Chicks On Lit discussion

Electronic. I LOVE carrying a book, I love the smell of books, how they look on my shelf with all their brothers and sisters. I love my bookmarks, I love turning pages and getting close to the end and seeing just a sliver of pages left to finish. I love highlighting parts that resonate with me and stacking them up in neat little towers. ebooks, kindles, ereaders, those are great for other people. But for me, it will always be me and my books :)

I was once just like you. I would have never gone electronic if my husband didn't buy a Kindle for me. When I opened the gift, I very ungraciously told him to just return it. Clearly, he didn't know me at all! Clearly, he hadn't been listening to me when I railed high and low against ereaders! But, he convinced me to at least turn it on and at least try it for one day. He had already loaded it up with my favorite book.

Now, I have fallen head over heels in love with my Kindle. I might even love it more than my own husband... shhh!

I like my Nook for specific purposes; mainly really big books and magazines. It keeps these otherwise bulky items in one convenient place while allowing me to bookmark and highlight.

I agree that I will always READ 'real' books, but my ereader has a place in my heart too. :)

Viola wrote: "I was once just like you. I would have never gone electronic if my husband didn't buy a Kindle for me. When I opened the gift, I very ungraciously told him to just return it. Clearly, he didn't kno..."

LOL, Viola!! Kudos to your hubby for taking a chance :)

Sonja wrote: "I like my Nook for specific purposes; mainly really big books and magazines. It keeps these otherwise bulky items in one convenient place while allowing me to bookmark and highlight.

I agree that..."

That actually makes a lot of sense - I don't see myself every buying an ereader, but I can see the logic of saving space instead of carrying books around. If anything, I would probably like you, use both.

Beautifully stated! I'm a diehard bibliophile, too. The only> beauty I see in ereaders is for travel - not having to pick just 5 favorite books, for varying moods, but being able to take a whole bookstore with you! Like I said... I see the beauty, but I don't think I could do it - I'm too much a romantic bibliophile.

As someone who just had to move hundreds and hundreds of books into a new house, I totally appreciate my Kindle.

I was the same way, until my husband bought me a Nook color before my daughter was born. It's so hard for me to get library books (or buy them on impulse) with a very active 4-year-old and 10-month-old. It's easier to download from the library at night when the kids are in bed, and have the books waiting for me on my Nook when I have time to read them.

Another thing that I like about them is that you can change the font. My father-in-law is going to get a new "Glowlight" Nook from his kids, because he will be able to read any book by making the font so much bigger. The dark screen with the light words (Night option on Nook color) is great for those of us who are married to people who don't read in bed. In less than a year, I've become an e-reader fan; well it took less than a month, really...

I'm not sure what cliche to go with
"Never say never"
or
"Famous last words"

:)

Very true, Tera.

fivesunflowers wrote: "Electronic. I LOVE carrying a book, I love the smell of books, how they look on my shelf with all their brothers and sisters. I love my bookmarks, I love turning pages and getting close to the en..."

Amen! I wont go to an e-reader either. I refuse in fact! Hubbs thought I wanted one so he put tickets in and I won a top of the line Kindle at a fund-raiser auction for a woman we know who has cancer and I gave it to her!

Regardless of how "easy on the eyes" those things are supposed to be, the arthritis I have causes blurred vision and reading on any type of screen usually aggravates that as well as my migraines - doesn't happen when I read an actual book though! Besides, I have enough gadgets (cell phone, camera, laptop, pc) and don't need another one. I'll take actual books in hand and in this case I'll say "Never!"

Jo wrote: "Amen! I wont go to an e-reader either. I refuse in fact! Hubbs thought I wanted one so he put tickets in and I won a top of the line Kindle at a fund-raiser auction for a woman we know who has cancer and I gave it to her! ..."

That's so kind!! Way to go!

The other part of my refusal to convert is the bookstores. I don't know what I'd do without bookstores to browse in, breathe in, heal in! It breaks my heart to think they'll slowly be killed off because of eBooks.

Thank you Carly :o) And that's another great point too! The bookstores. I love browsing Barnes & Noble, sadly we no longer have independant shops near (or far from) where we live on the coast in NJ but there are may in PA close to our place up north and I visit them just about every time we're up there. Saturday morning bookshop browsing has been a favorite past-time since I was a little girl!

I agree, Jo and Carly. I love book stores. There are not many small ones left, so I settle for Barnes and Noble.

Both of my kids have Nooks and prefer them to books. To me, holding the actual thing is more enjoyable.

I love to read. I love books. But I also love my e-reader. I am a gadget person, so the Nook Color caught my eye. The amount of books I can store, the ability to have more than one book on hand, and being able to switch book from book. I commute to work every day and this beats carrying a 800 page hardcover book on the subway. I still go to B&N to browse through books and my buy a few. But I'm hooked. What made it worse, I purchased an Ipad 2 and it was on. LOL. Everything at I have on one device. I can't beat that.

The only thing I miss about books is the ability to pass them on.

I'm a reader who loves to mark favorite quotes & passages as well, I always read w/pen or pencil in hand. I often go back to all-time faves just to read what I've noted throughout the book.

Jo wrote: "I'm a reader who loves to mark favorite quotes & passages as well, I always read w/pen or pencil in hand. I often go back to all-time faves just to read what I've noted throughout the book."

Well, you can make highlights and write notes on the Kindle too. In fact, I end up with more notes and highlights on ebooks. Now, I'm not discounting your love of paper and pencil, afterall, I have penpals and use snail mail, but I just want to clarify that in case you weren't aware that ebooks have that functionality.

Yep, I know you can do that with e-readers but it's definitely not the same as making my notations in an actual book in hand though!

E-readers are just not my thing. I don't begrudge anyone using/enjoying them but I don't want one and have no desire to use one.

Now I must admit I've taken advantage of one electronic tool - downloading audiobooks onto my iPod from my library system for car rides and workouts! I don't put that on the same level, tho. :-)

I do a bit about of both. Many times I find a great book (or series) at the library or the bookstore. If it's something I would take on traveling vacation to read or I read it over & over I invest in the kindle version. After buying the same book 4 times because the spine got damaged after the 59th time read or the dog got a hold of it, getting an electronic copy just made sense. I still haunt the library though, just checked out 9 books to read at my stay-cation!

Viola wrote: "I was once just like you. I would have never gone electronic if my husband didn't buy a Kindle for me. When I opened the gift, I very ungraciously told him to just return it. Clearly, he didn't kno..."

Hilarious! I adore my Kindle, and my husband has mentioned he's just a tad bit jealous...

I have a Kindle keyboard that I bought for travel and because my home is overflowing with print books. The plan was to reduce the space taken up by print books; it's not working because now I buy both! I love bookstores and love reading 'real' books. My mom was a librarian so I spent lots of time after school hanging out in the stacks.

But...You can't beat a Kindle for travel reading and that's the main way I use mine. Once I'm absorbed in the story, it doesn't matter what format I'm using. I really like the dictionary function on Kindle and the quick access to new reading. I no longer search the bookstores in my area for the next in a series or a great new read. If it's not available nearby, I can download it in seconds. The price can be a drawback since paperbacks are often equally or less expensive. I'm waiting to see what happens with the DOJ lawsuit against Apple and some publishers for price-fixing.

I can't say that I love my Kindle, but I really like the convenience. For me, it hasn't been an either/or choice. I read both.

Jo wrote: "...Regardless of how "easy on the eyes" those things are supposed to be, the arthritis I have causes blurred vision and reading on any type of screen usually aggravates that..."

Kindle has a text to speech feature for many ebooks so the Kindle will read to you. I've not tried this feature, but some in the GR Kindle group really love it. They 'read' while exercising, cooking, or doing chores.

Nell wrote: "Jo wrote: "...Regardless of how "easy on the eyes" those things are supposed to be, the arthritis I have causes blurred vision and reading on any type of screen usually aggravates that..."

Kindle ..."

Isn't that the same as an audiobook? lol (a Kindle that reads to you?)

Nell wrote: "Kindle has a text to speech feature for many ebooks so the Kindle will read to you. I've not tried this feature, but some in the GR Kindle group really love it. They 'read' while exercising, cooking, or doing chores."

I've tried this and it sucks. I don't know how anyone could use it. It's not like audiobooks, because it's just a computer reading it without any of the appropriate pauses, inflections, or intonations. Audiobooks are read by real people, so are capable of interpreting the passage and reading it appropriately.

Bookstores and the books found there are the best things in the world. I hate to see the way that they are stuggling and knowing that the ebook business is what is holding some businesses together, breaks my heart. But I own a Kindle and find it a great invention. I use it mostly for classics that are free. Somehow, if I pay for a book I want to own it in paper.

Doesn't matter whether it's on paper or on screen as long as I get to read. :D

fivesunflowers wrote: "Nell wrote: "Jo wrote: "...Regardless of how "easy on the eyes" those things are supposed to be, the arthritis I have causes blurred vision and reading on any type of screen usually aggravates that..."

I rarely use audio books of any kind, I'm not a fan of them either.

Nell wrote: "Jo wrote: "...Regardless of how "easy on the eyes" those things are supposed to be, the arthritis I have causes blurred vision and reading on any type of screen usually aggravates that..."

Kindle ..."

I know about those features as well, still not interested in any kind of e-reader! I read actual books while on the treadmill, cooking etc. Don't need a gadget to do the same lol!

I'm a gadget girl, and I love my Nook Tablet and my IPad2. They are so fun. Reading books on both is a pleasure. However, I still enjoy the physical book in my hands. So I walk both sides of the fence, and I'm great with it. Never wanted an e-reader at the beginning, then I bought the first Nook, and it was magic from then on.

Two things I love about physical books: walking through a bookstore or library and browsing the spine covers, finding one that catches my attention and 'discovering' a new book or author. Can't really do that with Amazon. You have to know the book you want to look it up.

The other thing I love about new books is the smell. You know, when you flip the pages really fast, stick your nose close and that new book smell!

I still love my Kindle though, but have a physical stack of books as well!

Ooh yes!! But there is one thing better than new book smell: OLD book smell Nothing like finding an old first edition of your favorite classic and breathing in that history!!

I want an e-reader, but am reluctant to buy one because I have heard that the text to speech feature is unreliable. I can't use print. But, I was told that not all books are speech enabled. Further, I was told that it does not function at maximum in speech mode when speech is enabled. I would need to be able to use all navigation in speech and everything else that way. Does anyone know how Kindle or any of the others work if a person has no print access? I would love the convenience of not needing rides to stores or libraries, of getting any book when I want it, of brouzing on the internet. But, I would be frustrated if I could not fully use the technology or purchased a book that did not work in speech mode.

The newer Kindles have voice commands for the menus. But it is correct that the text-to-speech is not a feature on every book. The publisher must enable the option on their books, and many of the big publishers won't enable it because they think it would hurt audiobook sales. Text-to-speech is also nothing like an audiobook, as it's a computer reading the text. It may pronounce things wrong or whatever, and the speech lacks inflections and is very flat and machine sounding. You can control the speed of the text-to-speech, to speed it up or slow it down. Whenever I've used it, which admittedly isn't too often, it hasn't slowed down the performance of my Kindle at all. But you may need to pause TTS before accessing menus, I'm not sure on that one.

As far as I know, the Kindle is the only reader that even offers text to speech and voice controlled menus. But a better option for you may be an audible subscription, or audiobooks from the library via overdrive. There are audible and overdrive apps you can put on your phone or on a tablet that make accessing and listening to books really easy and convenient. That may not help your desire for voice commands for navigation. But there's probably apps for that as well.

Irene wrote: "I want an e-reader, but am reluctant to buy one because I have heard that the text to speech feature is unreliable. I can't use print. But, I was told that not all books are speech enabled. Furt..."

Irene, if you can't read due to a documented medical condition that a doctor will sign off on, find out if your library participates in LEAP - the Library eBook Accessibility Program. They offer a wider range of ebooks through another vendor all for free. Stuff your library doesn't have subscriptions for even. You can also get an individual membership for $50 a year- plus a one time sign up fee of $25. Way cheaper than an audible.com subscription.
Here's their website: https://www.bookshare.org/membershipO...

Shay, Thanks, I have been using BookShare for a number of years. I love the program. But, although their list of titles is impressive, there are still books I want to read that they do not have. For example, I want to share in this month's COL discussion of She's Come Undone, and it is not available through BookShare. And, of course, it is a lending program, so I can't own.

Jenny, Thanks for the info. I am pretty used to text to speech programs and so rarely find their pronounciation problematic. However, Ulysses was another matter. LOL.

Irene, Betterworld Books sells new and used audiobooks. They rate the condition and the postage is (for most items) free worldwide. If you don't mine CD's. The cheapest CD for She's Come Undone is $7.04 including postage. Link below

http://www.betterworldbooks.com/she-s...

Thanks Shay

Living in Kenya, I don't have access to all these great services! Public libraries are pretty much non-existant, book stores have very limited selection and expensive, and shipping costs from Amazon for a paper version are more than the book price itself! So ebooks have opened up a whole literary world for me.

I don't like this ebook versus book debate. I have and enjoy both. They are different media. We are only beginning to understand what ebooks can do.

As a writer I am very excited by them, not just for the reasons given above or the fact that it makes publishing accessible and financially viable for many authors, but because they will lead to the development of new literary forms and indeed are already allowing a revival of old ones, such as the novella, which due to the economics of print publishing are not considered viable as books. It is a sad fact that many of the greatest works of literature, were they written now, would not find a publisher.

I agree, Zoe - I use both and love both.

I used to be quite resistant to ebooks. Then my husband bought me a Kindle as I am also an editor as well as a reader.

I find the Kindle is wonderful to edit on.

I have never written in the margins of books or folded corners. I was brought up to cherish and respect books and so the thought of defacing one brings me out in a cold sweat.

I've become very happy reading as well as editing on my Kindle. The epaper system is as close to reading a 'real' paper book as I can imagine. There is no glare or problem as it is not reading from a screen it is reading from something that is if anything easier on the eyes than black print on white/cream paper.

When my home caught fire - I lost a lot of loved books and that nearly broke my heart. I like the comfort now of knowing if something happened to my Kindle I would easily be able to replace all my downloaded books.

Sorting through piles of burnt and smoke damaged copies is a swift way to realise that material possessions are not necessarily such a great thing to amass.

Plus if there was a fire now - I could just grab my Kindle and my library is saved. :)

Wow - that's an angle I'd never thought of. I'd also grab my laptop, as well as my Kindle, on my way out, 'cause my photo albums are all on that! :-)

I didn't know you could edit on a Kindle. Cool.

To each their own. I have a Nook and I love it and I also buy regular books.

Vered wrote: "Wow - that's an angle I'd never thought of. I'd also grab my laptop, as well as my Kindle, on my way out, 'cause my photo albums are all on that! :-)

I didn't know you could edit on a Kindle. Cool."

You just click near a word and then you can make notes in a separate note file all neatly kept in order. Super easy later to sit with your Kindle and computer to input the noted changes or pass the file on to somebody else to do so.

Ok, that's great, thanks!

I really love both. I have always been and will always be a real book lover. I love to shop at Barnes and Noble and pick out books. However, with my Nook I have found that I am able to read even more. I can read more at night in bed with the glowlight on my Nook, and it's so convenient when traveling. I think I will always have a book to read, and an e-book I'm reading on my Nook. It's a great combo for my life!

Vered wrote: "Two things I love about physical books: walking through a bookstore or library and browsing the spine covers, finding one that catches my attention and 'discovering' a new book or author. Can't rea..."

Vered,

I know what you mean. It's so exciting to discover new reads in the bookstore....

I also love how quick and easy it is to download a book on an ereader.

Agree with walking thru a bookstore, especially the second hand stores, a girlfriend and l discussed it over lunch one day and both agreed you cant beat a 'real' book its a very tactile object, the feel of it, holding it, turning the pages etc, my sis in law purchased one and l was looking at it and liked it, my hubby bought me one and now my friend has bought one as well we love it, l still love going into the bookstores and looking thru the shelves and l have kept alot of my fav books on my book shelf.

I was the same way! Then for Christmas last year, I received a Kindle Fire. I couldn't say no thanks, I've taken a stand against Ereaders... So, I tried it out and I love it. I still do most of my reading through a book, but I live in a small town in WV that hasn't built a new library in 100 years and it can be hard to find certain books.. The Kindle store always has them. I will never quit reading real books, but the Kindle is a nice back up plan. <3

Candice wrote: "I was the same way! Then for Christmas last year, I received a Kindle Fire. I couldn't say no thanks, I've taken a stand against Ereaders... So, I tried it out and I love it. I still do most of my ..."

"in 100 years" LOL .... I'm glad youre enjoying your Kindle :)