This past Wednesday my oldest son sat on my e-reader and cracked the screen. Since then I’ve been going back and forth with Kobo about getting it fixed. I have a warranty for it but since it doesn’t cover accidental damage, I would have to pay more to get poor Edison fixed or replaced than what I paid for him. I’m pretty disappointed especially since I’ve own my e-reader for less than a year. This whole situation has me looking more closely at e-readers.
I initially bought my e-reader to download high-interest e-books from the library and e-galleys from NetGalley. At my local library there’s often a long holds list for a print book but a much shorter one for the e-book version. With NetGalley it’s so much more convenient to get e-galleys instead of having printed ARCs taking up space at home. But not long after buying my e-reader, it also became convenient to buy the books that my library didn’t have. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, Jo Walton’s Among Others, and even short stories from Tor were bought when I wanted them immediately. That’s the funny thing about owning an e-reader; it’s almost too easy to buy a book. Well for me, anyway.
I also realized that it’s easy to ignore my e-books. On my reader, I had it set to where I only saw the books that I was currently reading. That way I wouldn’t have the free books that automatically come with my Kobo in my face while I’m searching for a book. Of course my electronic tbr stack started to pile up. But an electronic tbr stack is less stressful to see than a physical stack.
My reading habits haven’t changed because of my reader, but become more solid. I hate to read non-memoir non-fiction on my Kobo but love reading fiction on it. With non-fiction, I need to be able to take notes and highlight passages which users can’t do on a Kobo. I also prefer to go back and look at marked passages to see which ones to include in my reviews.
Owning an e-reader for almost the past year has shown me how easy it is to feel like I need it. I don’t need an e-reader when I have two library cards and plenty of unread books on my shelves. But it’s the convenience I’m buying even though I don’t own the books I buy since I can’t print or share them like I could with a printed book. The convenience of an e-reader is great and I miss reading on one but I’m going through so much right now trying to get my e-reader fixed, that I feel like permanently sticking to physical books.
What about you? If you own an e-reader are you more likely to read on it than a printed book? If you don’t own an e-reader why not?
Before I packed all my books away, I’d maybe only read one or two ebooks a month. I like the convenience of ebooks, and I especially like being able to use NetGalley and the Singapore Public Library and stuff, but I think that as long as I had access to either a used bookstore or a decently-sized library I’d be fine with only reading paper books.
Sometimes I think people (including me) are so focused on the exciting technology of ebooks and ereaders what it means for publishing and so on that they forget that, actually, you don’t NEED an ebook reader. They’re nice to have on vacations, yes, and it’s nifty to be able to store hundreds or thousands of books on one device. But! We got along just fine with paper books for hundreds of years and, actually, it’s not THAT big of a deal to carry around six or seven paperbacks instead of one tiny ereader.
I may actually write a post about this on my blog, haha! Anyway, I’m sorry about your Kobo breaking. We may not need all the tech we have, but when an expensive thing breaks it’s always heartbreaking.
I like having an ereader around (I have an iPad) but I really don’t use it that much. I use it almost exclusively for netgalley books although I do appreciate it when I am traveling.
I have had a kindle for several years and I love reading on it. I love being able to buy a book instantly. My library has very few e-books, someday that might another great option for me. I tend to read most of the ebooks I buy because I can sample them first. Also I buy them one at a time to read but when I order paper books, I’ll buy several at a time and then I might not get to them for awhile.
I’m sure i don’t need a Kindle, but I do love it.
Sorry about your Kobo
I’m not an e-reader and so far I’m glad, especially since I read a lot of MG and YA that include illustrations – well I guess they come with e-readers too. But anyway (ha, caught myself making excuses!) I seriously have the goal of doing it and am thinking that on New Year’s Eve, when I’m trying to stay up (for no rational purpose whatsoever), maybe that will be the night to force myself!
I do both e-bookstand arcs. What I love about my nook is conveince and netgalley! With the nook color I also now get magazines and comics.
As an e-reader I highly suggest a nook. They also offer a second warranty for 39.99 that covers drops, water, and any other breakage. I donate a lot of books to my library but as a patron just ended up with late fees and unread books
Kai, I was just looking at Nooks. I love the idea of a 2-year warranty and would definitely pay the $40 for it. I might buy one.
I have several eReaders and rarely use them. I think part of the problem is I forget the books are there. I also find it harder to review books I’ve read on an eReader because it’s harder to flip through to find a detail I want to include. Having said all that, I’d buy another one if I had the money! lol
I owned an original Nook and then received the NookColor last Christmas. I love having an e-reader because it means I always have a book or several available in my purse without taking up as much room as a paperback or weighing as much as a hardcover book. Is it absolutely necessary to own one? No, but the convenience and the additional room on the bookshelves are worth the money.
I love my I pad and ereding is one, but no the biggest, reason that I bought it. I’m fond of the versatility, but I’m not sure I would have bought it if it was just for reading.
Laura, I get distracted pretty easily so I need something that’s just a e-reader. I am looking at the Nook Color but I don’t know how much reading I would do on it, with all the other apps it comes with.
I have an iPad with several free classics downoaded, but rarely use it for reading. Would probably buy a kindle or nook if I traveled more, but I really prefer holding and reading an actual book.
I got a Nook for Christmas, and, if I hadn’t received it as a gift, I wouldn’t have bought one. But! I am very excited about mine, and I am super excited because I just found out about NetGalley.
Have fun on NetGalley! Remember to have your bio posted so you won’t have any problems getting ARCs.
I have a Nook and love it. It’s great for travel which is how I usually use it but I’ve found myself downloading a lot of books recently and will be spending the next few weeks catching up on it. It’s not my primary source of reading but I still wouldn’t part with it.
I own a Kindle, but I STILL buy more print books. I just haven’t–and probably will never–get to the point at which I use the Kindle more than I buy books in print. It isn’t for lack of trying, but I just can’t seem to give up the feel of a real book, or the idea that by purchasing print books, I am leaving behind a fantastic library for my kids. My library will probably be the thing that tells people the most about who I was after I’m gone.
This hasn’t stopped me from buying myself a new Kindle Touch for Christmas, though. Hahaha! I’m also a tech addict.
I read on my iPad, but still not as much as I read in print. You’d think I’d prefer to read heavier books on the iPad, but no…I want that convenience of flipping around. Same with non-fiction. So the iPad sees mostly fiction action.
And browsing a real life bookstore is oodles more fun than the online versions.
The ease of purchasing is definitely a problem for me with an ereader. I already have a book buying disease, and being able to buy immediately from where and when ever is scary.
Kevin keeps talking about buying me an e-reader, but I have so many unread books on my shelves that I just can’t seem to justify it. At first, I didn’t think that I would like reading from one, but I’m currently reading the second Maze Runner book aloud to the kids from Kevin’s Kindle, and I enjoy the fact that I can read one-handed and snuggle one of the kids at the same time.
I hv an older Kindle keyboard and I love it. I love being able to highlight and take notes then go online and print those out. I love the integrated dictionary – i can get next to a word and then definition appears at the bottom of the screen. I can also organize my books by collection. I also like having an entire series with me!
I recently bought the Kindle fire but I don’t like it near as much.
Kathy, what is it about the Kindle Fire that makes you like it less than your old Kindle?
I have an e-reader, but find that I use it a lot less than I thought I would. I tend to buy a lot of new releases, since they are so much cheaper, but like you, my list of inventoried e-books is very high, and I haven’t read very many of them. I think part of the problem is that I have SOOO many physical books, that I feel like I can’t just ignore them in favor of digital reads. Although I am reading an e-book right now, and I do love the convenience of being able to get NetGalley reads. So while I do love my e-reader, I am not totally in love with it for different reasons.
I have put off getting an e-reader because I am not sure I would use it. Plenty of friends love theirs and have tried to convince me. I will be curious to see what you decide!
I have been trying to be better about reading books on my iPad, but I always forget to include those titles on my TBR list.
I tend to really only use the ereader when I’m at the gym, which is a really good use for me (let’s not talk about how lazy I have been going to the gym though). Outside of that, I think it’s a case of something being unseen and forgotten. I have so many physical book sitting around, I never really think of grabbing my ereader. I was thinking of upgrading my old Nook to one of the new ones, but that doesn’t make sense because I use it so little anyway.
I bought a Sony last year. had I waited till this year I could have got one with Wifi… or get the Nook which is supposed to be going international this year. I’ve been eying the Kobo lately as well – I just love new gadgets.
However, since buying it I’ve only read about 5-6 ebooks on it. I just can’t get over the whole… it isn’t a book thing, it doesn’t feel like a book and I’m paranoid when taking it out I’m gonna scratch it, or lose it.
I like how easy it is to get hold of a book instantly, but I just don’t feel compelled to read them once I’ve got them. I really do want to put my ereader to some more use and recently discovered an e-lending service from my local library which I didn’t know existed before. It’s the guilt thing… my physical TBR shelf guilt trips me every time I wake up… ebooks are easily forgotten. I think I’m going to limit it to non-fiction and maybe lighter fiction that I rarely read and so don’t need coggging my shelf up.
I don’t own a dedicated e-reader, but I read tons of e-books on my iPod. Most are ARCs from NetGalley or from publicists, but I do buy the odd e-book here and there.
I’ve thought of getting an e-reader, but I’m not sure it would be a wise investment for me. I find I’m less likely to buy e-books if they’re available in any other format, since I can’t lend or resell them if I don’t want to read them again. I keep relatively few of the books I read, so it just doesn’t make sense for me to purchase them in a format that doesn’t allow one to transfer ownership. Almost all the e-books I’ve purchased in the past couple of years are only available as e-books, from publishers my library doesn’t carry. The rest were offered at such a steep discount that I couldn’t resist them.
I think I’m split nearly half and half. I find that the cost of e-books is GREAT when they’re on sale, and that’s when I do most of my buying. Given that I’ve become a very slow reader, I don’t get them from the library downloads as often as I thought I would.
I could certainly do without an e-reader, but I like it. It’s one of those fluff items that’s nice to have but not necessary.
I like having my ereader for the extra reading options I get – ebooks from the library and netgalley books. I’m pretty choosy about what I buy though – I am more of a “displayer”, so buying a book on my ereader and not being able to show that to my friends and lend it to them is a big showstopper for me. So I only buy those books that I need to read urgently (for whatever reason), or something that I don’t think I care to display (not sure why that would be). But if mine gets broken now, I’ll probably think hard about whether I really need one.
I am always paranoid that something is going to happen to my e-reader. I don’t really want to have to buy another one any time soon unless something amazing catches my interest. That being said, I am terrible for putting it down in not so desirable locations. I lose myself in the book I am reading and then forget I can’t just set said book down where I am sitting…
K, I’ve done that too. It’s so easy to sit it down and forget about it. Plus physical books are always in our face, so they’re hard to ignore.
Unless I’m ‘trapped’ on a plane, I just can’t seem to get motivated to read my e-Reader. Maybe it’s the iPad itself that bothers me, but I like books, paper books, and stacked reminders of books I want to read rather than opening all the various apps for reading I have. I have only 8 days to finish my book club book and I just keep forgetting it is hiding on my iPad! Instead, I rearranged my bookshelves and ended up killing an hour reading a book – I was just looking at the first page to see if should get rid of it and wa la – 55 pages in and don’t want to stop.
I just got my Kindle last week. I’m surprised that I don’t mind reading on it as much as I thought I would. I used to read on my iPad, but didn’t like it as much. I have yet to actually by any ebooks except for a collection of short stories that was about $2. I tend to only read the free classics on them that I either get from amazon or project gutenberg. I kind of feel like you do–that I don’t really own my e-books. I do a lot of book trading with my mom and sister and it’s difficult to do without the physical book. I do love that I can take it on vacation with me to save some space in my suitcase, but other than that, I don’t find I really need it. It’s more of a convenience thing.
Oh no! Sorry to hear about your e-reader woes, I hope you can get it fixed / replaced / something. I have an e-reader and for travel it is just about the best thing ever. Of course… I still love printed books too much so pack them too… just less of them! It is WAY too easy to buy, but I use mine only for Amazon books not the library or NetGalley, yet anyway. So far the tbr is less out of control than the print tbr piles, but… it’s still quite large. I do enjoy non-fiction on it though you are right, harder to flip back and forth and highlight and etc.
What an interesting post! I don’t have an e-reader right now but will be getting one for Christmas. I’m excited but I know that nothing will ever change my love of holding an actual print book. My e-reader will be nice for when I go to different places and want to read like my son’s basketball practices