Books, Books Everywhere!

We all have favorite products, mine happens to be books of all kinds. However, no product is perfect and there are many ways that I could see to improve at least the marketing of books. I love books of all kinds, especially fantasy and mystery novels that are well written. My problem is that often I will find an author I would like to read at the library, but the library only carries books 3-8 of the series and not have book 1. I then have to dig through stores and the internet in order to find these books to read. Wouldn't it be nice if there was an online library? I mean we have Netflix - keep it as long as you want and return it when you are done (up to 1 year) for a low monthly fee; why not do that with books? I would then be able to borrow books 1 and 2 through this online service (maybe a "per book" fee instead of "per month" fee) and then continue to read 3-8 at my local library! I think, in a way, this would help support our local libraries too. They already to interlibrary loans, but this way you can have the book sent directly to your doorstep and if the librarian is too busy (or lazy in some rare cases) to search for the book for you then you don't miss out!

Another option is for those of us who don't mind ebooks and books on tape. Frankly, I like the music in my ipod but how much more would I accomplish in life if I could have a book on MP3 to listen to during my workout? I mean I'm at the gym or in my own living room so it's not like I'm going to get distracted and wonder out into the street. Give me a book on tape in MP3 format and viola! If you visit some of amazon's partners (I, personally, no longer support amazon.com) you can also find the new kindle system. This is a system closer to what we are used to - being handed a folder or book with lots of pages to read. Instead you have this wonderful electronic system that is just as portable, but not as bulky, as a book. More ebooks would be ideal.

Here's a crazy idea - for those who purchase the book in paper form, for an extra 99-cents you can get the ebook version OR MP3 version as well. WOW! Talk about getting on my good side. I can listen to the book when I can't sit down to read it, and yet I still have the "bragging rights" of having a shelf full of paper books that I can pick up or lend out whenever I like to friends and family. I love books, and books have always loved me. Even when I find a story that isn't really great - I haven't truly read anything that is horribly bad; a statement I cannot make about movies. One of the best places I have found for used books is ebay - often people will clean out garages and attics and find a box of books - sell the whole box for $20 and I will find a first edition or two buried in the bottom. These are gems that can never be replaced with electronic versions - but that does not mean that I would not appreciate an electronic version. Let's hear a sound-off: anyone else out there that would be willing to pay a buck or two for an electronic version of a book you just bought?