Quote:
Originally Posted by bustacap
go visit a library then
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Not the quoted poster, but I'm really not a fan of westerners (usually Americans, at that) offering libraries as this miracle solution for reading. A rundown of what libraries entail in my corner of the world:
- mostly books in my native language. If something is in English, it's usually an academic text, not fiction
- mostly older titles that I already read a decade+ ago
What they don't entail
- English-language fiction, particularly genre fiction. I've been straight up told when requesting books that the cost makes it impossible, given that I'd probably be the only person checking that book out
- absolutely no e-book lending functionality whatsoever. Doesn't exist, shows no sign of existing any time soon
- while we're at it, no lending of DVDs/Blu-rays or video games or other media, that I keep seeing people touting as findable in (American) libraries. You'll get looked at like you have a second head if you ask
Think of a provincial US library from about 80 years ago and you'll get an idea of how dire things are in a good part of the world. Don't mistake me, the above is still good for someone whose interest is in local language literary fiction and academic texts. But if what you love is genre fiction in its original language, good bloody luck to you.
So far, my only workable solution has been a combo of Kobo's deep sales (and even there I have to lie that I'm from the US, because those never get offered on my local store page) with easy DRM removal as a very nice perk + trawling local used bookstores and antiquarian shops in search for the rare physical original language fantasy or sci-fi. Most assuredly
not libraries.
(I could rant forever about the need for regional pricing across the board, particularly for digital items that don't cost anything to ship across the world, but most stores don't want to bother with that, given how open to abuse it is, on top of book publishers themselves being resistant).