I have a Kindle and I absolutely LOVE it. One of the best purchases I've ever made. ____________________ Tablet computer, e-reader ownership explodes in U.S. NEW YORK — A study finds that 12% of U.S. households now own a reading device for electronic books, such as Amazon's Kindle. That's three times the number of households that owned an e-reader just a year ago, pointing to rapid acceptance. The phone survey published Monday was conducted in April and May by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Prices for e-readers have fallen rapidly over the past year. Barnes & Noble's Nook is growing as a competitor to the Kindle. The cheapest models are now available for just above $100. The survey also found that ownership of tablet computers such as the iPad has doubled over the past year to 8% of households. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Pew also asked households if they had a desktop or laptop computer, a question it has posed since 2006. Desktop households have outnumbered laptops until this year. For the first time, the two figures were within the margin of error, at 57 percent and 56 percent respectively — a statistical dead heat. Laptop ownership has nearly doubled since 2006, while desktops have declined slightly. Original article: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-06-28-ereader-tablet-ownership_n.htm

Is a Bookless Library Still a Library? We've been hearing about it for years, but the bookless library has finally arrived, making a beachhead on college campuses. At Drexel University's new Library Learning Terrace, which opened just last month, there is nary a bound volume, just rows of computers and plenty of seating offering access to the Philadelphia university's 170 million electronic items. Scott Erdy, designer of the new library, says open, flexible space — the furniture is movable and the walls act as one giant whiteboard — allows student and staff "knowledge transfer," a concept reinforced by Danuta Nitecki, dean of Drexel's libraries. "We don't just house books, we house learning," she says. The trend began, naturally, with engineers, when Kansas State University's engineering library went primarily bookless in 2000. Last year, Stanford University pruned all but 10,000 printed volumes from its new engineering library, making more room for large tables and study areas. And the University of Texas at San Antonio ditched print in lieu of electronic material when it renovated its engineering library in 2010. But when books disappear, does a library lose its definition? Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2079800,00.html#ixzz1Rovpnekv

What is everyone reading these days? I am currently reading "Sarah's Key" & just finished "The Girl Who Chased the Moon." "Sarah's Key" is so good that I started yesterday & am almost finished!

E-books' popularity is rewriting the sales story USAToday.com - E-books, once considered the new kids in town, are shaking up the world of publishing with surging sales. The numbers tell the story: •Random House, the USA's largest publisher, says more than 20% of U.S. revenue in the first half of this year were from digital sales. •Amazon recently announced that two more authors, Kathryn Stockett and Janet Evanovich, have reached the million mark in Kindle e-book sales. •Eight of the top 20 titles on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list this week are e-books. •Barnes & Noble's strong sales of digital content in the first quarter of its fiscal year 2012 (which ended July 30) helped make up for a decline in sales of printed books. The chain credits the Nook, its e-book reader, with strengthening its bottom line. Failure to jump more quickly into the digital frontier is blamed in part for the demise of Borders. "It's been a watershed year for e-books," says Tina Jordan of the Association of American Publishers. "Any publisher will tell you that a best-selling title from a branded author can run upwards of 30% to 40% in digital sales." Despite surges in new technology and strong e-reader and e-book sales, print books are holding their own; publishers see them as key for the future. They want consumers to have many choices in reading formats and ease of buying. "We're glad to be in the vanguard of what's taking place, even as the traditional forms of reading and book buying continue very widely," says Stuart Applebaum of Random House. "If some 20-plus percent of books we're selling in the U.S. are e-books, that still leaves 80% sold the old-fashioned way." Keep reading: http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2011-09-05/E-books-popularity-is-rewriting-the-sales-story/50267676/1

America's most 'surprising' banned books: A visual history In honor of Banned Book Week, a look at the controversies surrounding some of our most popular and cherished reads Every year parents, school administrators, and librarians protest against hundreds of books, rejecting them for a whole slew of reasons. The American Library Association recorded 348 challenges to books in 2010 and says more than 11,000 books have been contested since 1982. Not every contested book gets banned, and not all banned books remain on the list for long. Still, the complaints keep coming. Here a look at nine of the more "surprising" banned or challenged reads. Click here to see the books: http://theweek.com/article/index/219721/americas-most-surprising-banned-books-a-visual-history#

Barnes & Noble expected to unveil new Nook NEW YORK (AP) – Barnes & Noble is expected to unveil its response to Amazon.com's Kindle Fire tablet next Monday, as the all-important holiday shopping season kicks off. The largest specialty retailer invited journalists and analysts to a news conference for a "very special announcement" that day. The invitation comes after Amazon.com launched its Kindle Fire in late September. The e-book reader was upgraded to be able to surf the web, stream movies and TV and support thousands of apps in addition to being an e-book reader, and is priced at $199. It starts shipping Nov.15. Apple Inc.'s iPad has been the dominant tablet so far. It starts at $499. Continue: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2011-10-31/barnes-amp-noble-announcement/51018326/1

Another study points to advantages of printed textbooks June 27, 2011 Even as administrators and legislators push schools to dump printed books in favor of electronic ones, evidence mounts that paper books have important advantages as tools for learning. Last month, I reported on a study out of the University of Washington which showed that students find printed books more flexible than e-books in supporting a wide range of reading and learning styles. Now comes a major study from the University of California system showing that students continue to prefer printed books to e-books and that many undergraduates complain that they have trouble "learning, retaining, and concentrating" when reading from screens. The University of California Libraries began a large e-textbook pilot program in 2008. In late 2010, more than 2,500 students and faculty members were surveyed to assess the results of the program. Overall, 58% of the respondents said they used e-books for their academic work, with the percentage varying from 55% for undergraduates to 57% for faculty to 67% for graduate students. The respondents who used e-books were then asked whether they preferred e-books or printed books for their studies. Overall, 44% said they preferred printed books and 35% said they preferred e-books, with the remainder expressing no preference. The preference for print was strongest among undergraduates, 53% of whom preferred printed books, with only 27% preferring e-books. Graduate students preferred printed books by 45% to 35%, and faculty preferred printed books by 43% to 33%. Click to read more http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2011/06/another_study_p.php

http://lifesimplifiedforyou.com/2011/11/30/books-im-gifting-this-year/ Books I'm Gifting This Year Amazing Adventures of a Nobody by Leon Logothetis. I had the pleasure of meeting Leon and taking a ride in his Kindness Cab this Fall and his book is going to my traveling sister-in-law and also my best friend who sees the good in everyone…and probably others as well – I heart this book. White Truffles in Winter by N.M. Kelby to my Chef step-brother or his lovely wife. “This richly layered novel is based on the life of legendary chef Auguste Escoffier, who popularized French cooking methods at his restaurants at The Savoy and The Ritz at the beginning of the 20th century. Escoffier’s love for two women: the beautiful, iconic actress Sarah Bernhardt and his lovely, poetess wife, Delphine Daffis, is at the heart of this complex tale. The characters are vivid and the food — oh, the food — is delicious!” Indiebound.org Wildwood by Colin Meloy to my hip sister (age 35) or niece (age 7) as this is a great book of wonder, danger, and magic as told by the lead singer of The Decemberists. A touching tale for anyone of any age. Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard to my history loving husband... To read the rest of the article, click the link above.

I've been so saddened to watch bookstore after bookstore go out of business because of the onset of e-book popularity. I have never bought many books, but I am a weekly visitor of the local library and a devotee of print. ___ E-books sales surge after holidays By Bob Minzesheimer, USA TODAY Carolyn McCosh says she has loved "real books, the printed-on-paper kind," ever since she got her St. Louis Public Library card in first grade. The 45-year-old had little interest in e-books — until Christmas. Along with millions of others, she unwrapped a Kindle Fire, a gift from her boyfriend and "a huge defining moment for me." Since then, she has bought $100 worth of e-books — from histories to mysteries — and wonders, "Am I a traitor to printed books?" McCosh is part of an unprecedented surge in e-book sales that's changing publishing and challenging traditional bookstores. It's reflected on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list, which tracks combined sales of e-book and print editions. The latest list, based on sales data from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, shows a remarkable burst of digital book sales after e-readers were unwrapped as gifts — for 42 of the top 50 titles, the e-book editions were the most popular format. The previous high, in July, was 25 of the top 50. For e-books, "the two weeks after Christmas is what the two weeks before Halloween is to pumpkins," says Michael Norris, an analyst with Simba Information, a market research firm. After the post-holiday surge, he predicts, e-books will increase in "short bursts and slow trickles" the rest of the year. Norris estimates that one in five U.S. adults are reading e-books on a variety of devices, from dedicated e-readers to tablets (like the Kindle Fire) that can be used to download movies, music, video games and more. Forrester Research estimates that Amazon has sold 5 million Kindle Fires, priced at $199 each, since the device was released Nov. 14. Archrival Barnes & Noble has sold an estimated 2 million Nook Tablets ($249), released Nov. 17. Both devices are designed, in part, to compete with Apple's iPad (the latest versions are priced from $500 to $830), which sold about 40 million units last year. But even as the sales of e-books doubled from 10% of the overall market to 20% in 2011, print books still account for about 80% of the market. Great time for readers Michael Cader, founder of Publishers Lunch, an influential digital newsletter, says it's premature to call e-books a "game-changer" for publishing: "Lots of things are changing, but the game is still a lot like it was." But the question for publishers and booksellers, including more than 350 independent stores that sell e-books in partnership with Google, is how fast changes are coming. Without being specific, Russ Grandinetti, a vice president at online retailer Amazon (which dominates the markets for both e-readers and e-books), says its print and digital sales are both up, but "digital is growing significantly faster." Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2012-01-09/ebooks-sales-surge/52458672/1