What do you think of the Kindle or electronic readers?

[bleachededen]

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


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

You may have noticed that I'm not all there myself.

Two days until the Tim Burton version!

[wilde]

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


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

You may have noticed that I'm not all there myself.

Two days until the Tim Burton version!

I'm dying of excitement for it. But, I think I'm seeing it next week. My dad reeeally wants to see Clash of the Titans. (Which I do too. Liam Neeson! )

Is the tim burton version of alice just in 3-d, or is it in 2-d too? I hate 3-d glasses.

[bleachededen]

It had better be in 2D....I freaking hate 3D!!

[tomwhite56]

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!

I'm just needling him. But I'm right there in the boat with you.

[thomaspatrick]

GREAT question!... I have never owned or read a 'paper' book in my life, nor would I!!!

All the books i own and have read r 'e-books'. I have a zune player and m a long time loyal member of Audible. This is the ONLY way I would and/or can read a book. I work 2 jobs and workout, where I m luck that i have the ablity 2 read my books throughout the day. IT IS WONDERFUL!!!

[Murasaki]

I have a Kindle app on my ipod and it has really helped me get back to reading. I can fit it easily in my purse and can have a few books on it at a time. I don't have a lot of time to read so when I have a few moments to steal; I like to have it at hand and ready to go. Also, it has helped a little bit with the stacks and stacks of books I can't part with in my house. I can archive my e-books and download them again at any time. I will never stop loving books of paper and awesome binding but right now at this time in my life e-books are better for portability and storage...at least until I can get a place with an extra room to make into a library.

[DarrenHumby]

Interesting thread and a topic I have been thinking about alot recently as an avid reader I love the feel of a book, but I am taken by the seeming ease of use of the Kindle and Sony Readers. As an author I think all forms of media should be utilised, I am typing this using my iPod touch.
Best
Darren
http://www.darrenhumby.com

[GaryG48]

I am sort of against it. I have seen the latest Kindle and it doesn't look bad. The pages are easier to read than on a loptop. However, it would take a lot of books at $10.00 to recover the cost of the Kindle and, like so many others on this boad, i do like the feel of a book in my hands.

[bablawyer]

I was a hold-out on the Kindle. I finally broke down and bought one when--horror of all horrors--I ran out of books to read and (probably because it was 2:00 am) no book stores were open. Now I can download books 24-7. The only problem I've experienced is that some books I want to read are not on Kindle.

I've put all my books on Kindle and E-Book in response to reader requests, so I guess usage of the technology is growing.

[Veneer]

I own a Kindle and I love it. All the arguments about the look, feel, and smell of a book are true, and I went through these same arguments. What is true for you is true for you. But let me present that argument in another fashion.

The look: some books have very small print that is getting difficult for my old eyes to read.

The feel: I have a few 1300 page books that feel pretty damn heavy.

The smell: Alright, I surrender on this one, unless you don't like the smell of books.

There is only one physical dilemma with the Kindle, reading for me has turned into a nap interrupted by paragraphs. I am always fearful of dropping it.

One of the things that drove me to the Kindle was storage. Yes, the sight of books on bookshelves is one of life's great satisfactions. However the sight of them stacked in the attic, basement, under my desk, beside my desk, next to the chair, in the hallway, under the bed, on the bookshelf stacked in front of the books already on the bookshelf has become damned oppressive. The only rooms in the house without books stacks are the bathroom and kitchen. Oh I love books and I have plenty of them to trip over, but they are always there for me to refer to something, providing that I can remember which stack the damn book is in. I have found it easier to use Google books or Amazon's "look inside" feature to find a reference.

The economics of a Kindle can be argued. The price structure of e-books right now is in a great deal of flux. Some e-books are now priced higher, in some cases much higher, than the paperback versions. Without getting into who did what and why, I think that there is going to be a period of time where there will be a lot of uncertainty in the world of e-books. Everyone is afraid of losing a buck, but sooner or later that will be sorted out. If one likes classics however, you can save money and space. When showing someone how you buy books on the Kindle, I always go to the classics. I have bought all of Sherlock Holmes books, the complete works of Herman Melville, the complete works of Edgar Rice Burroughs and others and usually spend no more than 99 cents or a couple of dollars at the most.

To me the advantage of the Kindle is the ease of reading...without putting up with the look and feel of book, no storage, ease of purchase, the instant dictionary, free access to the Internet (albeit klunky and limited), search function, and oddly I can now annotate my books. What do I mean by that? I can type in neat footnotes into my books (using my PC--as well as the Kindle keyboard) and be able to instantly access the notes. For me to have to scrawl a note in handwriting was just not worth the effort.

Disadvantages, you can't lend* your books, (advantage you don't lose your books that you have lent) and Kindles don't like to be dropped. There is loss or theft (you don't lose the books only the Kindle), and of course your library is floating on the fortunes of Amazon. Oh yes, when a book is not available on the Kindle, and you are forced once again to read a DTB (dead tree book), it is a real PIA.

* The Nook allows you to lend a book once (per book) for two weeks--providing the borrower also has a Nook or a Nook application. Not all publishers allow lending. The details on this may have changed, I have not paid any attention to the market since I bought my Kindle in December.