Some Continuing Thoughts on e-Readers
I still love my Kindle. So here, in random order, are the top things I like about it:
- It bookmarks all my books. I read multiple books at a time, and this is a big deal for me, particularly in textbooks and things without a storyline where it's a little easier for me to lose my place.
- I read big books. I can carry them all with me, light as a feather. Face it, when you read War and Peace, the thing is a door-stopper. Not on the Kindle.
- I can impulse buy. When I finished Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at 2:00 a.m., I ordered the next one and it was delivered to me at 2:01 a.m.
So do I still buy paper? Not really (see first bullet below this). But . . . here's where perhaps I am an oddity, perhaps not.
- I still buy paper of books that I love, love, love. Like anything by David Sedaris. I just like having him on my nightstand. I smile when I see "him."
- I don't browse on the Kindle, I browse in the bookstore and then say, "I'll order that for the Kindle when I get home.
- Hence, those free samples aren't winning me over.
I wish I could tell you why, and I've thought about it. A lot, actually. Why do I not browse books in e-format? I've come to the conclusion that I really am not all that different from a lot of people. My time is LIMITED. I do not have TIME to wade through a lot of free samples I might never like, particularly when there are books by authors I already love that I haven't yet bought or read. I liken it to the way the Internet can gobble your time. If I go to the BOOKSTORE, it is a limited visit (let's say an hour) . . . and then I am done. Browsing online can become a beast that cannot be fed. I've often talked on this blog about making time to write. I do so by cutting the mindless stuff from my life--like mindless Internet surfing or TV watching.
Other thoughts . . . and this one is big, and Jon and I have talked about it a lot. Kids don't care about format. Kids have grown up with technology, and they are happy to read on a Kindle. The cost is an issue for parents (and frankly, the ease with which you can crack a Kindle screen). So when they make a super-cheap STURDY e-reader for kids (let's say price point $60) . . . I think middle-graders and up will jump ship. Right now (and remember, I speak--lately--to about 300 kids a month, minimum), I do not meet kids using readers except on special occasions when mom or dad lets them download something.
So there you go . . . wondering what others are finding about their e-reading experiences. Chime in . . .
21 comments:
Interesting. Just yesterday I was thinking, "If my Kindle died or broke, I'm not sure I would replace it."
I absolutely love the easy-to-buy thing. Totally. I love being able to adjust the font.
But I still prefer paper books. I think I'm reading about 20% or more on the Kindle. Partly because I have a backlog of paper books to read (actually, I have a backlog of e-books to read, too).
I miss color cover art. Today, I was reading on the Kindle and it's a nonfiction book about malaria and there were numbered footnotes and I clicked on the footnote and it took me to the footnote page, then I couldn't get back to where I was. I had to go to the beginning of the book and figure out where I'd left off. Luckily I wasn't that far from the front, but that lack of page numbering thing is annoying and something I absolutely HATE about the Kindle. I don't know why, even with font changes, they can't put some sort of freakin' page number in instead of this: your position is 3,567 out of 10,965.
Mark:
I am not sure I would replace it--if I did, I might replace with an iPad, or another incarnation. I think for me, considering that a trip to the bookstore entails (now) taking my dad AND Jack or entails a lot of effort (i.e., it's rarely alone). . . I like that I can download books I have heard about (I tend to be someone who buys things based on a very good review in someplace like Vanity Fair or the NY Times, or even People) . . . without leaving the comfort of home.
I don't exactly live out in the boondocks, but the closest bookstore to me is 10 or 15 miles away. I just don't get out there that often, either. That makes Amazon and/or the Kindle how I tend to get books.
I'm sure Kelly would enjoy reading your post.
The value of bookstores is that someone pre-selected books they thought you might buy, someone designed cover art to appeal to you, someone limited your choices because they could only put so many books on a shelf. You are not overwhelmed by having to read 25 blurbs to decide on a book to buy which is what you have to do in a kindle. You simply glance at the cover art/title and narrow that down to I'll pick this one up and read the blurb.
I haven't tried e-readers yet. I like the paper books because it's the accidental book I find in a yard sale that blows me away. I would never have bought Crime and Punishment on a kindle. It has a reputation for being a boring political theory book. I read for pleasure.
Yet everyone kept talking about Angela's Ashes and how great it was so I read it and he wrote about how Crime and Punishment meant so much to him, I gave it a shot because it was cheap. The best part about the cheap find was that it was an old text book with all these critical essays in the back. I surely wouldn't have made the choice to buy that version on a kindle, if it were available which text books aren't usually.
...psst, Mark... Can you press the "Back" button? (Not the "Prev" button.) Actually... good formatting practice WILL link the footnote (as an endnote) both ways, so you can get back. But publishers tend to be unwilling to have ebooks done right. Just last night I was reading a post on one of the formatting boards, and an employee was asking about outsourcing their books to India. And people wonder why ebook readers feel like second class citizens. Do it RIGHT! They don't put out paperbacks with a bunch of mistakes and then cry, "But hardbacks make us more money! We can't afford to make paperbacks correct!"
Erica, I found it an absolute lifesaver when I was writing an essay on the LKH Anita Blake series. Even though I owned half of them in paper, I bought the ebooks so I could highlight and take notes as I read. Then I downloaded them to Word, and it was SO much easier to write my essay. That's an unbelievable feature.
The font is a big one for me, too. It's so much easier to read big font.
I don't read paper at all. I want to read the Harry Potter books again, but I can't carry them around. I would TOTALLY buy them all over again if she would release them electronically.
Richmond:
Yes, I do like "finds" that way. And Kelly is wonderful about matching me to book choices--and I buy my paper ones from her over anyone else. She is the best!
Natasha:
For fans of doorstoppers, e-readers are amazing. And I have been loving the free classics!!!
I recently purchased a Nook. I love all the features you have all mentioned. Several pros come to mind.
1. Looking for a book recommended by a friend or colleague is easier online than looking in a store. Stores shelve things in the weirdest places. Finding it online is so much easier than at the bookstore.
2. I love the search feature. I speak for a living and am constantly seeking the citation of a quote that I almost remember. Going digital makes this so much easier.
3. I am ridiculously forgetful. Losing my place in the multiple books is the least of my worries. I don't just lose my place: I lose the whole book. Now I cannot lose it - there is a digital copy 'in the cloud.'
4. Now if I can just not lose the nook.
Just been pondering these points myself as well. Having JUST received a Nook in the last couple of weeks, I'm trying to find the time to become an e-reader. I had always said that I couldn't read from a screen, but given the new matte screens and the less slick texture my eyes and fingers are more open to considering electronic versions of books.
A couple of thoughts I have - you really shouldn't take it to the tub - something that I love to do with good books when I have tub access. I have nine-bazillion books I own and love, but can't shove into my Nook - alas I need to rebuy my favorites. I agree, a format that was more kid friendly would be AWESOME - truly I think this is what appeals most to me - the idea that I could bring a Kindle or Nook loaded with the children's reading assignments, bedtime books, whatever and let them keep occupied while traveling, sitting at football games or wherever we find ourselves stuck and bored. I think you would definately need a color version though for sure would picture books. I love browsing bookstores, probably my number one most expensive pasttime. The sensation I experience cannot be matched sitting alone with a glowing screen - plus there's always the cafe with my mocha. Also, for us, bookstore time is family time - everyone meanders and explores and discovers their own wonders - just can't do that with an oversized calculator :) Finally there's no such thing as a used eBook store - for us poor folks this is how my library grows.
What I LOVE about my Nook - while I travel, I can bring the nine bazillion books I have to be reading and referencing to prepare for classes I'm teaching and it weighs a few ounces. This is also huge when I got to teach each day, I can bring many of the books I need for each class (there are 13 of them) all on this one device. It's way cool to play with. I think I could really get into reading magazines on it. While I wish there was more published in this format, I anticipate a day when I can get most any book this way and carry my library in my purse.
I pray that we never loose the printed word - it stimulates so many senses (lest we forget the sensation of opening our grandmother's musty copy of her favorite book)- I think it's marvelous how our reading experiences and opportunities continue to evolve and grow.
Charles:
Your number 1 is brilliant. Yes . . . that is likely the one time I DO search. Voila! And also, I HATE when I get a recommendation of a book that was released, say, a year ago. And it's no longer "hot" enough to earn a spot on a bookstore shelf.
Joyce:
All fabulous thoughts. Yes . . . I have some medical issues and sometimes I find myself sitting waiting for an x-ray or waiting for whatever . . . and the ability to have this slim thing in my purse that I can pop open and access my LIBRARY? Love it.
Natasha,
I tried Back, I tried Previous Page (took me to the last page in the book), I tried all sorts of things. It was a pain. And I agree with you about the formatting. Some of it just sucks, even from major publishers.
I am a big fan of e-reading. E-readers have some special advantages:
--The reader can enlarge the type. That should help visually impaired people. In the not-too-distant future they may have effective computer-generated voices to make them useful to the blind.
--Small town folks (as I was most of my life) don't have iimmediate access to good bookstores or libraries with huge inventories. E-readers gives them immediate access.
The main disadvantage of e-readers (I've used Kindle, Nook and iPad) is that you can't page back and forth like you would in a book. My wife, especially, dislikes that. She's a jump-around reader. She says that jumping around is easier to do in a paperbound book.
Probably two-thirds of what I read is on an e-reader. Most of the rest comes from Mystery Guild which was my source for mystery books before Amazon etc. Book clubs were a real service to avid readers in small towns.
Joe:
I hadn't thought of how they open a world for small-town and isolated folks! Good point!
Happy Thanksgiving!
With any luck and if I have been a good boy this year (don't laugh) Santa will be bringing me gift cards toward and e-reader this year. Until then I have no experience on the subject.
Travis:
If Santa is a vegetarian, there will no e-reader for you. ;-)
I love reading books on my iphone. I don't have to carry books anywhere and it fits easily in my purse. I can use multiple apps, like the Kindle or Barnes and Noble app. I also like that I can read at night without using a light since it is backlit. I also love that you can buy a book in the middle of the night. Sometimes you think it will take you several days to read a book and before you know it, you need another book at midnight.
Cheryl:
I'm looking forward to some reading over Thanksgiving. :-)
I haven't tried it on the phone yet--my sister uses it all the time, though.
Sorry to be commenting late, but ebooks are charged value added tax where I live and are listed higher than print. Fer instance my paperback is $11.66 and my Kindle is $13.79 ($9.99, I believe, to U.S. customers). The balance is more than made up by the shipping charges applied to the paperback, but still, buying an e-reader thus requires more thought from overseas customers.
Stephen:
Why is that? That seems so patently unfair since it's all just done electronically!!! Wow . . .
E
Happy Thanksgiving, Erica!
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