Your Preferred Start Location

[issybird]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I am soooo glad I cured myself of the need to edit every ebook I buy before reading it.

I don't have your editing chops, but, yeah. I used to waste way too much good reading time curating my Calibre library. I don't even have Calibre on my current computer. I prefer eink, so I buy from Kobo when possible; when I buy from Amazon I read on my Fire Tablet. Life is so much easier.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I agree with you re: the intros. Back in high school I was spoiled for the outcome of a classic book - I was new to such things and didn't know they often contained spoilers. I find it often works better for me to read any introductory material after I've finished the main book.

Yes, exactly! Most forewords are really spoilery afterwords. Even for classics. Everyone has to read a classic for the first time before they can re-read it.

If you have access to an Overdrive library, they usually have substantial samples of the main content.

Thanks, I'll look into that because this happens to me too often.

[gmw]

I start with the cover and work my way through to the story. It's ritual I developed way back when, and I've not felt the need to change just because I'm now using an ereader.

Originally Posted by gmw

I start with the cover and work my way through to the story. It's ritual I developed way back when, and I've not felt the need to change just because I'm now using an ereader.

+1

I got into using e-readers when my motor skills started declining. Now that paper books are a last resort, I like to keep something of the tradition alive, at least.

[GeoffR]

I prefer to start with the cover, and at least glance at the frontmatter before I start reading. I also like to know the year the book was first published before I start reading, which is usually on the copyright page.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

Yes, exactly! Most forewords are really spoilery afterwords. Even for classics. Everyone has to read a classic for the first time before they can re-read it.



Thanks, I'll look into that because this happens to me too often.

Another to try is a Google Books search (not the same thing as the Google Play bookstore) - many books have previews.

address for Google Books is https://books.google.com/

[library addict]

I like to start at the cover. It's easy to page through the also by, copyright, etc. And I like to read the dedication page, acknowledgements, etc.

Automatically starting at chapter 1 is irksome to me especially when it skips the prologue (if there is one).

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by issybird

I don't have your editing chops, but, yeah. I used to waste way too much good reading time curating my Calibre library. I don't even have Calibre on my current computer. I prefer eink, so I buy from Kobo when possible; when I buy from Amazon I read on my Fire Tablet. Life is so much easier.

To each his own. I enjoy fiddling with my library and books almost as much as I enjoy reading. So what if I have less reading time because of that? I don't feel the need to read every free minute I get. Sometimes I enjoy watching Netflix instead, or playing with my cats, or managing my library. And sometimes I enjoy reading. It really depends on my mood.

I used to read all the time when I was younger, often 8-10 hours straight. But there were few other entertainments at the time. Now I pretty often find I'm not in the mood for reading at all, but, say, in the mood for tinkering.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

...they usually only give you a short excerpt to preview. All too often, this preview begins with the introduction of a book and so the actual preview of the main content is cut, and often the introduction is so long that the entire preview is of introductory materials. It's really ridiculous.

The Ender's Game preview at Amazon is like that. The preview is over before you even get out of the introduction.

[ElspethB]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

To each his own. I enjoy fiddling with my library and books almost as much as I enjoy reading. So what if I have less reading time because of that? I don't feel the need to read every free minute I get. Sometimes I enjoy watching Netflix instead, or playing with my cats, or managing my library. And sometimes I enjoy reading. It really depends on my mood.

Me, too, Sirtel. I really like organizing my Calibre library and editing my ebooks to my preferred style. You're not alone!

[NickyWithNook]

I guess I don't care. I start reading wherever it opens when I click on the book icon.

[Xanthe]

I've been reading on the Kindle/Kindle app recently and it always opens at the beginning of the story, which I find annoying. I always go back to the cover and start from there. I like to look at its design/artwork. I also like to read the publishing info and any acknowledgements and check out the Table of Contents if there is one, to see if there are any appendices that have information that I could use before I actually read the book.

[sakura-panda]

Not only do I prefer to start with the cover, I would also love if the cover was the lock screen when I open my device. My Sony -- my last e-ink before switching to iPad for my reading device -- did that.

Currently, opening my cover turns on the iPad on the page where I left off (if I didn't close the app before closing the cover) and I wish it instead opened to the book cover and swiping returned me to the page I last read.

If I back out of the book, and go to the home page, then I can select the book's cover there, and I get a brief flash of it full size as the book opens, but I would prefer to see it every time I go into the book, no matter how I left off.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

To each his own. I enjoy fiddling with my library and books almost as much as I enjoy reading. So what if I have less reading time because of that? I don't feel the need to read every free minute I get. Sometimes I enjoy watching Netflix instead, or playing with my cats, or managing my library. And sometimes I enjoy reading. It really depends on my mood.

Exactly! I have to have something to occupy my time while the better half is watching RuPaul's Drag Race. I don't want to go to a different room and can't exactly play a loud computer game or read. But messing around with my Calibre library or checking book formatting in Sigil is a nice enough diversion for me.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by sakura-panda

Not only do I prefer to start with the cover, I would also love if the cover was the lock screen when I open my device. My Sony -- my last e-ink before switching to iPad for my reading device -- did that.

Kobos show the cover as the sleep screen. I do like that and miss it when I use my Nook.