Sorry for the lack of posts lately, school’s started, I’ve been finishing a book proposal and well, I’ve just felt really lazy.
But on to the real subject: Have you been lusting after the Amazon Kindle or the Sony Reader? I’m curious about them myself but lust is too strong a word. I’m a real book in the hand type of person. And from what I’ve seen of the Kindle, the screen looks an awful lot like the stuff I stare at day in and day out on a computer screen. In other words, it looks too much like work.
So I pretty much wrote off the Kindle, etc. Convenient, sure, but not convenient enough to justify the hefty price tag and not enough like a real book.
Someone at Barnes and Noble must have been reading my mind. Along came the Barnes and Noble E-reader, which you can download free to any I-Phone, Blackberry, Laptop, or PC.
That’s right, gratis. It even comes with a few free books, like Sense and Sensibility and Dracula, in case you want to try it out without paying anything.
Hmm, I thought. That would make my netbook an awful lot like an E-reader.
Which leads me to my experiment. Our book club is reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for October. Instead of heading to our local hastings to pick up a copy (we have a local independent bookstore which I used to support faithfully but that is a nasty story I’d rather not tell online–let’s just say it involves beyond-the-pale customer abuse) I downloaded the E-reader (very easy btw) to my netbook and then downloaded the Stieg Larsson book for 9.99.
So, now when I’m on the plane to Berkeley Thursday for the Writing Project National Program Leaders meeting (hoping to have a chance to blog about that) or have a few spare minutes in an airport, I can whip out the old netbook and give this e-reader stuff a try.
I’m committed now; I paid 9.99.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Bye y’all,
SV
Like you, Stephanie, I would say “curious” rather than “lustful” describes my attitude toward the e-readers. I look forward to hearing more about your B & N experiement, but I’m especially eager to hear about your trip!
I’ve been singing love songs to my iPhone Kindle App for months. It’s not the same as experiencing a book on the page, but in terms of convenience–and instant gratification–it’s pretty awesome. Also, I like that I can read in bed sans light (and that reminds me of all the after lights-out secret reading I did as a kid).
After reading about your experiment, I downloaded the B&N reader to my laptop. I’ll let you know how the two compare.
Hey Steph,
I’m officially jealous. Or am I just lusting? It’s NOT too strong a word and I try to use it in as many conversations as possible. If I could I would 1) be on the plane with you to Berkley 2) download the barnes and noble reader 3) join a book club.
But truth is, I don’t even have time to type these letters. I’m going to strt hving 2 leve ltrs out 2 sav tim. I’ve got my master’s committee settled and my thesis proposal has been all but accepted. I followed your idea and proposed East Of The Jordan, and all I’ve heard so far is, “I can’t wait to read it.”
Have fun on west coast, but don’t get any of their germs. Ikky.
Mike