This is part 1 of a 5 part series. Without further ado, here is one of my newly rediscovered obsessions.
reading
This week I signed up for the Goodreads 2011 reading challenge. I haven’t done a reading challenge since elementary school. My goal is to read 36 books this year. That may seem like a lot or just a few depending on who’s reading this, but three books a month is very doable for me. I finished my first book tonight so 1 down, 35 more to go.
I’ve discovered the joys of my local library once again. And I don’t even have to physically go there. With my local public library card I can reserve or download books I want to read (via Adobe e-book reading software) or listen to (via Overdrive Media Console) and not worry about rushing to return books before the library closes, or deal with late fees. And a bonus: no paper cuts.
There are a few downsides. I had to download new software to listen to the audio books and to read the e-books on my computer, and my computer’s not the fastest thing in the world. Also, because of Digital Rights Management (DRM) issues, the books I download will expire at some point. I had some trouble getting the audio book software to work on my computer at first due to a DRM security incompatibility with my player. To resolve that, I ran a five-second web search and found a good solution to my apparently common error message. One that didn’t involve me potentially messing up any system files. Finally, the available title selection is more limited than, say, amazon.com. But hey, it’s a free library resource.
If you have a library card and want to try this service, just check your local county’s public library website. Los Angelenos, here’s the direct link to the audiobook and e-book library search.
A Mad Notepad 
January 27th, 2013 at 11:59 pm
[…] that got me thinking of what I’d like to do more of this year. In 2011 I did a series on rediscovered obsessions which was a lot of fun so I’ll try that again. But first I need a good topic and your […]