The Schizophrenic Life of a Techno-Reader
My reading life is out of control.
With the advent of ebooks, I worried that authors would lose income because they make less on an ebook than they do on a “paper” book, but if most readers are anything like me, authors have nothing to worry about. Take for example, the book I’m reading right now, Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay. I purchased it months ago from one of my favorite independent bookstores, Quail Ridge Books, but never got around to reading it. When I’m making dinner or driving, I like to listen to a book, and since Sarah’s Key was next on my list to read, I downloaded it to my iPod. So I now owned two copies of the book. But I can’t listen to an audio book in bed because I fall asleep with the iPod running. Since I’ve become a Kindle reader, I prefer reading on my Kindle in bed, so (yes, I know this is insane, and I send my deepest, deepest apologies to the bricks and mortar booksellers, whom I love dearly) I downloaded Sarah’s Key to my Kindle. While I love having the actual book on my bookshelf, I will probably never crack it open.
Here’s where the true insanity comes in. While making dinner, I get to a certain point in the book. Then when I go to bed, I have to somehow find that same point in my Kindle edition (there are no page numbers in either the Kindle edition or the audio version, so it’s a matter of trial and error). Fortunately, Kindle has a search feature, so if I can remember a unique word from the last chapter I listened to on the iPod, I can usually find it in the ebook. When making dinner the following night, it’s a bit more of a challenge to find my new place on the iPod. I am learning patience.
So, Ms. de Rosnay, you have me to thank for your next glass of wine! And thanks, by the way, for writing a wonderful story.
With the advent of ebooks, I worried that authors would lose income because they make less on an ebook than they do on a “paper” book, but if most readers are anything like me, authors have nothing to worry about. Take for example, the book I’m reading right now, Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay. I purchased it months ago from one of my favorite independent bookstores, Quail Ridge Books, but never got around to reading it. When I’m making dinner or driving, I like to listen to a book, and since Sarah’s Key was next on my list to read, I downloaded it to my iPod. So I now owned two copies of the book. But I can’t listen to an audio book in bed because I fall asleep with the iPod running. Since I’ve become a Kindle reader, I prefer reading on my Kindle in bed, so (yes, I know this is insane, and I send my deepest, deepest apologies to the bricks and mortar booksellers, whom I love dearly) I downloaded Sarah’s Key to my Kindle. While I love having the actual book on my bookshelf, I will probably never crack it open.
Here’s where the true insanity comes in. While making dinner, I get to a certain point in the book. Then when I go to bed, I have to somehow find that same point in my Kindle edition (there are no page numbers in either the Kindle edition or the audio version, so it’s a matter of trial and error). Fortunately, Kindle has a search feature, so if I can remember a unique word from the last chapter I listened to on the iPod, I can usually find it in the ebook. When making dinner the following night, it’s a bit more of a challenge to find my new place on the iPod. I am learning patience.
So, Ms. de Rosnay, you have me to thank for your next glass of wine! And thanks, by the way, for writing a wonderful story.
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