There's just something about a book that I love. I grew up fascinated with books, and maybe it's in my blood as my great grandfather started, owned and operated an independent book store in UT years before WWII (it's still the largest independent book store there). I grew up having a vivid pictures of the store from the stories my grandmother told me from working there, plus it's where she meant my Grandfather right before he left for Germany during WWII. My grandmother is the one who started my personal collection of books, and it's never stopped growing. My front room has been converted into a personal library, as I have 11 bookcases filled with books, and it's a place my kids and I sit in often and read. I can't imagine not having books.
I feel like I'm one of the few people who does NOT own an e-reader of any sort, well I'm not counting the iPad touch that my kids use for e-books, as I've yet to read one of my books on there. Outside of e-books for my kids that I can down load on my iPhone or iPad and take with me I personally am not a fan. I know, I'm going against the norm, but I don't read e-books. That may make me a book snob, but I have to hold the book in my hands. There's just something about the smell and feel of a book that I love, and maybe it's the fact that my hiney hurts and my eyes are out of focus after sitting in front of my computer for hours reading an e-book that makes me not like them.
I'm curious to know what you guys think and what you prefer to read, books or an e-reader? If you have an e-reader, what do you use and do you recommend it? Maybe you like both. What d0 you like about your e-reader and would you recommend it?
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It's funny, I actually didn't grow up reading. I hated reading as a child/teen/young adult. But still, there was something about books. Even though I never read, I loved bookstores, I loved looking at books, I even collected some antique books, just for the look of them.
ReplyDeleteNow, of course, I read constantly. I own a Kindle and I'll occasionally read a book on it, but I would still prefer to have a book in my hands (and on my shelf).
One of the biggest reasons I want an actual book is that I love to share my books with my friends. I'm the one that always has two or three books in my purse for different people. All my friends "check out" books from my bookshelf, and I can't imagine not being able to do that. Sometimes I'll buy a book that I already read (ARC, Galley, or Ebook) just so that I can give it to friends to read. That's just something you can't do with an ebook.
Great post!
I am a full on book girl. I am open to things like Net galley and such but I wouldn't go out my way of buying a Nook or anything.
ReplyDeleteAndye- Seriously I swear we're long lost sisters! We have more in common with books! I LOVE to look at bookcases and the way books look on them too. I'll totally buy old collectible books just to use at decor.
ReplyDeleteGreat point about books and sharing. I love to share books and recommend books to others. There's just something about a great book that you can't help but share it. Plus it's my excuse to buy another copy of a book that I love.
Blueicegal- YAY for book girls!
I recently received a Kindle as as gift and I really like it. It doesn't replace the actual book.. you don't get the pretty cover and the feel of the book, which I love. But it is great to take with you while you travel and it's so lightweight and small. Also, the e-ink is great, it isn't like looking at a computer screen at all.
ReplyDeleteI love books and I won't ever stop buying them, but I do use my Kindle from time to time as well.
I was very anti-eReaders for a long time, but after spending a number of years traveling quite a bit, I discovered that eReaders can be a good thing. Oh, I still have a massive collection of books at home (I live in a very tiny loft and, at one time, owned close to 5,000 books - too many for such a small space!), but I use my eReader to acquire eGalleys from NetGalley.com and Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab. I write book reviews for my library's blog, so this comes in handy when I can read and review books before they come out. It also means I don't have to harrass publishers for ARCs.
ReplyDeleteI own a Nook, just the regular kind with the e-ink, and it has served me well. Working at a library, I do still read regular books all the time. I typically take my Nook to the laundrymat on the weekends and other public places where I am going to spend an extended period of time and don't want to lug around heavy books. I tend to go back and forth between several books, so having the Nook in these situations is good because it means I'm not carrying a bag full of 5 or 6 books (yes, I actually do that sometimes!).
I will never tired of print books. The feel, the smell, the cover art, the various types of papers and inks and fonts.
Also, I should mention that my Nook was a birthday present from my boyfriend, who is a gadget-geek (he works for a software company). I may never have purchased one for myself, but I am glad to have it.
I don't have an e-reader - don't want one. I prefer the real book. There's just something to holding the book - the feel of the pages, the sounds as you turn them, the smell of the ink....
ReplyDeletetlmfarmgirl
I used to be 100% against e-books because I SWORE they were lessening my chances of getting physically published. Now, I think they're great and I don't have as many "issuses" with them, haha. They're affordable and you don't have to go out and buy a book. You can just do it at home. I don't have an e-reader, though, as I still prefer physical books. The smell, the covers, and the feel are all things I love about actual books. But I do like the idea of being able to have a ton of books at my hands when traveling or at school. If only e-readers weren't so expensive. :-)
ReplyDeleteI enjoy both. They both have there positives and negatives. Lately I just rediscovered the library, lol. I hadnt been there for so long that I actually forgot that I didnt need to buy a book I could just rent them for free for awhile.
ReplyDeleteReading a book on the computer does suck (alot) but I have a B/W Nook and I love it, the text is just like reading a real book. Actually you can change the font size and style to suit your eyesight which is pretty good. I guess one of my favorite features is that my past page is automatically saved, oh and I can bookmark a bunch of different sections. And I think the biggest seller is the ability to bring every book you own with you wherever you go (and to shop on the go). This is nice because I can read about the history of Egypt or Mellisa Marr at the drop of a hat. The thing I hate most is that if my battery dies I can't read. This sucks when I leave it in my purse and end up at the gym and decided to read and tada! nothing. But when it is charged its perfect.
E-reader all the way! I used to be so very against e-readers. I love books, I love the feel of book in my hand and the feel of pages on my fingers when I am reading and the smell of the paper and glue in the binding, but I thought I would try out the Nook when it first came out and have been hooked ever since. I now own both the original Nook and the Nook Color.
ReplyDeleteI love my Nook(s) because my house was being overrun by piles of books, even though I would work to donate or give away the books I had already read. I read ALOT so my piles got out of hand very quickly and that made both me and my husband crazy. I can cart around 100s of books on my Nook and I don't need an extra bag to carry them. I have downsized to just a couple bookshelves and don't have a trunk full of books to be donated anymore.
I still buy some actual books (mostly craft and non-fiction), but anymore if I can't get it as an ebook I don't read it. I NEVER thought I would be an ebook fan but after 1.5 years on my Nook.. I have surprised myself and am pro ebook all the way.
I've never been a collector of books. Stories? Yes. But I don't really have a desire to own a bunch of books, so I love the my Kindle. What I love even more is the Kindle app for my iPod touch. I can read a book and rock a baby at the same time!
ReplyDeleteI am very much a book girl, but that's only because I don't have an e-reader. I do plan on getting one this year. It won't totally replace the books. Whenever I come across books that I must simply have, I will still buy the hardcover for my personal library, but I am looking foward to the e-reader experience and ease.
ReplyDeleteI'll always buy hardcopy books over digital because for me it isn't just the read, it's the experience. However, I understand that ebooks are here to stay. I just hope they never get rid of the printed version. Already there are books out that aren't in print per say and I don't read them because of that.
ReplyDeleteI prefer a book because I am worried that the technology will continue to advance and that I would loose all of my precious books if they were all ebooks. I know that if I buy an ebook and really like it, I'm gonna wanna buy the actually book; therefore, I'd end up spending double the money. However, I've been drooling over the ipad lately. At least it can do more than ebooks.
ReplyDeleteHeh, I thought I was a "paper books only" girl for a long time. But now that I've got a nook, it's hard for me to read real books. My wrists are like, "Hey, what's this heavy thing?", and my fingers are yelling, "Page turns? Since when? And what is this, ink stains?"
ReplyDeleteI also notice a big difference between reading on an e-ink screen and reading on a glaring computer screen. I notice NO difference between reading on an e-ink screen and off a paper page, except that I can change the font size and style, a function I LOVE!
As far as the technology changing, well, B&N has a record of every book I've ever downloaded. If I want to "archive" a purchase to save space (seeing as I'm using about 7% of my memory right now, lol!), it's available for me to download again. I'm sure if formats change, there will be a record of the contents of my B&N Library, and I will be able to re-load them. Same thing if my nook is broken.
Plus, lots of libraries are loaning e-books now, so I don't have to buy every single book I want to read. Lots of free or inexpensive e-books are available, too.
So, while I used to be one of those "You can pry my paper books out of my cold, dead hands" people, I'm a happy convert to e-ink! It's like an iPod, only with books on it. What's not to love?
I don't own an e-reader nor do I think I'll be buying one any time soon. I am a book girl, through and through. There's something about cracking open a new book for the first time. An electronic book just wouldn't feel the same to me, if that makes any sense.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a book girl here. Maybe I will someday get an e-reader. But even if I ever do, it will never replace the real thing for me.
ReplyDeleteI love holding an actual book in my hands too. I've read a couple books on my laptop but I'll end up buying the book later on to finish it.
ReplyDeleteI seriously *Hate* ebooks, no offense to anyone who loves them, but I will NEVER buy an e-reader. The physical experience of reading a book is very important to me and if I enjoy a book I want to have a copy of it on my shelf. I will seriously be devastated if they stop publishing print copies of most books in my lifetime. So I honestly do wish they were less sucessful so there was less chance of that...
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all of your comments! I have really enjoyed reading them. I'm glad I'm not the only who loves books vs ebooks. Not that they're bad or anything.
ReplyDeleteIt's been great reading why everyone prefers what they do.
I'm like many of you, I'm a book girl all the way and I don't see myself going the e-book route any time soon. Plus, I don't want to see physical books being done away with, though I think it might take awhile for that to happen.
Book person, primarily, but I do use the Nook app on my iPad occasionally when a book with special features comes out exclusively in eBook format. Also, since I carry my iPad around with me everywhere, it's nice to have a portable library on the bus.
ReplyDeleteSo for convenience, I do use eBooks, but there's just satisfaction in going to the bookstore and getting your hands on the book and going YES YES YES!! On the other hand, they are never sold out of eBooks, I think.
I don't own an ereader for a number of reasons like you I love real books. They are pretty and hold sentimental value. I have a feeling if I had an ereader I would collect books like I do music. I have 4000 songs on my ipod and never listen to them.
ReplyDeleteWith more publishers going with egalleys I think I will have to breakdown and get one but it's not like I'm happy about it.
I too am worried about the impact technology will have on real books. I know Amy said her house was being overrun with books. However, I usually only purchase books that I have already read and absolutely loved. These are the books I know I will still love say twenty years from now. Otherwise I usually just borrow books from the library so I don't have that problem. But regarding technology, imagine what libraries would be like maybe thirty years from now! What if there were no more shelves filled with books and instead they were replaced by e-book checkout centers? I think that would be sad because I too love reading the real thing. I also love borrowing old books (like from the early 1900's or even 1800's) from my university library) because it makes it seem so much more real and a vivid part of our history. When there's a faded ink inscription in a book, I wonder who was this person who read this book before me? These books are like old friends just waiting patiently to be taken from the shelves and read again, influencing and entertaining us like they have for the generations before us.
ReplyDeleteI used to feel that way about books and e-books. Then I got a Nook and it's been like, "Where've you been all my life?!" I absolutely love it. There's no going back for me. If I can't download a book--either online or from my local library, I don't read it.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte J- I love going into a book store and getting books. That's my weakness lol
ReplyDeleteCari- LOL I don't know if I'll ever get one. I don't want to say I won't only to end up with one down the road. I don't see myself getting one, though I'm sure it's nice to pull out an e-reader and be able to read the book.
Charlotte- Great points! With the rate the states are closing down libraries it may come to that sooner vs later. So true about books being like old friends!
Liz- I've heard a lot of great things about the Nook. I'm so glad you enjoy yours!