Guest Raidne Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I'm not sure that I like it. I knew this going in, but still wanted it as a present for portability reasons. But I find reading on the Kindle to be a bit unsatisfying. So far I've read Half-Made World and Under Heaven. Both well-regarded books. Under Heaven was okay for me, but I totally skimmed the ending. Half-Made World was just meh for me. I wonder if this is because I read them electronically. It just feels harder to become engrossed in the process of reading. I find that I have less reading stamina on the Kindle as well. And when I'm done reading something, I just don't feel as much like I really read it. If that makes any sense. I also don't like not having cover art, etc. Anyone else have similar feelings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russjass Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I dont have a kindle, but a sony eReader.I had the same sort of problem, it didnt feel like reading a book. Weirdly, I got one of those covers that opens like a book, and now i love it. Just the way I hold it i guess. But i do really miss maps!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoth Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I received an e-reader for Christmas. Haven't downloaded anything yet because it came pre-loaded with a few classics that I always meant to read and never did. Now I have the perfect excuse. I wasn't sure I'd like the experience but I actually do love the little gizmo. Even has a feature to switch to for "night reading" so the light isn't excessive. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alguien Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Great Books bought one and had several of us keep it for a few weeks and try it out. Enjoyed it for the convenience of traveling light. Also, it just felt cool. Still prefer to read a real book, however. But the liquid ink screen works well for what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Raidne Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I did get a case that also opens from the side. I thought this would improve things for me, but it does not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naz Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 As a die-hard fan of books made of paper, I was hesitant to try e-reading. But now I that I have a Kindle, I'm flat out reading way more than I did before. I attribute it to portability and being able to read different things based on my mood. Before, I very rarely read multiple books simultaneously, but I do it all the time now.I would say that the portability is the plus factor, while the fact that I'm reading an electronic gizmo is somewhat neutral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eponine Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I do feel like I'm missing something from certain books - it's hard to feel that I'm progressing through the book in the same way. This is really only with huge, dense classic literature though - I've been fine with shorter books and quick reads. I find it harder to pick up for just a few minutes than I do with a real book. However, I've ultimately been able to read a lot more, and more new books instead of repeats, just because of the enormous convenience and not stockpiling books that I'll never read again or that I'm not sure I'll like. But I don't live near a good library or a bookstore, so I don't know that I wouldn't choose to go to the library more often if one was convenient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjgambino Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I actually enjoy reading more on my Nook. I do most of my reading on an uncomfortably crowed train, so I like not having fuss with changing pages and elbowing the person next to me. Also, it stops people from giving me funny looks when I read fantasy. Functionally, I feel like read faster on an e-book reader too. However, it did take about 5 books before I really settled into reading on it. It's also very cool to have an entire collection of books in one place... very handy when reading a series and you want to look something up in older book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wras Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I thought I'd be a book supporter, but I'm such a minimalist and my book collection has grown. Now I just want to find electronic versions of all my books and, ideally, eliminate my bookshelf.The only books I've kept are precious hardcovers, gifts, and books not on kindle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datepalm Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I've settled into it as well, and I actually read more, I think (in my case, its the easy access to books as much as anything though.) I also find it easier to read on the go, for a few minutes here or there - waiting for the bus or between classes and such. I miss the physical objects a bit - the whole, well, pornographic aspect of the aesthetics and the heft and the smell, but i'm getting over that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Raidne Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I actually enjoy reading more on my Nook. I do most of my reading on an uncomfortably crowed train, so I like not having fuss with changing pages and elbowing the person next to me. Also, it stops people from giving me funny looks when I read fantasy. Functionally, I feel like read faster on an e-book reader too. However, it did take about 5 books before I really settled into reading on it. It's also very cool to have an entire collection of books in one place... very handy when reading a series and you want to look something up in older book.Yeah I wonder if I'll settle into it, also. I wonder also if it is biasing my opinions of the books I am reading. I will reassess after five books. And of course there are other things I really like about the Kindle - I often read a couple of books at a time and I like not having to choose which one to carry around with me, or being able to carry books that are hardcover or huge around with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astra Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I'm not sure that I like it. I knew this going in, but still wanted it as a present for portability reasons. But I find reading on the Kindle to be a bit unsatisfying.I would not be able to read on Kindle at all. This hideous keyboard, all those buttons. Bleh....However, I read on Sony Reader for 4 years. I am in love. I do use cover, like a book :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordwalker Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I have the first generation Kindle and have enjoyed reading a ton of books on it. I don't, however, read many fantasy books on it. Especially ones with maps. I don't think the maps turn out very well on the Kindle.That being said, the Kindle app (for Android, Iphone and Pad) has the ability to pinch and zoom on the maps making them not only readable but the ability to zoom makes them better than paper books, IMO.I have heard that the Nook color will be getting access to the Android marketplace early this year. If that is true, theoretically, you could download the Kindle app onto the Nook color and get the best of both worlds, for far cheaper than an Ipad. Or you could hold out for one of the gazillion new Android tablets introduced at CES this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Raidne Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Oh yeah, certainly there are personal preferences. I don't really want to get into the comparisons in this thread, but one of my primary purposes of getting one was to use it to order book club books that I wouldn't necessarily order on my own, and so I wanted the most extensive book store available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I do feel like I'm missing something from certain books - it's hard to feel that I'm progressing through the book in the same way. I like to see my bookmark slowly making its way through the book. I really feel like I would miss out on that experience with an ereader of any sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Switchback Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I was one of those people who assumed I would hate an eReader. Just too attached to “real” books. And then woot threw up a Sony Reader on the cheap about a year ago and I decided to see what the fuss was about. And I loved it. Now I have a new Kindle, and all things being equal, I would opt for the Kindle version of a book 10 times out of 10. That said, not everything is equal, and paper books still have their place in my home. Mostly non-fiction (with purty pictures) and fantasy books with nice maps (if the map isn’t nice then I would go with the Kindle version). I just much prefer the feel of reading on the Kindle. It’s more comfortable for me to read with one hand, or with the book flat on a table next to my plate while I eat, etc. And the new screen tech of the Kindle 3 makes it even nicer. After a couple of sentences, I completely forget that I’m reading on a machine. So, count me in on the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 My sister, her girlfriend, and my father were comparing their respective iPad, Kindle, and Kobo last night at family gadgetfest dinner last night, and while I can see the pros of having an ereader, it makes me wonder what I would do with the most important thing I do with books, which get them signed when I meet Real Authors™. When I inevitably end up with an ereader after agonizing over pros and cons of various models and ranting about DRM and stuff for a while, am I also going to have to get an autograph book? :worried: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaine Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 It's funny, I set up my mom's Kindle this weekend and had sort of the same "meh" attitude about it. Love the size of it, but something about the viewer itself still makes me feel like I'm looking at a calculator.On the flipside, I've discovered that I really, really enjoy reading on the iPad, despite it's much larger size and glowing screen. The pages just feel more like pages to me and less like the readout of a 1992 pager. Also, it's convenient as hell to not have to move under a lamp in order to see the text. The cover art is there, obviously and it just feels more like the reading experience I want. Somewhere between the two would probably be perfect. An iPad with a size profile like a Kindle would be amazing, but I'm sure we're several years away from that.Oh, also comic books. Comic books + the iPad = perfect experience. Even better than the real thing because you never have to worry about bags and boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipeefreeli Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I love my Kindle and found that I've started reading more thanks to my Kindle but I still like to collect books and comics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Nan Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 It just feels harder to become engrossed in the process of reading. I find that I have less reading stamina on the Kindle as well. And when I'm done reading something, I just don't feel as much like I really read it. If that makes any sense.I've read quite a few books on my laptop and feel exactly the same way, which is why I doubt I'll ever buy an e-reader. Without a physical component the mind drifts in and out of focus. Maybe I'm just unusually weak-willed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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