I admit, I've been dragging my feet on this one. I trained as a medievalist; I think vellum's pretty cool. How can a screen compete with books the size of paving stones, precious metals, and images like these? Not that I own any books like the manuscript linked above, but still. For my fellow reader (FR) and spouse, though, the transition looks to be easy. He "test drove" reading an e-book, using a PC and iPhone app called Stanza recently. For him, the switch went flawlessly; in fact, I think he finished the book faster than he usually does.
The difference I think lies in our reading habits (although this Wall Street Journal blog post has an overview of a survey of e-books and gender). My FR does his reading almost exclusively online. News, blogs, it's all on screen and more information is a click away. Switching topics is as easy as opening a new tab. For him, the ability to have thousands of one books available through one, portable device is appealing. In other words, e-books fit in with his already-established pattern of reading.
My pattern of reading is different. Reading is the last thing I do at night before falling asleep. Books are stacked haphazardly on my nightstand (a habit I might have to revisit if I move to a Kindle or iPad) and throughout the house. On vacation I squish books into suitcases and carry-ons. I pick books up, start and stop them at will, riffle through the pages. My pattern of reading is firmly in the dark ages.
One thing this discussion has encouraged me to think about is the kinds of situations where I might actually want to use an e-book. So far, I've ruled out vacations and plane travel: one plus for a bound book is that you don't have to wait until after takeoff to read, and I wonder how a Kindle fares when hitting the beach? Likewise, I can't imagine sitting down with a toddler and firing up The Cat in the Hat on the iPad, unless I really wanted to test the warranty.
Realistically, we'll wind up with a Kindle or an iPad, and I'll venture further into e-books. But I can't help but wonder how different the experience will be? A few years ago, while waiting for a train in Birmingham, England, I had three hours to kill on a warm summer day. I dashed into a City Centre Waterstone's, bought a book at on recommendation of a friendly clerk, and settled down to read in a churchyard. I carried the book home with me and it's sitting on a shelf today, a reminder of my trip. How will that look on the Kindle?
Dear readers, if you have any thoughts on e-books, please leave a comment below!
