What do you think of the Kindle or electronic readers?

[ChrisRippel]

A colleague and I posted five-question surveys on the Kindle forums and Nook forums asking the following questions.

1. What month and year did you get your Nook/Kindle?
2. Since getting your Nook/Kindle do you read more, the same number, or fewer books than before getting your Nook/Kindle?
3. Do you read different types of books on your Nook/Kindle than before getting a Nook/Kindle?
4. Has a Nook/Kindle affected your reading in other ways?
5. Do you think any changes reported above are permanent or temporary? E.G., Are these changes temporary because you are reading on a new "toy"? Or are they permanent because the Nook has made a fundamental change in your life?

23 Nook users replied.
27 Kindle users replied.

Their answers are given in these Word documents.

* http://tinyurl.com/y92faqq
* http://tinyurl.com/yj254j7

Chris Rippel

[missyannlala]

I talked about the Kindle in my Introduction post.

I want one so bad! I can only imagine the endless possibilities, books galore!

[bleachededen]

I like books. Paper books. That go on bookshelves. Wooden bookshelves. Which I then adorn with stuffed animals, green toy army men, photos, and other various weird things I acquire in my weirdness.

I will never give up reading books on paper. Reading electronically hurts my eyes after a while, and is nowhere near as cozy to cuddle up with on the couch or in bed or in a restaurant or anywhere. Plus, books aren't worth hundreds of dollars, so I don't have to worry about anyone stealing them. And anyone who would steal a book would be worth trying to find, because that is an odd thing to steal and I'd like to meet the person who would steal something that wasn't for monetary gain. Plus, we'd obviously have the same taste in literature.

[missyannlala]

I like books. Paper books. That go on bookshelves. Wooden bookshelves. Which I then adorn with stuffed animals, green toy army men, photos, and other various weird things I acquire in my weirdness.

I will never give up reading books on paper. Reading electronically hurts my eyes after a while, and is nowhere near as cozy to cuddle up with on the couch or in bed or in a restaurant or anywhere. Plus, books aren't worth hundreds of dollars, so I don't have to worry about anyone stealing them. And anyone who would steal a book would be worth trying to find, because that is an odd thing to steal and I'd like to meet the person who would steal something that wasn't for monetary gain. Plus, we'd obviously have the same taste in literature.

I've stolen books before. It was from the library and I really wanted to have the books for my personal collection.

[rainbells]

I have never tried using an electronic reader, so I don't know for sure whether or not I would like it, but I didn't think I would because I am a paper book lover, the feel, the smell, all those other things. But last fall, I was stuck in the airport in Atlanta for nine hours, and I only had one book with me. I thought I was going to love the book, but it was awful! I couldn't possibly spend all day in an airport with no book, so I ended up spending $30.00 for a hardcover, just released book, because the only paperback books they had looked worse than the one I was trying to read. $10.00 for an ebook would have been welcome that day. If I can ever afford an Ereader, I might get one, just for traveling.

[LibbyCone]

'But last fall, I was stuck in the airport in Atlanta for nine hours, and I only had one book with me. I thought I was going to love the book, but it was awful!...'

That is my worst nightmare! I was on a Galapagos cruise on a small boat and took one book along (it was part of a long trip to South America, and I had to travel light). That book, like yours turned out to be terrible! I was going crazy; there was virtually nothing to read on the boat.

I just finished a novel on my Kindle; I reread the ending to make sure it was as boring as I thought the first time. It cost very little, is not taking space up on my shelves, and can be deleted. If I have a paperback I don't like, I don't want to inflict it on a friend, but I feel badly about throwing it away. Many of the used bookstores around me are full up; they won't take any more. I am more willing to take a chance on a Kindle book because it's often less money than the paperback, and if I don't like it I don't have the physical book to get rid of.

[tomwhite56]

The greatest advantage to them is their portability. I for one cannot abide the "First Look" at movies, and the theatre is usually too dim to read in so that I can avoid watching it (of course, there's always a book light, but have I bought one yet? No). Sometimes, though, especially with a large work, carrying a book can be impractical, and the idea of using a portable reader really appeals to me for a variety of situations, such as if I'm taking the train up to L.A. to see a movie. The other advantage is that you can adjust the font size, which helps especially if you're like me and wear contacts. It's a pain to have to choose which pair of reading glasses to bring along.

I suppose I'll get one eventually, although they're pretty expensive right now, and I'm not sure which one -- I'd have to research that whole thing. But it's true that there is nothing like the experience of reading the actual printed book.

[tomwhite56]

Any sane person gets their books from a local second hand seller or the library thereby reducing costs, benefitting the local economy and getting the opportunity to meet new people. New book stores are impersonal and the selection is often insulting. Nooks and Kindles are thoughtful but if you have a laptop you really don't need a secondary screen in front of you to get your reading in.

Thanks for telling all of us new book buyers that we're insane.

[bleachededen]

Thanks for telling all of us new book buyers that we're insane.

I've known I was insane for some time now. The trick is to embrace the insanity. Crazy is fun. Be proud!

[wilde]

I suppose that means we're all insane. Lovely.


"We're all mad here," etc etc.