Q.When is a book not a book?

A.When it is on an iPod or a Kindle!

Nowadays when I want to read a book, I am faced with several choices.

• Browse and buy in a bookstore
• Browse and buy from Amazon
• Browse and borrow from my excellent local library
• Obtain in spoken form - from the library or from Audible and listen on my iPod
• Buy electronically from Amazon for my Kindle
• Sit down and wait for the urge to pass
  

I have been wondering idly to myself how I decide (or should decide) between these alternatives, so following the principle that I do not know what I think until I write it down, I started on this blog entry.

I have found that I like to browse in Amazon rather than a bookstore because of the user ratings, unless it is a travel book, in which case I go to a book store to evaluate its physical handling properties. If the subject is completely unfamiliar to me, I go to the library and survey dozens of books decide what kind of book I want.

I prefer listen to fiction because that way I do not skim and skip and lose track of the plot and characters. Listening slows me down enough to appreciate (or abhor) the language and imagery. My normal reading speed is too fast for fiction.

I prefer to read non-fiction on a Kindle because I can page back and forth to reread a passage, or use the Kindle's lookup function to delve into a dictionary or get more details from Google.

I look at pictures in a book, because the Kindle's screen is not nearly good enough or big enough.

I wonder what choice will my grandchildren face when they are my age?