I'd just like to introduce myself to this forum. I'm an American living in Kyoto, Japan, and read 2-3 books a week, usually at the same time. I like to read one science book (Natural,) one philosophy or history, and one fiction (mystery, thriller, Sci-Fi,) which together seem to balance out my brain. I'm just as happy reading trash fiction as classic.
Buying English language books in Japan can get prohibitively expensive (a new pocket novel will run about $15-$20 USD

) so the idea of e-books here might well be a viable alternative.
I'll be receiving a Sony e-book reader in a few days (assuming the mails work correctly,) and have been furiously working to learn some of the ins and outs of e-book conversions and downloads. So far I seem to have downloaded enough books to last me several lifetimes, so I think I've made a good beginning. I hope to learn a lot more here, especially about formatting books for my reader, alternative sources for free downloads, and the e-book culture in general. I am looking forward to 'meeting' you all. Thanks!
Stitchawl