Why I've Embraced My eReader

Surprisingly, I was a fairly early adopter of the eReader concept.  I got my first one for my college graduation back in 2010.  I loved the idea of being able to carry hundreds of books with me at once because that meant carrying fewer books whenever I'd leave my apartment.  I loved having options.  Granted, I still packed physical books, but I had hundreds on reserve.  Despite this, I rarely used my eReader.  I'd bring it with me, but typically wind up reading one of the physical books I brought or nothing at all.

I bought a second generation eReader.

I bought an iPad and downloaded the reading apps--Kindle, Nook, Oyster (R.I.P).  Still--I rarely really used my eReader.

Until recently.

Now I can't seem to get enough of it.  My iPad is a constant companion whenever I leave the house.

Here are a few reasons why I've suddenly embraced my eReader...

1.  No one knows what I am reading.  I really like this aspect of it.  I have hardly read any books to completion since starting law school because I hardly have any time to read for fun.  I've been doing better about making time at night before bed.  But still, I can't really count on having the time to truly sink into a book, so I flit around quite a lot.  I used to agonize about this.  Now I'm totally cool with it because I'm reading what I need to read when I need to read it.  Anyway, the eReader allows me some anonymity so that people can't tell how many books I've started and abandoned in a given hour, day, or week.

2.  Takes up way less space in my bag.  I hate feeling like a bag lady.  I have always loved big purses.  But I really don't want back problems later on (and I refuse to get a wheely bag like some of my fellow classmates) so I limit myself to one bag for all of my stuff, which mostly consists of school stuff.  That little iPad mini takes up way less space than a paperback, let alone a massive hardcover tome.

3.  Allows me to do side research if I have any questions.  I am in full-on research mode.  Everything I see leads to questions, which leads to research.  I love being able to flip from my book to Wikipedia or the internet to find out a little bit more about what I'm reading.  Yes, I could flip from a physical book to my iPhone, but this is much easier and I won't lose my place.

4.  Greater variety.  Yes, this is still a factor for me.  I have a variety of novels, non-fiction, short stories, and essays on my eReader.  I can find something to fit my mood whenever I have time to read.  And I love that.  Plus I have synched my New Yorker, Atlantic, and New York Times accounts so I have even more variety available.  Further, I can buy something any time with just one click...which can also be dangerous, yes.

5.  I feel like I read faster on my screen.  I don't know why this is, but I feel like I read the pages much faster when it's from the screen.  Maybe it has something to do with the font size I use.  I don't know.  But I like feeling like I'm taking in more.

6.  No one knows what I am reading.  This is such an important factor that I'm listing it again.  Seriously!  No one know how many books I abandon!  I don't have to feel guilty.  I know I shouldn't feel guilty in the first place, but I do.  Or maybe it's that I feel awkward when someone asks whether I finished such and such book that I was reading last time they saw me and inevitably I have just stopped reading it.  NO QUESTIONS!  I love it!


Basically, my eReader has come to be a slice of freedom for me.  I can read what I want, when I want, with fewer questions.  And that is just what I need right now.

Discussion: Technology and E-Books

I recently came across an article in the Wall Street Journal, Your E-Book Is Reading You (found the article through On The Media).  In a nutshell the article is about how Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Google are able to track your reading habits when using with an e-reader and then what they are doing with that information.

It's kind of interesting.  But also kind of scary and 1984-ish.  From a marketing and PR prospective I think it's genius.  Publishers using this information to better suit their target market and sell more books?  Awesome.  Knowing the average time it takes someone to finish a certain book and how many times they picked the book up?  Being able to get this type of information is mind-blowing.

But then on other hand, I fear that publishers (and maybe even authors) will start using this data too much.  Instead of using the information as a tool they might abuse it and only publish what the trends are (like the ever growing vampire/paranormal books that seem to take over the YA section of bookstores).  Also, book series and trilogy's seem to be a huge trend in the book world right now.  I love reading a good series every now and then.  Getting to really know the characters and getting lost in their world is amazing.  But standalone books are just as amazing sometimes.

I'm undecided with how I feel about being tracked by our e-reading habits.  It's kind of cool knowing the average time it takes someone to finish The Hunger Games (seven hours, according to the WSJ article), or the point when most people put down a book and never pick it back up again.  Then at the same time it's just like leave me alone already.  But I suppose that's the technological world we live in now.

Fellow bookworms, I want to know what YOU think publishers tracking your reading habits.  For it?  Against it?  Going to read more books on your Nook or giving up your e-reader entirely?

HarperCollins, Libraries and a 26 check-out limit. Problems ahead?

As some of you may know, HarperCollins recently announced something that could spell trouble for the already struggling libraries around the country. Basically, the licenses for their e-books purchased for library collections will expire after 26 check-outs.

Yep, you read that right. After 26 people read a particular e-book, that's it for that one. Kaput. Finito. The library will have to repurchase the digital rights for each book that expires, every time it expires.

What does this mean for the libraries who are just starting to really embrace this new technology? For one thing, it's certainly going to be hard to keep up a good, well-stocked selection of e-books, which is already a difficult thing to do; there is no discounted rate for e-books yet, and so libraries are paying full price for them. Budgets are already strained. When funding gets tight, library budgets are among the first to get cut. It's going to be hard to keep libraries relevant in an era when technology is starting to take over if it's too expensive to take part in the latest reading technology developments.

HarperCollins' reasoning is that physical books eventually have to get replaced. But really? Only 26 check-outs? That amounts to about one year, according to the Library Journal article I linked to up at the top. I don't know about the books in your library, but most of our books are well over one year old. We have books that are decades old and have probably been checked out hundreds of times.

The only good news about this is other publishers who do not currently sell digital rights to libraries might consider this alternative. Two of the "big six" of the publishing houses, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster, are two of those that don't let libraries buy their e-books (again, I'm paraphrasing Library Journal here).

So what do you think? Is this a terrible, terrible problem, or do you disagree with me and think it's a good thing? Will this be a bad or good thing for libraries in the long run, and do you think HarperCollins will continue in this line or ease up?

Julia's Ereader Of Choice: The Nook!

This past summer I found myself on vacation in Florida. It was a sultry beginning of summer and dragging my book down to the pool every day was making me a little down. My Aunt who was on the trip with me was sporting a fancy eReader. A Kindle in fact and I thought to my self "Jules (what I call myself) you just graduated from college. Why don't you get yourself one of those as a nice pat on the back gift"

So I did. I did the research and found one that best fit me. The Nook. That is my nook in the picture. Well, it's not my Nook because I am on the road and have no way of uploading a picture, but that is what the cover looks like anyway! (The back side is a question mark!)

Since this is a site known for the Top Ten Lists, I'll make a listing of Ten Things I Love, Hate and Hate that I Love about the Nook.

Things I Love
1. It has all my books on it.
This isn't technically fair since all eReaders share this same feature, but really, how could I not include this? I travel a lot for my job, and I can have instant access to a library at my finger tips if I so chose. I can start multiple books and pick up right where I left them. I can highlight something without actually marking it up.

2. I can check out libray books on it
This was the big seller for me. When I was doing all my research, I was a broke college student, looking for books on the free. Being in the middle of nowhere for school, my options at the library were limited. So what I did was check out digital books from my library back home and ended up reading them on my computer which led to some serious eye strain. But with the Nook, I can go to my libraries digital content site and download any ePub (or a PDF I guess) formatted eBook. (For those of you who are like what? as of now different eReaders use different formats. The Kindle's main format I believe is a mobi which is a little rarer in the library digital book pickings.)

For me I wanted access to that wealth of content. There were more selections with ePubs and Adobe Digital Editions so that leaned me toward the Nook.

3. It uses eInk
I did not want an eBook reader that had a backlit screen (like a computer screen... I'm looking at you mac products). It doesn't happen often but I sometimes get eyestrain from reading too many things on a computer. Plus all day I work in front of a screen. I wanted my eyes to have a break. eInk afforded that option. eInk is like reading a book. Plain and simple. I can read it in the sun without worrying about the reflectiveness that a screen has but at the same time I'd need a light to read it in the dark.

4. It has a web browser
Honestly, if I had a "meh" category, it would fall better there. But I don't and it is a pretty cool feature, especially since I dont have a smartphone. My favorite part about the web browser is only the little touch screen at the bottom is in color; the rest is in eInk so it looks like I am surfing the net on an Etch-a-Sketch!

Things that I Hate
1.When I resize things that I did not buy from B&N, the formatting gets a bit wonky
So occasionally I get free eBooks. Win. But then I put them on my nook and I up the font a bit (really who those 6 pt font was a good choice?) and then my page numbers get all out of whack.

2.My books aren't organized that well
Initially when I got it you had two options for organization 1)books you got from B&N and 2)Books you didn't. With one of the more recent upgrades, it looks like you can add shelves. I haven't played with it yet so I can't speak to its effectiveness at organization.

3.The search/chapter features a little lacking
Some books I have seen not have the ability to skip to the start of a certain chapter. That was a pain. And the search I just did, did not loop back to beginning of the text when I was near the end of a book. So I had to jump there myself and then do my search. Lame.

Things that I Hate that I Love
1. It has all my books on it.
Wait! Wasn't this already there. Oh, astute reader, you are correct. But it's true. Sometimes, it really bothers me that all of my books are on this thing. Sometimes I just want to hold to book, smell its pages. These are the times that I usually hit up the library, but still.

2. I can take it with me while traveling
Catch-22 here because I seriously love that it fits in my carryon. The part I seriously dont love is that for 20 minutes minimum before and during take-off and 20 minutes while we land, I can't use electronic devices. The first time I had my nook I didnt even realize it because it was just like the book I would normally read during these times when my iPod is illegal. But now I can't even read my book. So what I end up doing now is bringing a physical book anyway. This one technically isn't B&N's fault. But it falls under this category.

3.When you drag your finger across the touch screen, it will turn the page
I found this out by accident but was overjoyed when I did. How fun! Why do I hate it then, well it works shoddily at best. Maybe this is a case of user error. I don't know.

Overall though I am really happy with my purchase. It is exactly what I wanted and fit my needs to a T. (Is that the phrase? Let me look it up in my Phraseology book that I have on my Nook and therefore is with me on this trip.. darn not there but I did learn that Gloves can be called Hand Shoes (what?)) These are my reasons, for better or for weird. I am glad of my purchase and would buy again.

So what about you? Have opinions on the Nook? Questions for Nook users? In the market to buy one and want to know more (there are actually a few of us on the blog that have nooks so hopefully a few will chime in with their opinions as well!).

Also, my caveat. Forgive me for my all over the place style of this review. I am going to blame the sudden sickness and douse of cold medicine I just took. Mea culpa!