As an avid reader, I know just how depressing it is not to find the books one is craving desperately here and being told to wait weeks to wait until the book is “in stock”. I recently visited the best bookstore for English books in the Kingdom only to find that two books were unavailable while the third was unreasonably expensive. I thought of borrowing those books - much like what people traditionally used to do - as it is an economical and environmentally-friendly option, and posted a Facebook status asking to borrow the book in question. Within a few minutes I got a suggestion to try e-books or the website Amazon.com. E-books are a great option - both economical and quick. All you need to do is establish an account with the website you are purchasing from. The bill has to be paid through credit card and you get the book on your account within a few minutes ,which can be downloaded in just three to four minutes on your computer, laptop, hand-held/portable devices or simply read online. E-books come in different formats like PDF, MobiPocket or Microsoft Reader. E-reader software is required before downloading which websites usually provide for free. The PDF version is relatively suitable for PC and Mac more than hand-held devices. MobiPocket is designed for portable devises while it also operates with PCs with Windows 95 and higher. Microsoft Reader is suitable for Windows 98 and higher. It also operates on mobile phones with pocket PCs 2002/2003 and Windows mobile. E-books are also relatively cheaper compared to normal books. For instance, a paper book that costs as high as 80 riyals here in the Kingdom, is available for 17 riyals ($4.5) as an e-book version. Moreover, sometimes it may cost you less if it is on discount. It can also be downloaded unlimited times after purchasing. However, it cannot be printed for the sole purpose of protecting publishers' copyrights. Nevertheless, if you are not tech-savvy and take pleasure in reading and physically turning the pages of a book, you can also purchase the book through Amazon or e-bay. A shopper has to sign-up with a website, place an order and pay the bill through credit card. The parcel is delivered within a few days depending on the delivery service chosen. Courier companies like DHL, Aramex or Fed-ex deliver the parcel four to six days at your place. However, they charge more than postal service. A courier company charges between 65 to 75 riyals for a half kilo and one kilo respectively, for shipping. Three to five paperback books weigh one kilo on average. Some good news for book lovers is that the Saudi Post (SP) Director General of Operations Majed Bin Anzaan earlier this month announced SP's first “virtual market” on the internet to be launched soon to provide easier and more secure shopping for customers in the Kingdom. Saudi Gazette also spoke to Muna Abusulyman, the renowned media personality and avid book lover, who frequently uses Amazon for buying books, since it provides “an easy and reliable way” to purchase books. An Amazon representative told Saudi Gazette, in reply to an email, that their service has a number of checks for reliability. “We take full responsibility for the delivery of our goods from start to finish and take complaints of lost or theft of parcels very seriously. We replace any items lost or damaged during delivery at a cost to ourselves and monitor our carriers very closely.” However, the representative was not able to provide any statistics of the number of books delivered to the Kingdom on average. E-shopping is in its infancy in the Kingdom. “Most Saudis don't like to use their credit card on the internet. Also, many websites don't accept Saudi credit cards too,” Abusulayman remarked. She suggested the use of e-book readers like Amazon's Kindle. Though the Kindle is currently not available to purchase in the Kingdom, a number of alternatives like the iPad are both available and becoming increasingly popular. Libraries are really the best option for those book lovers who are neither tech-savvy nor willing to splurge on e-books, e-book readers or over-priced books. At present, according to World Encyclopedia of Libraries and Information Service by Robert Wedgeworth, there are 60 public Libraries in the Kingdom founded by Ministry of Education. “Public libraries are generally not as fast growing or as well organized as academic and special libraries (in the Kingdom),” Wedgeworth writes. However, technological advances and the option of buying books that you can carry with you everywhere should not deter book lovers from indulging in their favorite pastime.
