Something strange happened to Writer Abroad this Christmas. She went to the United States and she didn't buy any books.
She visited several bookstores. She celebrated all the English on every shelf. She found a few books she'd like to read. But she didn't buy any of them.
Why?
Writer Abroad got a Kindle for Christmas.
She never thought this day would come, but in an attempt to keep up with the times, not to mention make her suitcase a little lighter this year, Writer Abroad converted to digital reading.
This brings up a lot of questions.
How will this digital stuff change her reading habits? Are devices like the Kindle great for us Writers Abroad, who will now have English books available no matter what country we live in? Or will digital readers have unfortunate effects like making our beloved bookstores obselete?
Writer Abroad couldn't help feeling bad for the bookstores she visited. Many are now selling toys as well as books. And can you blame them? If Writer Abroad, a reader and writer who is 200% more thirsty for English-language books than the average American, isn't buying any books at American bookstores, who is?
Are you still buying books at bookstores? Or have you converted to digital too?