Nellie Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 It doesn't make the Kindle or any other similar device a bad thing. It just makes it a thing with limitations. Limitations, or just different opportunities? I download e-books from my library's website, so I am still using my library, just as I do for real books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Collector Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 Limitations, or just different opportunities? I download e-books from my library's website, so I am still using my library, just as I do for real books. I think that we're violently agreeing here. After all the ability to carry what is basically a small library around on something that weighs a few hundered grams is possibly going to change the way that we read. After all, if you're waiting for a bus for 10 minutes you can dip into any book that you have on the device for that time - of course that could open up a whole new thread on 'sound-byte' reading or even flash fiction - but I don't intend to go there. On the other side of it, the idea of curling up in bed with a good Kindle sounds , on the face of it , a little......how shall we put it... different ,to curling up in bed with a good book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunababymoonchild Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 I think that my biggest problem with ebooks is what's currently available. For example, as already mentioned my current read Lonesome Dove isn't available on Kindle and neither is anything (anything at all, mind you) by Graham Greene. It's a waste of my time, not to mention my money, to invest in an ebook reader and then end up buying paper books because that's what I want to read. Nor am I about to be restricted to the ebooks that are available. According to Amazon, on the 27th of this month there will be some 400,000 ebooks available for download to Kindle. I'll wait and see what's available before I commit to it, 400,000 books sounds a lot but if they don't include authors like Graham Greene - and let's face GG is not an obscure/out of print/difficult to get author - then it's 400,000 books of practically nothing, imho. I do like my trash/pulp fiction but I don't need £150 worth of ereader to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 I think that we're violently agreeing here. Nice phrase! flash fiction Even better phrase! . On the other side of it, the idea of curling up in bed with a good Kindle sounds , on the face of it , a little......how shall we put it... different ,to curling up in bed with a good book. Nicely put. I agree. My e-reader comes out and about with me, but my paper books don't tend to travel, mainly because I worry about them being damaged. Now I come to think about it, thats a bit odd that I would worry less about by expensive gadget being stolen or damaged than I would about a paperback book I spend £7.99 on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 I think that my biggest problem with ebooks is what's currently available. This is a problem, no doubt. For me, I use my e-reader mainly for the classics as you can download them for free. I also have some technical books I use for work on it. It is really useful for that as some of those books are huge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minxminnie Posted August 7, 2010 Report Share Posted August 7, 2010 One thing which puts me off an e-reader is the fact that you can't see the progress you are making. Obviously you can check, but I like the tactile awareness that I'm getting closer to the end. I reckon this started with huge reading lists at uni - that instilled in me the need to get through a book and get on to the next one. One of my friends still checks to see how many pages are in a book before she starts. This is not a good thing, though. Maybe an e-reader would help me get over it. and the tyranny of Mount TBR would be so much less if it was all on one device. On the other hand, I reckon I would be afflicted by the same problem I have with my hard disc recorder. Ooh, that looks interesting, I say, and press the button to record it. Then my hard disc is clogged up with worthy films from BBC4 while I am watching Corrie and Mock the Week. I reckon I would do something similar with a Kindle. Somehow, a title on an electronic list doesn't entice in the way that an actual book does. That's just me, though. And as Nellie says, reading for practical purposes can be transformed. I've just realised that my pupils could carry around one e-reader with all their textbooks on it. And it would free me from the annual drudgery of collecting in / chasing up book returns and counting piles of books in the storeroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunababymoonchild Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 One thing which puts me off an e-reader is the fact that you can't see the progress you are making. Obviously you can check, but I like the tactile awareness that I'm getting closer to the end. I do this too MM, and I reckon that I'd miss it. This is not a good thing, though. Why? and the tyranny of Mount TBR would be so much less if it was all on one device.Well there would certainly be no dusting something off and realising it's been much longer than you thought before you got around to reading it. On the other hand, I reckon I would be afflicted by the same problem I have with my hard disc recorder. Ooh, that looks interesting, I say, and press the button to record it. Then my hard disc is clogged up with worthy films from BBC4 while I am watching Corrie and Mock the Week. I reckon I would do something similar with a Kindle. Somehow, a title on an electronic list doesn't entice in the way that an actual book does.I'm thinking the same thing, now that you come to mention it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East River Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 We live in a world of demand and supply so as long as people want paper books there will be a supply of them. I suspect this will be the case for a long time to come because so many people do prefer to read from paper. Supply and demand might at some point mean that because there are so many e-readers, some paper books become less/not profitable and no longer available or only available at much greater cost. At the moment what makes e-readers seem irrelevant to me is the opposite problem, that so many of the more specialised (mainly non-fiction) books I want to read don't seem to be electronically available. If and when they are e-versioned, with more specialised audiences, they might be the first to be at risk of not being available in physical book form. The consequences of e-books may be much more far-reaching than just a choice for the individual reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tagesmann Posted August 24, 2010 Report Share Posted August 24, 2010 Supply and demand might at some point mean that because there are so many e-readers, some paper books become less/not profitable and no longer available or only available at much greater cost. But books go out of print all the time. eBooks will presumably always be "in print." Then again if print-on-demand becomes popular then publishers won't need to invest in large print runs. I suppose the books will be more expensive and remainder book stores would suffer but making books available digitally might not restrict readers to just one format. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblington Posted August 24, 2010 Report Share Posted August 24, 2010 Just finished Oryx and Crake and there is reference in there to stores of books that are unread and computer games, files etc that are abandoned. So perhaps even e-books will be lost in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie_94 Posted August 27, 2010 Report Share Posted August 27, 2010 I'm exactly the same as the opening poster. I have an iPod, and love downloadable music, but I just cannot read a book from a screen or anything but paper. It defeats one of the main advantages of a book to me. I love being able to hold a book and read it and also, strangely, books smell amazing! Haha (Odd, I know). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tagesmann Posted August 28, 2010 Report Share Posted August 28, 2010 also, strangely, books smell amazing! Haha (Odd, I know).Not odd at all. I love the smell of a new book and I also like the musty smell of a really old book with its yellowing fragile pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supergopher Posted September 7, 2010 Report Share Posted September 7, 2010 I have a Sony e-Reader and I love it. Mine doesn't have screen flicker, so perhaps you saw a dodgy one Luna, or perhaps it's an eyesight thing. Anyway, I like it for lots of reasons. Firstly I have MS, so I can't always manage to hold a heavy or thick book, and also my eyesight can be a bit dodgy, so it's perfect for allowing me to read when otherwise I may not be able to. Secondly, when I travel it's great, lots of books, little space! The screen and e-ink is amazing, and I can easily loose myself in the prose just as I do in a paper book. Having said that, I do also love my paper books. I love to see them on the shelves, and select one to read. It's a bit like choosing chocolates from a big box! I especially love my Folio books, they are beautiful. I don't think it matters one way or the other what format your reading comes in, as long as you enjoy it. Other than the bit about the Folio books, as I don't have any of them I agree 100% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmknight Posted September 10, 2010 Report Share Posted September 10, 2010 I was a skeptic when the Kindle first came out. I didn't want to give up the feeling of holding the book in my hands or of browsing through bookstores. But I have to admit I love my Kindle. I am never without a book now. You can shop the Kindle store anytime and where I live almost anywhere. Also you can download a book in a matter of seconds. The funny thing about the Kindle is I kept thinking I had read a bunch of little books. Then one day I was in the bookstore and saw one of the books I had just finished and it was a behemoth. I had no idea. I guess I truly get lost in whatever I am reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haddock's Whisky Posted September 11, 2010 Report Share Posted September 11, 2010 I've ordered a Kindle (I know, shame on me ) but I think the positives outweigh the negatives. I'm still waiting for it to arrive, I guess Amazon is making it from bloody scratch, so I can't make an informed opinion on it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k8e Posted November 4, 2010 Report Share Posted November 4, 2010 I was always keen to keep 'real' books and quite anti any form of ebook or digital format. However, since developing problems with my eyes and arthritis in my hands I thought I would invest in the new kindle from Amazon. I have to say that I am a convert and now read far more than I ever used to before. I like the fact that I can change the text size and put great huge heavy books on there and be able to read them again. However, I have invested in a leather 'book type' cover, so I still feel like I am holding a light book, it just seemed too wierd, cuddled up on the sofa with a small computer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clark Peterston Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 Will e-books ever completely replace paperbacks, with the advent of kindle etc? I am just wondering as I am a traditionalist myself but I can see the tide turning towards electronic methods. Before you attempt to burn me at the stake, try and remember your views on vinyl (if you're old enough) when CDs came out. What's your views on this? Can you ever imagine yourself sitting by the pool in Magaluf with an electronic A4 slab, reading the works of Hemingway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 Welcome to BGO, Clark! We've had several threads concerned with e-books - I've merged your contribution to the debate with the most recent contemplating the print/electronic divide! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clark Peterston Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 No problem David. Thanks and sorry for not giving a full perusal before blabbing. I must admit, I haven't been merged for quite some time, and it must be said, I quite enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 As a techologist and book lover I picked up an eReader earlier this year, Sony's pocket version. I really didn't like it. I just can't get used to reading on it. I took a trip to Japan in the summer, and preferred to pack the luggage with several weighty tomes than take just the single slim reader... in fairness, one reason I really don't like it is I hate the Sony software to load books - such a pain - and a friend loves his Kindle, so I may revisit in a year or so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clark Peterston Posted December 6, 2010 Report Share Posted December 6, 2010 Like most technologies, they're never the best on their first iteration. I'm sure the same applies to e-readers. Give it a short amount of time and they'll probably be perfected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 Will e-books ever completely replace paperbacks, with the advent of kindle etc? I am just wondering as I am a traditionalist myself but I can see the tide turning towards electronic methods. Before you attempt to burn me at the stake, try and remember your views on vinyl (if you're old enough) when CDs came out. I remember thinking "perfect reproduction and never wearing out. Superb!" and bought a CD player when I was 16 (25 years ago!) with money saved from my summer job. I still have all my vinyl LPs and occasionally get one or two out to play as I find the sound "warmer". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tagesmann Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 one reason I really don't like it is I hate the Sony software to load books - such a pain - and a friend loves his Kindle, so I may revisit in a year or so...All of the people that I know who have Sony Readers (two actually) have ditched the Sony software and use Calibre instead. Most of the forums recommend this (free) application as well. It is compatible with most ebook readers including the Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted December 7, 2010 Report Share Posted December 7, 2010 All of the people that I know who have Sony Readers (two actually) have ditched the Sony software and use Calibre instead. Most of the forums recommend this (free) application as well. It is compatible with most ebook readers including the Kindle. Thanks for that. Have bookmarked the Calibre site and will take a look in the near future - I'll have to dig my eReader out now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonsuch Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 Obviously ebooks are here to stay, and for the foreseeable future so are printed books. One day both versions might have only antiquarian interest, but for now we'll stick with both, each having its supporters. To suggest scrapping ebooks is a ludicrous notion, for more and more people are using them ('going over to them' even). You might as well advocate scrapping the word processor in favour of the quill pen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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