Used Books Blog

The Rider by Tim Krabbe is a bicycling book that will appeal to more than just hardcore cycling fans. In fact, The Rider is the best sports book I’ve ever read. This slim fast-paced novel follows bicycle racer Tim Krabbe on a grueling one-day race in mountainous France. Krabbe chronicles the cat and mouse strategy of cycling; the competitive camaraderie; the blinding physical pain; the superstitions; and the internal stream of consciousness battle that takes place as a rider pushes themselves to the limit.

I know a bit about bicycling because … I ride. Since the age of 13 I’ve been rewarded with great personal victories like riding from Philadelphia to Long Beach Island with my Dad and finishing the Mount Diablo Challenge in 1:25:10. I’ve also fought back from pain and tragedy, pushing through exhaustion and getting back on the road after being hit by a car.

Bicycling gives you perspective and insight that you translate to your life and career. Yes, it all sounds very new age and perhaps you’ve heard other athletes lecture monotonously about the subject. But it is … the truth. When you crest the summit of a mountain or finish a 100 mile century ride there is an immense sense of accomplishment. Not just for the actual deed but for how you overcame your own weaknesses. You think about all the times your body wanted you to stop and how many times the lesser part of your nature shouted persistently and persuasively: “turn around, you can’t do it, just give up, there’s no shame in stopping.”

Tim Krabbe captures this perfectly in The Rider. No other bicycling book I’ve read details that roller coaster of emotions and the ebb and flow of pain, determination and elation that is cycling. Even those not into bicycling will be drawn into this personal battle and will want to know how the race turns out. Does Krabbe win? This can’t fail plot device is executed with precision.

Amid all of this the hardcore cyclist is treated to anecdotes and references to some of the most revered names of cycling such as Merckx, Anquetil and Coppi. One of my favorites comes at the beginning of the novel:

Jacques Anquetil, five-time winner of the Tour de France, used to take his water bottle out of it’s holder before every climb and stick it in the back pocket of his jersey. Ab Geldermans, his Dutch lieutenant, watched him do that for years, until finally he couldn’t stand it any more and asked him why. And Anquetil explained.

A rider, said Anquetil, is made up of two parts, a person and a bike. The bike, of course, is the instrument the person uses to go faster, but its weight also slows him down. That really counts when the going gets tough, and in climbing the thing is to make sure the bike is as light as possible. A good way to do that is: take the bidon out of its holder.

So, at the start of every climb, Anquetil moved his water bottle from its holder to his back pocket. Clear enough.

This is such a perfect way to illustrate the ways in which cyclists deceive themselves in order to succeed. On the face this makes no sense at all, but as a rider, I can absolutely understand the ‘value’ of this behavior.

The style of The Rider also makes it an easy read. The short journal like entries that document the kilometer by kilometer progress throughout the race are tight, visceral and compelling. The prose isn’t detailed or overblown. It matches the dichotomous experience of the rider, mixing an economy of words with free association.

First published in Holland in 1978, it took and obscene 14 years until The Rider was translated into English. Now is your chance to read The Rider by Tim Krabbe. It is entertaining, informative and inspirational to both cyclists and non-cyclists.

Now … off for a ride of my own.

Darwin’s Children by Greg Bear is a satisfying but imperfect follow-up to Darwin’s Radio that reaches too far outside the scientific realm and into politics and religion. Bear is a gifted storyteller with a knack for building great suspense. Bear uses a scientific framework to create interesting characters and places them in situations that compel you to read on to find out what happens next. Darwin’s Children is no different.

Darwin’s Children picks up 11 years after where Darwin’s Radio ended. Bear doesn’t do a whole lot to catch the reader up, so if you haven’t read Darwin’s Radio you might be a bit confused. I definitely recommend reading Darwin’s Radio before Darwin’s Children. (Jeez, how many Darwin’s can you fit into a paragraph!)

The story revolves around the treatment and integration of a new type of human, children born through a retrovirus embedded deep in our DNA. As with all Bear novels, you’re treated to a bit of hard science. I personally enjoyed learning about the differing nature of viruses; a disease but also as a carrier of information. But the story is really about the Rafelson family who were central to Darwin’s Radio.

We follow Kaye Lang, a scientific researcher who essentially discovered the new virus; Mitch Rafelson, a former archaeologist who made a critical discovery in Darwin’s Radio; and Stella Nova, their “virus child” daughter. Stella is the most interesting because we get insight into these new humans.

Virus children have a hyper developed sense of smell that allows them to sniff out emotions. In addition, they can produce scents that can persuade others, a subtle type of mind control. Their faces are freckled and these freckles can be manipulated to produce patterns that allow non-verbal communication. In the verbal arena, they’re able to carry on two streams of conversation at once. Bear does a fine job of exploring the evolving ways in which these new humans will form relationships and develop new social patterns.

Alone, this type of speculative sociology would be interesting but Bear places his characters in tense, explosive situations. Can the Rafelson family evade capture by government agencies bent on placing Stella, and all of her kind, in internment camps? Will Stella survive a new disease that is ravaging this new breed of humans? And that’s just the first act of Darwin’s Children.

In fact, Bear creates three consecutive suspense stories which is both good and bad. The set-up is great but in many cases the climax never came. Instead you’re thrown head long into another set-up. So just when you’re warming up to how the situation would be resolved … the rug is pulled out from under you and you’re back to square one.

Yes, they all did support the final resolution, but I found the final story weak, the novel petering out near the end, ambling into cliche territory. In addition, Bear takes on a bit too much, straying into politics and religion.

On politics he takes very transparent shots at governing by fear and the erosion of freedom. I completely agree with Bear’s clear sentiment, but didn’t need or want them in this context. Yes, it’s easy to create some parallels but inference would have been better than exposition.

Bear also brings religion or God into the mix when it does nothing for the story and doesn’t lead anywhere. It’s simply his own personal observation and, from reading the caveats section, personal experience. My advice is to write up an essay or put this into another novel entirely. It’s distracting here and unnecessary.

Despite these failings Darwin’s Children is a good read as Bear deftly draws you into a new reality. Not his best by any stretch of the imagination, but worthwhile if you’ve read Darwin’s Radio and appropriate for those who enjoy readable hard Sci-Fi.

The other day Dave Rosenthal, Assistant Managing Editor of The Baltimore Sun, emailed me and asked if I’d contribute to a blog post regarding the best bookstores in vacation destinations.

Following is my contribution:

This is a great topic and I always like to check out an independent bookstore while on vacation. It often gives you a real sense of what that area is like - something you won’t get at Borders or Barnes and Noble.

If you’re in San Francisco, I’d recommend City Lights Books:

City Lights Books reflects the political heritage of San Francisco and you can often see freedom of expression banners of every sort adorning the second story. City Lights is in the heart of North Beach, a focal point of the Beat genre. This is a great store, with plenty of poetry and local authors you might not find elsewhere. Please note that it is a stone’s throw away from the ‘other’ part of North Beach which is comprised of strip clubs.

If you’re going to Portland, Oregon you must go to Powell’s:

The main store is just gigantic and you can tell how passionate they are about books and about remaining independent. You could spend an entire day here without a problem. They also maintain perhaps the best independent website if you’re unable to visit in person.

In particular, I like the ongoing story of Fup the store cat. Though Fup passed on in 2007 you may keep up with Fup online here.

If you’re in Washington, DC I’d recommend stopping in at Kramerbooks & Afterwords:

This is a funky little place in Dupont Circle where you can browse books while waiting for a table in the cafe. It’s an experience and a hang out. Not a place to find the best selection but certainly a place to experience if you’re looking for a literary lunch.

If you’re in New York City you should go to The Strand:

I’ve (sadly) never been to The Strand but I know those who have and they are thrilled with the selection. How could you not when they have 18 Miles of books.

If you’re in Denver, Colorado take a look at The Tattered Cover:

This is another long established independent housed in a unique location. I’ve never been, but many have told me of their visits here and that it has character. Couple that with an obvious passion for literature and you have a winning combination.

If you’re in Los Angeles, CA and you’re into the Horror genre you must go to Dark Delicacies:

This might not be a place to take the little ones, but if you’re into Horror then this is the place to go. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Del Howison who runs the store, and you could not meet a nicer guy. Del is also an actor and author himself. Just look for the pale guy with the long white hair.

A Berkeley store that I’ve been urged to go to but haven’t (shame on me) is Dark Carnival:

“Dark Carnival specializes in science fiction, fantasy, and mystery books! We have a huge selection, a knowledgeable staff and plenty of random plastic stuff to round out your bookstore experience!”

Their Hot 100 or essential reading is a perfect match for me, including folks like Jonathan Lethem, Jonathan Carroll, Steve Erickson, Philip K. Dick, William Gibson and Neil Stephenson.

I know I’ve missed plenty others. The important thing is to visit and patronize these and other independent bookstores so that the flavor of literature in each city remains for generations to come.

Thanks to Dave and The Sun for the invite. I encourage readers to check out the other responses to this question and to contribute your own bookstore gems. Is there a dynamite bookstore in Maui? What about San Diego? I’m sure there’s a great Chicago bookstore and what about Seattle?

Kindle Textbooks could be huge. That’s saying a lot for me since I’m not a big fan of the Kindle. It’s not that the device doesn’t look interesting or perform half-way well. I simply believe reading is active rather than passive and there is no motivating agent of change to adopt a new reading platform. So, I’m not nearly as bullish on future Kindle sales, despite the ’sold out’ buzz and fawning praise from gadgeteers.

Yet, the textbook niche seems ripe for the Kindle. Textbooks are expensive, heavy, frequently updated, largely disposable and reach a demographic eager to adopt new technology.

The US Department of Education (DOE) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) have researched the rising cost of textbooks in the last ten years. Following are a few excerpts from the DOE Koch Report:

Between 1986 and 2004, textbook prices rose 186 percent in the United States, or slightly more than six percent per year (GAO, 2005). Meanwhile, other prices rose only about three percent per year (GAO, 2005).

CALPIRG (2005) found that students at California public universities spent an average of $898 on textbooks in the 2004-2005 academic year. If textbook prices have continued to rise at six percent per year, then this expenditure will rise to $1,009 in the 2006-2007 academic year and constitute 6.1 percent of the estimated annual cost of education for a resident student at a four-year public university (College Board, 2005).

There is a lot of money to be made in textbooks - publishers, college bookstores, used booksellers. In fact, the secondary market in textbooks is perhaps as important to the book vertical as the holiday season. Textbooks provide an ever renewing source of customers who are essentially forced to buy textbooks at high price points.

The Kindle would disrupt this ecosystem which may be why Amazon hasn’t (yet) tapped the textbook potential.

Who would win? Publishers could be persuaded to lower prices for digital distribution based on lower production costs. In addition, if DRM can be attached, the resale capability of textbooks is severely reduced. They likely lock in higher margins, even while reducing the cost of textbooks. The latter means students win and, of course, Amazon wins.

Who loses? Certainly the secondary market for used textbooks. The college bookstores also lose since they’re no longer in the distribution chain, ceding this to Amazon. Folks like Barnes & Noble (who run many college bookstores) and Follett would not be pleased.

Aside from the economic issues, the weight of textbooks has been a growing concern for both parents and educators. Kindle textbooks would solve the weight issue and would certainly appeal to those concerned with the environment.

However, it could potentially expand the disparity in education via the digital divide. Here’s where Kindle contracts with school systems or grants from non-profits could help distribute the Kindle to all economic classes.

Finally, the market is perfect. They’re young, not reading for pleasure and have no real necessity to hang onto a particular textbook. It’s practical and functional. Yet, a certain percentage will begin to view the Kindle as the preferred reading platform and likely use it for more than textbooks. Amazon could actually create the market I currently don’t see through wide adoption of Kindle textbooks.

The Kindle already provides some features that would benefit students:

… you can add annotations to text, just like you might write in the margins of a book. And because it is digital, you can edit, delete, and export your notes, highlight and clip key passages, and bookmark pages for future use.

There’s already a drum beat of folks advocating for Kindle textbooks, including here, here and even on Amazon. Me? I still don’t have one and don’t really want one either.

I still think wide Kindle adoption is a long-shot but the odds would get better if Amazon launched a highly focused Kindle textbook initiative.

How To Draw Uglydoll by David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim is a very funny book with great inspiration for young artists. Uglydolls are visually appealing for kids (and the kids inside all of us) and the text is appropriate for both kids and adults. Like a less commercial Simpson’s or updated Bugs Bunny, the comedy works on two levels.

This isn’t the usual type of book I review but I’m passionate about kids and art. I bought my daughter two Uglydolls when she was a baby and I look forward to giving this book to her in a few years.

What I really enjoy about How to Draw Uglydoll is that it’s not really a how-to-draw book. Sure, there are step-by-step instructions to drawing your favorite Uglydoll, but it’s made clear that you can (and should) draw any dang way you please!

…IMAGINATION! Don’t just follow the rules in this book! (You may not even find any.) If you feel like drawing the characters in a certain way, go for it! If the book tells you to make three eyes and you want to make 100 eyes, PERFECT! That’s what UGLY is all about!

I get pretty irate when I hear parents or teachers “correct” a child’s artwork. Talk about a quick way to squash a kid’s personal expression and self-confidence! That’s why How To Draw Uglydoll is as much about teaching the parent as it is the child.

What does UGLY mean? Ugly means unique! Ugly means special! Anyone can be beautiful, but it takes originality and a lot of bravery to be yourself.

Maybe it sounds preachy and sappy to you but I think this is an important life lesson - for kids and adults.

I get the sense that Horvath and Kim were somewhat hesitant to put out a how-to-draw book. The title is actually not How To Draw an Uglydoll or How To Draw Uglydolls. Instead it’s How to Draw Uglydoll: Ugly Drawings In a Few Easy Steps. It’s a artistic philosophy. So for every step-by-step instruction there is text that tells you to ignore the guide because there’s no such thing as a bad drawing.

It’s not subtle. In cartoon terms, they’re dropping an anvil on your head again and again and again.

If you haven’t stumbled on Uglydolls yet I encourage you to pick up a copy of How To Draw Uglydoll, check out Ugly Town and, for those of you on the cutting edge, follow Uglydolls on Twitter.

After The Beep by Kathleen Heck is an amusing look at corporate communications run amok and delivers bite-size stories using modern technology as the framework. No, it’s not Hemingway’s “For sale: baby shoes, never used” but the vignettes poke fun at many of the stereotypes that nearly all of us have encountered at some point in our life.

There’s the persnickety accountant who (among other things) demands that all receipts be scotch taped on white 8.5×11 paper; the demanding micro-manager who is never satisfied; the Pollyanna corporate communications types who try to put a smile on any situation; and the high-maintenance spouses who need multiple calls a day to comfort them about trivial problems.

The novel is composed entirely of corporate memos, voicemail messages, automated phone systems, and a few text message exchanges. It’s an interesting look at how communication has evolved with the advance of technology. Are we better at communicating with these new forms of communication? Or has it simply made it more complex and frustrating? I am reminded of a recent AT&T rant on the reign of error blog.

The speed of communication certainly plays a big part in many of the stories. There are many instances of a rush to judgment before having all the facts. Indeed, it’s easy in today’s society to get an email and fire off a reply before you’ve had time to take that proverbial breath.

However, I found myself wanting more cutting edge material since my days are filled with blog posts, comments, IMs and updates via Facebook, Plaxo, Twitter, Friendfeed and others. It made me realize that I’ve worked at start-ups for most of the last 8 years!

After The Beep brought me back to my corporate past; interning at an insurance company and de-bugging BASIC code on rates in my spare time; temping at PBS headquarters; working on a government account at my first advertising agency; and spending 5 years at a public university. I found humor in After The Beep because I had these experiences and now, frankly, do my best to avoid them.

In the spirit of full disclosure, the author contacted me, sent me a copy (for free!) and asked me to read and review After The Beep. Ms. Heck was also kind enough to share her thoughts and experiences in self-publishing After The Beep via iUniverse. This is a topic I hope to explore in the near future.

After The Beep by Kathleen Heck is a light, easy book (good bathroom reading) that will bring a smile to anyone who has worked in a corporate setting.

In a first quarter earnings call, Barnes & Noble indicated that it was contemplating the purchase of Borders Books. They didn’t just come out and say this but it’s pretty easy to decipher the doublespeak and read between the lines.

The retailer also said it has put together a team of senior executives and financial advisers to study “the feasibility of a transaction” with rival Borders Group Inc, but it declined to say if it had been contacted by Borders’ bankers.

The feasibility of a transaction? Oy! Translation: We’re thinking of buying Borders Books.

Not to be outdone, Borders responded with a marketing masterpiece.

Borders issued a statement on Thursday saying that the company is “in the midst of the strategic alternatives process and has not engaged in substantive discussions regarding any specific transaction to date.”

As a marketer I can spot gems like these a mile away. Translation: We’re looking for some way out of this mess and haven’t had the big talk with Barnes & Noble. Sure, maybe a few conversations here and there and a coffee or two but it’s nothing serious, it’s totally casual … so far.

So the strange mating dance seems likely to continue.

Perhaps this news was meant to distract from Barnes & Noble’s first quarter earnings. They came in on the low end of guidance, with sales edging up 1.1% but same store sales decreasing 1.5%. At some point you can’t rely on new store openings. However, congratulations are in order to BN.com who posted a 7.2% increase.

Of particular interest to me was the following statement:

During the first quarter Barnes & Noble reached an agreement in principle with the State of California (subject to final Board of Equalization review and approval expected at the end of May) to settle its long-standing dispute regarding the collection of sales and use taxes on sales made by Barnes & Noble.com from 1999 to 2005. As a result, the company recorded a one-time pre-tax charge of approximately $8.3 million.

Here’s hoping California puts this money into public libraries or education.

Finally, Barnes & Noble blames J.K. Rowling for their expected second quarter downturn.

Additionally, due to the difficult comparison against last year’s July release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, second quarter comparable store sales are expected to decrease in the low to mid-single digits.

I know it’s true, but it all sounds a bit whiny and juvenile. “Couldn’t you write another book? Pleeeeeeaase?!”

Will Barnes & Noble buy Borders Books? I’m guessing they will, providing bookstore homogenization throughout the USA.

What do you use as a bookmark? Do you have one you’re attached to or do you change them like windshield wipers? I thought I’d share my bookmark and, once you see it, you’ll understand why it’s a used bookmark.

Yes, I laminated an American Airlines plane ticket from 2000 with a Dharma Bums pricing sticker on it. If you look closely you’ll see it’s actually my wife’s ticket. We flew round trip from San Francisco to Philadelphia through O’Hare, leaving 1:10pm and sitting in seat 15E.

It’s my lucky bookmark I guess. I can trace it back to it’s ‘birth’, it has a history and I can think about all the books it’s been wedged in since.

So what do you use as a bookmark? Can you top my bookmark lunacy?

The Long Rain by Peter Gadol is a great suspense novel that explores relationships, morals and guilt. Jason Dark is putting the pieces of his life back together. He’s moved to a family vineyard, opened up a small law practice in the rural town and is renewing relationships with his estranged wife and troubled son. But then things go awry. On a rainy night on a country road he accidentally runs over and kills a teenager. No one is around for miles and miles.

What would you do?

Maybe the answer is easy for you and you do the right thing, but Peter Gadol explores the sinister side - the weak side - that might try to cover it up. Dark convinces himself that nothing good can come of his admission. The boy is dead and will stay dead. As a lawyer, Dark sees jail or a civil suit that takes away all he’s just reclaimed. He must accept the burden of guilt to protect his family and new life.

The Long Rain is a great suspense novel. Don’t mistake it for a mystery novel. This isn’t a whodunit because you know who committed the crime. It’s not quite a thriller either. You won’t find gory descriptions of a serial killer, no chases with gun waving thugs and nothing blows up in a fiery orange ball. You will be treated to a fascinating internal, psychological drama.

Gadol puts you right smack in the middle of this queasy situation. Good people sometimes make bad decisions. Once Dark lies, he can’t seem to go back and reveal the truth. It’s like that friend you were supposed to call and the longer you wait the worse you feel and the tougher it is to call and explain why you flaked. The beauty of The Long Rain is that you get to live this nightmare vicariously. Guilt and anxiety eat at Dark, threatening to consume his new life. And like Dark, I often found myself sitting, shoulders near my ears, with knots twisting my stomach, thinking ‘will he get caught?’

Vivid descriptions of the vineyard and the detailed process of making wine provide needed breaks from the treacherous plot. Some may find the explanations of the crush, fermentation and cultured bacteria to be too detailed. But if you’re even a little interested in wine, these sections should be interesting. Either way, they are welcome spots of relaxation in an otherwise tense novel. There are also a few overly coincidental plot points, but they weren’t glaring enough to derail my enjoyment of the story.

The Long Rain taps into basic human flaws and puts them on display. It asks and answers a number of unsettling questions. Page by page the anxiety grows. You can’t help but feel the pressure of the situation. This isn’t an easy paint by numbers portrait. It’s a messy, emotional, visceral drama that exposes how secrets and guilt can damage trust and twist relationships. Enjoy the chaos knowing you can always close the book on the drama.

Citigroup Analyst Mark Mahaney predicts that Amazon will generate between $400 million and $750 million in Kindle revenue by 2010 based on a to-date Kindle sales estimate of between 10,000 and 30,000. TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington does a nice job taking the Mahaney report and extracting the relevant points. In particular, the issue is the slim amount of public data on the Kindle. The $64,000 question … er … $400 million dollar question is just how many Kindles have been sold.

Here’s how Mahaney arrives at the 10,000 to 30,000 range.

How Is Kindle Doing So Far In The Marketplace?

Our ability to answer this question is very limited. Amazon is the sole retailer of the Kindle and it has disclosed no information about its sales other than to say that it sold out in the first 5 1⁄2 hours. But we have pieced together four different clues to gain a sense of Kindle’s traction.

First, we note that Kindle has consistently been ranked among Amazon’s Bestsellers in its Electronics category. Ahead of the Apple iPod Nano, the Garmin GPS Navigator, and the Canon Powershot Digital Camera.

Second, we note that the Kindle has received a very large number of customer reviews. Per the exhibit below, we note that Kindle has received more customer reviews than any of the other Top 10 Bestselling items in Amazon’s Electronics category – 2,537 reviews as of May 12th – vs. 663 for the Apple iPod Nano 4 GB Silver (3G), the #2 Bestseller. This is in part an unfair comparison. Kindle is a new product sold only on Amazon.com, while there are numerous versions of the iPod, and they are sold by numerous retailers. But still, the volume of reviews does indicate material traction for the Kindle.

Third, we see that the quality/tone of the customer reviews the Kindle is receiving is relatively positive. Below we compare the Star Rating Diffusion – 5 Stars vs. 4 Stars vs. 3 Stars etc… – for each of the Top 10 Bestselling Electronics Items on Amazon. What we see is that the Kindle actually receives fewer high scores than the other Bestsellers – 69% of its reviews are 4 or 5 Stars vs. an average of 80% for the other items. And it receives more low scores than the other Bestsellers – 22% of its reviews are 1 or 2 Stars vs. an average of 13% for the other Items. But for a Version 1 of a product “competing” against a several times iterated leading consumer electronics item like the iPod, a 69% Star 4 or 5 rating is relatively positive.

And fourth, we note that the most reviewed Customer Review of Kindle (“Why and how the Kindle changes everything” by Steve “eBook Lover” Gibson) has been reviewed by at least 27,000 people. Specifically, as of May 13th, 26,931 have read Steve Gibson’s review and actually commented on it by pressing the Yes or No button when asked if the review was helpful. And logically, there would be more people who read the review and didn’t bother to vote, although the voting step is hyper-easy. We believe that this helps provide something of a proxy for how many Kindles have likely been sold. We’d peg the number as somewhere between 10,000 and 30,000 Kindles sold to date.

I’m glad Mahaney speaks to the fact that the Kindle is only sold at Amazon which would boost it’s standing for both bestsellers and customer reviews. However, using the review rating number as a proxy for Kindle sales seems shaky. It is hyper-easy and there’s a lot of vitriol around Amazon, eBooks, DRM that could encourage this type of ‘monkey click’ behavior. I’m not saying Mahaney is wrong because he’s very smart and is most often correct. I just don’t think this is as much an indicator given the buzz and inherent troll behavior on the Internet.

The model Mahaney uses is based on the iPod adoption curve, but using a smaller base and discounted substantially. Clearly, any type of adoption even half as successful as the iPod would be a massive success. The problem (for me) is that I view the iPod and Kindle as very different, and am concerned that the initial rush of sales was far more indicative of a gadget obsessed innovator segment and not representative of how it would translate to the other stages of the innovation adoption curve.

You can read the details of my argument against large Kindle adoption, but in general I simply don’t think reading has nearly as large a market as music; reading is active rather than passive; the portability issue isn’t nearly as troublesome; and the reading market is, in general, less inclined to adopt these new technologies based on an aging demographic.

The one place I can see large adoption would be within the textbook market. Not only would Kindle Textbooks be a boon to Amazon and students, it would groom a whole new generation on the medium in which they read books.