Books and reading have always been a big part of my life. Some of my earliest memories are of my father reading "Treasure Island" and other classics to my sisters and me. I still have an incredible collection of books from my childhood, including Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. My kids think it's weird that I read for pleasure, and often like reading the book better than watching the movie for the same story.
I enjoy a variety of fiction and non-fiction, but lately I have read mostly Science Fiction and Fantasy. Here are some of my picks:
Our county library system is on-line, which is great. I can search for a book I want by author, title or subject, and place a hold on the book. When it is available, my local branch will notify me to pick it up. There is also an inter-library loan system for requesting books from outside the county.
My favorite bookstores are Waldenbooks and www.amazon.com , and www.sfbc.com
Star Wars
We became Star Wars fans in 1982 when friend brought over a portable VCR, and a tape of the original movie - Episode IV: A New Hope. My son was only 4, and I didn't think he would sit still for a full length movie, but he was totally entranced. The Star Wars Trilogy and now the prequels are still among our favorites, and I have an attic full of action figures and ships. I was surprised to learn that George Lucas does not consider himself to be a writer, and that he found the writing to be difficult. However, many authors have contributed to the expanded Star Wars Universe. I've counted over 100 novels (not including the comics) that have been written in Lucas' world. I've only read a few, but as far as I can tell, this is a pretty good chronological list so far. Star Wars Chronology
TV & Video
I don't find a lot of time to watch TV, but I do have a few favorite shows. I like the crime dramas, (Law & Order, CSI, Crossing Jordan, Jag, NYPD Blue, The Practice - and Magnum PI reruns), all the Star Trek shows, and a few comedies. I can't stand the reality shows. Though I don't get to watch them anymore, I still follow the CBS soaps online, and I watch Dr. Phil & Oprah when I'm home from work. My video collection is pitifully small.
I never jumped on the Napster bandwagon, but once the technology was out, there was no stopping it. After they were court ordered to shut down, other free peer-to-peer file sharing sites took it's place. I like the idea of creating my own music mix CDs, and I have no objection to paying for music downloads. Some folks will continue to download illegally, but others will no longer take the risk. I've used these 3. Wal-mart raised the price of their music downloads and Music Match was replaced with Yahoo Music.