My kindle also came in and I have something to say on the matter. First, amazon shipping never fails to impress me with their promptness. I don't mind waiting an extra few days for free shipping because I'm saving some change I can spend on Pita Pit. So, kindle came, along with a copy of my favorite Sandra Bullock movie Practical Magic and my material possessions are just making me happy as a clam for the time being. I can't get any good use out of them though because I have a biochemistry test next Friday and some mad catching up to do.
The authentic book v. digital book debate makes my head spin. I'm a bibliophile through and through but my shelves are stocked. Moving out is going to be one giant hassle because of my ever-increasing book collection. Here is my pros and cons lists for the paperback and the pixelated.
Real books - pros
- Nothing beats the feel of a $5.99 Meijer special, it's like a textual adventure.
- New book smell
- Sharable
- If it only cost $5.99 who cares if you spill something on it or drop it in the pool after lounging. This really depends on the book though. If Janet Evanovich's Three to Get Deadly turns into a crinkle fan I could care less but my pristine and overpriced biology reference books, it's safe to say I covet.
- Libraries and might I suggest checking out the site http://bookshelfporn.com/ if you are so willing, all you English majors creeping on my lameass blog.
Real books - cons
- Old book smell, unless you're into that sort of thing
- Books are awesome. My only real issues with them are superficial (like yellowing and mustiness) and that they take up space if you have too many.
Digital books - pros
- Storing up to 3,500 books is impressive. Even more impressive if you can read them all. This reminds me of a quote by Sylvia Plath, though a little depressing
"I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited."
The first line rings true and the second half of the quote kills me. The great thing about books and reading is it allows you to peek inside the lives of others, feel happiness, anguish, pain, etc., fantasize and escape from the mundanities of your own existence. Yes, time is limited but I seize the opportunity to learn as much as possible while on this unbelievable floating rock.
- Amazon (I use amazon because I'm not familiar with other e-reader territory) offers free books
- Ease of selection. I can start a book, realize it's stupid, and move onto something else. This might interplay with the increasing trend of generation instant gratification.
- In tune with the last bullet, flights and layovers will be much more pleasant thanks to portability.
- I have mentioned this in previous blog posts but story time! Story time would feel sterile on a kindle. Children's book illustrations are gorgeous which leads me to my next point...
- My future kids will be exposed to the beauty of coffee table photo memoirs like Moonage Daydream: The Life and Times of Ziggy Stardust. I can't see photo books translating well on a digital reader.
- Spillage. My e-reader is the gulf and my 7-11 Big Gulp is the Deepwater Horizon. Let's get real. My hugely oversimplified analogy to an Earthly offense like the complete annihilation of the gulf ecosystem and economy is not comparable.
- I'm not sure if this is a con or not but here it goes. I have no problem reading the sports section of the New York Times while on the porcelain throne. If you're an environmentally conscious citizen newspaper will be recycled anyway. While on the toilet, the proximity of e-reader/laptop/iPoo to hygienically questionable areas bothers me.
With that, I think I'll end this ramble. If you have anything else to add or disagree with feel free to leave it here. I'll give a more proper review on functionality once I put the thing to good use!
First of all, I love that you included a pro and con list in your post. As an extremely indecisive person, I tend to fall back on them for major purchases so I can totally relate. I also really like the graphics you choose to include in your posts. The size and placement really add a nice look to the overall visual appeal of your blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in hearing your opinion of your kindle once you get used to using it. I think it sounds like a great invention in theory, but I'm still on the fence about actually purchasing one (I happen to be one of those people who like the smell of old books!)
Thank you! Sorry this post was really long. I think I just got to writing and had more and more to say.
ReplyDeleteI'll probably post a formal review of the kindle later but so far I really like it! They made the screen take on a paperback book color and carrying it around is really convenient. The only things that suck about it so far are having to buy a case for it (another $20-$60), some kindle book prices seem to surpass the paperback book price and I would rather read than do my homework.
Very informative post; this might catch other readers attention because of the detail you provide.
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