Is it worth getting a ebook reader?

anjanaarjun · Post by **anjanaarjun** » 03 Jul 2012, 11:45

well, i would say that is a tough question and the answer mostly depends on situations. i love my kindle when i am travelling. you can have umpteen number of books. one need not carry books.. i resort to books when I am not travelling. though you may have ebooks and it has many positives, the pleasure you get by reading a book lying back in your couch in Something..
every 'E' related stuffs are just to facilitate us as all of us know.. i would say none of these can Real replace the pleasure of the olden ways.. like there is an up coming app called LiveAlbum through which you can share the comments about a book you have read and you can share the books etc.. all of these just facilitates the basic needs of reading by letting others know that there is an interesting book. this has also replaced the olden ways where readers used to meet at least once in a month to discuss a book..

anneboyko · Post by **anneboyko** » 04 Jul 2012, 15:12

Oh they are an absolute must. They are really handy and you can use them any wheres.

Lakelander · Post by **Lakelander** » 05 Jul 2012, 10:03

EBooks are here to stay and the pros and cons of purchasing an IPad or a Nook, are comprehensively discussed under this Subject Heading. However I have yet to see any comments re. their environmental benefit. An average goodsized paperback of perhaps 500 pages will weigh around one pound. One author I can think of, has sold over 100 million copies of her various books worldwide. That represents about 45,000 tons of paper and I shudder to think how many trees need to be felled to manufacture that amount, not to mention the ink.
The greatest advantage of eBooks is nevertheless purely financial. Again a paperback of some 500 pages will cost as a first edition in a bricks and mortar bookshop, something like $19.95. The same book in electronic form would only cost $5.95, because apart from the savings in paper,printing and distribution, the retailer's 100% markup is also negated, hence the epublishing revolution we are now witnessing.
There is a further fundemental truth brought about by eBooks, which few readers have yet to recognise.
Ever since Caxton invented the printing press, publishers have enjoyed the monopoly of deciding which books the public may read, with the result, that countless otherwise excellent books have become nothing more than forgotten manuscripts. That has now all changed and at last people can sort out their own wheat from the chaff.

Hourglass · Post by **Hourglass** » 05 Jul 2012, 15:23

Well said.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 05 Jul 2012, 15:56

The Itinerant Tenant wrote:EBooks are here to stay and the pros and cons of purchasing an IPad or a Nook, are comprehensively discussed under this Subject Heading. However I have yet to see any comments re. their environmental benefit. An average goodsized paperback of perhaps 500 pages will weigh around one pound. One author I can think of, has sold over 100 million copies of her various books worldwide. That represents about 45,000 tons of paper and I shudder to think how many trees need to be felled to manufacture that amount, not to mention the ink.
The greatest advantage of eBooks is nevertheless purely financial. Again a paperback of some 500 pages will cost as a first edition in a bricks and mortar bookshop, something like $19.95. The same book in electronic form would only cost $5.95, because apart from the savings in paper,printing and distribution, the retailer's 100% markup is also negated, hence the epublishing revolution we are now witnessing.
There is a further fundemental truth brought about by eBooks, which few readers have yet to recognise.
Ever since Caxton invented the printing press, publishers have enjoyed the monopoly of deciding which books the public may read, with the result, that countless otherwise excellent books have become nothing more than forgotten manuscripts. That has now all changed and at last people can sort out their own wheat from the chaff.

An awful lot of weeding out to be done by the average reader though ....... I subscribe to the view that while we may all have a book in us, unfortunately not all of them are worth reading and indeed many, without the red pen of an editor, may be unreadable!

Lakelander · Post by **Lakelander** » 09 Jul 2012, 05:06

Hi Fran, you've hit the nail on the head. The weeding out process is the great imponderable of all literature. One international publishing house claims to receive up to 80 unsolicitored manuscripts every working day, yet count themselves lucky to find one novel per year that fits into their publishing schedule.
It's a moot point how many of these rejected authors have the confidence and drive to then press on and publish their work on say, Lulu for example. Here's the crunch. A novel entered in the 'Romance ' category on Lulu, competes with the 21,000 plus titles already listed there. Some browse! So what's the solution? Well, I think I've found it. The staff in the State of Oregon's 'Smart Read' reading encouragement department, suggest in their website, that readers looking for a good book, simply type, 'Award Winning Writer/Novel/Book', in Lulu's or Barnes & Noble's 'Seach' box The result, is a vastly shortened list, where each title has been chosen by various prestigious literary associations whose judges are drawn from a wide ranging selection of best-selling authors, main-stream publishers, editors and media recognised critics. In short, let the experts do the browsing for you. It may not be foolproof in relation to one's own personal taste in style and storylines, but it's a great way to start.

justicehandler · Post by **justicehandler** » 12 Jul 2012, 12:32

Having e-book may allow you to read even if you're travelling or going somewhere

Lakelander · Post by **Lakelander** » 13 Jul 2012, 10:39

Expanding on my POST number 51, in regard to weeding out the chaff from the wheat, there is a further aid which enables readers to quickly find a good quality eBook, without attempting to endlessly browse through the countless thousands of titles available.
Using the publisher Lulu, as an example, simply select the category that suits your personal interest, say 'Romance' (currently 22,500 titles and rising) then check out the publisher's own 'Staff Picks'. These give only about a dozen or so of what are their very latest and best novels to choose from.

Bmike80 · Post by **Bmike80** » 06 Aug 2012, 02:42

I would always prefer and EBook Reader.
I know that books have their own native touch. Nothing compares to sitting infront of the fire place with a book, turning pages.
But for a guy like me who is always on the go, it is really difficult to keep 7-10 bulky books with me all the time. On the contrary my Kindle DX provides extreme mobility and ease on my journeys.

jennifersmith326 · Post by **jennifersmith326** » 09 Aug 2012, 09:48

I think it is. I would have never bought one for myself but My employer gave me one and ever since I got it I have a hard time putting it down. I plan on upgrading this winter to a tablet ereader. Now I just have the nook simple touch but i want something better.

mspjmunoz · Post by **mspjmunoz** » 09 Aug 2012, 12:51

I absolutely love my Kindle. I started a few years ago with a Sony e-reader, and just last year upgraded to the Kindle. It goes everywhere with me. I have two versions, the original Kindle Keyboard and the Kindle Fire. I have gotten my sister, daughter and son kindles as presents, too. I go through 3 to 4 books a week sometimes, and the Kindle is a life saver when I finish a book on the train into work and need something to read at lunch. It beats carrying around several books at a time. I still have a large collection of books at home, because, as so many have said, nothing beats curling up with a good book in front of the fireplace. Everything really is at your fingertips, dictionary, thesaurus, highlighting and even making notes. So many public libraries now have online ebook checkouts too that there is always an endless supply of books to choose from, even when your dead broke. My son, who is in high school, even accesses some of his school textbooks on his kindle so he doesn't always have to carry so many heavy textbooks back and forth from school.

edharless · Post by **edharless** » 09 Aug 2012, 17:27

I have the Kindle Touch and I enjoy using it. However, I still like the feel of holding a good book in my hands and physically turning the pages. The Kindle is good for storing books that you would like to read and good for storing. I have my Bible on my Kindle so I can look up the verses the preacher mentions in their sermon. I really like this because I can highlight sections and add notes right during the message that I can access later in my own study - while if I did this with a physical Bible all of the pages would be a mess. If you are concerned about book prices the Kindle is sometimes cheaper and sometimes not. I have no problem buying a used book that was well worn, so usually I can find books cheaper on amazon than if I download them.

mattjo1 · Post by **mattjo1** » 10 Aug 2012, 16:01

Nothing can compare to a real book. No computer, Smartphone, or Tablet can compare to holding a book, and smelling the pages. I have a Smartphone, but refuse to use it for reading. If you are just beginning your library, consider it.

redibrd · Post by **redibrd** » 12 Aug 2012, 22:20

Love my reader! It's with me wherever I go! Easy to pick up where you left off, sit it down and you still have your page available when you come back! One never knows when you may be in a situation where there is down time and ~poof~...you have a book!

Lakelander · Post by **Lakelander** » 13 Aug 2012, 07:12

redibrd has discovered yet another advantage of having an eReading device and a very real advantage at that. How often is one regularly at a loose end, waiting for a train, coach, plane or boat? What better way to to fill those time wasting delays, not to mention the eventual travelling time?