More Readers Picking Up Electronic Books

[mdibella]

Originally Posted by lovebeta

To all my fellow Kindle owners: I hope you don't hate your kindle now since Oprah recommended Kindle as well.

Frankly, I really don't understand the feelings shared in this thread.

I stay away from Oprah's recommendations because they are invariably depressing as heck! It has nothing to do with how I feel about Oprah herself, it's that I think her taste in reading sucks bilgewater.

It is a mystery to me why anyone would spend good money for reading material that will spoil their day. If I want to cry, I can do that for free....


And yes, I have and LOVE my Kindle.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by mdibella

It is a mystery to me why anyone would spend good money for reading material that will spoil their day. If I want to cry, I can do that for free....

Oh, I've read books that spoiled my day... Just because they didn't continue! How often have I wondered why there wasn't a sequel, because I couldn't say goodbye to the characters... That's probably why I mostly read at night, not a lot of day left to spoil (only a few sleepless nights )


What I don't understand is, how people can buy books just because one person says he/she likes it. When I went to a bookstore, I'd first check out books people said were good, read the cover, read the first page, turn it around in my hand, looked how thick it was, how small the print (generally, thicker = better, smaller print = better). And mostly, put it away and buy a book by some auther I'd never heard off.

But then, that has been ages ago, I've been reading electronic books (on my PDA) for years now.

[vivaldirules]

The NYTimes today has posted a few letters they've received in response to their Dec. 24 article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/opinion/l30ebook.html (requires free registration to view). One of the letters, which I'll post without comment, caught my attention:

"One of the reasons collectors like me buy “traditional” books is to add them to our libraries, to include them in a tribute to the craft of writing. However, if we look at the books we can buy today, we find precious few we would be proud to display. Most of the books out there today are so transitory they hardly deserve the paper they are printed on.

That means that for me, and I suspect for other collectors as well, the Kindle, which I own, and its cousins are perfect for today’s disposable literature."

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

That means that for me, and I suspect for other collectors as well, the Kindle, which I own, and its cousins are perfect for today’s disposable literature."

<blustering, face-puffing, rapid blinking and indignant noises>

...okay, so it's another reader who's hung up on showing off his collection of dead trees and animal skins to others. To each his own. I can show off a collection of files on a hard drive just as easily.

[vivaldirules]

Hey, don't take it personally, Steve. There are 400 billion books published - each day. He just hasn't found yours, yet.

Frankly, I rather object to his comment. I love it that there are 400 billion books published daily. Yes, the vast majority are trash (at least to me), in my opinion, but there are plenty of real gems in there if you can find them.

Ooops. I said I wasn't going to comment.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

Hey, don't take it personally, Steve. There are 400 billion books published - each day. He just hasn't found yours, yet.

No big. Besides, I wouldn't exactly compare my books with Lawrence of Arabia, either.

Personally, though, it seems kinda funny to me when people seem more concerned about having an impressive physical display of books than they seem to be about reading a story they like...

[Alisa]

I don't think I'd put it quite the same way as he did, but one of the reasons I do enjoy having the Kindle is I find very few books that I really want to own and read again. I'd rather have those few books standing alone than the room full of overflowing book shelves I currently have. I will only read most books I bought once, even books I thoroughly enjoyed. I wouldn't go so far as to call them "disposable", though. Their form may be but not the ideas, inspiration and work. Besides, I'm less likely to dispose of my ebooks than I am of the mass of paper books that clutter up my house. They may be more easily destroyed but they're also easier to keep.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Speaking of displays: I'll tell you something that impresses me. Whenever I visit someone's house and see a cabinet's worth of music albums replaced by an iPod, a stand, and a set of speakers. There's something to be said for being compact!

[Alisa]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Speaking of displays: I'll tell you something that impresses me. Whenever I visit someone's house and see a cabinet's worth of music albums replaced by an iPod, a stand, and a set of speakers. There's something to be said for being compact!

It amazes me when I think of how much space it used to take to store my music collection or DH's movies. I'm the same way with movies as with books. I rarely watch a movie more than once. DH rewatches and rereads. I'm an anti-clutter freak and he's almost a bit of a pack rat. This has necessitated many compromises from both of us. I've been through albums, cassettes and CDs. He's been through VHS and DVD. We're now down to a few binders of discs and everything else is a digital file. Shelves and shelves of clutter is reduced down to a couple square feet. Most of my recent music has been downloaded with no media at all. We can see video going the same way as broadband becomes more accessible. I would love to get rid of all those books, too, and reclaim the space for living.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I agree: The best thing about digital media is the ability to reclaim valuable physical space. And this is more important to some than others... those in small apartments, for example, see the value in that more than the average American in a 3000 square foot house.

I've been paring back on storage space devoted to books and magazines for years, as I've added books and magazines to the collection. The more I can convert to digital files, the better for me (and my cluttered house!).

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

I agree: The best thing about digital media is the ability to reclaim valuable physical space. And this is more important to some than others... those in small apartments, for example, see the value in that more than the average American in a 3000 square foot house.

The reason why we bought a house in 2000 was because we didn't have room for more books anymore... And in our new house, I plan to make a reading corner (comfortable couches, probably two hammocks) to retreat to if I want to read without being disturbed

[DebT]

For me it was all about the real estate...my life took a drastic turn and is requiring a serious move and downsize. I love pbooks...the smell the feel the look and most of all the stories and/or information. But in the adjustment of real estate and desire to keep the stories I love to read it pretty much required an ereader. It has saved my sanity. Now I just have to prioritize which pbooks stay and which go to the local library.
Happy Reading

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by DebT

For me it was all about the real estate...my life took a drastic turn and is requiring a serious move and downsize. I love pbooks...the smell the feel the look and most of all the stories and/or information. But in the adjustment of real estate and desire to keep the stories I love to read it pretty much required an ereader. It has saved my sanity. Now I just have to prioritize which pbooks stay and which go to the local library.
Happy Reading

I'm moving, so pretty much all of my pbooks are getting donated for the library booksale. All I care about are my old collectible books

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

The reason why we bought a house in 2000 was because we didn't have room for more books anymore... And in our new house, I plan to make a reading corner (comfortable couches, probably two hammocks) to retreat to if I want to read without being disturbed

If you bought a house solely and specifically to give you more space for books, you are indeed a rare individual. If, however, you were already planning to buy, and you chose a larger house than you otherwise needed to hold your books, that is not that uncommon.

I expect that, as time advances, fewer and fewer people worldwide will have the ability (or luxury) to buy larger living spaces for the storage of material possessions. Availability of resources will likely see to that. So enjoy your extra shelving space (while you can!).

[sandykayak]

[QUOTE=lilac_jive;312683]heh heh. 8 years of working in a bookstore didn't help me.

<<Ridiculous Goal:
Attempt to read a majority of the books in the book 1001 Books to Read Before You Die>>

newbie here...kindle connected last week yet i have still bought books on amazon and even one that is less demanding than yours at costco:
"501 Must-Read Books" for just under $11 for the hardback. Has a page of info and, usually, photo of cover or author, for each book.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...ust-read+books

sandy in miami