What is Linda reading now?
How to read all those books during my sabbatical?
If anyone really knows me they would admit that I am addicted to books. I love to read. My office on campus and at home are lined with book shelves. There are the books I use to teach, the reference books, the books I love to read for relaxation, and the books I read to stay informed regarding the latest instructional techniques. One bookcase contains the books that cover the software I use to teach my electronic marketing class. Another bookcase features the customer service books I use when I give presentations for the hospitality and travel industry. Now that I am faced with 8 weeks away from my library, I am struggling with selecting only a few books to pack along for the journey. As I began to sort through the books, I found myself wishing there were an easier way to take my books along. First, I considered audio books loaded to my MP3 player. Unfortunately, most of the books I want to read are not available in audio format. Then I considered PDF copies of my desired books. Again, the books were not available in PDFormat. Two shipments of books from Amazon.com, two shopping trips to the University bookstore, and stops by the local bookstore resulted in a large pile of books. Alas, I worried that I would never be able to lift the bag off the luggage carousel in Shanghai.
I have really enjoying catching up on my reading during this well-deserved sabbatical but this would never work. Even after narrowing the pile down to 8 books I found myself hard pressed to select any fewer than the basic 8. Now you are probably saying, hey buy the books as you read them and then donate them when finished. Sorry, but the books I am reading are not novels. They are academic books related to my research and teaching interests. These types of books will be difficult to obtain once I leave the United States. There must be a better alternative. . . At last, I have discovered the answer . . . a Kindle 2 from Amazon.com . . . here I come with all the books I could ever hope to read in just 8 weeks.
My Kindle has just arrived. It is so exciting as the Kindle can hold 1500 books, weighs about the same as a hard cover book, and is as slim as a pencil. This is like Christmas in September. The Kindle will enable me to take many more books along than the original 8 books I had anticipated being limited to in my luggage. Time now to go shopping and load up the memory with books for pleasure, books for reference during my presentations and research, and books to prepare lessons for next semester. This is a wonderful solution for a key aspect of my sabbatical.
So check back here for a list of the books that I am taking along for my reading pleasure. I will be posting a review of each book.
I have really enjoying catching up on my reading during this well-deserved sabbatical but this would never work. Even after narrowing the pile down to 8 books I found myself hard pressed to select any fewer than the basic 8. Now you are probably saying, hey buy the books as you read them and then donate them when finished. Sorry, but the books I am reading are not novels. They are academic books related to my research and teaching interests. These types of books will be difficult to obtain once I leave the United States. There must be a better alternative. . . At last, I have discovered the answer . . . a Kindle 2 from Amazon.com . . . here I come with all the books I could ever hope to read in just 8 weeks.
My Kindle has just arrived. It is so exciting as the Kindle can hold 1500 books, weighs about the same as a hard cover book, and is as slim as a pencil. This is like Christmas in September. The Kindle will enable me to take many more books along than the original 8 books I had anticipated being limited to in my luggage. Time now to go shopping and load up the memory with books for pleasure, books for reference during my presentations and research, and books to prepare lessons for next semester. This is a wonderful solution for a key aspect of my sabbatical.
So check back here for a list of the books that I am taking along for my reading pleasure. I will be posting a review of each book.