Is it Lord of the Rings, or because it's paper?

[joblack]

Lord of the Rings is hard stuff anyways. On paper or eink Display.

[ZodWallop]

Yesterday my mother-in-law brought me a newspaper article about an opera I'm going to see later this month (Nixon in China). It was a nice feeling reading from those big, crinkly sheets of newspaper. But then I also noticed that I was paying as much attention to the medium as to the message.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by joblack

Lord of the Rings is hard stuff anyways. On paper or eink Display.

Not for me... Reading Homer, or even Victorian writers and understanding all the references from way back then, that's hard.

[graycyn]

Originally Posted by theducks

I usuall discover subtle things (character interactions, details) I missed the first time

This! First read, I get too excited about wanting to know what's going to happen, later reads, I get to chill, focus on great sentences, word use or character nuances I missed previously.



Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[frahse]

Originally Posted by joblack

Lord of the Rings is hard stuff anyways. On paper or eink Display.

Nothing is hard when you love it.

I have literally climbed mountains, swam and canoed rivers, and trekked long distances and only wish I had the "knees" to do it all again.

But back to J.R.R. Tolkien. He is a God among writers!

[faltradl]

I do not understand where is the problem, which must be discussed. Some books are more arduous to read. Some prefer them as ebooks ande some as printed books.

And don't forget, nobody must read a specific number of pages a time. Reading LotR is not competitive sport. You shall do it only for fun.

P.S.
I'm a fan of LotR too. But I read it only when I'm in the mood to do it. And I'm using only printed books because I bougth them long time before I had an ebookreader. There is no necessity to buy them twice.

[Hellmark]

The lack of distractions is precisely why I read with an ebook reader instead of a Tablet. With a tablet or smartphone, you get notifications popping up, and it is also entirely too tempting to pull a browser up to check random thoughts, or research something you just saw in the book, and end up distracted.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

The lack of distractions is precisely why I read with an ebook reader instead of a Tablet. With a tablet or smartphone, you get notifications popping up, and it is also entirely too tempting to pull a browser up to check random thoughts, or research something you just saw in the book, and end up distracted.

That doesn't happen to me. If I can ignore a phone ringing beside me (or in my pocket), I can surely ignore an email/twitter notification.

I'm sure there's some people who could be easily distracted when reading on a tablet/phone, but it's certainly not a universal thing. My guess is that some people are just more easily distracted than others in general. And even those people who ARE that easily distracted can turn off their wifi, or put their phone on do-not-disturb.

I'm not saying anyone should love reading on a tablet or anything; I just don't think the whole "distraction" argument against it is all that relevant. Easily distracted people are easily distracted--regardless of the scenario. *shrug*

[Katsunami]

Maybe reading a few chapters in LotR was good to get into reading again. I've read on the KA1 without problems for some time now. I've decided to read two books at once, something which I'd normally not do: Lord of the Rings when at home, and something on the KA1 when underway.

Maybe this "I want to read something else" and lack of concentration is just a LotR/Middle Earth itch wanting to be scratched, because its 'that time of year' (December/Januari). Last time I read it was in 2013/2014; the reason why I didn't reread it earlier was because I've resolved to reread less; there's too much stuff I haven't read yet.

[ElspethB]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Maybe this "I want to read something else" and lack of concentration is just a LotR/Middle Earth itch wanting to be scratched, because its 'that time of year' (December/Januari).

Interesting. I have reread LotR many times, but I always feel the urge to do so in late September or early October since Frodo and his friends set off on their journey after his birthday (September 22).

[the.Mtn.Man]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I can imagine that if I swap the huge LotR hardcover for something like this huge version of Sherlock Holmes, I would still be able to read without distraction.

That is very similar to the Sherlock Holmes complete edition that I purchased many, many years ago and which I greatly enjoyed, but my Kobo Aura is considerably more convenient, and the stories are just as vivid and entertaining as when I first read them on paper.

But to address the topic of the thread, it really depends on my mood. There are times I read ravenously, and times when I'm more sedate. It makes no difference if it's a physical book or my e-reader, although these days it's pretty much my Kobo exclusively just because of the convenience. As someone once said, an e-reader will never be as impressive as a shelf full of books, which is probably true, but I can't fit a shelf full of books in my pocket.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Not for me... Reading Homer, or even Victorian writers and understanding all the references from way back then, that's hard.

Or in Shakespeare as well. Some terms and words are no longer in use so you need a glossary to get the full benefit of what is being said.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Maybe reading a few chapters in LotR was good to get into reading again. I've read on the KA1 without problems for some time now. I've decided to read two books at once, something which I'd normally not do: Lord of the Rings when at home, and something on the KA1 when underway.

Maybe this "I want to read something else" and lack of concentration is just a LotR/Middle Earth itch wanting to be scratched, because its 'that time of year' (December/Januari). Last time I read it was in 2013/2014; the reason why I didn't reread it earlier was because I've resolved to reread less; there's too much stuff I haven't read yet.

I've done that. Reading two books at once I mean. Sometimes a given book will catch my interest on one day and another day (while still reading it) it doesn't catch my interest so I'll pick up a 2nd book and read that for a bit. Then later I go back to the first book again and vice versa.

[Freeshadow]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Maybe the fact that a friend of mine recommended LotR to me as my first fantasy book was actually bad.

Nope.
I remember you advocating the development of good taste in regards to foods.
I don't see how the very same behaviour applied to art should be wrong.
The only thing can happen to you is a fine tuned crap sensor and hype immunity.
Same with games. Face it. Today's generations of players ARE mostly lazier, unwilling to read a complex manual, take notes, plan their actions, draw a map, etc. They want instant and simple fast food games.
Prettier but much dumber (simplified) than "ours".
I already heard several times that none of the follow ups beats HOMM3.
Good point & click adventures? Do today's players have the patience to look for the solution of a single puzzle for DAYS? NO. The manuals of the "Tunguska" series states "Don't complain about insufficient game length if using in game help excessively." I've over 30 entries in my ScummVM installation. I know the "old adventures" quite well.
It shows quite well in PC games development and horrifyingly clear in consoles.
How many (PC) space flight sims with realistic zero G behaviour do you know?
Or, what do you think how many permadeath RPGs for Nintendo DS are there?
Or old school dungeon crawlers?

Maybe I'm just old and stuck already.

Nah. That's how the spoiled youngsters call it.

[Katsunami]

I see where you're coming from.

What I meant was that I started to read fantasy and play RPG's by reading/playing the best: LotR, and Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 (at the time). That, together with the nostalgia and the sheer number of hours I spent on these books and games, make it very hard for other stuff to compare to it.