E-Reader Backlash

At 27 yrs old and a member of the Y-Generation I have lived most of my life connected to technology. I'm an early adapter to most things but one thing that I just cannot get behind is e-readers. I'm an avid reader and I'm always with a book in hand. But that's the thing...a BOOK. I love carrying them. I love turning the page. I love the look, feel and weight of a good, cherish BOOK. I got a Kindle a few years ago as a Christmas present and I downloaded a few books on it but I just couldn't do it. I felt disconnected from what I was reading. Now the Kindle is just collecting dust in my closet. Fellow literati types, how do you guys read these days? Are you completely plugged in and read all your literature on a handheld device or are you a Luddite in this regard like I am?

• I have an e-reader, but I like to give books as presents, which is not done easily with the e-reader.

• " ...early adapter ...." Oh deer.

• If I can possibly get a book in electronic format, I do. I read a lot more now thanks to Kindle and iPad. Books are bulky and take up too much space.

• I have three shelves full of books that I've collected over the years. Having a Kindle keeps me from adding to that, and having it take over my home.

  The Voice of the Night

• I like the idea of someone having a full library of books that they've collected over the years. Frayed edges, worn covers, creased binders. That "old book smell". If one can compress an entire library room of books onto a slim, pocketbook-sized device it takes the romanticism out of it.

  OP

• [quote]I like the idea of someone having a full library of books that they've collected over the years. Frayed edges, worn covers, creased binders. That "old book smell". So, you want the appearance of the thing without any thought to the reading of any of the books.

  The Voice of the Night

• I tend to still read a 'real' book more often than not. I do have the very first larger size Kindle that came out and, like you, I used it quite a bit for awhile, but now haven't really done much with it in ages.

• Love it. Wish the library had more of a selection and they do lend out e-books but they are very slow in obtaining them.

• I have a lot of books that I still haven't read, but I also have a Kindle, so I'm 50-50. Also, for textbooks or research a print book is usually always better for making notes and flicking back and forth. Also, kindle store hasn't got everything. The last physical book I bought was Looking for Mr Goodbar.

• I would read more on my Kindle if the library loan e-reader apps weren't so difficult to navigate -- the selection is poor and the search is terrible. The only time I make a point to download books (library or paid) is when I go on vacation -- I can load up the Kindle (actually an iPad) with books and magazines for the trip. I guess I'll stick with regular library books until the process gets more streamlined. Also, I'm cheap.

• I'm over twice your age, OP, and I've really taken to my Kindle Fire. I love being able to adjust the size of the font and the brightness of the "page" - my vision is not great (even with glasses). It makes a real difference in physical ease of reading for me. I also appreciate not having to manipulate a weighty book. I used to have a large book collection but several years ago I gave away most of it. I had no one to leave my books to, and once you finish reading a book, it essentially becomes a dust catcher/space-taker-upper anyway - unless it's compelling enough to reread, and most weren't. Now the only physical books I buy are those that are not available in digital format.

• I use both. I love reading books on my iPod when I travel, if the book is inordinately thick and heavy (it made a huge difference reading both A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, which is only available in hardcover and is 500+ pages), or if it's a throwaway kind of book where I don;t care about owning the text (as with a mystery novel or a fantasy book). If it's a classic literary text I want to refer back to, or one in which I want to write notes in the margins, only a paper book will do. I do like the actual feel of a book and there is such a thing as the art of the book that genuinely appeals to people (so get bent with your shallow tactic of forcing people into false arguments, VotN--you're being an asshole at r6).

  not%20OP

• shreaking gayling.

• I had to move and down sized from a very large apartment to a much smaller one. Had a wall of book shelves, 12 feet across, 8 feet high. The books were accumulated over 25 years of reading and academic pursuits. NO ONE wanted those books. I tried nursing homes, libraries, schools, etc. A shelter took some, but would only accept soft cover fiction. A few friends took some. I pared down to less than 200 essentials and had to throw the rest away. The most depressing thing ever. Now I opt for ebooks.

• [quote]shreaking Oh, [italic]dear.[/italic]

• [quote]I do have the very first larger size Kindle that came out and, like you, I used it quite a bit for awhile OP never said he used the Kindle for quite a while. He said he couldn't bring himself to use it.

• OP, get over yourself!

• OP sounds insufferable.

• I hate to break it to ya toots, but we had a little technology before 1985. It's not some new thing for your generation.

  Neil%20Armstrong

• [quote]OP sounds insufferable. We heard you the first time when you posted something nearly identical at r17.

• [quote]So, you want the appearance of the thing without any thought to the reading of any of the books. How bizarre that you would make that assumption, VotN.

• Soon everything will go digital. I don't know if I should be happy at the convenience or sad at the loss of the art of actually making products. I just realized that I haven't bought a DVD in 4 years. I can't even remember the last CD I've bought. Probably 10 years ago.

• OP--in 20 years or so, when you're in the process of moving, if you're really a voracious reader, you will really appreciate the e-book, particularly if you choose not to "adapt."

• DVDs and CDs are digital, genius. The only difference is today we relay on electronic delivery vs. physical.

• r24, being obtuse is not cute. You know what r22 meant, dumbass.

• 25--uzadolt

• i bought a Kindle and found that I hate it. I sold it after 7 months of trying to get used to it. There is just no substitute for a good old paper book. They will never go out of style.

• Kindle vs IPad...which makes the better e-reading experience?

• Years ago I got one of the first generation of Kindles and couldn't stand the way the pages turned or how bright the screen was. I got an iPad instead, which allowed the screen brightness to be mellowed and made the page turning look more normal, and I gave the Kindle away. I would assume the Kindle technology has improved since then, though.

• The new Kindle Fire is basically an iPad for half the price, no?

• Does page turning on the Kindle still give you seizures?

• [quote]Kindle vs IPad...which makes the better e-reading experience? Just as a reader, the eInk Kindles can't be beaten. But the attraction of the full-on tablet are the other features like video, web, games, etc.

  The Voice of the Night

• Yes! Yes, it is.

  J.%20Bezos

• I read alot and have years and years of books in my house (I could make a "tasteful friends" photo shoot cry with envy) Since I got an ipad, I have downloaded all of my books and never looked back. I love the economy of it and I love having instant access to bookstores. I have downloaded tons of the free classics that I would not have thought about reading when in a bookstore. I do love physical books and I especially love a good bookstore, but reading books on my ipad makes so much more sense.

• The new paperwhite Kindle is really the best. And if you know how to search on teh nternet, you can really downloady any book you want for free.

• Alright, who let a LOLcat have access to a keyboard at r35?

• Where do you search to download for free?

• I was really excited about Kindle. Almost got one. Convenience and easy medical reference while on the go. Also, not cutting down any more trees to read. I read (on some eco site) Kindle production uses more natural resources than could ever possibly be saved through digital books over the Kindle's life. That put me off. So they're not sustainable. Can you ever loan / giveaway a book you've read if it's digital? I thought only your personal Kindle could have it.

• The existence of books is very much worth the use of paper from trees for their existence. It is a ridiculous concern to bemoan using trees for books.

• [quote]Can you ever loan / giveaway a book you've read if it's digital? I thought only your personal Kindle could have it. There's a very limited loan feature that's available, but I don't think you can re-gift them.

  The Voice of the Night

• [quote]At 27 yrs old and a member of the Y-Generation It's so cute when you eldergays pretend to be young. You're 72 if you're a day, OP.

• R41, you are an arrogant, ignorant, insufferable fool.

• r41: HISSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

  eldergay

• You tell 'em Pops!

  fan%20of%20the%20hiss

• R43? If you're going to do it, do it right. Hissssssssss!

  The Hissing Eldergay (THE)

• I have an iPad 3 with a Kindle app but I don't use it. Like OP, I much prefer an actual book. I still check out books at the library. Does it really matter whether we're reading from an actual book or an e-book? The fact that we're reading is enough. There are people who would rather kill time watching trashy reality shows. Then there are public figures who brag about never having read a book.

• Library books have bedbugs in them. Or worse.

  http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/libraries-under-attack-bed-bugs-urine-wielding-vandal-212552052.html

• Many suburban libraries are in deep disarray. Ever been to provincial libraries? I visited my hometown recently and had to go to the library to print something out. Several of the shelves were empty and it seemed like the only people in there were school children on some sort of day trip and elderly people using the handful of 90s era PCs. The librarians were also dodgy, as if they time traveled here from some past century. Very disheartening.

• Don't know where you guys are from but my library(ies) are perfectly functional and stocked; the librarians aren't dodgy, it's not disheartening. Whatever book I need it's usually available at various libraries in the county. And so far, no bed bugs hiding between the pages. Seems you guys are on an anti-library crusade with your scare tactics. Whatever. No one is forcing you into a library. Stick with the e-books.

• [quote]Seems you guys are on an anti-library crusade with your scare tactics. Exactly. It's like Amazon is doing some weird tangential marketing for e-readers in here. There's no reason to fear bed bugs in library books. Heat will destroy them without burning up the book. Just put your library books in the oven at 120 degrees for an hour and the bed bugs will die without infecting your home. There are also harmless powder pesticides available that will kill them. Just put your library book in a ziplock with some powder, shake, and leave for 5 days before taking it out and reading it. The bed bugs will be dead.

  http://www.bedbugpowder.com/home.php

• r50, are you being facetious? Do you really think people are going to bake their books for an hour?

• perhaps some of you ought to move to a new town where bedbugs aren't wreaking havoc at your local library.

• [quote]There's no reason to fear bed bugs in library books. Heat will destroy them without burning up the book. Just put your library books in the oven at 120 degrees for an hour and the bed bugs will die without infecting your home. I wouldn't recommend it with "The Diary of Anne Frank."

• Bed bugs in library books is a nationwide problem, if the New York Times is to be believed.

  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/garden/bedbugs-hitch-a-ride-on-library-books.html%3F_r%3D1%26pagewanted%3Dall%26

• I love reading physical books but I didn't know people still used libraries to check out books on a regular basis. I guess if you were really that hard up for money. Actually, I do know this one strange guy who rents DVDs at the library for free. It seems really twee.

• [quote]There's a very limited loan feature that's available, but I don't think you can re-gift them. Correct, you cannot, legally. As with most other digital content, you have a limited license to an ebook; it's not entirely yours. However, it's usually pretty easy to get around the copy protection to get an unprotected copy that you could then give to someone. [quote]But the attraction of the full-on tablet are the other features like video, web, games, etc. That's also their disadvantage. When I curl up with a good book, I don't want the other distractions.

• I think it makes more sense to check out books at the library than to buy a book that you're probably only going to read once. At least that's my reason. Like I said, I have an iPad with a Kindle app that is never used. I was also given a Nook for my birthday. I have absolutely no interest and no need for an e-book so I gave it to my 10y/o nephew. Since when has using the library become quaint and library users stigmatized as being hard up for money?

• Since most libraries support ebooks these days, there's no advantage of one format over the other.

• [quote]Actually, I do know this one strange guy who rents DVDs at the library for free. It seems really twee. So he can't afford the one dollar to rent at Redbox?

• [quote]That's also their disadvantage. When I curl up with a good book, I don't want the other distractions. Then don't open those applications, dummy.

• Using the library is "twee" r55? You sound like a real genius. r59 - It's not the cost, it's the selection. There are few places that rent DVDs anymore and the ones that do only stock new releases, and mainstream ones at that. The public library has a great collection. I can browse the catalogue online, reserve the titles I want and have them transferred to my neighbourhood branch.

• I think it is personal preference. If it is just about the reading, then any format can work. If it is being bibliophile then having the books gets you off as well. I always wanted a private library of books.I wanted one since I was a child.Now I have one . I love it.It is a sanctuary. I love the look and the feel of them.I love antique books or second hand ones.I love seeing someone else's name on the fly leaf . I love owning books on photographs and non fiction and history and reference. Yes I know I can get them online and that is what is fantastic about being alive now. I have a Kindle and books I want to just read once or classics that are expensive or manuals,I can just download and read,but then I have my library and I am in heaven. Best of both worlds.

• Why is this thread entitled "E-Reader Backlash"? Are there any signs of an e-reader backlash, except in OP's head? "Fellow literati types" - that about sums up OP. Why do people who read books have to be "literati types" and why assume we're in a closed club of "fellows"? I find people who sneer at e-readers by saying that books are so much more "real", with their smell and feel and physical page turns incredibly ignorant. That sounds to me so besides the point and almost elevates books - not reading - into a fetish that only few have access to. It reminds me of the old days when the only book many families had was the family bible, and it was fetishised, or when so few people knew how to write that anyone who did was looked upon with awe. The truth is, most people with an e-reader have been avid readers of physical books for all their lives, which is why they then got an e-reader. I have hundreds of paper books and have read thousands over my lifetime. Many of those thousands have included books with small print, bad print, that are difficult to hold, the spines of which have broken, that went missing, the cover of which got ripped in my bag, that I lent to someone and never got back, that were too chunky to hold comfortably, that I had to lie in bed in a difficult position to hold the pages open and turn them and, yes, even some that smelt and were dirty. Physical books in your hand isn't so great. I, like many, love my Kindle e-reader. I don't think I'd want an iPad or Kindle Fire or anything that doesn't use e-ink. I read a lot more easily on a Kindle and I like having my "library" on it, which I can consult and find something on instantaneously. Yes, paper books are better for art and picture books and certainly for textbooks and reference books. But, for something I'm going to read once (mainly fiction) or maybe once again after many years, an e-reader is great. And, the ability to download so many books in just a few seconds and to browse online bookstores or libraries is great too.

• Can I just add myself to the chorus that this line [quote]So, you want the appearance of the thing without any thought to the reading of any of the books. was incredibly judgemental, overly-defensive, weird and pathetic? Yes, I think I will. I am 'even odder' than you OP, in that I work with tech for a living and completely agree with you. I recently bought a Nexus 7 to have a mini computer and downloaded the Kindle app in order to get some free books, that's it. The E-Reading experience feels empty and mouldy, and I say this as a commuter for whom book-carrying is a literal extra weight on my shoulders. The fact is, you can't beat physical media. It's reliable, it lasts a long time (if not forever) if you look after it, and yes it also has the added bonus of you being able to wear your taste on your sleeve. By the way, vinyl is still the best quality format for music, you know. And CDs consistently beat MP3s for audio quality as well. I have all formats. To throw out the baby with the bathwater is foolish indeed. I still buy CDs and the odd DVD, although less so since I joined LoveFilm. Non-physical media should be treated as a convenience and nothing more. Like tapes were in the 80s. An inferior format you put up with for convenience. Picture VOTN's ideal world, with no physical books, no CDs, no videos or anything in our homes. Imagine you've met up with some guy and had a first date which has gone well but for whatever reason you've not really gone into taste much. If you can't see the books or CDs on their shelves how are you to silently judge them? Seriously, you've just removed an incredibly important taste-gauging sign post. 10 years ago if you'd gone to someone's house and they had no books or music it meant they were a shallow idiot for sure. Now you don't know whether it's on a kindle somewhere, and you don't know what the content is. You can't know if when someone says they love The Smiths it means they have a best of they listened to once or the entire collection, or are just plain lying. Beware an entirely virtual world, it has hidden pitfalls. Lastly, to get back on point. The reason why books are superior is they don't need any electricity, they fit perfectly comfortably between two hands, and they take a lot more effort to destroy (this may become important- read Farenheit 451 if you don't believe me). The only way you could replicate that virtually would be with some sort of hard light hologram. Unlikely to be seen until the next century. Just because someone invented the car it didn't make the bike obsolete. Books have soul.

  ayb

• "The fact is, you can't beat physical media." "books are superior" The incredible arrogance. You might prefer physical books but it's not a fact that they cannot be "beaten" and are "superior". Many of us prefer or enjoy e-readers; we are not wrong, just because you say so. "Just because someone invented the car it didn't make the bike obsolete." Exactly, so your claim that if people choose e-readers we will end up with "an entirely virtual world" is tripe. As is your claim that "Books have soul". What does that mean? Art books, picture books, reference books, books you need to work from, etc. will still be around as people will need/prefer the paper book format. For books you just want to read once, why do you need to keep the physical format for the rest of your life? Would you tell people who use libraries that this is a bad habit as they will not own their own copy and people will never be able to truly "know" them if cannot see all the books they have read on their shelves. As for checking out someone's library, yeah, well, I know many people who have heaps of books on their shelves many of which they have never read and will probably never read and only bought because they thought they had to and maybe only bought them because they want to be seen by others as the type to read such books. This argument "against' e-books always reminds me of the fake dummy books they have in furniture stores like Ikea or the dummy leather bound volumes of earlier decades that people kept on their shelves because that's what they felt they had to do, or even the real leather bound volumes of "the classics" all in a row in a single edition that were never touched. Or the professors and lawyers interview on TV in front of these heavily-stacked shelves just to prove their great intellect and social worth - it's all for show and nothing to do with reading pleasure. "I recently bought a Nexus 7 to have a mini computer and downloaded the Kindle app in order to get some free books, that's it. The E-Reading experience feels empty and mouldy" Try an e-reader with e-ink, it's much better (in my opinion) and specially designed for reading. Moreover, the experience was only empty and mouldy for you: it's not an argument against e-readers or reading on other devices. "Picture VOTN's ideal world..." It sounds quite pleasant to me. I have loads of books everywhere and the clutter is not a good thing. If I also had a physical copy of every book I've read on my Kindle then I wouldn't be able to move. If people want to know my reading habits then they can just ask me and we can have an actual discussion about it. Same with my old vinyl records, most of which were in shit condition back in the 80s and 90s when I bought them. My one question to the "real books are superior and e-readers are soulless brigade" is: why the fuck are you so arrogant and think you can pass your negative judgement on people who enjoy reading e-books? You enjoy your physical books and let us enjoy our e-books. I never hear owners of e-readers harping on about how "wrong" people who read physical books are.

• By the way, ayb and OP, I hope you buy a "real" newspaper everyday and don't get all your news from the internet, over a screen.

• R65 there's a lot of projection in there. What my argument was, was people who abandon physical media in favour of virtual are fools. There's a moron I work with who lost all his MP3s (bear in mind he's a Systems Admin) when he had a HD crash which literally meant he lost his music collection since he abandoned physical media almost 10 years ago. As for books, I think lots of people have converted to E-readers because people will always do what's easiest. But what happens if amazon decides certain books aren't desirable and deletes them from e-existence? It's sci-fi at the moment, to be sure, but suddenly it's a hell of a lot easier for the powers-that-be to remove information. FYI, btw, I get my news virally through the net because it's throwaway. No one collects old newspapers do they? Your argument is invalid. You and VOTN may enjoy your soulless, 'clutter-free' existence. I'd rather own shit in every format, thanks. Variety is the spice of life. [quote]I never hear owners of e-readers harping on about how "wrong" people who read physical books are. So I must have imagined VOTN's thinly veiled criticism of the OP then, I suppose? I hear this all the time. And there are lots of people that bristle when I tell them I still buy CDs and prefer them. Last point. How in the hell does pressing a button compare with physically turning a page? Book-reading should be a visceral AND intellectual experience. I'm not saying it doesn't have its place- for throwaway media and when you're on holiday- but to mark it as a replacement is inane in the extreme. Perhaps I am a bit precious about physical media, but for me it's about making a real connection with something- which I think is important in the Information Age. And, looking on the tube and trains, I see it's about 50/50 nowadays- whereas a few years ago it was kindle kindle kindle. I think that rather proves people are increasingly realising the above point.

  ayb

• "What my argument was, was people who abandon physical media in favour of virtual are fools." So, in your opinion, someone who prefers e-readers over physical books is a fool? "There's a moron I work with who lost all his MP3s (bear in mind he's a Systems Admin) when he had a HD crash which literally meant he lost his music collection since he abandoned physical media almost 10 years ago." Most people keep copies (I have, on my external hard drive backup an). Now with cloud computing you can have your MP3s anywhere. Moreover, this is shifting the issue from ebooks and e-readers and raising unrelated issues, because you don't understand why some people enjoy reading on e-readers. "You and VOTN may enjoy your soulless, 'clutter-free' existence. I'd rather own shit in every format, thanks. Variety is the spice of life." Yet more ignorance from you. I have vinyl (which I can no longer play), I have CDS, MP3s, DVDs, I even have cassettes and VHS. I have ebooks and I have physical books. I even still buy CDs. I probably have more items in physical media than you do. I also said that certain types of book are more suited to physical media. Since when did I say it's an either/or situation? It's only the e-reader bashers who imply that if someone reads an ebook they will never again read a physical book. And, since you believe that variety is the spice of life you should be advocating e-readers then, as they add more variety, and are another option. Yet, you would rather people did not have a variety of options that includes ebooks.

• (Continued...) VOTN was critical of OP, as I am, not because OP reads physical books but because OP, like you, is a snob who sneers at people who read ebooks. "Last point. How in the hell does pressing a button compare with physically turning a page? Book-reading should be a visceral AND intellectual experience. I'm not saying it doesn't have its place- for throwaway media and when you're on holiday- but to mark it as a replacement is inane in the extreme." Oh God, shut up. You really don't have a clue what you're talking about. Did you know that there are even touchscreen e-readers without a button? Here's what I prefer about my button: I can hold my device and turn pages in one hand, great for when standing on transport or lying in bed. If I drop a physical book then I might not know where my page was, with an e-reader it automatically opens at last page read. Sometimes on physical books the pages get stuck. Have you ever had a physical book you had trouble with because it's too chunky or too small or the print wasn't great? Sorry, but I just never have this wonderful surge of pleasure when I turn a page in a book so I don't miss it so much when reading an ebook. Does that make me a less "intellecutal" or feeling person than you? And, I never said e-readers should be a replacement for physical books, so stop distorting what I said. E-readers are an additional option for me and many others. We prefer to read ebooks and so most of our future book purchases will be e-books. If you want to read physical books then go ahead, no one is trying to stop you - unlike you, who are trying to stop us from reading ebooks. If you want to make the argument that you have a superior intellectual experience to me when reading a book because you read a physical one with pages you have to turn and I simply press a button then, go ahead. But, do at least recognise that it's a rather flimsy argument you're making. And, reading a particular novel only once in your life does not make it "throwaway". Jeez, what a snob you are. "And, looking on the tube and trains, I see it's about 50/50 nowadays- whereas a few years ago it was kindle kindle kindle. I think that rather proves people are increasingly realising the above point." When exactly was this? I don't recall a time when everyone on the tube had a kindle and no physical books. Now, I see people with e-readers, physical books, Metro, some tablets and, above everything else, people stuck on smartphones. Many more years ago it was people reading newspapers they'd paid for. Which reminds me, you didn't say: do you buy a newspaper each day and get all your news from that, as opposed to over the internet via a screen? If not, you're a hypocrite. In any case, if you are seeing more people reading physical books these days then you have nothing to fear because you're moral panic argument that if some people have e-readers then the world will descend into a nightmarish virtual reality will not come true. So, you can leave us ebook readers in peace. By the way, if you are seeing 50/50 Kindles and physical books then that is an amazing approval rating of the Kindle amongst readers on the tube because there are still (I believe) more physical books sold than e-readers and Kindles are not the only e-readers. Just because you don't understand something or don't want it for yourself, doesn't mean it's wrong.

• Correction (not that ayb would notice): "you're moral panic argument" = "your moral panic argument".

• R68.. in short, bollocks. I've downloaded some free E-books that I'll read at some point in that format, on a train perhaps. But it's unsatisfying in comparison to a real book. Who can put up with hours of E-reading? After 30 minutes I want to put it down. Books I can pick up and never drop, if the story is good enough. If you think otherwise, I believe you're just fooling yourself. Real Book > E-Book. End of story. Why you insist on white-knighting VOTN's insulting tone over my 'arrogance' when my argument was every format has its place is, frankly, mystifying. If you still have physical media, why are you even arguing with me? I said people that get rid of it altogether so that they can live in the slightly-better-furnished equivalent of a data centre strike me as nuts. TL/DR version: "Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater."

  ayb

• I bought my e-reader in order to read a novel by a friend of mine that was issued by an e-publisher. Since then I've purchased a couple of books that are also available in print, just for convenience's sake, and downloaded a couple of books through my public library's free e-book service. Mostly though I've used it to read public domain books that I've downloaded from Archive.org or Gutenberg.org. If you look at the history of media technology, you see that rather than being totally wiped out by new technologies, older technologies tend to fall back and find their own niche alongside the new ones. Who would have expected radio to become such a powerful political force in the age of cable TV and the Internet? Who would have imagined anyone would still be listening to vinyl albums, let alone that there would still be a niche demand for new pressings in that format, in 2012? I don't think paper books are going away any time soon. The fact is that not all data is digitized or ever will be, and paper is still a much more stable format than any digital format that's currently in use. Our current digital technology is not the be-all and end-all of information technology any more than the punch card computers of the 1960s.

• You seriously are an arrogant little shit, ayb. "But it's unsatisfying in comparison to a real book." Only in YOUR opinion. Not in mine. I am very satisfied reading an ebook, even in comparison to what you call a "real" book. "Who can put up with hours of E-reading?" I can, and so can millions of people around the world. Just because YOU don't think it can be done, doesn't mean it can't be done. "After 30 minutes I want to put it down." That's YOU. Others are different. I can read an ebook for hours. "Books I can pick up and never drop, if the story is good enough." Again, that's you. I can pick up my e-reader and never want to put it down. Which reminds me of another reason as to why I love my Kindle: I can discover so many great books that I would never have come across in a bookshop or library and start reading them within seconds. Some new publishing companies are making the most of this opportunity by republishing old books that it would be commercially impossible to do in a physical book format. Amazon has these daily deals things and so yesterday I bought 3 novels for 99p each by British novelist from the 1930s onwards, called Andrew Garve. I'd never heard of him before but they books sounded interesting, good for a curl-up, old crime mystery type things. I started one almost straightaway and got lost in it for hours. (I'm also reading some Tony Judt essays on my Kindle which I'd never have considered buying in physical book format, just in case you think Garve is "throwaway"). "If you think otherwise, I believe you're just fooling yourself." Bullshit. You are the one fooling yourself when others tell you repeatedly that they enjoy reading ebooks but you just cannot accept this because you think you know best. "Real Book > E-Book. End of story." Bullshit. Reading pleasure = reading what you take pleasure in, in whatever form you take pleasure in. That's end of story.

• If we're going to cherry pick until the sun burns out... [quote]You seriously are an arrogant little shit, ayb. I'm not so little, I'm 5ft11. [quote]I'm also reading some Tony Judt essays on my Kindle which I'd never have considered buying in physical book format, just in case you think Garve is "throwaway" This makes you sound pretty insufferable, you know. Best of Christmas Wishes to you,

  ayb

• I didn't realise you are so tall, ayb. Are you still not smoking?

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• [quote]The fact is, you can't beat physical media. Sure you can. [quote]It's reliable, it lasts a long time (if not forever) Digital copies are reliable and last forever without any degradation. You're confusing the digital copy of the book, which is indestructible and permanent, with the device you read it on which, of course, is not. [quote]if you look after it, and yes it also has the added bonus of you being able to wear your taste on your sleeve. Why is that a bonus? From my point of view, that's a negative, not a positive. [quote]To throw out the baby with the bathwater is foolish indeed. I still buy CDs and the odd DVD, although less so since I joined LoveFilm. I don't see anyone here recommending that. I have both physical books and ebooks. [quote]Non-physical media should be treated as a convenience and nothing more. Like tapes were in the 80s. An inferior format you put up with for convenience. Except that they aren't "inferior," nor have you given any reason why they should be "treated as a convenience and nothing more." [quote]If you can't see the books or CDs on their shelves how are you to silently judge them? LOL.... Man, I hope this was satire. [quote]Beware an entirely virtual world, it has hidden pitfalls. Heavens, you mean I have to judge people by actually getting to know them instead of by reviewing their media collections? Dear me, how dreadful! My Kindle fits in my pocket easily, can be taken anywhere, holds thousands of books so that I can read whatever corresponds to my mood at the moment, and is fantastic for taking on vacation. Even better, since my ebooks are in the cloud, I can read them on a variety of devices in a variety of locations - on my work computer on my lunch break, on my laptop at home, on my phone while waiting in line. And with my phone, I always have access to my entire library wherever I am.

• [quote]Who can put up with hours of E-reading? I can, actually, without any problem at all. [quote]After 30 minutes I want to put it down. So because you have personal problems, I'm supposed to be persuaded? [quote]If you think otherwise, I believe you're just fooling yourself. LOL.... How little you know. [quote]Real Book > E-Book. End of story. Only if you're an idiot.

• Leave it to Datalounge to turn a seemingly innocuous topic into a bitter blood match.

• I LOVE reading on my ipad. But I was with you, Op, for the longest time. I just love the feel of books. But I really love the convenience, it's hat has won me over. My reading has increased. I don't have to keep putting books in storage. And my biggest concern was that it would diminish my reading enjoyment and that has become non-issue. Plus, textbooks are way better on the iPad. You can SEARCH for phrases, you can highlight in multiple colors, and add notes.

• R14, your post made me sad. When I moved about 10 years ago, I had to get rid of a lot of books. I donated them to my local library for the book sale. I still have a number of reference books, but all my new books are on Kindle as are most of my library loans.

• R22, I just bought a CD last week and two DVDs in the past month.

• R55, do you even know what twee means? Many people use libraries to rent CDs and DVDs. When I lived in the Kansas City area and had access to the library there, they always had or would get the latest music and films if you requested them. I thought it was a great library. The downtown one was just moving when I left.

• [quote]I LOVE reading on my ipad... But I really love the convenience, it's hat has won me over. My iPad doesn't have a hat. Maybe that's why I don't really like it. I think a pert little beret or maybe a festive stocking cap just might do the trick. (^_~)

  Ciaran

• Yes, there are some people who still use libraries, obviously. But the vast majority of Americans do not use them which is why libraries have been in crisis for the past 10 years as their memberships have declined sharply. To sit there and type away about how libraries are doing just fine is like an ostrich head in the sand approach. Here's just another sad story about a library system in crisis. This one is in NYC where you would think there would be more book readers than say, a Kansan suburb.

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christian-zabriskie/threat-to-public-library_b_1547123.html

• I was like you OP. In fact, I was disappointed with the bf's Xmas gift to me last year: a Kindle Fire. I could NOT live without the Kindle. I love it. But, if I really like a book, I will end up buying it in hardcover, too.

• stop fighting you stupid petty bitches! you are making me upset and cry. let it be. use which ever format you desire.

  and%20go%20get%20laid%20too