The concept of affordance is new to me, but so perfectly applicable to iPhone reading apps and digital books. As somebody who loves to read and loves to travel, I remember the agony of trying to figure out which physical books (and how many) to bring on a trip when I wasn’t checking a bag. Of tearing off chapters of For Whom The Bell Tolls while backpacking because the weight was killing me. Or when I was 11 and my parents only let me bring 2 books on vacation & I’d read both of them by the time the plane landed. And more recently, when I’m working a night shift and need a little treat, I can buy myself a romance novel and start enjoying it right away, often for less than the cost of a used paperback.
I love your exploration of affordances! Libby affords me options when I’m traveling and a way to read during my down time at work. My teenage self, who was sneaking Harlequin intrigue novels off the free shelf at the library (it was 2012 and we didn’t have self-check out yet and I had a reputation with the librarians as a “smart girl”) would be thrilled to hear that we are very public and loud about reading romance now, even when the librarians from our childhood express disappointment. She would be less excited to hear that we bought an ipad to use as an e-reader, staunchly believing ebooks were the downfall of society and would cause the ruination of libraries (good thing Libby is a library provided service!).
The concept of affordance is new to me, but so perfectly applicable to iPhone reading apps and digital books. As somebody who loves to read and loves to travel, I remember the agony of trying to figure out which physical books (and how many) to bring on a trip when I wasn’t checking a bag. Of tearing off chapters of For Whom The Bell Tolls while backpacking because the weight was killing me. Or when I was 11 and my parents only let me bring 2 books on vacation & I’d read both of them by the time the plane landed. And more recently, when I’m working a night shift and need a little treat, I can buy myself a romance novel and start enjoying it right away, often for less than the cost of a used paperback.
I love your exploration of affordances! Libby affords me options when I’m traveling and a way to read during my down time at work. My teenage self, who was sneaking Harlequin intrigue novels off the free shelf at the library (it was 2012 and we didn’t have self-check out yet and I had a reputation with the librarians as a “smart girl”) would be thrilled to hear that we are very public and loud about reading romance now, even when the librarians from our childhood express disappointment. She would be less excited to hear that we bought an ipad to use as an e-reader, staunchly believing ebooks were the downfall of society and would cause the ruination of libraries (good thing Libby is a library provided service!).
Happy Birthday! Have a great year!
Loved this!