Throwdown Thursday is a weekly thing [hosted by The Neverending Shelf] where we tackle books with similar characters, covers, themes, etc. to determine which one rocks more. And it is up to YOU to determine the winner!
Last weeks Throwdown asked: Vampire Santa or Jolly St. Nick? The verdict by split decision was Vampire Santa. It appears that most of you think Santa is on an all liquid diet.
I know that many people have been eager to get their hands on an eReader for awhile now. Maybe some of you got one for Christmas? Or maybe you were an early adopter and have been using one for months now. What I want to know is if they are worth the investment? I don’t have one yet (apparently I wasn’t a good girl this year because Santa didn’t leave a Kindle or Nook under my tree). And while I have entered tons of giveaways to win one (I have several giveaways listed on my sidebar offering various eReaders), I haven’t been willing to buy one just yet. There’s something about holding a physical book in my hands that I think I would miss, not to mention being able to display my favorite titles on my bookshelf or lend them to friends. On the other hand, the instant gratification factor of being able to hear about a book and be reading it in a few minutes is very attractive, as is the portability bonus. What about you? Do you own an eReader? Love it/hate it? What was the deciding factor that made you buy one?
eReaders or physical books?
I'm waiting for the ebook technology to level out. It seems to be constantly advancing right now. If I buy and ereader now, it will most likely be obsolete in 6 months. And I am highly suspicious that Apple has not hopped on the bandwagon and wait to see what they are going to offer.
ReplyDeleteI love the feel of paper under my fingers and am pretty sure I always will. Ebooks are convenient but not my favorite. My vote is for paper!
I gave you some awards!
ReplyDeletehttp://tyngasreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/awards.html
No e-reader, but books for me as nothing can beat the smell and feel of a book!
ReplyDeleteI think Giles (BtVS) said it perfectly when he said that he loves the smell of books. Computers don't smell (and I'm guessing e-reader's don't either!) :) I would have to say the actual book in my hands is what I would rather have! Don't you just love the smell of books? The feel of that book in your hands is the best feeling in the world (compared to an e-reader of course). Just my $0.02 :)
ReplyDeleteI am a tech geek, so normally a new shiny toy would be right up my alley. However, I am a bit undecided. I love the feel of a regular book, but the space saving would save my bookshelves.
ReplyDeleteRight now, I am stilling with the regular book just because its much more cozy to snuggle in bed with.
I like my books. I am still a little iffy in the whole eReader thing. I don't think that books will ever go away. And I love to swap with my friends. My hubby offered to get me Kindle for Christmas. Wouldn't that be easy for him? He wouldn't even have to leave the house. I declined and instead he had to walk the mall. I have even read articles that predict that eReaders will go the way of the eight track. I don't know about that. But for now, I am going to sit on the sidelines and see how this plays out.
ReplyDeleteLike the other commenters, I love my books, the feel of them, the look of them on my bookshelves, being able to see them & run my hands over them when I was feeling particularly low, but, I have 6 bookshelves filled to the brim with books with no room for more without getting rid of some of my books, and I wasn't going to do that.
ReplyDeleteSo, in April, I took the plunge and bought a Kindle2 to save space on my bookshelf, figuring that if I absolutely adored the book, I would purchase it in paperback so I would always have it.
But guess what? I absolutely fell so much in love with reading on my K2 that I do not even want to pick up a DTB any longer to read. Just the thought of having to hold it in both hands to read it (because I never crease the spine), makes my hands cramp now. E-ink is so easy to read on, I can adjust the size of the font if my eyes are too sore from a day spent staring at the computer so I don't have to bring the book inches from my face and it is so much eaiser to hold.
I am an e-reader/e-ink believer now and will continue to update my device if I ever have to.
I own a kindle too also and I love it! It is so easy to read on it, and I got used to the feel of it within a day. Still, I do buy regular paper books sometimes, because I do like to have them on my shelf! Actually, when I first picked up a paper book after reading on my kindle for awhile, the real book was the one that felt weird! And I kept on trying to highlight a word to look it up!
ReplyDeleteI guess I do understand if some people want to wait until the field levels out, but in my opinion that will never really happen, at least not for a long long time. Technology keeps on improving really fast. Its kind of like not ever buying an ipod because you want to wait for the next and better version. I did wait for the kindle 2 though instead of just buying their first version.
I am a believer in the e-reader all the way!
I love new tech stuff, but I am to cheap to pay for it. I will wait until they are under $200 before I buy one. I want one just for the convience when I travel.
ReplyDeleteBut I love collecting books and seeing them on my pretty bookshelves with the fancy lighting on top. So even though one day I will own an ereader, I will always collect books. Much to my wallet and husbands displeasure. :o)
I got a Kindle for Christmas this year, and I am totally head over heels in love with it already. It's easier to carry around with me than a real book like I used too.
ReplyDeleteAnd just because I have a Kindle, it in no way means I'm going to stop buying real books. Who says you have to give up the feeling of holding a physical book, which I personally love, in your hands. Not me. And I don't plan too.
I got my Kindle 2 in July. What pushed me over the edge was a book that wouldn't be published until October but was available for the Kindle immediately.
ReplyDeleteI had been thinking about getting a Kindle for a while before that though. I spend summers at a vacation home away from my book collection. I had been filling the trunk of my car with books I wanted to read over the summer or just had to have with me. Now I can do the same thing with my Kindle and still have room to carry other things home (like clothes).
I went with the Kindle because I am a long-time Amazon customer. I like that I can get a book in just a couple of minutes. I love reading on the Kindle. It is easy to hold and the e-ink is easy to read. I like that I can adjust the font size, highlight parts, add bookmarks, and check the meaning of words.
I haven't given up buying books. I still buy books that I want to read and donate to my HS Media Center. I still buy books that are not available for the Kindle. I still buy books if I want to have a whole series in one format. Some authors I intend to buy in both formats. I still buy books if the format matters -- like books that are illustrated in color and graphic novels.
I love my Kindle.
Books.
ReplyDeleteBut i *want* an e-reader. I just resent the fact that if I buy one now, an even better version will be released in 6 months time. I read somewhere that Apple are brain-storming their own e-reader, so I might hang out for them to release their version rather than buy Amazon's.
Until then, it's books for me.
I am going to stay old fashioned and have "real" books always simply because cannot imagine not having one in my hand, or on my table by my chair to read.
ReplyDeleteI too am tech happy sometimes but an e-reader is something just have no desire for, able to change font size or not hate reading on a screen rather than on a paper page. i like being able to touch the physical book, turn the physical page and so forth...
Just thought would stop in and join the fun...
Happy New Year everyone... Be safe and have fun...
Jackie B Central Texas
I love my Kindle and read lots of books on it. However I'll never give up my bound books. Right now it's about 50/50 for me. I was won over to ebooks when I got my iPod touch and stared reading books on that. I have to say, I do love my Kindle for books I'm reviewing. Really easy to highlight, take notes and search the book.
ReplyDeleteGood points all around. It would be great to have one for book reviewing and the fact that some books come out sooner on Kindle etc than physical books is huge.
ReplyDeleteI'll let you guys know if I take the eReader plunge and what I think about using it on a long term basis. Thanks :) Has anyone tried the Nook?
I was one who never got the Kindle craze until my friend sold me hers 6 months ago. I thought I would miss actually books.
ReplyDeleteFlash forward to now, I LOVE it. I carry my Kindle everywhere. One thing, I don't have carpel tunnel, but when I was pregnant with my 2nd, my wrists started to really hurt holding books or doing anything repetitive, and I don't get that with the Kindle at all. I carry my Kindle everywhere, around the house, in my purse, out to the porch, everywhere. I read a lot before, going through 6 or 7 books a week, I go through way more than that now. And when I'm out of new books on my Kindle, and broke, there's always some book for free on Amazon or there are tons of authors online who give away ebooks, just transfer them to Kindle format and download them.
I can't imagine living without now.
I'm all for new technology and love getting the latest and greatest but I love my books. I work in front of a computer all day long so the last thing I want to do is sit down and look at another screen all night.
ReplyDelete