First, I have a collection of unread books sitting in a folder called “eBooks” on my computer.
Second, it’s hard to know which books are good.
I have had those exact problems long before ebooks. I still have a pile of unread legacy books. Some bought a decade before, others borrowed and never returned (my local library closed down), many inherited, older than me.
Not to mention, new books are being written all the time while older titles remain available. You can read a book a week and you'll still be behind... forever.
This is a direct result of the effort required to really read a book, tens or hundreds of hours. It's much easier to buy than to consume.
Professional reviewers and a recognizable author's name are the traditional solutions to those problems. Buying a book from someone whose blog you like (essentially sampling) is IMHO superior to both. Maybe because I don't share reviewers' tastes.
A better solution is of course always welcome but the challenge isn't new.
Japanese has it's own word for this:
Tsundoku - the act of leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piled up together with other such unread books
Second, it’s hard to know which books are good.
I have had those exact problems long before ebooks. I still have a pile of unread legacy books. Some bought a decade before, others borrowed and never returned (my local library closed down), many inherited, older than me.
Not to mention, new books are being written all the time while older titles remain available. You can read a book a week and you'll still be behind... forever.
This is a direct result of the effort required to really read a book, tens or hundreds of hours. It's much easier to buy than to consume.
Professional reviewers and a recognizable author's name are the traditional solutions to those problems. Buying a book from someone whose blog you like (essentially sampling) is IMHO superior to both. Maybe because I don't share reviewers' tastes.
A better solution is of course always welcome but the challenge isn't new.