MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - E-books can be really dangerous

SensualPoet · 08-29-2010, 06:32 PM

Hmmm, I'm note sure about ebooks being dangerous, but I amd certainly enjoying reading on an eink device.I bought a Kindle 2 on Nov 20, 2009 and haven't looked back. I have read about 50 books so far -- which is about 49 more books than I've read every year for the past couple of decades. Before the ereader, I read a lot -- just not books.

The real gift is the rediscovery of my love of reading and fiction in particular. I was somewhat voracious in my teens but I lost track somewhere along the line. Between music, tv, movies and other past-times/hobbies, reading books fell off activity list.

And places like Gutenberg, Manybooks, Munseys and the 3rd but not least of the "m"s Mobileread, there is a treasure trove of interesting PD material to enjoy. I finally got around to reading more of the Chesterton Father Brown as an example. And I've discovered authors like Frank Froest, Hulbert Footner, Frederic Brown and Frederic Isham who wrote tons of credible, likable mystery tales which stand up well today.

It's not mentioned here much, but ebooks -- in spite of all the controversy -- are generally cheaper (and often a LOT cheaper) than mass or trade paperbacks. At least, that is my direct experience in Canada. It is difficult to find any books under $10 (other than remainders for which the author gets paid $0 royalties) ... can you imagine Rex Stout at $22? That's the price here in bookstores where you have to be present to shop around, picking them off the shelf yourself. Most of Stout's ebook titles are around $8 mark, some less, some a little more AND they are always in stock and ready for instant purchase and read. It's true you can buy most of these as pbooks at a discount going online to amazon or chapters ... but compared to bricks and mortar, ebooks are a tremendous savings.

And this is without consideration of another benefit: books I simply can't buy in a store which I can buy as an ebook. Gary Ponzo's Touch of Deceit (see: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...71&postcount=1) is a good example.

Nope, ebooks aren't dangerous but they are certainly a pleasure AND a net savings on the pocketbook, too.

08-29-2010, 06:32 PM	#9
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	Hmmm, I'm note sure about ebooks being dangerous, but I amd certainly enjoying reading on an eink device.I bought a Kindle 2 on Nov 20, 2009 and haven't looked back. I have read about 50 books so far -- which is about 49 more books than I've read every year for the past couple of decades. Before the ereader, I read a lot -- just not books. The real gift is the rediscovery of my love of reading and fiction in particular. I was somewhat voracious in my teens but I lost track somewhere along the line. Between music, tv, movies and other past-times/hobbies, reading books fell off activity list. And places like Gutenberg, Manybooks, Munseys and the 3rd but not least of the "m"s Mobileread, there is a treasure trove of interesting PD material to enjoy. I finally got around to reading more of the Chesterton Father Brown as an example. And I've discovered authors like Frank Froest, Hulbert Footner, Frederic Brown and Frederic Isham who wrote tons of credible, likable mystery tales which stand up well today. It's not mentioned here much, but ebooks -- in spite of all the controversy -- are generally cheaper (and often a LOT cheaper) than mass or trade paperbacks. At least, that is my direct experience in Canada. It is difficult to find any books under $10 (other than remainders for which the author gets paid $0 royalties) ... can you imagine Rex Stout at $22? That's the price here in bookstores where you have to be present to shop around, picking them off the shelf yourself. Most of Stout's ebook titles are around $8 mark, some less, some a little more AND they are always in stock and ready for instant purchase and read. It's true you can buy most of these as pbooks at a discount going online to amazon or chapters ... but compared to bricks and mortar, ebooks are a tremendous savings. And this is without consideration of another benefit: books I simply can't buy in a store which I can buy as an ebook. Gary Ponzo's Touch of Deceit (see: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...71&postcount=1) is a good example. Nope, ebooks aren't dangerous but they are certainly a pleasure AND a net savings on the pocketbook, too.