Thank goodness we live in the digital age. I can't imagine how much harder all of this extreme social distancing would have been to tolerate just two or three decades ago. At least now many jobs can be done from home. There are multiple ways for us to amuse ourselves while confined. And, for the most part, our children and grandchildren are able to transition into online schooling fairly easily. Life limps on.
Just as importantly for the mental health of all the semi-professional readers out there, our virtual libraries are still open for business even though all their brick and mortar locations seem to have locked their doors tightly. This is the perfect opportunity for us to finally tackle the massive TBR stacks we all seem to have on hand. You know, depending on how long all of this may last, I just might finally make a dent in the unread books I have in the house.
Read on, friends. Stay well.
Sorry you've become one of the library-less like me and so many others. It's really cramping my reading style. But at least I have books at home that I haven't read yet. I'm glad you do, too. :D Stay well, Sam!
ReplyDeleteWhat really bothers me about the closing is that I'm so dependent on my library system to provide me with most of the "big" new books I read every year. If this goes on for more than a month or two, my reading of 2020 novels is really going to suffer.
DeleteYes, someone on TV commented that 2020 is a better year to be housebound than 1980 when we'd all have to sit around playing I Spy for 3 months. As it is we have the internet, and blogging and Facebook are really busy with people socialising at the moment. I'm finding it difficult to keep up!
ReplyDeleteI think I would be in much better spirits if the idiots in Washington D.C. could get over themselves long enough to put politics aside until this is all under control. But that is not happening in this country, and that sickens me.
DeleteI think the closure of libraries has been the hardest for me, as I have visited about 2X a week previously. I feel bad for seniors who don't have eReader devices and rely on large print books.
ReplyDeleteAll of what we have been going through makes me appreciate what our parents have gone through or grown up with ie: the Great Depression. I recall my mother talking about how they would get a 5 lb box of chocolates to split between 5 kids for Christmas.
Stay Safe Sam.
I think the library closings made all this seem more real to me than anything else, Diane. As for retail shopping, I can take it or leave it, much preferring to order online when possible anyway (but now most "nonessential" items from Amazon seem to have a 30-day delivery window). But physical books are another thing entirely. I can't afford to order ten a month from Amazon or B&N, so I depend on my library system to provide them. Libraries can't be replaced - and the problem you mention for seniors is a good example why they can't be.
DeleteMy parents were definitely marked by having lived through the Depression, no doubt. They were much more economic and conscious of waste than any generation that has followed them so far. I wonder if people will somehow be marked and changed by this experience. If so, I hope it's for the better.
I'm finding that my library has a pretty big digital collection to borrow from. I hadn't really utilized it before now. You have to wait a long time for the newer/most popular books, but if you're after an older read, you can usually borrow it right away. I've already borrowed the max I can, but I'm reading a book a day right now, so there will be lots of turnover happening :)
ReplyDeleteWow, Susan, a book a day! That's tremendous. Your isolation is having a whole different effect on your reading than mine is having on mine. I average a hair over 10 books a month usually, but I'll be lucky to get through more than 6 or 7 this month. I just can't concentrate on one thing at a time right now, and when I try to read, I find myself wondering what I'm missing on the news. I'm frustrated.
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