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Today I made a mad ridiculous dash to the library, in the rain, with the remnants of a stubborn cold, all in the name of retrieving a good book.

To be honest, I didn’t even know that it was going to rain, so the situation was a bit more dramatic then it needed to be because I failed to trust in the Weather Channel. Anywho, I’ve spent good money over the past few years buying up books to rack my bookshelf with, but with bookstores charging an arm and a leg for new literature and me having better things to spend my money on (like bills), I decided a library card would be the answer to all my problems. Eh, it actually made things a bit worse. After trekking in the rain for longer than I had expected with my wallet in tow, once I got to the library, I was asked if I had a copy of the lease to my apartment, or a rent check to prove that I actually lived where I said I did. They basically wanted my life story in exchange for a book. I had neither of those things and was pretty pissed off as the lady at the front desk looked at me, dripping water  all over the place, and had no sympathy for my trek. As I headed out looking for a taxi, I thought to myself, “See, this is the s**t that makes people want to go buy a Kindle, read everything online and leave this whole book business behind.”

But honestly, that was just an overreaction for the moment. I honestly LOVE books. Tangible books that is. I’m from the old school where as a kid you’d get accelerated reader points, buttons, stickers and pizza for checking out and reading books. I love the smell of a new book. I love throwing a book in my bag and pulling it out on a longer-than-expected train ride. I love physically passing a good read on to a friend, family member or co-worker and have them tell me they loved it. Most importantly, I like to throw the book on my shelf to remind myself that I successfully tackled another complex novel (and to show other people, YES, I can read *winks*).  But more and more people seem to be going in the opposite direction, riding the always growing technology wave and opting to do everything, including reading their favorite book of the moment, through some sort of gadget or device.

Amazon just broke a record for Kindle sales on Cyber Monday last year, and if E-readers aren’t enough for people, many are still reading their books on tablets. Hell, even Oprah’s Book Club has gone digital. My sister, the biggest reader I’ve known in life, asked for a Kindle when she received her Master’s last year and I cried on the inside (not really, but you get it). And I was honestly even a bit sad to find out that for my niece’s seventh birthday, she was given a Kindle. I guess her encounters with children’s literary classics like Jambo Means Hello and Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, or Dr. Seuss, and Roald Dahl joints will be introduced to her through the Internet. With Borders done and Barnes & Nobles claiming they’re going to start closing more and more of their stores in the next few years, it’s becoming pretty clear that tides are shifting.

I recognize that we’re in a time and place where most people can do everything online (watch movies, watch television, get news, weather, pay bills and more), but for some reason, I think I’d always hoped that small, foldable paperbacks and hardcovers that you take the paper packaging off of before sharing with a friend would continue to be the preferred method of reading. But it seems that convenience is what’s getting people to change it up. I can’t lie, even I find that it’s faster for me to read my bible verses on my phone while on the way to church or in church then to lug my beloved but heavy bible in the green zipper case with me.

But as my mother would say, there will always be a few people who would rather pick up a book as opposed to picking up just another electronic gadget out of the many they already have (that might have a new upgraded version the moment you blink). And despite my beef with my local library, I’ll continue to be part of that group, bunny earring pages and tearing up paperback editions of Junot Diaz and Octavia Butler as long as I still have the opportunity to. With everything already headed online, can we keep just one thing in its original classic format? Probably not…but it never hurts to hold out hope.

By Mame Kwayie

Source: vickyahhhgifs.blogspot.com

Scan recent media headlines about Oprah Winfrey and her eponymous Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), and you’ll find chatter about dismal ratings, a reported $300 million dollar loss, staff layoffs and even her own second thoughts about taking on the endeavor that took over the Discovery Health Channel on Jan. 1, 2011 (“If I knew then what I know now, I might have made different choices,” she told CBS News in April). To many, it appeared that when Winfrey stepped off her daytime television throne in 2011, ending “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and its groundbreaking 25-year run, she stepped into her last ride. But there are a few reasons why media watchers and viewers should not count her out just yet.

1. Her Interview Game is Still On Point.
The Oprah Winfrey Show may have ended over a year ago, but not only does she still know how to ask the questions, she still reels in big names – and growing ratings. Parts one and two of Winfrey’s chat with the Kardashians, the most recent episode of the interview series “Oprah’s Next Chapter” (which airs Sundays nights on OWN), brought in 1.1 million and 1.2 million viewers respectively. Big numbers, but 2.4 million viewers shy of OWN’s biggest boon yet: Winfrey’s March interview with the late Whitney Houston’s daughter, brother and sister-in-law.
Winfrey maintains her prowess for securing a variety of high-profile subjects for a sit-down. Not only are Winfrey’s “Next Chapter” interviews major coups for her fledgling network, but many are still clamoring for the opportunity to sit face-to-face with the media tycoon. In a story with the Associated Press, OWN President Sheri Salata acknowledges that there are opportunities abound for those with stories to tell. “That really does keep us in the game with all the big interviews,” Salata said.
This Sunday, Winfrey is meeting with the Miami Heat’s NBA title-winning trifecta of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James, and in August, she’s visiting with controversial pop star Rihanna.

2. Her Generosity is Still Paramount.
Admittedly, I usually watched Winfrey’s yearly “Favorite Things” holiday giveaway to see unsuspecting audience members go ham at the prospect of getting Panini makers. But Winfrey has proven that giving is not just the stuff of daytime talk show shtick. It is reported that when a Los Angeles English teacher tweeted the media maven about her inner-city students’ need for prom dresses, Winfrey worked her maven magic, enlisting Macy’s in donating formal gowns for all 25 of the educator’s female students. The department store transported the girls to the shopping spree via chartered bus and provided breakfast, lunch, and even stylists.

3. Her Endorsement Still Sells Books.
Oprah’s Book Club 2.0, which was announced in June, accommodates the way readers read in the age of Web 2.0: with e-readers, tablets and other mobile devices. Where she would devote an episode or two of her talk show to facilitating conversations between authors and audience members, she’s now using the likes of social media to engage readers in loving and discussing books again.

“I love this book so much and want to talk about it so much, I knew I had to reinvent my book club,” Winfrey writes in the July 2010 issue of O: The Oprah Magazine. The book? Wild, Cheryl Strayed’s memoir about a treacherous hike through the Pacific Crest Trail. Winfrey launched the original book club in 1996, inciting readers across the country to propel such titles as Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth and the James Frey’s not-so-non-fiction A Million Little Pieces into best-seller status. The book club ushered the concept of “The Oprah Effect,” Winfrey’s propensity to spur viewers to turn written works into profitable literary gold. Winfrey’s Midas touch later did the same for cakes, Carol’s Daughter beauty products and possibly President Barack Obama (before he was the president of course).

And it seems that tech-savvy readers are indeed wild about Winfrey’s latest pick: Wild recently hit number one on the New York Times’ bestseller list for non-fiction e-books.

4. Her Shows Still Win Emmys.
While beleaguered in the press, OWN is making shelf space for its first Emmy Award. “Super Soul Sunday,” the network’s Sunday morning mix of spiritual programming on happiness, enlightenment and well-being, received a Daytime Emmy this month for Outstanding Special Class series. The series, during which Winfrey chats with the likes of Deepak Chopra, T.D. Jakes and Wayne Dyer, “is the reason Oprah wanted to create this platform,” OWN president Salata said in a statement. “We are thrilled that our first Emmy is for this show.”

5. Her Magazine Wins Awards, Too.
The team at O: The Oprah Magazine recently picked up recognition from the American Society of Magazine Editors for General Excellence in Women’s Magazines. In case you didn’t know, Winfrey’s name is on the masthead of the magazine bearing her name and cover image as its founder and editorial director. The publication, which aligns with Winfrey’s “live your best life” branding mantra, was launched in 2000.

To (wo)man the helm of a media empire is not easy, and Winfrey, who once compared the building of OWN to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, has proven no shrinking violet in the face of a challenge.

“Just because you fail doesn’t make you a failure,” Winfrey told CBS News. “When you know that in the core of yourself, you can keep trying or you can use whatever is happening in that moment to say, ‘Maybe I need to move in a new direction.’”

And perhaps the greatest reason why Oprah Winfrey continues to win is that she is her own best example.

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