I have read a few books on an Ebook Reader over the last year. But I've read many more paper books. The thing I find pretty interesting is that in the begining of reading on my Sony E-Reader I kept trying to turn the pages. Now when I read a paper book, I try to rub my finger across the page to make the page turn (you know, touch screen). How quickly one can adapt to something new.
But that doesn't necessarily mean that I find the E-Reader a preferable way to get my read on.
I recently finished reading this month's book club book on my E-Reader. The first one for book club on this device in fact. The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag. By Chol-hwan Kang and Pierre Rigoulot. Excellent book by the way. I was fascinated the entire time and learned so much!
This book made me realize the things I like and don't like about Ebooks vs Paper books.
Pros to Ebooks:
Fewer books on my shelves
I can't lose my bookmark!
I can carry multiple books with me at any time.
It has a stand
No papercuts (yes I can do this...)
Pros to Paper Book:
Just feels right to me. Isn't that what everyone says?
So much easier to "flip back" to find something I've read and want to refer to
I get to use my favorite bookmark... (I have measured my life in coffee spoons - TS Eliot)
There's something great about a book you've read more than once - a "well loved book" is so much nicer to curl up to.
The "So much easier to "flip back" to find something I've read and want to refer to" is really the key pro to the paper book. I was continually irritated in the Pyongyang book that I couldn't go forwards and backwards easily. Like I wanted to go back and read something again that he referred to and I couldn't find it for a while. And there were footnotes but the * and the actual footnote were pages apart so it was harder for me to reference things. Oh and gee...sometimes it is way too sensitive but then not responsive at all. So very annoying.
Plus I'm really good with a paper book at remembering something I read and being able to go find it. Like when I'm sitting in book club and I think "oh yes, I need to find that section and read the quote!" But with the ebook I won't be able to do that.
So yes, I do prefer the experience with the paper book over the ebook. Regardless, I will still buy the ebook versions of books but definitely not with book club books. But that's only to reserve shelf space for the books I really like. Plus I kind of like trying out new things. Makes life more interesting. Next I need a flying car to try out. *snap snap* Make that happen Internet.
Although my question is, why are the ebooks the same price as paper?
I haven't tried an ebook yet. I don't have a reader and it would have to be on my laptop, so it would really strain my eyes. I'm kind of like the people from the baby-boomer era in regards to ebooks (eg: what was wrong with real books to begin with?).
ReplyDeleteOh ya, don't read it on a laptop. That really sucks. I can barely read things on the internet on a computer screen.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree, nothing is "wrong" with real books. But it's a cool alternative anyway. And you're saving paper, even though you're using electricity/battery power. My driving factor for the e-book is that I like owning the books I read but I just can't justify putting them on my bookshelves anymore. It's a satisfactory alternative.