Bibliophile in the Making

I have to admit to being a bit of a bibliophile. I love to read and I love to keep my books close to me. Its rare that I will let go of a book, either to sell or swap. These days, I am a little more ruthless but, as most of what I am reading these days is non-fiction, I am still keeping those books I feel will be needed for future reference.

I have been lucky this year in that I have found some bookswapping sites, which has allowed me to acquire books for the cost of postage that otherwise would have got me in trouble with creditors. I do try to acquire books as and when I am interested in them, so I will search through Book Finder, Amazon and Ebay to keep an eye out for bargains. However, I now also search through Green Metropolis (a portion of each sale going to the Woodland Trust), Book Mooch and Read It Swap It, just in case there is another non-fiction reader who wants to "dispose" (what an awful term) of their book.

I do have an estensive list of books in my collection that are labelled "to be read", and I hope, whilst on holidays in December, I will get a chance to plough through some of them. I just love opening a new book to read it. The smell and the texture of the bindings and the pages. I do try to get hardcovers where I can, as they last longer and the paper quality does seem superior to some of the paperback rubbish that is published these days. I read a lament from a reviewer in White Dragon this week about a new book whose pages were already yellowing. Sad that people don't appreciate books anymore.

Even though I prefer the hard copy versions of books, I still have a few ebooks that I keep on hand. I have to admit, though, that I do tend to print them out before I read them. Working in front of a computer means I am less than pleased having to read books online. There is one book that must remain online, though, as it is over 1,000 pages. Shame, as it is a valuable resource on herbs. Still, those texts that are outside copyright and are available online are still a valuable resource.

I have become so involved in books again that I am currently distributing promotional cards for an author, Kit Berry, and her series of books. I am doing this predominantly for selfish reasons: I want her to publish the last two books in the series. So, if you know of any bookstores in your area, please mention her books and website and tell them how much young adults and adults alike will enjoy the books. Please, just so I can finish the storyline.