With millions of people buying e-readers and down loading books at a moments notice, why bother to take a trip to the local bookstore or book chain?

I’m an e-reader but I also happen to be one of those people who will take time out of her busy schedule to go to a bookstore and browse. I like that feeling of wonderment when browsing through the stacks. For that matter I love my library and the excitement and heady sensation that overcome me in the presence of so many books.

Buying books on line is simple, quick, and I can do it any time of the day or night. There are also hundreds of on-line outlets for me to choose from.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s yet another alternative, and that’s book rentals. Bookswim is a new online book rental site seemingly modeled after Netflix. There are various monthly subscription rates including the unlimited book rental plan starting at $9.95. The books are sent directly to your home and you can hold on to them as long as you like with the option to buy if you decide one of the books is a keeper. The shipping is free and there are no late fees

As you can see, there are many ways to obtain a book outside of the ‘traditional’ get in your car, drive to the bookstore, browse the shelves and make a purchase. I don’t have a crystal ball – but with technological advances happening every second it begs the question – Will book stores go the way of newspapers? In this age of uber technology is it necessary to have a brick and mortar book store?