be able to read them - i.e. driving, yard work, housework, lying in bed with the lights off. Even though Angel and I listen to books on CD on our daily commute I still can go through a 18+ hour Audible book before my next credit comes. Again, I hate waiting and generally count down the days and have the book I want already picked out. I've already listed to close to thirty books over the last year but have only read a dozen or so in paper. One of my coworkers asked if I miss the pages. I don't miss anything about reading. I enjoy it all. There are still books that I buy (just fewer of them) and read in hardback. Cress by Marissa Meyer and House of Hades by Rick Riordan are two and I know I'll pick up Sands of Nezza by M.L. Forman at some point. Not to mention the 100 Cupboards books by N.D. Wilson, which I listened to on CD first. I don't think that you can only enjoy books in a particular format: audio, paper, electronic. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. Yes, I'm a fan of paper books - I like the smell, feel, and weight of a book in my hands. My audible books fit nicely into my pocket and are good productions that I can enjoy anytime and just about anywhere. I don't own an e-reader, but I'm not opposed to them. I've been considering getting a small tablet and if so it would be e-book compatible. For now, I don't mind packing a book if I need to and if I'm just looking for recreational reading on the move, I have my audible books.

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