Movies We've Just Watched discussion
Would you read a book that is not a book?
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I recognise there are definite benefits to an electronic reader - lessening the environmental impact of book publishing, the solution to my storage issues (two years in the UK and I've accumlated more books than I'd like to admit to!), plus potentially a platform for little-known writers to self-publish, get greater income by cutting out the middle-man, etc. However, the thought of not holding a solid book with pages I can turn feels me with a sadness. For me, reading is a book. It's the only classic artform that has remained untouched (the only development is audiobooks), and there is something beautiful about it.
Plus, how do you write notes? Sometimes I underline phrases I love in books, or, when a student, I wrote copious notes in the columns. How would this work on an electronic reader?
Plus, how do you write notes? Sometimes I underline phrases I love in books, or, when a student, I wrote copious notes in the columns. How would this work on an electronic reader?
Mod
I absolutely agree that there is nothing like having a book right there in your hands, nothing can replace that for me, but I do have an Ipod and I joined Audible.com where I can download books. I find it nice to have this as an alternative. Sometimes I will lay in bed and drift off to sleep while listening or as I am out walking somewhere. Sometimes I even listen to a good book while I am cleaning the house. But like I said, while I enjoy the alternative nothing feels like a good solid book in your hands. I am not too sure what this Kindle thing is but I will be checking it out just for the sake of knowing what it is.
Following my comment, I went onto Amazon.com (not avail. on Amazon.co.uk) and had a look at the videos. It definitely looks nifty, and you can indeed take notes, which is a really cool feature(it also includes an in-built dictionary, which is nice!). However, it will never replace books completely because:
a) As far as I can tell, it seems you can only buy books from Amazon, so there's no way to go to an online library or anything like you would do in the 'real world'
b) You can't loan books to friends. Today I loaned a book to a colleague from work, on my bookshelf I have books loaned to me, and I would never want to lose that fun. I love people coming over my house and looking at my bookshelf, then saying 'Can I borrow this?'. It would be so tragic to lose that.
I can see myself buying something like the Kindle for things like travelling, when taking two books each suddenly fills your whole suitcase! However, I don't think I'd ever want a copy of the book ONLY on the Kindle, I'd want a hard copy too. Technology changes. Books are forever.
a) As far as I can tell, it seems you can only buy books from Amazon, so there's no way to go to an online library or anything like you would do in the 'real world'
b) You can't loan books to friends. Today I loaned a book to a colleague from work, on my bookshelf I have books loaned to me, and I would never want to lose that fun. I love people coming over my house and looking at my bookshelf, then saying 'Can I borrow this?'. It would be so tragic to lose that.
I can see myself buying something like the Kindle for things like travelling, when taking two books each suddenly fills your whole suitcase! However, I don't think I'd ever want a copy of the book ONLY on the Kindle, I'd want a hard copy too. Technology changes. Books are forever.
Like Angela said, the Kindle would be great for travel. I travel a lot for my job and the only way I can get through long flights and long waits at the airport is with a good book (or two, or three).These hand held book devices will never replace the pleasures that a REAL book can bring. Like iTunes to CDs. I will always buy my favorite artists CDs even though I can get them on iTunes for less or more conveniently. I like to read the inserts! Once again it all comes down to the textual pleasure of the familiar!
i just cannot do the whole eBook thing. i need a physical book in front of me that i can hold, with real pages i can turn. the atmosphere of a real book just puts in a place to lose myself in imagination. plus, i love the smell of a new book. :)
Mod
I agree, also, the Kindle looks interesting but it's not something I'd use. I love having a book in my hand, seeing them in my home, tossing one in my bag before I go out the door. I can't imagine not having my bookshelves, of walking into the room and seeing one little electronic device. There's something so comforting about having books around the house. I have books in every room. Well...there is ONE room without books! :-) A favorite quote of mine is by Heinrich Mann, “A house without books is like a room without windows.”
I echo everyone's sentiment with regards to having that tangible book in hand. However, I have to admit that the Kindle is just cool. I love the functional capabilities of the Kindle, but the sleek style of the Sony Reader would catch my dollars if I were looking to get such a toy... and I'm not :-P Way too expensive right now. Anyway, I think these readers are simply the next step in the evolution of the "printed" word. Think of the impact on the environment printing millions of books a year has. From an economic and environmental view, the readers just make sense. Like it or not, I think they'll be the standard in a couple of decades. I only wish I could have used a reader during high school and middle school... would have saved my back with all the text books :-)
Besides, this is only the first generation of this thing; wait a year (or two) and it will be much better or competitors will mimic (and/or improve) it's features at a lower price.And I prefer books (even though I'm a COMPLETE tech geek) for the tactile pleasure, infinite re-use, non-charging, and durability. Now if they were just backlit...
A book is still a book, no matter the format it comes in. The e-versions of my two novels are no less than their print counterparts. They are the exact same text. When downloaded to my eBookwise1150 reader and I hold the device in my hand, I'm still holding a book. My pleasure in reading isn't diminished by the format of the book. Guess I'm more addicted to writing than books, then, huh? I like having choice and variety.I hope Kindle succeeds and comes down in price. Wish it had a backlight like my eBookwise1150, though. Those you can read in the dark. The electronic ink is different and you would need another light source for reading after dark. Still, it's getting people to notice e-publishing. And if more people became interested it would lose more of its second-class stigma. What I don't like is how Amazon is pushing the e-versions of books from the major publishing houses without addressing the small independent e-publishers that embraced the technology all along and don't simply dabble as the big houses have done off and on the past few years.
Angela, you mentioned about only being able to buy from Amazon--this isn't true. Fictionwise.com carries books in all e-book formats including Kindle and the Sony device. And people can get their books from all over the place and convert the formatting if necessary.
For me, it's the visual of the words and what the author has to say. I don't care how it's delivered. I used to read cereal boxes because I was bored!
Happy reading!
Debra
I am a subscriber to Entertainment Weekly and this past week Stephen King wrote an article on the Kindle. He enjoys the Kindle but also sees that books will still be around. Here is some of what King writes: "Will Kindles replace books? No. And not just because books furnish a room, either. There's a permanence to books that underlines the importance of the ideas and the stories we find inside them; books solidify an otherwise fragile medium."
It is a really good article so you should check it out if you are interested in an author's take on it:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20172...
I actually have one on order - cannot wait for it, but they are on back-order. :( It won't replace my books, it's just another format for me to read them. The best thing for me is that it downloads books using cell phone technology, not wi-fi. I can download nearly anywhere. If I happen to finish a book while out (happens all the time), I will have another right there. That saves me the backache of carrying multiple books, particularly on vacation when I tend to bring about 6 with me! Honestly, I have been waiting for something like this since I saw a similar item being used years ago on the TV show Andromeda. God bless Gene Rodenberry for his wonderful ideas!!!
Susan
How's my heart? http://jezebelsk.blogspot.com
Ed
Check out my new group, the Daily Diary, at http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/2...