Lost in conversion

[Mathiew.pellerin]

Hello, I love books, I read them since I am a child, but I mean here real books. Now everyone is switching to e-reader, so I guess sooner or later I would have to convert if I don't want to be left behind... There is so many e readers out there, I don't know which one to get. I want one gives you the feeling you are reading a paper book, or in other words, the retain closest experience to real books. I don't know if I speak m mind

[soulfuldog]

You don't need to switch to an ereader if you don't want to. People switch from paper books to ebooks for many reasons, but equally there are people who are happy to stay reading paper books. And you won't be left behind because there will probably always be a market for paper books.

If you wanted to try an ereader to see if you would like using one, consider buying one second hand, and I'd go for a basic model (something like the Kobo Touch, or basic Kindle that go for around $70 new).

[ZodWallop]

E-ink screens all give you the feeling of reading a real book, regardless of the device (at least that is true for me).

Before you make any decisions about what to purchase, I would suggest going to a store where you can get first hand experience with an e-ink device, just to see what you think of it. Once you have that, you can then weigh the pros and cons of the different devices.

[Sirtel]

I never thought I would switch to ebooks. I, too, loved paper books since early childhood. I remember I was very annoyed, because Amazon pushed their Kindle books at me every time I went there to shop for books. Those were not real books! But I had to buy an e-reader when I ran out of room to store my paper books (I had about a thousand by the time). No one among my friends and family reads fiction in English, so I could not even give my books away. And of course paper books are expensive where I live, shipping costs, custom fees and all that.

So I bought a basic kindle in 2011. To my surprise I found I enjoyed reading on it, even more so than I enjoyed paper books. I've never looked back since then.

You don't have to switch to e-books only because others have done so. But you could try out one of the cheaper readers (certainly e-ink, not a tablet, if you want paper-like experience). Perhaps you'll like it!

[church mouse]

I merely repeat what the others have said - if you love paper books then stick with them because I don't think they are going to disappear.

I love using an e-reader, but I would never claim it feels anything like reading a paper book. My partner loves paper books and simply cannot cope with using an e-reader.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by Mathiew.pellerin

Hello, I love books, I read them since I am a child, but I mean here real books. Now everyone is switching to e-reader, so I guess sooner or later I would have to convert if I don't want to be left behind... There is so many e readers out there, I don't know which one to get. I want one gives you the feeling you are reading a paper book, or in other words, the retain closest experience to real books. I don't know if I speak m mind

I halfway agree with SoulfulDog. If you don't want to switch, don't! I prefer ebooks but that's me. I can't see any reason that any one should switch if they don't feel a need. Paper books still work as well as they always have and they get amazing battery life.

If you do decide to try one though, I suggest trying it seriously with a really good device. At least try one with a front-lit screen. Most of the new models have front lighting except for the very cheapest ones. That's the feature that separates modern ereaders from old fashioned ereaders and it makes the reading experience a lot better in any lighting conditions.

There's a guy on Ebay now selling nearly new Kobo Auras for $50. I bought two of them and they're like new. It's probably got the poorest front light in the industry but it's still way better than the models without a front light. And, all in all, it's a really nice device with a good feature selection.

I don't buy my books for it from Kobo. I get my books from Amazon and I convert them so that I can read them on either my Kindle or my Kobo. I prefer the Kindle but they cost more and if you're just trying it out you might not want to pay that much.

I think if you try ebooks you'll probably like them but I wouldn't do it just because others are doing it. You can still get all the books in paper and there's no reason to think that's going to change any time soon. I suggest deciding if it's what you really want to do before getting one.

Barry

[John F]

Originally Posted by barryem

...

If you do decide to try one though, I suggest trying it seriously with a really good device. At least try one with a front-lit screen. Most of the new models have front lighting except for the very cheapest ones. That's the feature that separates modern ereaders from old fashioned ereaders and it makes the reading experience a lot better in any lighting conditions.

...

I agree. Also try a Carta screen with at least 200dpi.

[Mathiew.pellerin]

Thank you for all your replies, it's my post on this, I was not expecting much answers to be honest since I am new. You gave me great pieces of advice. I see that many are satisfies with e-readers. So I think I will try an E INK display e-reader, a basic one, and if I find it enjoyable, I will probably upgrade. But I know I will miss that particular book smell and touch. I am old fashioned I guess.

Thanks to all again!

[barryem]

Originally Posted by Mathiew.pellerin

But I know I will miss that particular book smell and touch.

If you really miss that smell there are sprays that you can use to give your ereader that same smell. Better yet, spray something appropriate for the book you're reading: pine scent for an outdoor book or perfume and musk for a steamy book.

Barry

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Mathiew.pellerin

Thank you for all your replies, it's my post on this, I was not expecting much answers to be honest since I am new. You gave me great pieces of advice. I see that many are satisfies with e-readers. So I think I will try an E INK display e-reader, a basic one, and if I find it enjoyable, I will probably upgrade. But I know I will miss that particular book smell and touch. I am old fashioned I guess.

And when, as I did, you reach the point at which every available wall of your house is covered with double-stacked bookshelves, what do you do then? Replacing paperbacks with ebooks is a lot more practical than buying a larger house. Now I read fiction as ebooks, and keep my much smaller number of bookshelves for my non-fiction library, which still works a lot better as paper books.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Mathiew.pellerin

...I know I will miss that particular book smell and touch.

I told myself that too, until the minute I started reading on my first e-reader and found I didn't miss it at all. Since I bought my first Nook, I haven't read a paper book. And like Harry mentioned, there's only so much storage in your house.

I think readers in general are a conservative lot.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I told myself that too, until the minute I started reading on my first e-reader and found I didn't miss it at all. Since I bought my first Nook, I haven't read a paper book. And like Harry mentioned, there's only so much storage in your house.

I think readers in general are a conservative lot.

You mean houses don't automatically get bigger when you bring in new stuff?

I thought they did.
Or maybe that was just a hope.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

You mean houses don't automatically get bigger when you bring in new stuff?

I thought they did.
Or maybe that was just a hope.

Maybe if you bought a wardrobe at a C. S. Lewis yard sale?