eBook thoughts
I have an ebook. It is my third device (a Nook HD), and the second one that C helped me get. C also gifted me the first one, and it was love at first read. This is further evidence of the awesome that is C.
And yet. I am slowly coming to understand what it is that eBooks lack. The one thing that Brick and Mortar stores have, that I cannot yet get anywhere else.
Shelves. Shelves and Shelves of Books. To browse, peruse, contemplate... explore.
When I go looking for my next eBook, I generally already know what I want. I type the title into the search engine, it comes up, and I buy it. Done.
When I go looking for my next paperback (or, rarely, hardcover), I generally know what i want. I go to the store, I wander over to New Fiction table, or the relevant section of the store, and I find the book. And sometimes, on the way, I see something else. Totally unrelated. Maybe on the same shelf, maybe in a completely different section. I pull it down, I look it over, I may not even put it back.
The thing is, the technology exists to make that kind of shelf browsing graphical interface for ebook stores a reality. That B&N has not done so strikes me as a serious oversight. And don't get me started on Amazon. Telling me that other people who bought book A also bought books B, C and D, is not the same as presenting me with the catalog of options from the same author. It's not the same as letting me explore the shelves. Physical or otherwise.