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I have a Sony Reader. This digital device was a thoughtful gift from my husband the Christmas before last. I tried and tried to use this thing, but everything about it felt wrong; it wasn’t tactile enough, not properly illuminated, I didn’t like pushing the little forward clicking arrow to turn the page, hated the fake pretending of turning the page even more…in short…it wasn’t working for me.
Kevin had thought, quite correctly, that it would be a great travel accessory. No more lugging around a million books as I do. I could have an entire library on this thing. Except, I pretty much hated it. It has been gathering dust on a back shelf ever since.
And then this weekend, at my request, he loaded his extra digital copy of Solar by Ian MacEwen on this digital device. Don’t ask me why I thought it was time. I think it was me doing a Mennonite-cheap thing. We need to read Solar for our upcoming book club and he already had purchased a digital copy for his iPhone and I guess I just thought it was prudent and frugal and all those boring words that are applicable here. Or could we say I was being environmentally considerate? Doesn’t that sound better? Yes, let’s say that.
Well, as you know, God works in mysterious ways…because…I quite loved it.
Go figure. The text was just the right width for the reading glasses I use. I could read without feeling like my head was turning all the time like a bad Linda-Blair-in-the-Excorcist-scene. That factor alone was a huge bonus, and somehow that book just whipped along. I read for hours on Sunday without feeling like my eyes were strained and tired like they usually get with my regular books.
I’m not sure if it read so fast because of the writing or the way the ebook is formatted and I’m also not sure if I really liked how fast it all went. But I’m sure I could try reading slower…
Those small considerations aside, the Sony Reader is now polished up and placed with pride in its new priority spot on the nightstand. I’m wondering what I should download next.
And you know what? It will be really great for travel.
That’s definitely a huge problem for me with the e-readers. I like to page back and forth and look for things. I like to make a teeny tiny dog eared corner on a page.
The confounding thing with the Nook is the touch screen – I’m all thumbs, so I find myself suddenly on page 278 without knowing how I got there – or how to get back!
HOWEVER, they are really good for traveling. I have to admit that.
That’s it…I dog-ear pages or underline stuff or stick a post-it note on something and using a little digital highlighter thingy is just not the same experience. It feels too ‘virtual’, like I’m just playing at doing the real thing. Funny…but yes, the travel ticket is it.
This is funny, because my husband bought me a Sony e-reader last year for Valentine’s Day, even though I had emphatically told him I was not interested in those things. I rather liked it for traveling. I was always running out of a book on the road, and then having to stop everything to look for a book store. I also found you could read faster on it (don’t know why), but had trouble seeing the screen.
Then this year for Christmas he bought me a Nook Color. The man cannot resist gadgets. This one connects to the internet and since I’m such a huge addict he figures this is quite an upgrade.
The Nook is much easier to see. And I can get books instantly from Barnes and Noble…that’s handy. But I still only use it when traveling.
Somehow, I’m still hooked on books – the old fashioned kind 🙂
Perhaps our husbands should meet 🙂 Kevin is a total gadget-guy too. I was reading an old-fashioned paper book last night and if I need to go back a few pages to find something, I have sort of a visual idea of where on the page it is…not so with the digital version. It’s almost like it disappears the second you’ve read it. I know I can digitally go back but there’s something missing in the process. Ultimately, I prefer the tactile experience.
Loved this entry because I’ve been paying attention, only this past month though, to comments and discussions on the e-reader and what people like and need about the various ones. And B&N hawks its Nook every time you step in the front door as though they’re anxious to get rid of their 4,000 square feet of browsable books. Sigh.
Anyway, I’m listening to you and thinking that as the family asks what I might like for my b’day, I could make it easy for them….!
And love your blog header, as always, especially as we are now, in STL, getting doused with ice and snow and the color gray!
Glad to be of assistance in the birthday selection 🙂 Just wanted to add that my one other issue with my eReader is the lack of contrast but I understand that the newest models are backlit which is key to ease of reading. I’ve heard the Kobo Reader is good but I’m sure it’s all very personal.
Glad you like the blog header…the boat picture was taken off the coast of Zanzibar.
Don’t you love that word? It’s even better if you draw it out – Zan…zi…bar. Thanks for dropping by.