I appreciate my ereader all over again

[elemenoP]

A long story, bear with me please...

My dear husband knows I love Murakami so he got me 1Q84 for Christmas. He did not know that I already have it on my ereader, and I didn't tell him. So that he wouldn't find out, I had to read the darn thing in the big heavy hardcover (it's 920 longer-than-normal pages).

Well I fell in love with this big book (and not just the story). I appreciated the heft of it, Chip Kidd's beautiful design, the wacky floating page numbers on the side, the elegant typeface. The whole experience of reading a nice fat hardcover. Maybe the bloom is off the rose of my ereader, I thought, and I will start reading more "real" books. (Plus let's face it, the golden age of library ebooks is also fading...)

And then I got sick. I had swollen glands, body aches, chills, etc. I had to rest but every way I turned in bed, I could not get comfortable, let alone lie in bed and try to hold up a giant book. I just couldn't do it. I had a lot of doctor's appointments and I didn't want to carry the heavy thing with me. Then I got a rash on my face (you don't want to know) and it was uncomfortable to wear my glasses.

So I switched to the ereader, and it was much more comfortable for me. I could hold it in bed much more easily, and I could boost the font size and read without glasses. I really see how fantastic an ereader can be for people with disabilities. Maybe when I get really old I will reach a point where it's got to be on the ereader, or I won't read it. But until then, I will enjoy both ebooks and pbooks for their respective merits.

And I will also enjoy putting the big fat 1Q84 hardcover in some prominent place on my bookshelf when I'm done with it, so that everyone can see what a SERIOUS reader I am. If I ever finish the darn thing.

eP

[CJJ]

My Dad's 90 and loves his for many of the same reasons you state.
I love libraries, old book stores and have pretty much recreated those environments in my house. But for reading I prefer using the device. It's less fatiguing and I've never read faster. I've even gone so far as to lay my favorite hard cover on the nightstand while I read the same book on my ereader. Thankfully my wife hasn't made the connection. She is a therapist after all and would probably be even more concerned than usual as to my sanity.

[soulfuldog]

Nice story.

I read a book someone had bought me for my birthday recently and was alarmed at how much work I found it to hold a book open and to turn pages with one hand while reading in bed..... It was a great book, but was I glad to get back to reading on my Kindle or what.

That sounds pathetically lazy.

I'm not even 40 yet so can't use age as an excuse.

[CommonReader]

1Q84 was actually the first book I read on an ebook-reader back in September 2010 (the German translation of Vol. I and II was already available back then). I really appreciated being able to read that massive book one handed while standing in the subway car and it really won me over for ebooks.

[Quexos]

A nice story defending both e-books and print books.
I love my e-reader too but I still enjoy going to the bookstore and looking at the nice covers, colors, types of paper, even the smell of the books.

I came to realize (not just now) that I don't really want print books to go away. I hope both formats can coexist together.

[Pomtroll]

I love my reader, but I do love the covers on the paper books. I still go to the book store & browse. ...and still will buy a book with a cover I particularly like.

[elemenoP]

Originally Posted by CJJ

I've even gone so far as to lay my favorite hard cover on the nightstand while I read the same book on my ereader. .

That's so cute! I do use the cover of the book I'm reading as the screensaver (it's a manual process on my reader -- I wish it were automatic). When I figured out how to do this it did make my ereader feel much more "book-like."

eP

[RainingLemur]

Originally Posted by CJJ

I've even gone so far as to lay my favorite hard cover on the nightstand while I read the same book on my ereader..

I'm glad I'm not the only person who has done this. When I re-purchase a book I already own in e-format, I read it. The ladywife has confronted me a few times "Don't you already have that one?" "Uh.... Yeah?" "Why'd you buy it again?" "Why'd you get another pair of black shoes that look just like *other pair*?" "Nevermind."

*Turns page*

[MichelleR]

What a sweet story. Well, not the swollen glands part, but your husband knowing what you like, and your choice to not tell him exactly how spot-on he was.

[AgentOrange]

I can definitely appreciate the value of both formats. I love how I can carry my books with me on my iPod, but also enjoy the texture and smell of a real book. Now if only the real book could sync bookmarks with my ebook copy.

[Fozzybear]

Originally Posted by AgentOrange

Now if only the real book could sync bookmarks with my ebook copy.

That would be quite a feat!

[cromag]

Actually, I love reading. My JBL makes that a lot easier -- page turns, font sizes, etc., ... and the "reading window" (text on the screen) keeps me from getting distracted by what's on the other page. The convenience is also big. I've had to drive my Dad to a couple doctors' offices for some procedures. My Mom, who no longer drives, was searching for a newspaper or something for me to read while I was waiting -- I told her I have about 500 books out in the minivan!

Still, I routinely haunt my favorite used book store. And if I can get a book cheaper on paper than as an ebook, well the cheap one wins every time.

[AJ Starr]

Could someone enlighten me what 1Q84 is?



Edit: Nevermind, I looked it up.

[spindlegirl]

1Q84

I am looking forward to reading it, myself. It sounds good.

[rdfry]

It is a strange but interesting book.