BOOK-A-HOLICS discussion
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Would you read a book that is not a book?
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I don't know, Ed. That's a great question. I haven't held a Kindle in my hands yet, but my gut reaction is that I won't read a book on an electronic device. I love the idea of storing multiple books on one device, kind of like an mp3 player does with music, but the feel of a book is important to me. Maybe I'm wrong...maybe I'll have to wait until I hold a kindle in my hand before I decide. However, I'm not dropping the three hundred bucks or whatever to find out just yet. I'll wait.
Once the price comes down, and the price of the books come down, i may look into it. The positives are: you can download a book within a minute, so you will never be bookless. Kindle pays for each download so all you pay is the price of the book, so there is no additonal fees or monthly service bill. Its got internal connections to the store and wikipedia. you can bookmark and highlight and make notes as you go. Its made to look like you are reading a page from a book so you wont feel like you are reading a computer screen.
the negatives: the price of the Kindle is crazy high. so are the prices of the books. $10 bucks being your average right now (keep in mind, all you are getting are words on a screen... thats a bit steep for me). Not having the actual book to place upon the shelf is a negative for me because i am quite proud of the little library i am accumulating for myself!
I feel if the price comes down tho, the postives seem to outway the negatives for me. Too bad you couldnt use it on a trial basis first.
I prefer to have the actual book in my hands.
Mod
PORTABLE
DOES NOT TAKE UP BOOKSHELF SPACE
CONS:BATTERY MIGHT DIE AT KEY MOMENT
HIGH PRICE
IF YOU DROP IT YOU LOSE YOUR ABILITY TO READ
YOU CAN ONLY GET YOUR BOOKS IN ONE PLACE
IF YOU LEAVE IN HOT OR COLD CAR YOU COULD DAMAGE DEVICE.
ALSO DOES NOT HELP USED BOOKSTORES
I have several books downloaded on my iPod that I listen to when I'm traveling for work but I don't think I'd like to read on an electronic device thingy. I want to curl up in my favorite chair with my puppy in my lap and read my actual-real-made of paper book. Besides, I'm guessing this electronic thing doesn't smell like a book huh? Maybe it's weird but I love the smell of a book.
I don't think that I would spend the high price of getting a Kindle anytime soon. Besides, there is just something about holding a book in your hands that I think would be missing in the Kindle. Technology is good for some things, but I hope it never completely takes away things like the joy in browsing the book store.
I wouldn't use it, probably...I like holding the book in my hands! I never understood the point of e-books...I like to curl up in bed with a book, and having it on the computer makes it a little hard to do that. This sounds more like a handheld device more like an MP3 player, that you read off...and that's cool, but likely not something I'd ever use or enjoy.
I'm torn on things like this. It's just like MP3s..I didn't mind them at first, but I always bought the physical CD unless I had no other choice. Now, due to my massive CD collection, I download everything, and have begun the process of backing up all my CDs to my external HD. This might grow on me eventually, but I'm still old school enough to want to hold the books in my hands.
I love reading books and love the smell of a new book, however, I think that this kindle would be brilliant, to be able to have so multiple books in one place...ideal for travel..no need to add extra weight to my bag because of books for the holidays. As well my collection of books is starting to take up a lot of space so I could see this turning up under the Christmas tree from my boyfriend who doesnt understand how i can read so much :)
Mod
I think if you are doing research on something then it is great! also you just pay and the book is there.
I don't think I could ever find satisfaction in reading a book on a Kindle or similar device. Like many people, I like the feel of a book in my hands. I understand the practicality of the device but I just can't see myself ever using one. I really don't have a need for one, either. I drive to work--no trains or busses and even when I go on vacation I don't worry about the bulk or weight of my books-one or two paperbacks will do it for me. I love to be out on the beach or poolside with a good book.
It seems like a good idea, but personally I prefer to have a book in my hands. I'm not sure I could curl up to read an electronic device. Something not as fun as reading the words from paper.
but if it gets more people to read, then I'm all for it. With the changes in technology these days it may become the new fad to own one and I'm all for more people reading.
I agree with you so much! I love the feel of a book in my hands! When all this e-book started years ago, I was kind of nervous that real books would disappear. Ok, that didn't happen, and was probably a silly fear...hehe. I could never be comfortable reading from a little "computer" like that. I love the feel of the book....smell of the book (that is if its not an old "too musty" book. And if I am going away, I plan on extra weight of a few books in my bag. Without the feel of books w/ me, I would be very nervous. But as Sara said....whatever gets some people to read....is a good thing!
I have followed the news paper articles here about this for years, and everyone seems lukewarm about it. This is both the Sony (a company I hold in high regard otherwise), or the new Amazon model. Who is the market? Maybe college kids with back stain. My 15 year old want a book to hold, smell, collect, share.
???
I've also got mixed feelings about this. While I'm all for the technical age and all, why fix something that isn't broken? For me, I'll probably never purchase it. Besides all the reasons previously mentioned, I also enjoy seeing how much of the book I've read, how much I have left, etc.
I don't reread books. I like to pass mine on to someone else to enjoy or donate them to the local library. This option isn't available at this time.
I would miss my stacks of books in odd places. (kitchen counter, under shoes in closet, under kitties, etc.) Plus, I tend to write notes in my books, underline key ideas, or circle words and phrases I love. I would be lost without a paper copy in my hand. Several people mentioned the smell of the books already. Am I the only one who gets giddy when someone else's notes or receipts falls out of a used book?
tracy wrote: "Several people mentioned the smell of the books already. Am I the only one who gets giddy when someone else's notes or receipts falls out of a used book?a friend of mine gifted me a beautifully crafted early 1900 book of tennyson's poems. inside were three locks of blond hair wrapped by very faded blue (almost white) ribbons. i was thrilled, but a bit sad. what girl had hopefully cut those locks and not found anyone to give them to? the possibilities were endless.
Well as regards 'e-books', I only read those when I can't get the printed copy. But I must admit, nothing beats print!
Mod
I found $50.00 one time, that made my day.
I love having a book in my hands and something to put on the shelf or loan out when I'm finished. On the other hand, I have a pathological fear of being stuck in an airport 10 minutes after the news stands have closed with nothing to read. I travel just enough and read 3 to 5 books concurrently, that I've found ebooks are a good suppliment to my regular book stack. I can't read on a computer screen for long, but I have a Palm PDA. I can carry quite a bit of reading material and it doesn't take up extra space. It also comes in handy those evenings when I feel like reading and my husband wants to turn out the light and go to sleep. I also have an Audible books subscription and my Palm memory card is devoted to a few audio books as well.
There's nothing like the feel of a book, but the electronic alternatives sure are easier on the shoulder and back when traveling. I still always have a couple of real books with me. Most of my ebooks are either classics that I own other copies of (Jane Austen, Charles Dickens) or light weight mysteries that I'm probably not going to re-read.
I'm very bipolar about the ebook thing. On one hand, nothing makes me happier than a beautifully bound old book. I have several that have been in my family for 100 years or more. I have purchased several used ones of a similar age. The joy of perusing the ephemera left in the book and the jottings on the the flyleaf or margins of a real book is a thing of wonder. On the other hand, I am a techie and have downloaded books onto my palm pilot for years. It is particularly practical for reading classic, freely available for download books while traveling. I also sometimes download audio books on my Ipod. I haven't tried the Kindle yet, but as I am a sucker for tech toys, I will probably get one when the price goes down a bit.
Personally, I like to have the book in my hands. A published book. I find that they are easy to travel with and electronic devices are bad to sit around all day long. My mom won't be mad if I'm reading, but she will be mad if I'm sitting in front of the computer to read. Also, I'm a huge fan of new book smell. It would ruin the experience for me if I didn't get that smell.
Book in hand is best for me. I especially love high quality books like Easton Press, Folio Society, etc. I also love old books (hardcover snob) with inscriptions and things.
I have read some ebooks at gutenburg.org. If I see an interesting old book on Ebay, I will go to gutenburg to see if it is there and read a little of it to see if I like the style of writing.
For computer technical manuals and things like that, I really like the ebooks. These books are not really collectable or desirable after they age, so why not? I can use the space for the ones I do want to keep ;)
--Tim
I have read some ebooks at gutenburg.org. If I see an interesting old book on Ebay, I will go to gutenburg to see if it is there and read a little of it to see if I like the style of writing.
For computer technical manuals and things like that, I really like the ebooks. These books are not really collectable or desirable after they age, so why not? I can use the space for the ones I do want to keep ;)
--Tim
I agree with most of the people here who love to have an actual book in their hands. I have hundreds of books, and I love to go back to them and read a little piece, or just seeing them on my shelf brings back great memories reading them. I also like to pass a great book onto a friend.I am addicted to the whole experience, the smell, the feel of the paper, the type of cover, the turning of the pages. The Kindle would only be good for travel and even then... I don't know. I remember years ago someone saying books would become obsolete, and I am happy to see people who feel the same way I do about books.
I once found a b/w photo of a house in China, on the reverse was a short note: "We had only a short-time to visit old friends, Mrs. Sun-Yet-Sen was delightful..." It was found in an old book on China donated to the university by a local lawyer who had practiced here circa 1930- 1970?. It was a better read than the book. And yes I DID return it to the library! I hope it was appreciated.
I love my books too much,not ready to give them up.But would love to see something like this used for school. As parents I am purchasing text books each year and the weight of all these books is incredible. A kindle device would be a vast improvement weight wise. I'd love to see the text book publishers and schools implement something like this for the students. My hope is that the price of the device will come down in years to come.
I love books. I collect them. I am not into the kindle thing at all.
I need an actual book. I can't read online for too long, it gives me a headache. Besides, books are just too cool to get rid of - you find all kinds of things in used books & new books smell like heaven - who would want to lose that?
the feeling of holding a book is part of the story itelfwhere the pages ave been crinkled by tears or falls open on a page that you have read over and over again
without the book the story wouldn't feel whole
NO! there's something special about holding a book urself, i agree
I really like the ability to add notes and access a dicitonary/wikipedia right from the device. But, I don't think I could ever give up my passion for collecting books. I, too, like the feel of a book in my hands. Personally, the best of both worlds is what i like. I do allot of reading while sitting at my computer. I am phonetically challenged, so I often use Answers.com to help pronounce words that I don't know.
I will probably buy one for the novelty of it, but I doubt it would ever replace my books. Now, I only read ebooks that I can't readily get a hard copy of when I need it. Otherwise, I would take a real book any day. I mean, I can't imagine passing along 10,000 ebooks to my kids when I die (that's my collection goal). I want to leave them a substantial library when I pass so that my children and their children can enjoy some of the books that have made my life more enjoyable.
Too bad that the kindle isn't available in Germany yet. I am waiting for it but only for vacation reasons. Then I can finally take as many books with me as I want to. I would rather have it to read newspapers on it. If the price is okay I could imagine that it would replace the printed edition of my newspaper one day but never my books. I love the smell and feeling of them. And just think about what you might find in them: pictures, postcards, money, letters...
I would read a Kindle. I have read several books on my PDA. No it isn't as satisfying as a paper book, but I wouldn't mind it. Would I pay $300 for one? No. If I got it as a gift, then I would use it.
We tend to keep the books we buy and our shelves are chronically full. Even after buying a house and lots of new book cases over the last two & a half years. So... I bought myself a Kindle... when I consider what new bookcases cost, I figured it would be even in the long run. I have been able to download several books that are out of copyright from Feedbooks for free. Plus a couple books for other Good Reads groups that I would have had to pay hardback prices for I was able to buy for ~$10 for the Kindle (Edgar Sawtelle & the Pevear & Volkhonsky translation of War & Peace).
Not to mention the savings in massage or chiropractor fees for fixing my shoulders after lugging around those tomes @;^)
So far I'm enjoy reading on the Kindle. Because of the screen technology, it's very much like reading a printed page - no glare, no backlighting. The battery life seems good so far. The looking up and buy it instantly is nice, but dangerous.
I'm currently reading The Wordy Shipmates. I should be starting The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel tonight as the discussion in the Constant Reader group will be starting on the 15th.
Ed wrote: "I watched on the Amazon website the ad for the Kindle...it's an electronic book reader..can download books to it. Looks great but the cost is too high for me. What do others think? I like the wi..."I can't wait to get the kindle! My only concern is the amount of money I will spend on books - I have been doing a much better job of utilizing the library this year. The book editor for Newsweek did a great review of the Kindle back in November - worth reading if you are considering purchasing one.
I'm not convinced by these new e-readers, I struggle enough trying to read things on my computer for work and such and find it completely impossible to read through a report on screen so always end up printing it out instead. I think I would miss the smell and feel of a book in my hands and like Tracey I love it when something from the previous reader falls out or I come across a note or two within the pages. I particularly like the messages you get at the front of books when they've been given as a gift, I love reading those. Another thing I'd miss would be my crammed bookcases, I love coming home and seeing them there bending under the weight of the books on them. And what would you be able to nose at when you go to other people's houses, I love scanning through other people's bookcases to see what they have.
Mod
Real books are better quit paying full price for books. BUY USED... Find your local used bookstore in your yellow pages and have fun.
Wes
Wes wrote: "I think you are all wasting your money on this garbage. At a used bookstore you get a book at a fraction of the cost and you can trade it back in when finished to get more books. Kindle is pricy ..."I definitely agree, Wes. I love my local used bookstore, the atmosphere in there is amasing and the staff are friendly and very helpful and even try to hunt down specific books and keep them for you if you ask them nicely. I could (and do) spend hours in there looking at all the shelves, they've got three floors with every type of book you could ever want and nothing costs more than £5 (and thats the hardbacks).
A book is a book is a book. Whether it is a physical paper and ink book or a Kindle or other downloaded ebook - OR an audio/book on tape, it is the story that counts. What I WON'T read is an abridged version of a book - I want the whole thing, not what some editor decides is or is not important to the flow.Sure, there is a certain loyalty attached to the physical print on a page format, but there is a place for each venue, and in this modern world of ours we are fortunate to all the choices we have. When I'm waiting in the car or at a doctor's office for my very slow, 84 year old mom, I am eternally thankful for my Kindle. When I am driving the 40 min. to and from work each day in rush-hour traffic, I am equally thankful for the audio book I've gotten from the library (currently Hawaii in CD format). The traffic would be unbearable w/o it!!! And when I want to curl up on the sofa with a good book, I have shelves and shelves full of those, or reference books I can highlight and mark up.
It's just GREAT to have so many choices!
CJ
Here's the thing. Technology is being developed by people who do it because they are motivated by seeing what they can do with it. Each piece of technology has its uses, but technology is market to us as something we can't live without. People reserve items ahead of delivery to the store to be "the first" to have it. Kindle, like everything else has its uses, but I believe that people should stop and consider why it is that they are rushing out to buy it. A book is just as portable, can be recycled, and once produced uses no more energy. Kindle being portable is not an advantage, it's just more costly. Kindle taking care of space problems due to too many books is not an advantage either because books can be donated. Books can be taken places where there is no electricity to recharge the batteries in Kindle (my favorite kinds of places). If you are buying Kindle just because it's there, you are buying it for the wrong reason. I'm not saying don't buy one ever. I'm simply pointing out that a person should stop and think about WHY they are buying it. The other thing to consider is, are you going into debt to own one (this can be a downfall of owning books as well). I personally see no particular reason to have one. In fact, I find electronic screens strain my eyes more than the printed word. I will stick with books. You can make your own choice.
Thank you, Catherine. I will (make my own choice). Thank you. And, by the way, the developers of technology are not the only ones manipulating the market. The big box bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Borders, and esp. Amazon, manipulate it also by controlling what books are even allowed to see the light of shelf-space in their stores. As a result, some very well written books are passed by because, for instance, B&N has a rule that a book must have X number of sales before they'll even consider it. This means the reader is being left out of the loop and deprived of good choices. In this day and age, and with the economy what it is, these stores make marketing a book nearly impossible, unless your last name happens to be Grisham. My point is that technology is not the only market that is being manipulated. We the readers are being deprived of some excellent reading matter simply because it does not fit the criteria of the controllers of the industry.
But this forum is about the pleasures of reading - in any form. Personally, I see no reason for dogmatism regarding one's personal reading preferences. Those who don't want a Kindle (which has no backlight, btw - reads like a paperback), or a Sony reader ... or a book-on-tape, or something from the Braille library -- are fine by me. It's a non-issue. However they're doing it, they're enjoying their reading enough to want to join a forum and discuss it with others. I say "Good for them! Good for us all!" :-)
CJ
CJ wrote: My point is that technology is not the only market that is being manipulated. We the readers are being deprived of some excellent reading matter simply because it does not fit the criteria of the controllers of the industry.I agree that the book industry passes over a lot of excellent books. That is an area where technology really comes in handy. Now it's a lot easier to self-publish! Also, thank goodness for small local presses!
Also, in rereading some of the posts, I came across the idea of using Kindle for research purposes. That seems like an excellent use for this technology. The idea of putting textbooks for kids on an electronic device seems like a good idea. The literature book I use in my classes weighs a ton and so do all of the other books we use in school. Like I said, it's the why of it.
I have an ebook reader, I have the ebookwise 1150. I priced several last year and to be truthful, refused to pay the prices they wanted. I also didn't (and still don't) see the reason for wifi, a keyboard and all the extra doodads those previously mentioned have on/in them. All I wanted was a reader, something I could load books on and take with me. In the one I bought, that is exactly what I got. It was $150 at the time, with the extra memory and a backlight is also already on it. I have almost 200 ebooks on it, some new, some old favorites. I love my ebook and it is convenient to have at work, in a doc's office or any place I have to wait for long periods of time. It's comfortable in my hand, and not heavy to hold, either. One charge is good for up to 12 hours, but I have read 2-3 books of 400 pages or more before I had to plug it in. I can load my own books on it and do not have to buy every book from Kindle or Sony, I can buy them anywhere that sells PDFs, which I can convert to a word doc and load it. Works fine for me.
I've also found and converted a lot of excellent books that I wouldn't have done either with if they hadn't been in e-form.
I still however, buy loads of books from my local UBS and my favorite authors always get bought first in PB or HB. No matter how much I like my ebook, nothing will ever beat the feel of paper or the scent of ink. It's a comfort thing. There's room for both and most of us who are readers will do both.
(Oh and BTW--Ebookwise's reader is currently on sale for under $100 (dunno if that includes the extra memory or not, tho.http://www.ebookwise.com/ebookwise/eb...)
Ed
Check out my new group, the Daily Diary, at http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/2...