When I heard the news that Borders in Lihu‘e plans to close its doors in the next couple of weeks, I felt a twinge of guilt. Borders and Seattle’s Best Coffee were two of my favorite hangout spots, but how
When I heard the news that Borders in Lihu‘e plans to close its doors in the next couple of weeks, I felt a twinge of guilt.
Borders and Seattle’s Best Coffee were two of my favorite hangout spots, but how often did I actually patronize these businesses?
I’m guilty of spending hours with my laptop at the coffee shop, without actually buying a cup of coffee.
I would skim books, listen to music and search through DVD titles, but when I wanted to actually purchase these things, I would turn to iTunes or Amazon.
It was hard to justify spending $29.99 on a book when I could download it on my Kindle for less.
Yes, I own a Kindle. After scoffing at the idea of e-readers — Kindles, Sony eReaders, Nooks and even iPads — I started to warm to the idea.
With a click of a button, I had thousands of books at my fingertips. I can read a book on my Kindle and pick up where I left off on my iPhone.
It made traveling easier. It’s lightweight and its battery life can last up to a month. Plus, when I was finished reading the book, I didn’t have a 400-page paperweight taking up real estate on my bookshelf.
When I was in college — way back in 2006 — I had a professor ask if I thought physical books would become obsolete.
I mocked the question. How could books become obsolete? How could anyone trade the feel and look of a book for a clunky e-reader?
My professor pointed out that is how she felt about vinyl records, and they went the way of the dinosaurs.
Since then, e-readers have made leaps and bounds. They’re sleek, lightweight and can hop onto 3G and Wi-Fi networks to instantly download books for a fraction of the cost — sometimes for free if the copyright has expired.
Because my friends also have Kindles, we can share purchased books without buying the titles.
This leaves me wondering if there really is a need for physical bookstores.
Still, where would authors go for book signings? Who would host children’s story times?
Amazon may have a hundreds of thousands of titles, but it doesn’t offer every single work ever published, especially those from local writers and illustrators.
For those of us on island who enjoy reading physical books, let’s not forget about Talk Story Bookstore in Hanapepe, a fun hangout spot to sort through used books, listen to live music or sip a cup of coffee.
But I’ll have to remind myself to actually purchase a book when I stop by. For me, that would be something new.
• Andrea Frainier, lifestyle writer, can be reached at 245-3681, ext. 257 or afrainier@ thegardenisland.com.
