Learning | Reading Comfortably

If you read as much as I do, you have probably found yourself reading in a lot of different places, from noisy airports to coffee shops to different rooms in your own home.  I tend to keep a book near the bed, in my car and one in my den, just in case I have the time and inclination to read.

I also carry two e-readers in my purse. Why two? Because I have different content loaded on both of them, and I like to keep my options open.  E-readers offer a lightweight, compact means of carrying around a big stack of books.  

"A PECULIAR READING CHAIR. illustration explains itself. The seat may be stuffed and upholstered to suit, and the desk can be made to rest at any desired inclination." Image from page 493 of "American engineer and railroad journal" (1893) From Internet Archive Book Images' photostream on Flickr.com. No known copyright restrictions.

I laughed when I discovered this picture of a "peculiar reading chair" on Flickr.com.  It reminds me of reading (usually on a Kindle or a Nook) while I get my 30 minutes of daily exercise on my stationary bike. Well, it's supposed to be daily.

Hmm, I see that picture says the desk part of that chair is adjustable to any inclination. I wonder if my stationary bike could be modified to do that.

That chair looks comfortable enough, for a classroom situation.  But I think if I had one of those in my house, I would probably be gravitating toward cozier reading places, on the sofa, recliner, or bed.

Where do you read? Comment below, and let us know.

For those of you with e-readers, please remember that SSJCPL is always getting more downloadable e-books and e-audiobooks for your reading pleasure.  We even let customers check out Nooks that are pre-loaded with reading content.  Find out more about all of these electronic reading options by clicking on this link.

Life & Style | In Defense Of All Old Things

Ok!

Are you ready for my next confession?

Here we go:

I don't love E-readers.

I have a real hard time enjoying books on my old Kindle.

For me, reading books means relaxation but reading from my Kindle isn't relaxing for me.

You see, I spend numerous hours in front of a computer everyday, so the act of staring at another tiny computer screen feels like punishment.

Also, my old Kindle needs constant re-charging and it gets serious hot flashes.

Just give me the old paperback and I would be eternally grateful.

Maybe, I am afraid of what might be happening in the distant future; A library void of books.

It almost kills me whenever I hear someone say that they only take their E-readers on vacation since it saves them so much space.

In my case, unless I am backpacking across Europe or climbing Mount Everest, I can always find some space in my luggage for a couple of paperbacks.

Anyway, that is my two cents on this topic.

If you like to test drive this new technology, our library offers numerous pre-loaded Nooks such as (Bestsellers, Mystery, Romance, Non-fiction) that you can check out for free. 

You can also download free E-books from our library website on to your E-reader.
 
Let me know what you think about this topic.

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha

Constant Curiosity | Comfort Zone



        I own 3 Kindles and a Nook.  I know.  It's a long story.  It's a good thing I do, though, since the Library is going to start circulating Nooks this coming Monday.   Here's the Nook the library will lend:



Nook Simple Touch



Although some might call me traitor, I really like reading on e-book readers.  When I was not allowed to walk without wheelchair and crutches for six months, my e-book readers were lifesavers:  with wi-fi or whatever access the manufacturer provides, I could shop for books right on the device.  It was so cool.  I could light one book off the other without even having to pause for a bon-bon.   Although I did.  Once in awhile.  And it was so much easier to carry around than a stack of books.  And trust me, at the rate I read, it would be a stack.

Anyway, the library has offered e-books for over a year now and they have been very popular, so it seems a natural progression to offer e-book readers.  The readers themselves will come with pre-loaded titles, so you won't need to add your own, but for those who have wondered just what it would be like to read on a device instead of good old paper, ink and glue, here's your chance.

The other day I was reading a "real" book, as my husband put it, and it didn't feel too odd at all.  After all, reading is reading, at least to me.   And the more the merrier.  At last count I had over 2,000 books loaded to my various devices.   As Louisa May Alcott put it "She is too fond of books and it has addled her brain."  In my case, this is probably true. 

And now if I'm asked that famous old desert island question, I won't have to think.  I'll just take my Kindle or Nook as the case may be,  a solar powered charger and oh, yes, the island must have a wi-fi hotspot.  It might take me awhile to get through those 2,000 books, but you never know how long a stint it might be.  Think of Tom Hanks and Wilson.   Paraphrasing Groucho Marx:  "Outside of a volleyball, a book is man's best friend.  Inside of a volleyball, it's too dark to read."  Okay, I can hear the groaning from here.

But seriously, next time you're at the library, let your curiosity out of its comfort zone and ask about our Nooks.  You can even take one home.  It won't hurt a bit.  Trust me.

City Librarian | Hooked on Nooks, er...Books!

The Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library has come a long way in the past couple of years. First, we began offering eBooks and digital audiobooks that you can download from home or even directly to your mobile phone. Then we joined the Link+ group that lets all San Joaquin County book lovers borrow books from over 50 libraries across two states. That's an additional 9 million titles beyond what SSJCPL already makes available to you. 

And now this! Starting on October 22, SSJCPL will start lending Nook eReaders loaded with great content that you will be able to take home with you just like any other book, movie, or music that we lend!

Beginning today, you can start searching the Library's catalog to browse the variety of Nooks we'll be offering and you can even start making holds on the devices so you can be one of the first library users in the County to get your hands on these awesome gadgets!

We've purchased over 50 Nooks and they all come pre-loaded with high quality, current titles in a variety of genres. For example, you might be a  lover of romance, so you can take home a Nook with ten different complete romance titles. Or maybe teen fiction is your thing. Sci-Fi? Mysteries? We've got those, too. Just type "nook" (no need for the quotation marks...) in the catalog on our home page and, voila, you can take your pick. And, if you're dying to know exactly what titles are loaded on each Nook, in the catalog, you can click on the Nook genre you want, then click on "catalog record" and scroll down to "Contents". For example, on our Bestseller Nook, you'll see that you can read the latest Evanovich, Patterson, Laurel Hamilton, and, yes, 50 Shades!

You'll also find that, when you search for a specific title, say the popular teen series The Maze Runner, any titles we have on our Nooks will show up in your results page that way, too. In short, when you search for the latest title you've been dying to get your hands on, you'll be able to choose whichever format you want that the Library owns: book, eBook, audio book on CD or in digital download format, and now, on the Nook! Pretty cool, huh?