E-Reading

    I have always enjoyed reading and now that I am retired I am reading more than ever.  During 2013 there has been a change in my reading habits--the bulk of what I read now, is made up of e-books.  I have bought e-books on line, and have downloaded a slew of old, out of copyright books that are free, but most of the e-books I have been reading have been “borrowed” from the library.  

    I’m sure most libraries now have this service.  You have to have a library card, a reader of some kind (I use my iPad), and an app.   British Columbia libraries, and I suspect most other libraries in North America, use an app called “Overdrive”.  It allows you to download, read, and return books, as well as listen to audio books, if that is what you checked out.  In BC you get the e-book for 3 weeks, down in my old hometown of Evansville, Indiana you only get them for two.

    It usually doesn’t take me 3 weeks to read the books, I always “return” them as soon as I am done.  I think they just disappear if you forget to return them.  Because there is often a waiting list of readers who want to read a popular book, returning one as soon as you are done means they get to read them sooner.

    People always say they like to read real books.  They like to hold them in their hands and feel them.  I do to, but I am now used to reading on my iPad, and what I really like is the availability of the books.  As soon as I am done with a book, I return it and a minute later, I have a new one on my screen to start on.

    If, like me, you love to read and have an iPad or other reader, you really ought to visit your library and see what online programs you can use.

    While I am on the subject of iPads, I just have to say how much I love it.  I have more than a day and a half’s worth of my favorite music on it.  I use it to show people my paintings.  I am helping a friend translate her book and make it digital by typing on it.  I use it for reading the news, and listening to the radio before I go to sleep.  I get my McBride weather forecasts and look at weather maps, it lets me keep all of my addresses, and can shows me a satellite photo of their houses.  I have used it to take photos and do my blog.  I watch videos and it even helps me tune my mandolin.  

    Those are just some of the things I use it for, you can make it do whatever YOU want.

    The photo shows my iPad screen showing a portion of the books I have read over the year.

See my paintings at:  www.davidmarchant.ca