What do you read on your ebook device?

[Indigo Ink]

Note: I have changed the title of the post making it directly relevant to the poll. The Original title of the post was: Too many questions - How about a few more polls

Ok so I was wondering there have been two recent polls on the age of the people reading ebooks and their educational level. Both were very interesting and informative. I am curious about at least two more profile related issues of people who read ebooks especially on standalone readers.

1. Are most people reading fiction or non-fiction? This is actually related to another issues which is the ebook reader mainly an entertainment device or does it relate to work as well which is to say how many readers have bought the readers only for office/college/work-related purposes?
2. Now I have a feeling that most people use ebook readers for recreation (I could be wrong!). But if I am right then I would like to know how many hours, on an average, does one read in a week? Which is closely linked to the issue what you do for a living? Is reading part of your work profile in a direct or indirect way?

I find myself increasing reading less for pleasure and more for my research work, which no doubt I enjoy, but its very different from curling up in bed and reading – I guess you know what I mean.

Ok so even if these are not really a "poll worthy" questions. I would still like to know what you guys think.

[MickeyC]

Those are interesting questions, Indigo and I think they would make an interesting poll.

Personally, I use my ebook device mostly for leisure reading. I read mostly fiction (trashy detective novels being my favorite) but also quite a bit of non-fiction, mainly science and related books for pleasure.

I do have a couple of reference books on my reader related to software and database design but find physical books a lot more useful for that sort of thing. It's a lot easier to scan a print book looking for a specific topic or item.

Truth is I think most Forum members would tell you they enjoy print books just as much or more than ebooks but the convenience and great accessibility the ebook reader gives you trumps print books.

[zelda_pinwheel]

i think those are interesting questions as well, so here are my answers. just so you know, if i've understood correctly you can add a poll to your post after the fact, if you want people to vote. although good luck coming up with an exhaustive set of answers here !! you may want to see if the option "other (specify)" is available .

i read mostly fiction, like cassidym i love detective novels (although, *some* of them can be quite classy ), also old classics like Jane Austen and Molière and others. i read some non-fiction as well (i just bought the Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester, about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary) but mainly for pleasure, although i have added some reference books about css and different ebook-formatting specs to my library as well. and i also continue to read paper books (from the library) when i cannot find what i want in ebooks (the early Inspector Rebus novels by Ian Rankin) or when it is too expensive (L'élégance du hérisson by Muriel Barbéry, 20€ for paper, 19€ for ebook... free at my local library. but annoyingly heavy and unwieldy, as it is a quite large paperback and since i just started it all the weight is on one side).

i spend usually about an hour reading before i go to sleep at night (unless i go to bed at 3 in the morning, in which case i read for only maybe 15 minutes), and sometimes i read in the afternoon as well if i have time. i have never really counted but i probably spend between 7 and 20 hours reading per week.

it is true i do a fair amount of reading for my work (i am a graphic artist / webdesigner) in order to learn new techniques, keep up with evolving technology, and solve problems, however i do most of that reading on the computer (it's usually articles on design or technical sites or forums).

[MickeyC]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i think those are interesting questions as well, so here are my answers. just so you know, if i've understood correctly you can add a poll to your post after the fact, if you want people to vote. although good luck coming up with an exhaustive set of answers here !! you may want to see if the option "other (specify)" is available .

i read mostly fiction, like cassidym i love detective novels (although, *some* of them can be quite classy ), also old classics like Jane Austen and Molière and others. i read some non-fiction as well (i just bought the Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester, about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary) but mainly for pleasure, although i have added some reference books about css and different ebook-formatting specs to my library as well. and i also continue to read paper books (from the library) when i cannot find what i want in ebooks (the early Inspector Rebus novels by Ian Rankin) or when it is too expensive (L'élégance du hérisson by Muriel Barbéry, 20€ for paper, 19€ for ebook... free at my local library. but annoyingly heavy and unwieldy, as it is a quite large paperback and since i just started it all the weight is on one side).

i spend usually about an hour reading before i go to sleep at night (unless i go to bed at 3 in the morning, in which case i read for only maybe 15 minutes), and sometimes i read in the afternoon as well if i have time. i have never really counted but i probably spend between 7 and 20 hours reading per week.

it is true i do a fair amount of reading for my work (i am a graphic artist / webdesigner) in order to learn new techniques, keep up with evolving technology, and solve problems, however i do most of that reading on the computer (it's usually articles on design or technical sites or

Zelda, you have a very interesting read in front of you with The Professor and the Madman. I read that several years ago and found it hard to put down.

BTW, still searching for, but so far unsuccessful in finding, Asimov's mysteries in ebook format.

[vivaldirules]

Hello, Indigo Ink. When I bought by Reader 9 months ago, I was anxious to do all of my reading (technical and leisure) on it. I still have several work-related documents on it (I'm a chemist) and I also have many math papers on it (a rather geeky recreational activity for me). But the difficulties with quickly getting to another section of the book, the inability to do searches, the problems with seeing high res color graphics, etc. often make this pretty impractical. If it's mostly text and my intent is to just read a document from start to finish, then my Reader works great. But even then, I want to scribble in the margins and mark things up or at least make notes in a separate document and that, of course, is impossible for me so I carry my Reader in a case with pencil and paper.

[mores]

I don't have a dedicated ebook reader, i use Mobipocket on a symbian smartphone.

1) only fiction
2) only recreation.
There have been instances when I transfered some text to my pda that I needed for work, but that has happened like 3 times in the last 5 years.

I do take notes on the p1i, though, so as a whole, the device, for me, needs input capabilities so I can jot down things, during meetings or when I just want to get away from post-it notes.

[NatCh]

Mostly fiction for me, but I also have a copy of The Bible on mine, and do my reading from that on it as well. Really cuts down on the bulk, and it's fine for straight reading, but it's totally hopeless for any sort of complicated study, given how hard it is to navigate anything much more than next/last page.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by cassidym

Zelda, you have a very interesting read in front of you with The Professor and the Madman. I read that several years ago and found it hard to put down.

yes, i'm looking forward to it. i just have to finish all these other books i'm reading, and return them to the library.

BTW, still searching for, but so far unsuccessful in finding, Asimov's mysteries in ebook format.

i'm still looking too, but i don't know if we'll ever find them... maybe someone should write to his editors and remind them that he wrote more than Foundation and I, Robot...

[Indigo Ink]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i think those are interesting questions as well, so here are my answers. just so you know, if i've understood correctly you can add a poll to your post after the fact, if you want people to vote. although good luck coming up with an exhaustive set of answers here !! you may want to see if the option "other (specify)" is available .

Good to know that you guys are also interested in these questions,
So how can I add a poll?

[Elsi]

Originally Posted by Indigo Ink

1. Are most people reading fiction or non-fiction? This is actually related to another issues which is the ebook reader mainly an entertainment device or does it relate to work as well which is to say how many readers have bought the readers only for office/college/work-related purposes?

Almost entirely fiction. My Kindle was purchased for entertainment. So far (roughly 60 days), I've read 12 novels on the Kindle. Half of these were purchased from online sellers and the other half were free downloads. In that same time, I've read 13 paper books and listened to one unabridged audio book.

• January - 12 books, 4884 pages
• February - 8 books, 3200 pages
• March - 13 books, 4028 pages
• April (to date) - 9 books, 3075 pages

Originally Posted by Indigo Ink

2. Now I have a feeling that most people use ebook readers for recreation (I could be wrong!). But if I am right then I would like to know how many hours, on an average, does one read in a week? Which is closely linked to the issue what you do for a living? Is reading part of your work profile in a direct or indirect way?

How many hours a day that I read really depends on whether I am traveling or not. Tomorrow, for example, I am flying to Cleveland. I will read for about an hour in the car on the way to the airport; probably another hour in the airport waiting area; then 2 hours enroute. Other than reading for approximately an hour each evening before bed, I won't do any serious recreational reading until Thursday when I leave Cleveland for Virginia. In my job as an IT Specialist, I must read -- e-mail, documentation, etc. -- but I don't call that "reading" if you get my gist. Work-related reading is mostly online (web sites, fora, documentation), though I do have some PDF files downloaded to my laptop for offline reference. The PDF files that I have are large (300+ pages) and formatted for standard US paper. I rarely read straight through these files; rather, I research within them, reading snippets. I can't see myself putting them onto the Kindle.

[Taylor514ce]

My overall reading tends to be:

Constant diet: non-fiction. Memoirs. Very heavy slant toward science topics, linguistics, history, and poetry criticism. Books like The Professor and the Madman, Genius, Chaos, The Code Book, etc.

Intense Spurts lasting 2-3 months: SF. I am disgusted by 9/10ths of it (I should add all of S.M. Stirling's stuff, which I did read, to the "books I hate" thread). But I do manage now and then to make a "discovery" and find an author I like, like a William Gibson or Neal Stephenson.

Amorphous seasoning to the steady non-fiction diet: Historical Fiction and Alternative History Fiction. Jack Whyte's Camulod series, The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth. 1945 (What if Japan didn't surrender?)

I'm extremely disappointed, as I knew I would be, in finding stuff I want to read in ebook format. My ebook reader reading has been classics, and the TOR reads, none of which I've been able to force myself to complete.

I travel a LOT, a real "road warrior" type, so read constantly in airports, airplanes, hotels, taxis, trains. At home, I read like others watch TV, meaning, when I'm not doing anything else and want to relax.

[astra]

99% fiction - fantasy and on a very very rare occasion sci-fi.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Indigo Ink

Good to know that you guys are also interested in these questions,
So how can I add a poll?

i'm not sure, as i've never made a poll, but i think i remember reading somewhere that if you click "edit" on your first post, then click on "go advanced" there should be an option somewhere to add a poll.

if that doesn't work i'm sure someone who actually has already made a poll can tell you. (hint, hint...)

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i'm not sure, as i've never made a poll, but i think i remember reading somewhere that if you click "edit" on your first post, then click on "go advanced" there should be an option somewhere to add a poll.

if that doesn't work i'm sure someone who actually has already made a poll can tell you. (hint, hint...)

At the top of the thread is a menu with Thread tools. The menu has an entry for making a poll.

Dale

[Taylor514ce]

I cannot believe no one has taken advantage of such an obvious straight line as "Intense spurts lasting 2-3 months". Have I taught you people NOTHING?