iBooks

I'd held out a long, long time before finally giving in and getting an iPhone. I told everyone I just wasn't interested in all the bells and whistles that I'd never use, and that all I wanted was to send and receive phone calls and text messages.

That was before I go the iPhone. Now I'm hooked.

A couple of apps turned out to be really handy while we were away on our holiday, and I've invested in a few more since we got back. I've uploaded quite a lot of blips to do with books (or, since I haven't been consistent with my tagging, "book", and I've generally stressed how much I enjoy the physical aspect of actually holding a book, turning the pages, and so on (I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to people who turn down page corners or bend spines and otherwise maltreat books, and it's because of this that I don't loan my books to others and, even more practically, get the same enjoyment out of re-reading as I do from a first encounter).

For sure, I never thought I'd download a book onto a mobile phone!

But now I've actually done that, and I have to admit that I'm enjoying this virtual-reading experience. There are many negative reviews in the Irish iTunes Store when it comes to iBooks, principally because Apple haven't launched the iBook Store here yet. This severely limits what's available for the iBooks app, and means, more or less, that it's only "the classics" which can be accessed. This worries me a lot less than it does some of the (presumably younger generation) reviewers, and I'm actually quite happy to have a chance to explore some of the out-of-copyright material which is on offer (free, of course).

I chose Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White as my first iBooks read because it popped up near the top alphabetically, and I have vivid memories of reading and enjoying The Moonstone way back in the distant past. I have to admit that it's working out really well. It's a great read, of course (full of unexpected wit), and it's really gripping me. Maybe there's something to be said for this new-fangled way of reading after all - and having a book or two on my iPhone will certainly help pass the time while I wait for my hospital appointments.