Are you a book lover?  Does the smell, the feel of the book in your hand, the joy of just looking at the covers  please you even before you have read a word?  If yes, you are definitely a book lover. Me too.

Have you bought a Kindle? Or have decided against one on principle?

As a book lover I am reluctant to spend even more time in front of a screen.  Computers and TV’s seem to take up far too much of my time, so I have not – so far – been persuaded to get a Kindle or one of its alternatives.

However many of my book loving friends are enjoying theirs – and say they are easy to read.  Of course as a reader it is always a problem to know what or how many books to pack to go on holiday – and whether they justify their weight.

I was at my neighbours’ house when they had the “book talk” before their recent three week holiday.  After a big discussion she (a non-reader) felt that 8 was the maximum number of books it was fair for her husband to take in their baggage.  He  (voracious reader) thought that was reasonable, but had real difficulty prioritising.  Another point of negotiation was what to do with the books once read.  She was keen that he simply left them behind once he had read them, but he as a book lover could not bear to be parted from the book itself, and argued passionately that he had to bring them home.

I followed this up when they got back, and apparently 8 was the perfect number, and yes he brought them all home, and their holiday was a great success!  I am not sure that a Kindle would have made life easier in their case as the books were important in themselves.  But we can all change and maybe a Kindle could solve the issue next time.

E books outsold physical books in the last quarter of last year on Amazon, so many people are changing their reading habits – and not just for holidays.  E readers are far more commonly seen on commuter trains and the Tube, and likely to become even more popular.

Many ebooks are information products which have been sold on the web at a far higher price than is possible with a printed book.  The big change may be cheaper fiction ebooks, and shorter stories.

Ereaders are encouraging reading of the short story.  One publisher, Fourth Estate, has teamed up with the Sunday Times to produce Fast Fiction – a downloadable short story for 99p.  The market for print short stories has never been strong in the UK, although more economically viable in the US so this could be a great way to revive the genre.  It fits, of course with our shorter attention span and need for immediacy.

There are some wonderful short stories by well-known writers which are not so well known as their major works, but could be a fantastic introduction.  “The Signal-Man” by Charles Dickens is one that I particularly enjoy. Once you have the Kindle you have access to many classics and digitised out of print books completely for free. I think I am talking myself into getting a Kindle.