And this isn't some publishing biz post about the whole print-versus-e-format fight, because I don't really think there's anything to fight about--but that's for another time. I just don't like reading on a tablet. Reasons:
1. The thing only tells me I'm so many percentages into my book. I want to know what page I'm on. How else am I going to brag?
2. I can't tell if it skipped a page. My youngest and I were reading her favorite Mallory series book, and it just jumped to a page that made no sense. We tried to fix it, flipped back-and-forth a couple times, but after a minute or two, my girl just handed the e-reader back with a sigh. "I like the books better, Mom."
3. No pretty cover for the books. I know, I'm shallow, but I'm going with it. Covers are cool. And illustrations are also lost on the easy-on-the-eyes e-reader screen, which is probably why parents prefer print over e-format for picturebooks.
4. Nowhere to stick my bookmarks. Also shallow, I'm aware.
5. There's no cool book smell.
Note that all of these reasons could stem from my inability to adapt to new things, particularly of an electronic nature. But I like my 'real' books.
Help me out, YA Sleutheri. Make me love my newfangled e-reader. What am I doing wrong?
Well, I don't know if I can help you love it - the inability to flip pages bothers the *** outta me. I've realized that if I miss something early on in the book, I like to cut back to that scene, and I can't do that on the ereader without a whole lotta tedious bar sliding or button pushing.
ReplyDeleteBut you can't beat an ereader for tedious waiting rooms, or for checking out books at the library pretty quick!
What I hate--and it may be my ignorance, is when you are reading a collection and you want to go back to the beginning, how to you do that. I am sure it's the same problem Jenny indicated above. It always takes you back to the last page you read.
ReplyDeleteDon't even have one.
ReplyDeleteYou're not really missing anything, Deb :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one missing old-fashioned books...
I think the only benefit is downloading a book in seconds. A lot of people are giving e-books away for free, so that can be a perk--as long as you know the book is decent. Lots of garbage out there...
Boo!!! For shame. Feel bad yet?
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I totally get loving 'real' books more than electronic ones. But ereaders do have good points too, like being able to download a book at 3am. On the other hand, I really hate when I can't read because my batteries are low.
And they're often cheaper, I'll give you that. I think that's where the real advantage comes in, from my cheapskate Dutch girl perspective.
ReplyDeleteI find that the typography of e-readers really drives me nuts. I'm sure the jagginess is due to the scalability of font size, but it sure looks ugly.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest plus, though? All those out-of-print or hard-to-find titles that are now just a mouse click away.
You know, Loren, I hadn't thought of looking for out-of-print titles. I have a few on my wish list--that might just make the e-reader interesting again...
ReplyDelete