Out here in our bay we have keys to neighbours' houses so we can keep an eye on things for them since they're part timers. As a consequence I'm allowed to borrow books as well.
There are four bookcases in this small house and innumerable boxes in storage. Books take up a lot of room.
So enter the Kindle or, in my case, the tablet. Wow, we can hold so many books on these devices and not take up any space whatsoever. And no one knows how many I've got on there to be read.
But as good as this is I still prefer to hold a "real" book in my hand when I'm reading in bed late at night. I don't have to turn it off or wait for the light to fade, it feels soft and pliable, and the written word just plain looks better on paper. When I nod off and drop the book nothing's broken - except my sleep - whereas the tablet doesn't take too kindly to being thumped on the floor.
Which reminds me of my mother. She was an insomniac and read most hours of the day and night. In bed she'd read until she fell asleep then the book would hit the floor and she'd wake up and start all over again. I counted five thuds one night I stayed with her. Mum would never have owned one of those silly modern things that were pretending to be a book.
But there is a place for our Kindles and tablets, especially if you like to travel. I also like the speed at which I can download a new book from the comfort of the couch.
Last week I wandered into a chain store that used to be mostly about books and was shocked to see how little space is now devoted to fiction books. When did that happen? The shop is taken up with toys, games, and non fiction books. Times are a changing, I guess.
Do you mostly use a Kindle or tablet to read? Or are you still hanging on to the real deal?
Hi Sue - what is that with book stores these days? I dont want to buy a coffee mug damn it!
ReplyDeleteI read mostly on my tablet these days but still buy paper books too because I like to have physical copies of books I love and authors I adore.
Yep, isn't it annoying, Amy? But then I guess if we're not buying the books the stores have to make a profit somehow.
DeleteI think I'm getting more selective on which books I buy now. Like you say, the keepers definitely.
I read both paper and ebooks, Sue. It did take me a while to adjust to reading on my Kindle -- so instead of fiction I started reading non-fiction and for some reason that eased me in and helped me become familiar with the device. I LOVE how many books I can store on it. Will definitely help me cut back on future book clutter.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, Michelle. I wonder what it was about non-fiction that worked better at first.
DeleteI definitely need to cut back on the clutter, but would probably fill the gaps with something else. Sigh.
After years of thinking that reading wasn't quite the same if not on paper, I'm now a devoted Kindler. I don't quite know how/when/why the change happened… For a while I used the Kindle when I travelled and for late-night reading (in deference to my dh who doesn't enjoy a reading light in his eyes) and it's now my go-to preferred reading. Suspect it might be the Paperwhite deal, with the soft light/screen which is the perfect match for my eyes. I still have a stack of unread paper books which I still add to, especially with my favourite authors and at signings I'm just a sucker for an autographed "real" book I can put on a shelf.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Bronwyn. Hopefully I'll get more used to it if I keep at it. Like yours, my dh isn't keen on the reading light. This is at bedtime and he's been known to unplug my light when he's ready to go to sleep!! At least the tablet is more acceptable. :)
ReplyDeleteAs a voracious reader from the time I learned to read, I held out getting an e-reader for a long time. Now I split between both, the Kindle is for traveling or when I go out to eat alone. The other books are for feet up, cozy reading. Oh, my TBR stacks are numerous as are the number of books I have on bookshelves or in storage. I don't know the actual number any more, just suffice to say that many years ago I went to a new bookstore that carried used books and I had more than they did. I had an addiction to collecting!! I've cut back immensely and learned to be more selectve.
ReplyDeleteOh, Rita, love it that you've got so many books. Seriously, where would we be without books in our lives? I can't imagine it, but it is really about the stories and they're just as good - or bad - on a Kindle or tablet as they are in a real book.
ReplyDeleteI read many of my books on my Sony Reader these days - I became an ebook convert back in the days that it would cost the price of the book (or more) in shipping before the advent of BookDepository. That combined with the fact that Whitcoulls would mainly stock the well known romance authors eg Nora, and Mills and Boon caused the switch for me.
ReplyDeleteI do love telling people that I'm carrying several hundred books - last check I had 900 odd titles on my ereader, though I'm sure there are some duplicates in there.
That said, there is still something to be said for a print book. I prize all the titles that have been signed by authors, but I think the paperback on my shelf that I value the most is Sandra (Hyde) Hyatt's Falling for the Princess. I possibly value it the most as I know it wouldn't be at all possible to replace it.
Oh Lyn, that book of Sandra's is indeed very special.
ReplyDelete900 titles? I'm a beginner. When do you find time to read?
I mainly read in the evenings - although I take my ereader to work with me in case we have 'green' time between calls - aka there isn't constant calls. I don't deal well with having nothing to do due to it making pain levels more noticable.
DeleteMany of those titles I don't know if I've read - the main reading goal for this year is to read the titles already on my ereader. Challenging balancing that with continuing to read my must read authors and series.
I have a Nook and a Kindle and have about 35 books on my computer from my old Sony Reader, but I still love the feel of a "real" book. The e-readers are great for travel, the grocery store, the dark . . . but nothing beats looking at your bookshelves.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Grandma Cootie, nothing like those full bookshelves. I like to check other people's out, as it can be quite interesting seeing what they like to read.
DeleteHi Sue, I'm definitely a paperback reader. I read on a Kindle sometimes, especially when travelling, but I still prefer books. I love being able to flick back easily as well as the sensation of holding paper. Call me old-fashioned!
ReplyDeleteCall me old fashioned, too, Sue! I'm still a paper-back reader... but maybe it's also because I have a cheapy e-reader which doesn't hold many books. It's not all that straightforward to load books on to - especially now I have Windows 8... but don't let's get me started on that!
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to have free access to someone else's book shelves!
Seems like there're a few of us old fashioned types, Sharon. But then books have been around for so long. And yep, it's a bit like having a private library.
DeleteRight there with you, Annie. Old fashioned we may be but books have been such an integral part of our lives I can't imagine a world without them.
ReplyDelete