Horror Aficionados discussion

Am i the only person here still reading real books? I know we love our technology, but how can you replace a book. I don't know how many of these devices there are, but this is how many i found 8. I-Pad, Kindle, Blackberry, Nook, Kobo eReader, Aluratek Libre, Sony Touch, and Sony Pocket. To each his own. But I love to smell a new book, even an old book has it's own smell. The feel of the paper as you turn each page. The color of the paper, they all vary. The jackets on hardbacks, and the covers on paperbacks. The smudge of chocolate on a page you turned in a hurry and forgot about till you went to read it for the second time. The dog ears you took out of a book you loaned your sister. All the cool book makers you've managed to collect, and the cheap ones you give to people who barrow your books. You learned after the first dogeared book to give out book markers. While i'll be the first to jump on the Technology train for almost everything else, i think i'm going to stick to reading real books, and hope they don't stop making real books. Because that would be a shame.

I haven't started using eBooks yet. If I travelled a lot or spent a great deal of time out with nothing to do I'd get one, but I haven't a use for one now.

I pretty much read hard copies, if I can find it in hard copy vs. electronic, I'll get the hard copy. I have some electronic copies for some rare books and some that I've converted myself for reference, like my school text books and some RPG's for gaming.

I don't think they'll stop making real books for a long time, they said the same thing about CD's when MP3 players started booming. The only crappy thing will be electronic exclusives.

I like both, Lori. Although I surround myself with beloved books dating decades back, I don't make a habit of buying books due to storage problems. On a Kindle if I buy a book I can keep it stored there and read it years later if I want.

I'm not saying their bad, just not for me. And Jerrod makes a good point for school books that i hadn't thought of. But as far as books i read for enjoyment i want the real mccoy. And i hope he's right about them printing books, and if anyone goes exclusively electronic, i hope it's not anyone i love to read. That would suck.

I have an e-reader, but I still LOVE having a real book. I still like reading a book better any day.

We'll think Lori, Vinyls & CD's are still sold, even though naysayers were constantly saying the end of -insert item still sold here-. Books will be in print for a long time to come, besides they're greener than e-readers and isn't that the tread? :)

Oh, I don't think books are going away any time soon. And it would stink for mainstream authors to sell their work solely electronically (or whatever the term is).

Lori Wrote: The smudge of chocolate on a page you turned in a hurry and forgot about till you went to read it for the second time.

That was you? I must be buying up all your old used books.

I have a Nook, I just finished reading a book on my Nook. Right now I'm reading a paperback. It's very hard for me to give up a feel of having a book in my hands. I love the advantages of ereaders, great storage,always have the book you want, order anywhere,can be on the internet anywhere with the wifi,sharing. I recently heard ereader books are out selling hardcovers. I'll still buy both.

Yes that would be me Stephanie. I read The Dark Half all at one sitting, even missed work because i couldn't put it down. The next time i went to read it i found a chocolate thumb, and orange finger prints. Oreos and cheetos.

Jerrod wrote: "We'll think Lori, Vinyls & CD's are still sold, even though naysayers were constantly saying the end of -insert item still sold here-. Books will be in print for a long time to come, besides they'r..."

How are books greener than eReaders? Books use paper, which is made of trees. eBooks kill nothing (that I know of) and are simply electronic ink. Am I missing something here?

On topic, I love real books also, and I plan on using my eReader (when I get one) for reading free and cheap eBooks. I'm sure it won't replace my book collection, just nicely and conveniently add to it.

eReaders=landfill. Just like any electronic equipment.

Scott wrote: "eReaders=landfill. Just like any electronic equipment."

Books don't? Probably a dumb question, but a legitimate one nonetheless.

I think paper is biodegradable.

I'm getting older and my eye sight is not the best. I would hate it if I had to give up reading because I could'nt see well enough! Since I got my reader I am a happy camper. No more blurry pages!

I guess we can kill trees but have books decompose in landfills or not kill trees and have eReaders not decompose in landfills.

On another note, I have a tree-hugging friend at work who is so behind on technology that he prints out book suggestions and articles he wants me to have/read. I think to myself, "Just send me the link!" He also drives a beat up Toyota (?) that isn't as fuel efficient as newer models but he thinks he's helping the environment by keeping a thirty-year-old car.

Bobbie wrote: "I'm getting older and my eye sight is not the best. I would hate it if I had to give up reading because I could'nt see well enough! Since I got my reader I am a happy camper. No more blurry pages!"

I hate small print, so I'm looking forward to adjusting the font size when I get my Kindle.

If only the publishing industry would switch to recycled paper and end the hideous policy of "stripping" books, it would be a lot more planet friendly.

I agree with that wholeheartedly, Scott!

Kindles are easy on the eyes. I have some floaters in my eyes and reading type on bright paper makes them very noticeable.

I have a libre and I love the large font sizes. as it gets later in the evening and my eyes get more tired I just boost it up :) love it

Tressa, I have floaters too. Most annoying things in the world! I wish there was a way to get rid of them.

I can't stand them! It's awful when I'm driving on a sunny day. I've asked my eye doctor time and time again, but there's not a way. Oh, I did read of some kind of procedure where they stick a need around the eye and suck out some of the liquid/floaters. Not sure how successful it is. Wanna give it a try?

Branden wrote: "How are books greener than eReaders? Books use paper, which is made of trees. eBooks kill nothing (that I know of) and are simply electronic ink. Am I missing something here? "

Yes your missing something. Electronic gadgets don't biodegrade and the chemicals used to recycle them are extremely toxic. A book will degrade to nothing but fertilizer, tree's will regrow faster than the elements mined to create the wonderful electronic gadgets and a book doesn't require a source of power to use (other than the sun and your eyes). Remember half of the US uses coal to get electricity (currently). So in short, yes the good old book is much greener than the electronic forms. Also take in mind, if it isn't grown, it's got to be mined and I don't now of anything natural in e-readers, little alone most electronic devices, at least for consumer use. Not everything labeled green is, sometimes its just to get us to buy things, in the case of e-readers, they are selling convenience, not a greener, planet friendly way of reading.

Anyway, I'll always buy paper books but I'm not against electronic books. Heck I've been reading them longer than it's been a trend and I won't stop either.

Scott wrote: "If only the publishing industry would switch to recycled paper and end the hideous policy of "stripping" books, it would be a lot more planet friendly."

When they can make money off it is when it will be used, a sad reality of things I think.

But wouldn't eReaders END UP in landfills less than books? If someone pays close to $200 or more for something I can't see them throwing it into the trash as easily as a $7 paperback book. Either way, I see your point, but I'm not too concerned about it (because there are other, worse things affecting the environment than books or eReaders, unfortunately).

Another dumb question (I'm just filled with them today): what does it mean to "strip" a book?

I read a few ebooks but mostly I'm still a real in my hands book kinda girl.

Stripping is the practice of tearing off the front covers of mass market paperbacks and returning the covers for credit rather than having to return the entire book. Bookstores are allowed to do this with their unsold books. It's wasteful both on the production end and on the sales end.

White Wolf was a publisher that required the entire book be returned so that they could be redirected to other outlets. Unfortunately this made their books very hard to find, as many bookstores wouldn't carry them (or stocked very small quantities). They also used a certain amount of recycled paper in their books. So it is possible.

Ooooh! I always wondered why they did that. I have a couple books from way back when that are missing covers and didn't understand why they did it. Thanks for clearing that up Scott.

Tressa wrote: "I can't stand them! It's awful when I'm driving on a sunny day. I've asked my eye doctor time and time again, but there's not a way. Oh, I did read of some kind of procedure where they stick a need..."

I have them too. One maddening one in particular in my right eye that manages to float directly on the line I'm reading. The only way I know of to move them around is to look up a few times. It's supposed to move them but this one always goes back to my line of sight. Grrr.

One of the reasons I'll never get an ereader. The biggest reason is I love the feel of a book in my hand. Hardcovers, I'll remove the jacket...sometimes the spine has a coarse texture to it that I like :)

I have a floater that does that sometimes, too, Bill. I'm lucky, though, in that it will float elsewhere if I play with it enough.

Just shake your head and the floaters will disperse like the fake snow in a snow globe.

I sometimes play with them by looking in one direction really quickly, then watching them all float around.

Does anyone have a Pandigital Novel? It is color and seems very cheap dollar wise. I am thinking of buying an ereader soon.

I love paper books, but I think an ereader is going to save me money and space. I will still buy or borrow regular books.

I think what we will see, and have already, is that ebooks is going to bring about a boom in first time authors. Kinda like blogging has done for the masses.
It will be cheaper to get your ebook published than to get a paper book published.
I have already seen ebook exclusives.

IIRC, the PDN didn't get very good reviews. I always recommend checking out MobileRead for details about ereading technology; there's a vast amount of accumulated wisdom there.

Brainycat wrote: "IIRC, the PDN didn't get very good reviews. I always recommend checking out MobileRead for details about ereading technology; there's a vast amount of accumulated wisdom there."

Thanks, I am searching for reviews now.

It'll be a few years before color e-ink is affordable for the masses, but many companies now are looking at flexible displays for e-ink, lcd and plasma as the next type of display.

If you think that the e-ink style display is going to be limited, you should think again. Quallcomm has a new e-ink style display that has video playback features. Now once/if they can get the manufacturing costs down, it could potentially be a real game changer for mobile devices.

http://www.mirasoldisplays.com/ereader

The e-reader only display we currently have is going to be short lived if the e-ink style display can continue to develop and come down in price. At least E-Ink has some competition and that's always good for us consumers.

Interesting alternative, wonder how they decide what to put in machine?

http://io9.com/#!5748038/book-lending...

I just recently got a Nook for my birthday and while I do love it very much and will try to download hard to find books onto it instead of ordering them to be sent to my home, I'll never stop buying books.

Bookstores renew my soul. I could never stop going to them. :(

I will probably never stop buying books, especially from used shops and from library sales. But, if I see a book I am interested in on sale for $2.99 or below on the Kindle, and the actual print version is around the TBP price of $12.99 on up, I will buy the Kindle every time. I won't buy a $9.99 digital version, however.
Authors such as Lansdale will always be a hardcover purchase for me. Most other authors, though, will not be. I just can't afford $25-$30 for books. Even when I was employed my budget never made room for those prices...unless it was a beloved author.
Books might decompose, but at this point in time I can't imagine ereaders are finding their ways to the dumps. I also figure that they will be like handheld video games, and an after market used life will always exist. A person can still walk into a used video game shop and buy an old Game Boy. I figure some day we will see Kindles and Nooks in the used book shops.

Books aren't going away, I blame the hype that print is dying on Amazon sensationalism. Sure Amazon e-books are outselling their hardcover and paperbacks, but remember, Amazon is only 10% of the total hardcover market and approximately 20% of the total paperback market, while having 90% of the e-book market, so it's only obvious why Amazon is, but remember, Amazon isn't the total book market. Then you've got people like me, who will always buy print for things because some things I want the First Sale Clause to apply and not just purchase a license to read. I do pay attention to what the law says I 'own' and to what i license. Some things I enjoy enough to want the extra rights, something things I could care less about and a license will do.

I'm with Carl to, some authors will automatically be Hardcover and/or paperback purchases, because their work means something to me. We've also got to remember that unlike music and movies, books have a much bigger library to digitize and if your legally looking for some books older than say ~2008, you might be SOL. Either way I think both are good for us readers, but I think the silliness of 'print is dead' is getting rather old. TV didn't kill movies and the PC didn't kill office printing, just like many other things.

I think the older books will find their way to the smaller guys. More folks like Necon Ebooks will be showing up, grabbing older novels and digitizing them, and then selling them at great prices. THIS is my hope, and a BIG part of the reason I grabbed a Kindle. I didn't buy my Kindle to get the newest Stephen King, I got it to buy those old Robert Blochs I can't find in any market.

That would be the hope as well, the hard to find, OOP or Rare copies would still hold value to collectors, but for those of us who just want to read it, an ebook would be great. Give it time, the whole digital library is a WIP.

And speaking of King, for a retired guy, he's sure still spitting them out.