Turn the Page
May. 8th, 2015 11:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
asphaltcowgrrlOooh... so I like LJ's QOD today.
How do you feel about e-readers? Would you rather read an actual, physical book? Why do you prefer one over the other?
I'm an avid, avid reader and never thought I'd want an electronic book of any sort. And then, in November of 2007, Amazon changed my life by announcing this little thing called a Kindle.
I will admit, it took a long time for me to get used to using an e-reader, but once I got past the 'but it'll never beat a real book' bias, I discoverd that I love my Kindle. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to know that I have 900 books at the touch of a finger. Not to mention that the actual books are cheaper in digital format, sometimes even free. This was also about the time that my carpal tunnel started, so holding an e-reader became much preferred to trying to hold an actual book.
It also made reading with a cat much simpler. Miss you, Cali.
Believe it or not, I still have that Kindle at home, boxed up in its original packaging. I can't bear to part with it. When Amazon announced their next gen e-reader, my husband thought that I needed a new one. Me, being the practical person I am, figured it wasn't necessary because my first gen still worked just fine. Well, he bought one for me anyway.
By the time I got this Kindle - what they call the Kindle Keyboard, I think - I was well and truly hooked. I bought purses based solely on whether or not my Kindle in its case would fit inside. It was thinner and lighter than the previous version and weighs less than your average paperback, so it was a win all around. Considering where I live, the best part of an e-reader - or at least the Kindles with e-ink- is that I can actually sit out in the sun and still read my screen. Yeah, I know - you can easily do that with a paper book, too. The difference is, once you finish your paperback, you have to get up and go get another. With my Kindle, I just skip on merrily to the next book.
Of my four (yeah, I know) Kindles, the one above is probably my favorite. It's simple, it's lightweight, and it offers no distractions outside of the book I'm reading. As much as I love my Kindle Fire HD, I often find myself reading e-mail, checking LJ, or playing stupid games when I could be reading. However, it is rather nice for watching movies and things on.
My Fire has also become the Kindle I use the most for some reason, despite the fact that I love my Keyboard the most. Probably because someone's always asking me a question at home requiring research. It's a million times easier to grab my Fire than it is to boot up my laptop. And my husband knows this, too, because once I obtained the FIre HD, he absconded with my original Fire. I guess that's fair since he's the one who keeps buying the things for me. :D
All of that said - despite the fact that I love and adore my e-readers, this still happens:
That big, white box on the top shelf? That's my original Kindle. Oh, and let me say this so you don't have to: Yes, I know. I have too many f*cking books. (This isn't even all of them, either...) I might have a slight problem... *winces*
Bottom line for me is this: Ebook or paper book, if I can get my hands on it, I will read it. More than anything, the determining factor for me ends up being price. I'll stand in the bookstore and check to see if a Kindle version of a book is cheaper than what's in the store. If it is, I wait to get the e-book. If not, I leave B&N with a sack. :D
While nothing will ever beat the feel of an actual paper book in my hands, there is something to be said for having a portable library small enough to fit in your purse. Or your pocket, even. My younger child has always been an avid reader and since she's was gifted with a Kindle for her birthday this year, she's doubled her reading so far this year. I call that a major win.
And now that I've bored everyone... it's lunchtime. Mangia!
How do you feel about e-readers? Would you rather read an actual, physical book? Why do you prefer one over the other?
I'm an avid, avid reader and never thought I'd want an electronic book of any sort. And then, in November of 2007, Amazon changed my life by announcing this little thing called a Kindle.
I will admit, it took a long time for me to get used to using an e-reader, but once I got past the 'but it'll never beat a real book' bias, I discoverd that I love my Kindle. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to know that I have 900 books at the touch of a finger. Not to mention that the actual books are cheaper in digital format, sometimes even free. This was also about the time that my carpal tunnel started, so holding an e-reader became much preferred to trying to hold an actual book.
It also made reading with a cat much simpler. Miss you, Cali.
Believe it or not, I still have that Kindle at home, boxed up in its original packaging. I can't bear to part with it. When Amazon announced their next gen e-reader, my husband thought that I needed a new one. Me, being the practical person I am, figured it wasn't necessary because my first gen still worked just fine. Well, he bought one for me anyway.
By the time I got this Kindle - what they call the Kindle Keyboard, I think - I was well and truly hooked. I bought purses based solely on whether or not my Kindle in its case would fit inside. It was thinner and lighter than the previous version and weighs less than your average paperback, so it was a win all around. Considering where I live, the best part of an e-reader - or at least the Kindles with e-ink- is that I can actually sit out in the sun and still read my screen. Yeah, I know - you can easily do that with a paper book, too. The difference is, once you finish your paperback, you have to get up and go get another. With my Kindle, I just skip on merrily to the next book.
Of my four (yeah, I know) Kindles, the one above is probably my favorite. It's simple, it's lightweight, and it offers no distractions outside of the book I'm reading. As much as I love my Kindle Fire HD, I often find myself reading e-mail, checking LJ, or playing stupid games when I could be reading. However, it is rather nice for watching movies and things on.
My Fire has also become the Kindle I use the most for some reason, despite the fact that I love my Keyboard the most. Probably because someone's always asking me a question at home requiring research. It's a million times easier to grab my Fire than it is to boot up my laptop. And my husband knows this, too, because once I obtained the FIre HD, he absconded with my original Fire. I guess that's fair since he's the one who keeps buying the things for me. :D
All of that said - despite the fact that I love and adore my e-readers, this still happens:
That big, white box on the top shelf? That's my original Kindle. Oh, and let me say this so you don't have to: Yes, I know. I have too many f*cking books. (This isn't even all of them, either...) I might have a slight problem... *winces*
Bottom line for me is this: Ebook or paper book, if I can get my hands on it, I will read it. More than anything, the determining factor for me ends up being price. I'll stand in the bookstore and check to see if a Kindle version of a book is cheaper than what's in the store. If it is, I wait to get the e-book. If not, I leave B&N with a sack. :D
While nothing will ever beat the feel of an actual paper book in my hands, there is something to be said for having a portable library small enough to fit in your purse. Or your pocket, even. My younger child has always been an avid reader and since she's was gifted with a Kindle for her birthday this year, she's doubled her reading so far this year. I call that a major win.
And now that I've bored everyone... it's lunchtime. Mangia!
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no subject
Date: 2015-05-09 12:52 am (UTC)Nice thing, though, is that the e-books are so incredibly cheap. I totally don't mind springing $.99 - $3.99 per purchase. I love that she enjoys it. But every now and again I wonder what it'd be like to have a Kindle, especially with how frequently I travel. I quickly discovered bringing books with me was highly impractical. I love 'em but they're so gosh darn heavy.
Aw, I love that you kept your original! And I love your book collection! Psh, feel no shame. Being an avid reader is always a good thing. :DDD
no subject
Date: 2015-05-11 05:24 pm (UTC)I hope that eventually you can get another. The books are cheap (and even better, you can get a ton of ebooks on loan from your local library these days) and it's so portable. It's my safety blanket. :D (The Fire has the added benefit of being a tablet so if I'm not in a book mood, I can still read fanfic on it!).
Yeah, I have a hard time parting with things that mean a lot to me. It's totally outdated and obsolete, but I can't bear to get rid of it. YAY! I get so much garbage from my husband about all the books filling the house... but I agree. Books are my friends. :)