Horror Aficionados discussion
eReaders/eBooks
>
eReader vs those book things, which do you go to most?
message 51:
by
Chris
(new)
Feb 16, 2012 10:12AM
If the day every comes when the City doesn't have a good bookstore, or a good Italian restaurant, then civilization has officially ended.
reply
|
flag
Mod
All gone.
There are a handful still holding on.
I go when I can.
Can't let them all die.
Civilization ended when your waiter at the Italian restaurant has to use Spanish to talk to the cook. ;)
There is a neat used bookstore in San Antonio. It is a Half-Price set up in an old two story house. You wander from room to room looking through the sections and can sit in any one of a dozen chairs and couches to look through your selections. It is easy to lose a few hours there and not even notice. Austin has its share too.
Mod
They have so many books, they bought a second building as an annex.
Chris wrote: "There is a neat used bookstore in San Antonio. It is a Half-Price set up in an old two story house. You wander from room to room looking through the sections and can sit in any one of a dozen cha..."Chris, that place sounds awesome!
There is a tiny, old used bookstore on a little main street just outside of Baltimore. It's small but there are hundreds of books littering the floors and stacked high on shelves to the ceiling. A nice old man runs it and you can just tell that he has a passion for it. I always feel at home there and loooooove that distinct smell that books have when they are older and well-loved. You can find some amazing hidden gems in that place. I think I'd cry if it ever went out of business.
I just might be one of the few people left on the planet without an e-reader. I won't deny their usefulness and perhaps if I traveled more often I might buy one, but for now, it's not for me. There's just something about the feel of a book --- turning the pages, dogearing a marked spot and their musty smell. It's almost a sensual, ritualistic experience to read. It engages the senses in a way that I don' t think an e-reader can and I'm not sure I could ever give that up. We're inundated with technology in all facets of our world these days, and call me old fashioned, but a book is the one "old" thing that doesn't need to be changed. It's perfect just as is. It's sacred.
Nikki wrote: "I just might be one of the few people left on the planet without an e-reader. I won't deny their usefulness and perhaps if I traveled more often I might buy one, but for now, it's not for me. T..."
I agree with what you're saying. I basically vowed to never get one as I love the feel and smell etc of books so much! But I got one for my birthday and I couldn't very well not use it, and they are actually very good :). I still read a lot of 'real' books though for the reasons I stated in my earlier post and also sometimes I just can't resist them :).
I know what you mean, Jessica. I certainly can't and won't deny their usefulness. Perhaps one day I'll give in to the technological revolution, but for now, I'm holding strong (haha).Chris made a very good point when he said "I guess I subscribe to the concept that the story is the thing and a traditional book or an e-reader is just the delivery system." A book is a book regardless of how you read it. I can't really complain if e-readers is what it takes to make people read more often. For me, it's more of a battle of sentiment, I guess.
In the interest of full disclosure (I am a lawyer after all) that quote wasn't original to me. My wife and I went to see Stephen King speak here in Dallas a few months back and that was his answer to "e-reader or real book?" from the audience. His answer was "both." He says that he reads alot from an e-reader because they are so convenient and being able to increase the text size makes it easy on older eyes, but will never get rid of his real books. Then he said pretty much what I wrote above about the story being the important thing. Interestingly, he said that this subject is a bone of contention in his family. Everyone in his family is an avid reader, as you would expect. His daughter is a purist and won't touch an e-reader with a ten foot pole. His son, Joe Hill, only reads off of his iPad. So even within one family there are strong opinions both ways.
The celebrations of Dickens' 200th birthday has really gotten me in the mood to read more of his books. However, I have limited shelf space at home. I was just in our library bookstore and was torn between buying Hard Times and A Tale of Two Cities. I vacillated before deciding I can read them on my Kindle and two more books won't be squeezed into my bookshelves. I love real books and like to display them and love the hominess they add to a room, but I just can't house every book I may ever want to read. I just want to read the stories, that's my ultimate goal.
Not to mention that all of Dickens' books are free on Kindle.
Yes, that also made me put them back on the shelf.
Carl wrote: "O.K., quite a few of us have now had our eReaders for a good amount of time. After all of this time, how many of you have lost some of the giddyness of the technology, and are reading actual print ..."Ok, here's my deal. I love my Kindle beyond what some might say is 'normal' ( I have heard murmurs of intervention) and I take it pretty much everywhere I go. However, I always make it a point to have at LEAST one paper book going at the same time, usually two or three. I think my purchasing of paper books actually went up when I got my Kindle, for fear that I would be drawn too far over to the "TECH SIDE", I think. lol
Recluse wrote: "The used bookstore in the City is in an old building. The floors are so warped, you get seasick. 3 floors of books. A dusty wonderland.They have so many books, they bought a second building as an ..."
I agree w/ Tressa. My home is not complete w/o books on shelves and tabletops, but I have limited space. I have already had to donate far too many of my babies to the local library & Salvation Army just to make room for the new ones I keep bringing in. Now, I can buy most of them on my Kindle and save room on my shelves for the few authors I really enjoy collecting.I also like that I can increase the font size on the Kindle as my eyes get tired very easily, but nothing compares to holding and smelling that DTB.
Mod
They have so many books, they bought a secon..."
Exactly. ;)
I love collecting and reading actual books so I read more real books than I read on my Nook but I love my ereader when I'm at work.
I would say it is nearly 50/50 for me. I always have 2 books on the go...one on the e-reader and one "real" book.
I'm reading a book now ... have only one book downloaded to my Kindle (Complete Works of HP Lovecraft), and then had so many problems with it that I've set it aside for a while.
Hey, Kayla, I actually finished reading the novel I mentioned earlier today ("Imajica"), so am back to Lovecraft via Kindle, and some of his sentences are so beautifully poignant I read them twice. Later this evening I'm going to see if the coffee shop I'll be stopping at has Wifi (?), which I know nothing about, and see if I can download anything from there.Say, does anyone remember the thread that talks about reading books that start with the letters of our names? "La Vida Vampire," is a total rip off of Sookie Stackhouse, so I thought I'd mention that there, but I can't find the thread.
Lisa, the Name Challenge is in the Lists & Reading Challenges folder. Here's a link:http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...
Tressa wrote: "Lisa, the Name Challenge is in the Lists & Reading Challenges folder. Here's a link:http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7..."
Thanks Tressa! I picked up La Vida Vampire again (everyone deserves a 2nd chance,and my initial "yuck phooey" reactions sometimes are nothing more than a snap judgement made too quickly), and although author Nancy Haddock owes much to Charlaine Harris, I'm thinking this book was written for Young Adult readers and at 57, I'm way out of that category! I need to find something written more for an adult (that begins with "L"), and have managed to Google Search a few ... man, there are a lot of books out there!!
What about Let the Right One In? That's a great vampire book. Or Let's Go Play At the Adams', Live Girls, The Little Stranger (wonderful), Lord of the Flies.
I've seen Let The Right One In twice and am concerned that I wouldn't enjoy the book as much as if I hadn't seen it. I should probably read Lord of the Flies again, haven't since I was a kid and I think I have a copy at home. I've put "The Little Stranger" on hold at the library (by Sarah Waters? It's listed as "physicians fiction"). I now have 5 books checked out and holds on 11 more. Thank you!!! I can't imagine how much you must have read to be able to come up with titles so quickly!!!!!
Physicians fiction? That's funny. It is fiction and there's a doctor in there. It's a wonderful book. Hope you enjoy it.The book LTROI is even better than the movie, and I think it explains some things that were a little fuzzy in the movie. But if you've seen the movie twice already, I let some time pass before reading the book.
I don't read as much as most of the people at HA. Time slips away from me because I have so much else to do.
Tressa wrote: "What about Let the Right One In? That's a great vampire book. Or Let's Go Play At the Adams', Live Girls, The Little Stranger (wonderful), Lord of the Flies."I'd forgotten Let's Go Play at the Adams existed. I read that years ago. Nasty (in a good way) book from what I remember.
As for my reading habits I'm digital through and through now and very rarely read a physical book unless I'm flying.
I agree LTROI is an awesome book and has a lot more story. Each of the characters in the book really has a role to play. I loaned my copy.....alas I will never see it again :(
Back to books vs Kindle, I'm have trouble downloading from Amazon to the Kindle ... will have to call and talk to someone there ... Also: I dropped the damn thing the other day ... and it works fine, can still read what I had previously downloaded, but at least, if you drop a book, you don't have to worry about breaking it!
Lisa wrote: "Back to books vs Kindle, I'm have trouble downloading from Amazon to the Kindle ... will have to call and talk to someone there ... Also: I dropped the damn thing the other day ... and it works f..."
Very true! Paper books are definitely better in the bath too!
LOL.....I dropped my nook once, but thankfully it was okay as it was in a case. The case really helps to protect it. Now I have the nook tablet and I am very protective of it.I must say I really like reading the short stories from various places (internet) on my nook tablet....it is so easy.
While I don't read in the bath, Oliver, being a shower kind of guy, I am careful around the pool. Always make sure I dry off pretty good before picking up my Nook.
Pj wrote: "Haven't read an actual paper book for over 2 years and don't think I will be going back to them. Love my ereaders, Sony-prs t1 is the best I've used so far. I've used and owned quite a few though. ..."I agree about the Sony-prs t1. Great!
It seems I recently broke the main mindset of using an ereader lately. The wife and I went on a cruise a few weeks ago. I took 3 paperbacks with me. The Kindle stayed at home. Worse yet, I am about to start reading a book series, all of which I have in hardcover. I was able to get them for $3 each, as opposed to the $8 each that they cost in e-form.
I had to read a print book a year or so ago when my Kobo was broken, and it was a big pain. Of course, it was a big book, too, "The Collected Stories of Saki" (H. H. Munro)! I can imagine "The Autobiography of Mark Twain", at around 800 pages, was a pain to read in print, too, but I read it on my ereader.When comparing cost, let's remember that you can always get a used copy of a print book at a used book store or a yard sale cheaper, but you'll have to hunt for it. Also, used sales do not support authors or publishers financially, which is a good thing to do IMO to support the industry. (Although I have to say, I think that many ebooks are overpriced, especially when they cost more than the paper version.)
I live in a very small house and my bookshelves were filled ages ago, so I'm loving having so many books to read on a small device that I can carry around with me. I actually enjoy the reading experience more on my Kindle than on paper, too.
I had a Kindle for a short time, then wound up selling it. There is just something about holding a book in my hands, turning the pages, and then adding it to my collection that is just... special.
My son has a Nook Color and loves it. But both he and I agree there is nothing like holding a book in your hand and placing them on your bookshelf.
I have a kindle and love it. I could never get rid of my books and the house is cluttered with them. So, the answer is both, I read the kindle more than paper at the present time but it doesn't smell as good as a book when I fall asleep on it.
I always swore that i would never ever ever buy an e-reader, but alas, my third bedroom, known as the library, is so full of books that i have read over the years that i really don't have anyplace to put anymore and i just cant seem to get myself to give them away. I have tried to keep just the ones that are really dear to me, but im still filled to the roof with books. So this year I broke down and bought a kindle...I LOVE IT! Even after i vowed not to, as it will be the demise of the paperback, i went and did it anyway. I still love my books, there is nothing better than cracking the spine of a fresh paperback, but the kindle has so much more going for it. I am just torn between two loves now!
Kindle. No doubt. Like Jaded, I never thought I'd like e-books, but, after I burned through about several books in a weeks time, I realized how valuable the e-reader (kindle) is and how much it will mean in the future.
Welcome to the club, Jaded. As I've said many times before, I care about the story, not the format it's in. So as an avid reader, don't feel like you're betraying your beloved books.
I only read on my kindle, if I cant get a book on my kindle, I dont read it.
Make sure you click on the "I want to read this book in a kindle format" thing they have on the middle left side of the book page for those books not kindlized yet.
I love how I don't have to go looking for my next read because my Kindle has bookoodles (southern word for a lot) of books waiting for me to click on them and start reading immediately.
Curmudgeon wrote: "Make sure you click on the "I want to read this book in a kindle format" thing they have on the middle left side of the book page for those books not kindlized yet."Hehe yep, I know, Ive had a kindle since the release date of kindle 2. Since then Ive had the kindle 3, and now use the kindle touch.
I thank my e-reader for introducing me to authors that I might not otherwise have ever discovered. Well, I don't actually say "Thank you" to my e-reader. I do it, you know, figuratively. Seriously though. It is so easy to discover new writers on Kindle and get the newest books right when they come out. I actually have trouble choosing my next read because I have so many I want to start.
Jan brought up a very good point that I had never thought of. If I buy a discounted book on Kindle or wherever, the author benefits from that purchase. Not so at a used bookstore. Authors work so hard, they deserve to get compensated by everyone that reads their books. I even feel guilty getting "freebies" off of Kindle and if I like the author I will buy another of their books to "make up for" the freebie I got and make sure to put a good review on GR and Amazon to spread the word.
I don't feel bad about Kindle freebies at all.I have read some that have impressed the hell out of me. In which case I will buy further books from that author. I always try to review as well.
I think that hooking a new reader is the point of the freebies (in most cases anyway), so if I enjoy it and purchase further books, there is nothing to feel bad about. : )
I thought authors were the ones choosing to offer their books for free or discount at Amazon and other places. Hell, if it's free AND I like the plot I'll take it. I have bought eBooks later from authors whose stories I read for free. But they have to be really good and not just mediocre.What dolt would pass up a good deal on a book at a used bookstore? I'm not going to pay $30 when I could pay $2.98. Come on. It's not my fault if a writer can't make a living writing books because of all the cheaper avenues available to get books these days. An author has to be prolific and popular to make a lot of dough writing. Such is life.
You also get a better deal from Amazon than from a publisher (moneywise). My mother has 5 books through harlequinn. She figured out that she roughly makes 15-25 cents off each copy (which all sold for 5 dollars or more). At Amazon, they take 20% unless the book is less than $3 then they take 30% which means that, even if my mother sold her book for 99 cents, she'd earn double through amazon than what she got from her pubisher. Different books and different authors get more money from publishers. Regency Romances written by women are generally the lowest paying for the writers. (yes, gender makes a difference, male writers get more just for having ...um...certain pieces of equipment)
But almost anyone will make more money per copy through amazon. The down side is that they don't get the experience and marketing machine a publisher has and they don't benifit from the polishing of professional editors and publishers.
I don't feel sorry for taking a free book. A) not all books that are free are new and starving writers. Some times the publishing company gives them away as e-books for a short time to get more people to buy the rest of the series. B) sometimes they are simply classics. C) that's how they get me hooked enough tread more. D) I write reviews which help advertise their book. Even as an amature no-account reviewing idiot that can't spot a comma splice from a dangling participle with only a high school education. See, nobodies get to play too.
and, if three of my friends take my advice and buy the book at 99 cents, the writer has made the same as if he'd sold six books through a publisher.
Horror Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
11/22/63 (other topics)The Haunted Vagina (other topics)
The Sinister Mr. Corpse (other topics)
