E-readers

[Ancestral]

I have often thought of getting an e-reader, but there are two factors that have held me back.

1) I like the feel, smell and physicality of paper books; and
2) It appears the kind of books I want to read are not available in e-reading format - yet.

It seems many publishers have refrained from publishing books for e-readers, including many university presses.

So, do you own/use an e-reader and are you able to find the books you want available?

Do you miss having paper books?

[Dragonflydreamer68]

Ancestral wrote: "I have often thought of getting an e-reader, but there are two factors that have held me back.

1) I like the feel, smell and physicality of paper books; and
2) It appears the kind of books I wa..."

I have the same exact issue, I would like to try one but dont want the expense of buying one if it turns out I cant live without the feel of paper.

[Kendra]

Love my books, not particularly interested in the e-readers, though I've been wondering if one can find the older esoteric books in e-reading format? I'd be inclined to use it IF I could get them for free, since at that point it's more expensive to get a book, if it can be found.

But I'm not giving up my books, when the price is just about the same for downloading to Kindle.

[Nancy]

I have had a Nook since February and I love it. The main reason why I got it over the Kindle was the fact that I can download books from the library and from other formats that the Kindle can't. I also love the fact that I can carry an entire library with me wherever I go. I have well over 500 books now on my Nook and I still have 45% more space before I run out. I also don't have to worry about finding space for storing my books in my house. And if I don't want to keep a book after I've read it, one click of the mouse and it's gone.

I'll continue to buy books as long as they come out in paper, but I will also continue to download them onto my e-reader. I was one of those readers who thought she'd never, ever buy an e-reader. But now that I have one I refuse to give it up.

As for the older esoteric e-books, then can be downloaded for free onto an e-reader. Try this site:

http://www.hermetics.org/ebooks.html

[Ancestral]

If you purchase an ebook and then delete it from your device, do you have to buy it again in order to re-read it?

The site you referred to Nancy is storing files in .pdf format, which I can easily download and read on my laptop, so I am not sure it would encourage me to buy an ereader.

[Nancy]

I don't have a laptop and even if I did I wouldn't take it with me everywhere I go. So for me personally the e-reader was the way to go. I don't need to stay wired at all times and keep the WiFi off on my Nook unless I'm downloading books. I'm so stuck in the 20th century that I was surprised that I did buy a Nook. I don't even own a cell phone.

Yes, if you remove a book from an e-reader and want to read it again, you'd have to pay for it again. However, you can archive it to the B&N site, which means it will stay in your library until you want to read it again. I have over 40 of my books archived right now, just in case I want to access them again later.

[Kendra]

Hi Nancy, thanks for that link! That's exactly what I'd use it for.

How many books does the Nook store? Guess I should do some research into it all, since I want something useful, not limited.

I want a formal library, so buying books isn't that big of a problem. Moving can be a pain in the butt, but still worth it.

[Nancy]

There is the original Nook, the Nook Color and the Nook Simple Touch. I have the first Nook, so I can't speak for the others. My Nook has 601.05 MB of memory. I'm at 1.30 GB right now, still with 45% space left. I currently have 568 books downloaded. I've heard that the original Nook can store up to 1500 books.

I know what you mean about moving books. I moved last year and the vast majority of the boxes I packed were filled with books. I think that's one reason why I decided to get an e-reader.

[Nancy]

I understand about not having the budget for books. The vast majority of the books on my e-reader I got for free or under $5. I have a lot of collections that contain 50+ books. I have the entire collection of Dickens, Poe, Wilde, etc. So if you add up the individual titles in my collections then I have several thousands of books. I am slowly getting e-book copies of my favorite books. I had a house fire once and lost a lot of my books. Even if I lost my Nook in a natural disaster (Goddess forbid!), they are still on my library on the B&N site.

[Karyn]

I thought I would feel the same way about eReaders but I've had my Kobo now for 7 months and dread having to read a "real" book these days. I'm able to get most books but have unfortunately been disadvantaged by licencing laws which exlude Australia :(

[Kendra]

I re-read a lot of my general fiction, so having them in book format isn't that big of a deal. If I won't read them again, I take them and trade them in to Half-Price Books and get in trouble there.

My biggest concern with any of the computerizing is that reading a long time, off the computer, gives me migraines, and I didn't want to deal with that with any of the e-Readers.

[Ancestral]

I am told the e-readers are not as harsh as normal computer screens, they are designed to be easy on the eyes in comparison, though I have no personal experience of this.

[Nancy]

The e-ink screen on my Nook is much better for reading than on the computer. I'm a voracious reader and will read for hours on my Nook and get no eyestrain or headaches from it like I can on the computer screen.

When I read fiction a lot of times it will be a very long book, like "Lord of the Rings" long and those books get difficult for me to hold. The current novel I'm reading is 1200 pages and I was trying to read it in trade paperback size. I gave up on it because it got to heavy for me to hold for long reading periods. I bought it on my Nook and now I'm back to reading it for hours.

[Angela]

My husband would love me to get a Kindle and get rid of some books, and I understand why as we do have a lot, but downloading a file just wouldn't be the same as browsing charity and secondhand shops, and smelling books (old and new), or waiting for a parcel to arrive from eBay with an out of print curio. And sometimes I find that reading a yellowing Penguin paperback adds to the experience of a classic book. I have said I'll get him a Kindle for Christmas though, so maybe I can have the best of both worlds!

[Nancy]

I like having the best of both worlds. I could never stop buying paper books. I tend to read a lot more nonfiction than fiction and I read a lot of books that have photos, graphs, maps, charts, etc. These don't transfer well to my Nook. They do for the Nook Color, but I don't want one. So I'll continue buying these nonfiction books in paper.

[Lavender]

Kindle has a much larger selection amd better prices. All
Books deleted are archived for later redownload. Both stores have reader apps for ipod iphone ipad. Which i utilize. Kindle so has a speech to text feature which my hubby ises since he cant read well

[Lavender]

Also. Not every book is available in ebook format so paper is not obsolete. But as far as searching for a specific topic, highlighting and bookmarking as well as onboard dictionary you camt beat an ebook. I do wish there was a discount for ebooks if ou have the paper copy as i hve bought a few books in both formats for various reasons

[Ancestral]

Lavender wrote: "Kindle has a much larger selection amd better prices. "

In terms of the books I want to purchase relating to my spirituality I have found only one or two available on Kindle from the hundred or so on my wishlist.