In the past year our local Barnes and Noble closed, leaving us to retreat to Borders. Then Borders went out of business. And then The NYC Opera left Lincoln Center.I already miss our local (within walking distance) bookstores, and NYC Opera; it's a shame but DH and I can still walk to the Met.
And I also decided to go with an e-publisher for my novel. That's the only change which I feel good about. I'd thought long and hard about this, not wanting to have my books get maybe three weeks time in a bookstore before being returned to the warehouse, or wind up somewhere coverless and forlorn. I love books, the feel of them, the smell, bookmarks, everything. But I do most of my reading on the computer. I even have Kindle for the PC. I'm a traitor to the big brick and mortar bookstores.
I have bought from Amazon for years now, usually just out of print books, though. Most of the time I did buy my hard copies from B&N or Borders. But my bookcases are out of space, so it feels right to download what I want to read. Saves paper, saves physical space.
Yet, I keep wondering what will happen after an apocalypse? If we don't forget how to read, will we be able to gain access to information stored on computers? If the upcoming destruction of the world is really bad, will there be anyone left to read at all?
Not to be all gloom and doom, but I really like the idea of having a few hard copies around, just in case we wind up back in the dark ages again.
Sure, this probably won't happen in my time. But I still like to imagine there's some huge vault somewhere where all the great books will be kept safe for future generations.
Just in case.
