1. The smell of print
2. Instant "page load"
3. Being able to read it on a train without feeling/looking like a douche
4. Being able to buy it again when I accidentally leave it on the train
5. Drawing pictures in the margins (okay, I don't do this very often)
6. The physical presence of something which, in the future, might remind me how much I liked it and inspire me to re-read it
7. The chance that I'll meet my future wife because she read the same book and loved it too
Does anyone actually love e-books? Or are they just kind of tolerated-- like a disappointing alternative to food pills and flying cars?
It should come as no surprise that I despise them. I can't even tolerate them. Then again, my nature is such that the word tolerate rarely makes it into my everyday vernacular. I'm either stuffed or starving, burning up or freezing, overwhelmed or bored, etc. ;-)
ReplyDeleteZack bought me a Kindle for Christmas 2009. I tried to use it. I couldn't do it. I gave it to Phoenix and he liked it just fine. Zack then bought me an iPad so that I could use the iBooks feature. I tried to use it but found myself surreptitiously sneaking off to read a real book or swinging into used bookstores just to walk amongst the titles and rub my fingers along their spines.
I am an analog girl through and through. Books over e-books. Vinyl over mp3s. Chalkboard over whiteboards. 4 track over ProTools.
I just might, with your permission, bring up this very same discussion over on my blog. Do you mind?
Meg, this is hilarious. Snaps for at least *trying* to get on board over the past year-- you've done much better than I have on that front.
ReplyDeletePlease feel free to continue this discussion on your blog. You might even suggest to your readers that they print it out.
--B
Ive just found your blog, thanks to the revolutionary Google+ ! I think I'm one of the very few people for whom the opportunities afforded by an ebook outweigh print (as in, I can have many books with me without having to transport them and their physical properties across 8000 miles and can access new books by using the Internet in the absence of a bookstore). If I could go with print, I would...but there's one feature of ebooks that, if a content provider really ran with it, could give them a slight edge: annotation. I love the ability to take lengthy notes on a book using my iPad's keyboard. I despise Amazon's "popular highlights", but if I could customize who I see highlights from and had the ability to create groups and share highlights/annotations (and if I were a high school teacher and could one day have all my students engaging with each other by having them do this as well)....that'd be pretty excellent. Otherwise, print all the way.
ReplyDeleteThat's a genius idea Seth, and yes, I think your situation lends itself to eBooks. I may be gradually warming up to the concept... we shall see.
ReplyDelete