Reading, Part II

In order to read more this year, I felt I had to take a few hints from my younger sister at McGill (statistically, as this site has analytics, one of, like, 10 people reading this, so Hi!). First off, this involved getting an account on Goodreads, a simple website that allows you to make reading goals, a wish-list, rate books you've read and check them off when you're done. Feel free to make your own account and add me as a friend. The second thing I had to do was finally plug myself into Edmonton's fabulous and remarkably free public library system. I'm embarrassed I didn't have a card until Monday.

I worry that the internet has made modern societies too entitled to receive all their entertainment for free. Whether it's music, podcasts, software... the fact that most of us refuse to pay a dime has pernicious effects on the business model, both the costs it imposes on creators and the price we pay in intrusive advertisements. In the last few years, I've been slowly trying to change this aspect of my life and I'm coughing up (a very little) to some of my favourite podcasts, Wikipedia, a few news outlets, just to name a few, and I encourage you to consider doing it as well.

That's why it felt almost immoral the sheer amount of free material I gained access to. I forgot that this is something I was supposed t.o like, this bastion of socialism we all decided was admiral because Andrew Carnegie thought they were so important. I've got a number of physical books and eBooks on hold already, but the wealth of audiobooks adds a whole new dimension to it. Ignore the same distraction problem that podcasts have for a moment, I've already finished Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let me Go" (5 stars), and a short BBC "book" on the American Civil War. I've started on the latest Jeffrey Archer Novel now. If you care to join me, Goodreads is an easy Google away, and I use the Overdrive app for listening to library audiobooks, both happily recommended.