E-Books/E-Readers

Right I want to get in to a discussion about E-Books and E-Readers.

What are you opinions of them? Are they good or are they a waste of time?

I have a few opinions on them, but I'll wait and see if anyone joins in this debate first!

For me they’re only really a benefit for things like revision material, where you do need more than one book at the same time and those books are often large and cumbersome.
For things like novels I really don’t get them.

I compare an e-reader to an iPod.
An iPod stores your music so you can listen to it at any time, it can shuffle tracks and create playlists etc. You listen to the same tracks over and over again.

But an eReader?
You read one book at a time, once you’ve done with the book it goes either back to a library or on your shelf to gather dust. You don’t read it again and again. You don’t read random chapters from a multitude of books in a playlist.

Don’t quite get the need for one.

I just love the smell and feel of a new book.

and for that matter, I like picking up a old, familiar friend.

I will never likely buy a e-reader - just not the same.

I'm so glad to see other people saying the same things as I think.

There is nothing better than sitting with an actual book. As good as E-Readers can be, I just don't see how anyone could prefer them over an actual novel.

The thing that bothers me the most about E-Books is actually the cost. You don't really save much for buying/downloading a book over going in to store and buying a paperback copy.

Another benefit of books is a bookcase. It's an entirely conceited thing, but I like it when people come round to visit and see how many books I have.

David Tails wrote:Another benefit of books is a bookcase. It's an entirely conceited thing, but I like it when people come round to visit and see how many books I have.

Are they impressed by the entire back catalogue of 'Where's Wally?' & a copy of Razzle?

I'm missing 1 of the Where's Wally collection....I couldn't find it

the idea of them is fine... I like the premise of the kindle in that you can connect straight to amazon to download a particular book on the device with no fees for the 3g/wifi coverage.

What I don't like however is the cost of the books or the replacement for my library as it stands right now.

Considering there are no printers, materials used and the distribution is electronic rather than mail I would expect the cost to be around 50-60% of a physical book. It's not... so it's hardly worth it.

I can see the "occasional" benefit to an e-reader, revision material, going on a relaxing holiday (i.e. were you jsut sit by a pool and read and sunbathe) but beyond these nothing beats the original feel and smell of a good old book.

The other consideration I have is that if you drop a book in a puddle, forget it on a bus etc. its generally cheaper to replace than an e-reader.

It isnt a book, thats all there is to it for me, I like having the copy on my shelf, if I read a good book at the library then I like being able to go and buy the book for my own.

I enjoy wandering round Waterstones browsing through and finding a 'hidden gem' cant really do that online when downloading

I totally agree with all the comments about the smell and feel of new books, the browsing of libraries and bookshops, the look of overflowing bookshelves etc etc. I said exactly the same...

But I've got a Kindle and I absolutely love it. It depends what you want it for. I enjoy reading the Classics. Like Dickens, Hardy, the Brontes, 19th century european literature and the like. All of these are out of copyright and are free. Yes I've already got them all on my shelves, but it's great if I'm away from home and get the urge to read The Mayor of Casterbridge. I can download it from Amazon and start reading it immediately.


And if you're like me and need to take a pile of books on holiday, the Kindle is a godsend. I went away last week and instead of cramming my case with books, I just downloaded the latest Sara Paretsky, Dennis Lehane and Tess Gerritsen (huge fan of American crime fiction too) and I was all set.

If you want to browse the net, listen to music, send emails etc then get an iPad. But if all you want to do is read books then get a Kindle.

Have a look on mobilereads.com - it's a forum which discusses the various ereaders available and may help you in your decision. I wouldn't be without my Kindle now.

Hobo wrote:I just love the smell and feel of a new book.

and for that matter, I like picking up a old, familiar friend.

I will never likely buy a e-reader - just not the same.

Quite agree with this comment nothing will replace a book

Apart from a few Wrestling autobiographies or Celtic books I've never been much of a fan of reading books, the internet gave me a motivation to want to read, I've read for hours and hours on sites, I've just never had a passion for books, in that sense the e-books definitely would appeal to me

Blimey, thank goodness for that. I thought I was the only one who could see the appeal of an e-reader.

As I said upthread, my ereader hasn't replaced my books, but it has a place alongside them. Why take half a dozen books on vacation, when you can take one ereader? More room for shoes in the suitcase (I'm such a girl).

Jane couldnt agree with you more on both sets of comments above i have started reading on my ipad and now love it, obviously there are some books i will always get, i have the whole set of Terry Pratchett and dont intend to stop buying them, i also have 3/4 Chris Paolini books so when the last one comes out later this year i'll get that one too, but i have also just started reading steven kings dark tower series was given the first book as a present but bought the 2nd on ibooks and will now get the rest on ibooks its just so much easier and i actually like it maybe not more than a new book but pretty close. come on people embrace technology

I have to go with a book over an e-reader.
I love books. I love spending hours in the bookstore searching for the my next read, I like opening a book for the first time, cracking the spine and loosing my self in the pages for the next few hours and I love the smell of a new book. I like my old books with their faded, dog eared pages which gives each book it's own personality, something you will never be able to get with an e-reader. For me there is more to reading a book other than just reading the words on the page, from the first time I open the book untill I finish reading it, it is an experience made all the more enjoyable by a mixture of several different factors.

i started reading a few books on my phone through kindle and few other apps. a book is great but a phone does come in handy, its not like i can be bringing my books into work might look abit dogdy but while its quite my phone works a treat. if your going on hoilday it can also be useful as you can take a loads without loading your suitcase up. reading outside is a pain though if its too bright

calamity jane wrote:And if you're like me and need to take a pile of books on holiday, the Kindle is a godsend. I went away last week and instead of cramming my case with books, I just downloaded the latest Sara Paretsky, Dennis Lehane and Tess Gerritsen (huge fan of American crime fiction too) and I was all set.

So three books, then. Wow, you'd have no room for anything else, would you?

I wondered whether I'd like it or not and then decided to bite the bullet and get the kindle

Aside from my iPod it's the greatest thing I have ever spent money on, have hundreds of books wherever work takes me, found room in my room I didnt know was there. The only books I now own are graphic novels, everything is on my kindle

There's a real sense of accomplishment and satisfaction as you turn each page of a book, and finally, finish it.

Not sure if anyone else does this, but when I finish a book, I will immediately flip to random pages and read a passage, just to see how the storyline evolved from that single point.... it's silly I know, but I always find myself doing it.

I've never done that, but before I start a book, I'll flick to the last page to see how many pages there are. There's always a strong temptation to read the last page, but I manage to resist!

Definitely more willpower than me Luckless!

I have a novel on e-reader, in case anyone's interested....

http://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-st-john/war-and-piracy-book-one/ebook/product-21107421.html?mid=social_twitter_pubsharetwitter
 

And here's my second....

http://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-st-john/a-man-and-a-brother-book-two/ebook/product-21134200.html

gazzyD wrote:I wondered whether I'd like it or not and then decided to bite the bullet and get the kindle

Aside from my iPod it's the greatest thing I have ever spent money on, have hundreds of books wherever work takes me, found room in my room I didnt know was there. The only books I now own are graphic novels, everything is on my kindle

you have been through what many converts have been through, including me. in my case, i read on an iPhone, on the Kindle app.

And here's my third and penultimate....

http://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-st-john/the-curse-of-glenn-hall-the-planters-chain-book-three/ebook/product-21166876.html;jsessionid=B75013BEEFE985556B09D16B8478F99D

My final one....

http://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-st-john/the-curse-of-glenn-hall-chains-and-slavery-book-four/ebook/product-21168645.html

Damn, I'm tired!

I have a tablet and use an e-book app on it.  They're a good space saver but, as already mentioned, there is something tactile about handling a book.  E-readers somehow seem more impersonal.   James Patterson’s books are often said to “turn the pages themselves”.  I guess you can’t really say this about his e-books.  Perhaps the pages swipe themselves instead.

have to say im much more for reading through my kindle/tablet etc now, recently got a book from the library having been reading on my kindle for the last couple of years and found it hard work. to be fair it was a fairly chunky hard back but reading on the kindle seems so much easier than having to hold the pages open and worry about the light. do most of my reading in bed and kindle is miles easier

Have had a Kindle for a couple of years and absolutely love it, as others have said is beyond essential for travelling and whilst not everyone will have this problem, the combination of small house/lots of books will eventually become problematic as it is for me. Outside of boxing books, which I like to collect I get pretty much everything on Kindle now.