Digger Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 I am an avid reader and consume a couple of books a week. I have hundreds of books that are languishing on the shelves since we bought Kindle e-readers about 5 years ago. I no longer read books in paper form. I have currently 168 books in my reader and thousands on my HDD given to me by friends. I have the KIndle reader app on all my devices. I understand that many of you strongly prefer "real" books but I am the opposite as getting second hand books in this area is both difficult and expensive. I can download a new book to my Kindle in less than a minute for much less than a second hand paperback and I have hundreds of thousands of titles to choose from. I don't go anywhere without my Kindle! Anyone else a fan of e-readers?
surfpup Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 I like the Kindle too. I have an iPad also, but it's really heavy - and it hurts when you fall asleep reading in bed and drop it on your face. The Kindle is nice and light, and you don't need a bedside light to read. Plus you can check out stuff free from the library on your kindle just like print material.
fromnabulax Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 Personally, I still prefer the musty stinky wood pulp feel, look, and smell of yore. The wife is a writer/reporter/editor/author, and quite successful at it. As such she has her own place down in the big city that she works out of most weekdays and commutes back to us out in the boondocks on most weekends and holidays. Her teeny place can't accommodate a large bookshelf so to encourage her reading for fun again, I got her a Kindle and a fairly good sized gift card from Amazon this Christmas to keep her gleefully entertained. First thing she did was download ATale Of Two Cities and one or two other freebies. I was thrilled that she was able to get immediate gratification from the device. It doesn't do it for me, but it sure has both, benefits, and appeal.
Digger Posted January 9, 2016 Author Posted January 9, 2016 I like the Kindle too. I have an iPad also, but it's really heavy - and it hurts when you fall asleep reading in bed and drop it on your face. The Kindle is nice and light, and you don't need a bedside light to read. Plus you can check out stuff free from the library on your kindle just like print material. I agree on the i Pad as arthritis in my hands makes holding something bulky or heavy quite painful. Being able to turn pages with your thumb is convenient too. Yes there are countless free publications available but the most I pay is say $6 and many for $3 or $4 so I can afford to gobble down a couple a week. My ageing eyes appreciate being able to increase the font size too especially as the evening is coming on and the light dimming. Damn now I want to go read a book on my KIndle...see ya!
Dennis G Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 Anyone else a fan of e-readers? I became a fan about ten years ago when I realized I didn't have to haul a half dozen books on vacation with me; I could take an entire f'ing library in one Kindle! I also like the convenience of switching from one book to another as I see fit depending on my mood.
surfpup Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 My ageing eyes appreciate being able to increase the font size too especially as the evening is coming on and the light dimming. Ha! Yeah, my wife laughs at my old man font size. Then again she wears glasses so it's not apples to apples.
Mr. Gibson Posted January 10, 2016 Posted January 10, 2016 No I don't,I like regular books and printed news. Mayo Clinic researched this and found that people who read printed vs e reading retain the info better reading printed vs scrolling.
StRanger7032 Posted January 10, 2016 Posted January 10, 2016 I like the e-readers for the most part. I have found that they are not so great for reference manuals, though. If you want to flip quickly between sections, its so much easier with paper. That's the only thing I buy in paper anymore.
kidblast Posted January 10, 2016 Posted January 10, 2016 I have read more books since I got a Kindle then ever before in my life.
Digger Posted January 10, 2016 Author Posted January 10, 2016 I have read more books since I got a Kindle then ever before in my life. That would be my experience too. Firstly I have access to so much more choice and secondly the price is affordable. I do agree with Ranger's comment about manuals and such with pictures and diagrams being difficult.
ZettaVita Posted January 10, 2016 Posted January 10, 2016 Kindle rocks. Hate what some publishers are charging for their books "because they can" still makes me mad, though. Yay, free market. That being said, BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/home/ and similar email notices are great for bargains.
Rosemarie Posted January 10, 2016 Posted January 10, 2016 I actually prefer the e-reader, but my reasons are somewhat different from others. Being visually impaired, I had to read Large Print books which can be very bulky. It makes it difficult and sometimes painful when you get engulfed in the book and go to put it down after hours of reading. I can't tell you the number of times that I have had trouble straightening my arms after an hours long hot and heavy reading session. The first time that I saw and tried out a Kindle, I knew I needed one!
milod Posted January 10, 2016 Posted January 10, 2016 Well, I've written for a living for a bit over 50 years. Almost all has been intended for print of one sort or another, and that works well enough for republication in "newsletter" sorts of web format. Virtually all of my reading has gone to electonic in one form or another, but I don't quite care for the Kindle on grounds of it being a bit small. My late Mom and "little sis" (sis is 68) like(d) the Kindle. I prefer a larger screen, and have been known to sit for hours at my desktop's monitor reading/researching various materials on various subjects. I'm planning to give my nephew the Lt. Col. my military history collection of hardbound books as he prepares for the Army war college. Ditto some school libraries some other stuff. But students nowadays have so much more and better options than one can find in print, and often free. For example, one might read de Saxe in several languages while observing a PDF of the original. I will add that for proofreading, I do think a hardcopy somehow is generally accepted by copy editors/proofreaders as lending itself far better for finding error. But when doing so, I definitely need reading glasses even for 12-point type. m
dino_j Posted January 10, 2016 Posted January 10, 2016 As an old fart myself, it is surprising but I prefer the Kindle in most cases. I like being able to carry so many books in a small package. For 'coffee table' type books and reference manuals, I still prefer hard copies. It's like comparing to music with vinyl versus CDs, or CDs versus download, technology changes will have their fans either way. And yes, I still occasionally buy vinyl...told you I was an old fart!
kidblast Posted January 11, 2016 Posted January 11, 2016 I will add that for proofreading, I do think a hardcopy somehow is generally accepted by copy editors/proofreaders as lending itself far better for finding error. But when doing so, I definitely need reading glasses even for 12-point type. m for some crazy reason... that I've never been able to sort out.. I can find typos instantly when reading documents I've written off printed paper... I'll miss the most obvious typos unless it's on paper, in front of me... why? no idea..
merciful-evans Posted January 12, 2016 Posted January 12, 2016 I have a Kobo, as did my late partner Jan. She got hers first and I took an interest. I think they are fantastic. For the 1st time since it came out on TV in the 70's, I am reading 'The Ascent of Man' by Jacon Bronowski. Also, some Steven Fry books when in a lighter mood. I still dont read a lot, but always take it on holiday and prefer it to paper books. I too have arthritis in thumbs and the e-reader is easier to hold.
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