Don't get me wrong, I think an e-reader has it's time and place. I will certainly appreciate the storage and the weight of it when I travel.
But unlike the computer that replaced the typewriter, I don't see the e-reader replacing the book. There is something about the weight of a book, the smell of the ink, and turning of the pages that will never be replicated in a digital device.
I've been using the Kobo at night before I go to bed, reading a chapter of "Stranger in Paradise" by Eileen Goudge. It's the first book I purchased after D gave me the Kobo and it cost a whopping $2.02 Cdn. It wasn't until I started reading it on the Kobo that I realized I'd read it previously. Another thing about an e-reader, unless there is a preview I risk buying something I've read before.
I was surprised to find the cost of most books for the e-reader are not much different than purchasing the real thing. And I suspect I won't find any deals at garage sales as I do with regular books.
But I have come around a little and find I don't mind reading from the e-reader occasionally. For now though I'm back to my books, because today some one - some cat perhaps - I'm not certain who knocked the Kobo off the nightstand. It's no longer working so on Boxing Day I'll be purchasing my own.
There's another reason for keeping books around!
Hope your weekend is going well. I'm not sure how I'll be posting over the next few days so...
MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!
6 comments:
I admit, I love my Kindle! Can you download a sample before you buy?
Have a Very Merry Christmas!
xx Trish
I love my Kobo. Thought I would miss a real book, but I find I don't. Perhaps because with the e-reader I can enlarge the font size and spacing, so text is far easier to read.
However, the cost of e-books is absurd. IMO, they ought not to be more than half the price of a print book.
The plus with the Kobo, though, being open-source, is that you can download PDFs and epubs from other sources, borrow from the library, etc., whereas you can't with a Kindle. That was my deciding factor, when looking to buy the Kobo (my first e-reader).
Anyway, a very merry Christmas to you and your family! All the best in 2013. :-)
There's just something about holding that book and turning those paper pages isn't there?
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!
xo Catherine
When browsing a book, one can get a sense of the whole, one see where pages, and chapters fit. When I research a topic, I often have several books open on a table at once. Would I need several e-readers to replace that availability? Or several tiny screens on one reader.
As well, books are part of a home. When one enters a house or apartment and sees books, one can learn something about a person. An e-reader says blank to me. E-readers will never replace books, for the same reason that a photocopy hung on a wall will never be the same as a painted picture. There is nothing better than browsing through shelves of books to find just what one is looking for - or to find what one isn't looking for.
Movies were to be replaced by television, and for similar reasons: convenience, cost, diversity. Movies are still with us - and books have even more reason to be.
And considering every book in my library is out of print, where would I find those electronically?
After this diatribe, I wish you and all with you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
A very happy holiday to you, too!
I don't imagine we'll ever replace the book around here. Altho thinking about an e-reader of some sort, I think Julie's sticking with the books for now. You make a good point about garage sales and the fun in discovering books there..ahh..come spring, come soon! (after all the holiday fun, tho)
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Our mum likes her Kindle, but does miss having actual books around.
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