Monday, December 6, 2010

A Christmas Toy

.
Ahhhh, my gentle snowflakes, I am a bibliophile. From the tender age or 6 or so, I have loved books. I love to hold books. I love to read books. I love the smell of books--both new and old. I love books more than a party. I love books more than clean sheets. I love books more than...well, you get the idea.

If you follow this blog, you know I travel to Texas as much as I can to see some very, very dear friends. When I go, I take books with me--lots of books. Books tend to be heavy. Heavy luggage is not a good thing. Of course, the answer is an e-reader. Note, that I did not say, "The easy answer..."

I resisted getting an e-reader for a long, long time. Everywhere I looked someone was reading from a Kindle or some other e-reader that I did not recognize. (Well, not everywhere, but I did see a lot of them.) And I resisted because I thought I would only like holding an actual book. Turning the pages. Feeling the cover. Smelling the paper. You know, just holding the book. I thought, somehow, holding an e-reader would be a lot different.

I have friends who have Kindles. I have held them and tried to use them. The Kindle felt a little awkward--kind of big with a tendency toward too heavy for comfort and not well balanced in my hands. I had trouble remembering how to do whatever it was I was trying to do. (Maybe, I just didn't spend enough time using a Kindle.) Also, I found the controls at the bottom hard to manipulate. It just never felt comfortable in my hands.

Now, I know that Kindle has made several changes since I held one of them. And I know there are newer versions. And I almost had myself convinced to buy one of the newer Kindles, then I watched a couple of YouTube videos on the differences. That pretty much made me decide on the ∩ook. Then, I found a comparison questionnaire about how I planned to use the device and what I liked to read and where/when I read. And I settled on the ∩ook b/w--not the newer, more expensive color version. Also, I opted for a Barnes & Noble certified reconditioned ∩ook at a much lower price.

As we all know, the price of books--even paperbacks--just keeps going up and up and up. The e-books are much, much cheaper than books--even paperbacks. Then, of course, where I live, I have to drive 75 miles or so one-way or else order whatever I want online and wait for the delivery. E-readers will "run out there and get" the book through a wifi connection. The first book I bought was only $4.75--total--and, for want of a better word, "downloaded" in less than 3 minutes (I timed it). That was a
322 page "book. " That is faster than "check-out."

Also, I think what contributes to my satisfaction with the ∩ook is that I bought a real leather cover. I am sure that aids my tactile enjoyment. I can hold it open like an "open book." Or I can turn the cover back without "breaking" the spine. Then it feels much like a large paperback.

Another thing, since I have had to use reading glasses (in addition to my contacts), I can't read lying in bed anymore without a big hassle: the book is never in the right position; when I have to turn the page, I have to change hands and reposition the damn book; and as I have aged, I tend to drop the book occasionally and lose my place. I used to enjoy reading in bed so-o-o-o very, very much. Well, I took that ∩ook to bed with me last night and read and read and read. Didn't drop it once. Didn't have to change hands. (Pages turn at the press of a handily-placed, easily pressed "button.") The sensation of holding a book is surprisingly similar to holding the ∩ook.

Good day to stay home, stay in & read a good book (or a slightly trash book) on my new ∩ook. Yippee!

.

2 comments:

  1. How very cool! I am SO glad you like it.

    Thanks for the links, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Glad you saw/read/commented. And you know I lOVE links! Citations for the electronic age.

    ReplyDelete