Confession of a Dyslexic Bibliophile - eBooks, Regional Rights and More

Confession of a Dyslexic Bibliophile - eBooks, Regional Rights and More

I love reading. In fact it is one of my favourite things to do. I have loved reading since I really learned to the summer between grade 7 and grade 8. You see I have a dual form of dyslexia, it was diagnosed in grade 2 and did testing every 4 years until I entered university to keep up my special needs status. I wrote a piece a number of years back called How I Became a Bibliophile, From Dyslexic to Addict. It was part of a column I wrote in Imprint my university student's paper, called Confessions of a Bibliophile. But I have discovered over the last few years that I really prefer reading electronically. 2011 was the first year I read more eBooks than Physical books. With eBooks I love that I can change the font, the background colour, the spacing. And more. All of these things make it easier for me to read. I also love reading across numerous devices, my phone, my tablet, and my computer. I have a stick of about 18 books on my bedside table I want to read, these books are not available electronically. But I tend not to get around to reading them. There was a second pile on my dresser that I had moved from the bed side table last year. Now I have two stacks, of books I wish to read. One book sat on this pile for almost a year, when the eBook came out I read it twice in a week. The first time I raced through it in two days, and the second I took more time with it. And ended up giving away the physical copy to a friend. I really wanted to read this book, and had started it a few times, but because it was physical and upstairs in the bed room I just kept not getting to it. 

So in this day and age I am surprised when books come out and are only available in a physical format. Or eBooks come out but are only available in the US, UK, or Australia. There are so many authors I love and their books are just not widely available in North America, or if they are only in a physical volume. Now do not get me wrong, there is no shortage of books for me to read. I currently have almost 200 books in my eBook waiting list and close to 40 physical books awaiting a read. But I get so frustrated when eBooks are geo-locked to specific regions.  I probably read 30 eBooks to every physical book at this point in time. The tipping point was a few years ago and the gap just keeps widening.  

Of course it is not like a decade ago where I had a whole table full and covered of books on the go. They now all sit snugly on my phone and my place is kept on the web and I can jump device to device and pick up right where I was. 

Statistics Books Read By Year:
380 - 2017 
272 - 2016 
177 - 2015 
130 - 2014 
88 -  2013
176 - 2012 
163 - 2011
302 - 2010
142 - 2009
98 - 2008
83 - 2007
191 - 2006
151 - 2005
60 - 2004
52 - 2003
97 - 2002
50 - 2001
41 - 2000
71 - 1999
73 - 1998
131 - 1997
101 - 1996

I started keeping track of the books I finished reading in October of 1995, and movies watched in January of 1996. I have lists for:

All Books Read by Year
Favorite Books By Year
All Movies and TV Series Watched by Year
Favorite Movies and TV Series by Year

I also do a Top Ten List of books each quarter and for the year. They can be found here. I was also asked to pick a Top Ten Catholic Books I have read, you can find that list here (and occasionally I add a note when I come across something exceptional.)