Wednesday 17 January 2018

Confession of a Dyslexic Bibliophile - eBooks, Regional Rights and More

Confession of a Dyslexic Bibliophile - eBooks, Regional Rights and More

I love reading. In fact it is one of my favourite things to do. I have loved reading since I really learned to the summer between grade 7 and grade 8. You see I have a dual form of dyslexia, it was diagnosed in grade 2 and did testing every 4 years until I entered university to keep up my special needs status. I wrote a piece a number of years back called How I Became a Bibliophile, From Dyslexic to Addict. It was part of a column I wrote in Imprint my university student's paper, called Confessions of a Bibliophile. But I have discovered over the last few years that I really prefer reading electronically. 2011 was the first year I read more eBooks than Physical books. With eBooks I love that I can change the font, the background colour, the spacing. And more. All of these things make it easier for me to read. I also love reading across numerous devices, my phone, my tablet, and my computer. I have a stick of about 18 books on my bedside table I want to read, these books are not available electronically. But I tend not to get around to reading them. There was a second pile on my dresser that I had moved from the bed side table last year. Now I have two stacks, of books I wish to read. One book sat on this pile for almost a year, when the eBook came out I read it twice in a week. The first time I raced through it in two days, and the second I took more time with it. And ended up giving away the physical copy to a friend. I really wanted to read this book, and had started it a few times, but because it was physical and upstairs in the bed room I just kept not getting to it. 

So in this day and age I am surprised when books come out and are only available in a physical format. Or eBooks come out but are only available in the US, UK, or Australia. There are so many authors I love and their books are just not widely available in North America, or if they are only in a physical volume. Now do not get me wrong, there is no shortage of books for me to read. I currently have almost 200 books in my eBook waiting list and close to 40 physical books awaiting a read. But I get so frustrated when eBooks are geo-locked to specific regions.  I probably read 30 eBooks to every physical book at this point in time. The tipping point was a few years ago and the gap just keeps widening.  

Of course it is not like a decade ago where I had a whole table full and covered of books on the go. They now all sit snugly on my phone and my place is kept on the web and I can jump device to device and pick up right where I was. 


Statistics Books Read By Year:
380 - 2017 
272 - 2016 
177 - 2015 
130 - 2014 
88 -  2013
176 - 2012 
163 - 2011
302 - 2010
142 - 2009
98 - 2008
83 - 2007
191 - 2006
151 - 2005
60 - 2004
52 - 2003
97 - 2002
50 - 2001
41 - 2000
71 - 1999
73 - 1998
131 - 1997
101 - 1996


I started keeping track of the books I finished reading in October of 1995, and movies watched in January of 1996. I have lists for:

All Books Read by Year
Favorite Books By Year
All Movies and TV Series Watched by Year
Favorite Movies and TV Series by Year

I also do a Top Ten List of books each quarter and for the year. They can be found here. I was also asked to pick a Top Ten Catholic Books I have read, you can find that list here (and occasionally I add a note when I come across something exceptional.)


3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Steven I found a book for you to read How to Read Your Way to Heaven
Product Description
How to Read Your Way to Heaven
Daily meditation on Sacred Scripture
Do-it-yourself spiritual reading program for any busy Catholic
A great book for guiding and organizing your reading to help on your journey to become a saint
Details
Many of us commit to some form of spiritual reading, but we find that our book choices are sporadic and often based on a whim rather than following a purposeful plan. Designed for individual or group settings, How to Read Your Way to Heaven will guide your quest to delve deeper into a relationship with Christ by meditating on the written word while organizing your reading around the four pillars of the Catholic Faith — the Creed, the sacraments, morality, and prayer.

How to Read Your Way to Heaven is not merely another book to read. It is designed to be an invaluable tool for guiding and organizing your reading to help you on your journey to become a saint. And best of all, this fully integrated do-it-yourself spiritual reading program that can be easily followed by the busiest of Catholics with the tightest of schedules.

By following this plan, you’ll meditate daily on Sacred Scripture and read the entirety of the Catechism over the course of the program. You’ll be introduced to a treasure-trove of the greatest Catholic books ever written, and you’ll learn prayerful reading methods such as lectio divina as well as time-tested advice on where and when to read.

Here you’ll also find a list of the favorite books by leading Catholics of our day, including Bishop James Conley, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Fr. C.J. McCloskey, Jennifer Fulwiler, Peter Kreeft, Patrick Coffin, Karl Keating, Lisa Hendey, Fr. Timothy Gallagher, Mike Aquilina, and so many more.

Spiritual reading arms us for battle. We are called to be saints, and yet daily we are bombarded by a culture that drives our minds and hearts away from the supernatural life. Because what we choose to read makes a significant difference in our spiritual growth and understanding, we present this structured reading guide to help you read with a purpose.

Dimensions & Specifications
Pages: 256
Paperback
ISBN: 9781622823604

Unknown said...

How to Read Your Way to Heaven

Steven R. McEvoy said...

I read and reviewed that one last year it is a great read.

How to Read Your Way To Heaven