Catchy blog title, isn't it? It will be interesting to check the Sitemeter later to see how many extra hits I get from (no doubt) disappointed pervs.
But seriously folks, I went out to Barnes & Noble about a month ago, and bought myself a Nook.
An e-reader.
I'm not Ms. Gotrocks, so spending $149 on a gadget doesn't come lightly to me. (Once I commit, though, another $60 worth of hot pink bells and booklight whistles is a snap.) Still, I researched this puppy. I searched the net, and read up, and polled my Facebook friends and family. I scrutinized the Kindle, looked under every rug, and checked what was behind door #2. In regard to Nook v. Kindle, my research turned up this very valuable information: They're the same thing.
In the end, I chose the Nook for these 2 reasons: 1) removable battery: you can buy a spare and keep it charged. 2) You can upgrade the memory on the Nook.
Anyway, I now own a Nook, and do you have any idea what kind of traitor this makes me? Do you know what I do for a living?!! I work in the ::cough:: book industry. My very livelihood depends on everyone hating this newfangled technology. If it's not a dud, I will soon be a dinosaur. We must hate it!
I love it.
I do, I really, really love this thing. Reading from the e-ink monitor doesn't bother me a bit; in fact, I don't even notice it. It's slim and doesn't take up much room in my purse; it's always with me, so unexpected waits are no longer tedious.
I get the same concern from anyone that I talk to: "I think I'd miss holding a book in my hands. I'd miss paper, and turning the page." I love paper, and I love ink, and I also worried that once I bought this thing I'd hate it for those reasons. Do I miss a book? I really don't. I can set the Nook down and read while I dry my hair and it doesn't flip shut on me. I can wear gloves and read and still turn the page. I can mark pages and highlight text. The books are cheaper, and I don't end up finding shelf space for them in my home when I'm done.
For all of that, though, I find that I miss book shopping. Browsing in a bookstore, and reading the jackets, and flipping through the pages to see if the writing style grabs me. Walking around with books in my arms, and picking up mini moleskin notebooks and bookmarks on the way out. I keep catching myself heading into bookstores, and chiding "you can't!" Reading dustcovers, and then jotting down a note to upload them to my Nook just doesn't seem as satisfying.
And cookbooks! I don't see the Nook ever replacing cookbooks. Browsing through them, and post-it noting new recipes, and laying one out on the counter to read from. I still love flipping through cookbooks. The same goes for knitting books, I think, and oh! art and illustration books. If I want a reminder on the general proportions of the human head so that I can draw a goofy caricature of you behind your back, I don't see myself flipping through a Nook to find it.
In every other aspect though, I love it! While my profession sinks slowly into the tarpits, I'll be curled up in a corner, basking in technology, and hitting the > button to turn the page.
What about you? Have you joined the e-reader wave? Nook or Kindle? Why?
Tell me, tell Aunt Lorisaurus Rex.
Thanks for posting this, I'd been meaning to ask you if you liked it. I have ALWAYS been a big reader, but I find myself reading even more, and more variety since I got my Nook. A) I've got the reader on my phone, and I pull it out and read a couple pages waiting for meetings and things at work and B) although there's something nice and tangible about the bookstore, I find the recomendations and free books online get me to take chances on books I wouldn't glance at in the the bookstore. And unfortunately a lot of that has to do with cover design and titles.
ReplyDeleteGlad you think it's money well spent!
My neighbor Carole just got a Kindle. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. We will probably end up with one just because my husband goes to school and he thinks some of the textbooks will be cheaper that way. My only problem may be that I like to read a book in a bubble bath and as my second husband always said, "Water and electronics don't mix."
ReplyDeleteI want one. I've been in purge mode the past couple of years, and if I could get rid of lots of books, I'd be happy. Plus I figure if the books cost less, that leaves more money for art books and that's the sort of thing a kindle can never replace.
ReplyDeleteI just don't know if I want the wifi or 3g version...
- Jazz
So & So...you know, I have the kindle app on my iPod touch, and could never get into it; the screen too small, and the text too large, I never made it through the first book (but it's still there in case of emergency).
ReplyDeleteI'll admit to succumbing to reading recommendations too; I have to be careful not to hit the buy button too soon, I'm 20 in arrears now.
Geewits, the bathtub is a point I forgot to make. You're right, I won't risk the Nook by holding it over water--maybe you could invent a waterproof cover, and make a million $$. It's dragging out an old paperback for tub time.
My life would be so much easier with a Nook or Kindle. As much lugging around as we do, not having to lug books would be a blessing. My main concern is exactly the lugging though. Bags (yes, even the bag I use as a purse) get tossed, stepped on, thrown out/into/around the helicopter, squished into the small spaces...you get the idea. My paperbacks can take that. They can also take being shoved in a pants pocket and banged around as I climb in and out of, walk wherever, squeeze in wherever. I give an electronic one season, max, before I've killed it. *sigh* Secondarily, I do worry about bath water, oceans, and snowbanks. But if life ever settles down, I'm not opposed to getting one!!!! (I think, though, I may be opposed to life settling down, but that's another conversation.)
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting for the "Total Recall Reader." You don't read the book, but you are implanted with the memory of having read the book, so you can savor it and even discuss it with friends and teachers.
ReplyDeleteGlad I read this post. I was looking at the Nook last week-end. Was impressed with the demo I saw-I AM planning on buying one now. My problem will be this summer. I like to read in the pool-if I drop the book no big deal-if I drop the Nook-OH NO!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have iBooks on my iPad, but I haven't really used it yet. There are a lot of free books available, though - many classics that aren't copyrighted any more...
ReplyDelete