Monday night Nordic Boy came home with a present for me.
For a long time, I wasn't the slightest bit interested in trying an e-reader, mostly because in the beginning of e-reader-ness the only option was to buy books, never borrow. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-book-buying, but being a librarian and all, I also am a huge fan of the borrowing. I am not precious about owning books as objects for myself for the most part, and plus I am a full on cheapskate, so put that all together with the fact that I work for a huge library system where I can read to my heart's content without committing the dolla dolla bills, ya'll, and you have a pertty solid no thanks, Mr. Bezos.
When e-readers started coming out that offered the option of buying or borrowing, it made me more interested, but still. I didn't know if it was for me.
Um, you guys? IT IS SO FOR ME.
I like many things about it, but what I like the most is that I can carry eleventy grillion books around with me in my purse without herniating my groin. I read multiple books at a time, and deciding which one gets the honor of going in my purse with me is a thing of the past. I also enjoy the fact that the screen is not a light-up screen like a computer. It treats my eyes just like print, so I don't get that fatigued computer face after a long bout of reading. And also, I can read a big heavy tome (I do TOO read tomes) in my bed and not get arm cramps from holding the dang book up.
I am realizing most of my reasons for loving this involve sheer physical laziness on my part.
I have heard people say that some people love books. The physical object. They love the binding, the papery smell, the eventual wearing down of pages. And that other people just love reading. On the computer, in a book, on a stone tablet, it doesn't matter. And then there are people along the spectrum in between. I never knew where I fell in this continuum exactly, and I still don't. What I do know is that I am not feeling monogamy for the codex.
I have a saucy lover on the side, and its name is Nook. And I am totally hot to trot for it right now.
10 comments:
I love that you wrote "I am not feeling monogamy for the codex". That cracked me UP, neighbor. Congrats on the Nookie.
This is so weird. After sitting behind a guy on the bus who had some kind of e-reader I was going to do a blog post on it but you beat me to it! I'm still not sure myself but it sure is pretty :)
You do realize that, given the advent of e-book readers, we are likely to see a dramatically reduced need for physical libraries and librarians in 10 years? Libraries are likely to move online and will probably be run by IT professionals rather than librarians.
Technology has its downside!
our Nook people initially loved it but now they're backtracking - not sure why but i think it's such an unusual format for them and out of their comfort zone so they go back to the physical book. i'm not there yet but i'm sure one day i'll jump on board! and i'm a techie!
Say no to guilt. E-books don't mean a reduced need for libraries--they means a need for libraries to evolve, as they always have. Libraries are about far more than reading bound, printed matter. And today's with-it librarians are already IT professionals, or quickly becoming so. xo k8
PS: Sounds like you're totally Richie Cunningham, and the Nook is that General Hospital sexy divorcee, and you just asked it for a glass of water...I know you know what I mean.
k8, I need to add this comment to the list of the many reasons why you are awesome.
I totally think of Richie and the divorcee every time I think of the phrase "hot to trot."
I was the EXACT same way about any sort of ebook reader (fellow librarian here) until I saw the magic that was the iPad. I can not only read books, but watch movies and check the Internet - all without carrying my laptop on trips with me. LOVE IT. I'm also all about the free books and there's tons of them out there - I just downloaded the Nook app last night and put a bunch of free books on my iPad. You just have to look. I have a bunch of old ones from Edgar Rice Burroughs I got from Amazon and can't wait to reread. What? I LOVED his books. Enjoy your Nook!
I was all on the "why isn't Amazon offering lending like the Nook" until I read the Nook's fine print: you can only lend each text once (and only for 14 days). Not once per recipient. Once. Bogus.
But people who say they "couldn't read a book onscreen" should really see it in action.
I got myself an iPad a while back - its fantastic with Nook, Kindle, iBooks and Kobo apps. I used to think I'd never fall for ebooks. I was wrong.
To Anonymous' point:
I doubt that the advent of e-readers will result in fewer libraries and librarians. Seattle just built itself a whopping, expensive new downtown library a few years ago, when the e-book was already well in sight. There is one whole floor filled with computers where people google around and do research all day. If anything, more librarians will be needed in future to help people navigate databases and understand information architecture and figure out the BACK button. It's a question of money to pay people, not reduced demand for their expertise.
As for pixels vs. ink, I stare at a monitor (I used to stare at a Minotaur, until he blinked) all day long, so I want paper for my off-work reading.
Just my USD$00.02
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