What I’m eReading

Hi all,

I am not the proud owner of an eBook reader (unless you count my iPhone, although I have never attempted to read an iBook on there) and I don’t have a whole lot of experience reading for pleasure from my computer.  There is something different about curling up with a good laptop that doesn’t have the same invitation.

Having said that, when one of the Harry Potter books was released a few days early online (possibly the fifth?), I was given a copy and read a couple hundred pages before the paper copy came out.  The paper version was the preferred version, but of course if the content is so inviting, the electronic format did just fine.  I remember finding that in long sittings it was difficult to continue, and it was a little uncomfortable to balance a laptop the same way you do with a paper book, but well worth the effort.

Having said all of that, I have casually played with others’ eBook readers and somewhat enjoyed the experience.  I am a fairly diehard Apple fan, but find the iPad in comparison with other eBook readers to be a little heavy and over engineered if the only purpose is using it is an eReader.   One discussion I overheard last Christmas was that eReaders are changing the way that we identify things to read.  No longer do we see a stranger on the bus reading a book and think ‘oh, that looks interesting’, because there is no way to tell what they’re reading.  In the past we might have identified with a person (based on their appearance, their accessories) and thought ‘they have a yoga matt, I like yoga, I wonder what they’re reading’.  It’s a bit of a stretch, but interesting how we as the non-reader also miss out a little on the experience of a paper book.

Cheers,

Kristopher

Posted in: Week 06: eBooks