Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Kobo Reading

When I first heard about e-readers, I immediately dismissed them. I love books, and thought I wouldn't want to read from a computer screen. I wanted the feel of the book in my hand. Then I read a 900+ page book and started to rethink things.

I LOVE reading long books. However, I always find them to be awkward to read, especially when you are near the beginning or the end. They are so hard to balance.

Then I started hearing more people talk about their e-readers and how much they were loving them. My brother-in-law emailed me because he was thinking about buying one and wanted to know my thoughts. So we went back and forth for a few days with the advantages and disadvantages of e-readers in general, and then the different varieties. He was looking into the Kobo e-reader and was drawn to the fact that it came pre-loaded with 100 books. He found a refurbished model for sale at Best Buy for less than $100 and thought it would be a good way to get introduced to the world of e-reading. Then that same offer went on sale for an additional $20 off and his mind was made up. And so was mine. I ordered it the next day and it arrived in about 10 days.

I like it so much more than I ev
ought I would. It's so easy to pick up and read, no matter where you are in the book, or how long your book is. There are countless options of books available, whether to purchase, or even to borrow from the library. I am more of a library reader than a book buyer so this option works great for me.

I certainly don't think I'm giving up on printed books forever, but I think this is a great alternative. I'm working on a list of pros and cons of e-reading and I thought I'd share it here.

Pros
lightweight and easy to hold, regardless of book length
easy to read screen
huge selection of books available
books are cheaper to purchase than printed books
very portable

Cons
I'm nervous about using it in the bathtub (I wrap it in a ziploc while in the bath)
I can't loan much-loved books to friends anymore
Need to worry about battery life on my book

I'd like to hear from anyone who may have tried it, or is interested in trying it, to see what your thoughts are.

2 Comments:

Blogger This Mom said...

How timely! I am currently considering an e-reader purchase as well, but can't wrap my head around the idea of not holding an actual paper copy of the book in my hands! Like you, I am a tub reader and can't see that working very well. I do see the advantages though...I'll keep thinking!

11:33 AM  
Anonymous markbraye said...

have you seen the terminator or matrix films? the kobo is merely gathering information about you as you read and what you read. scary.

12:34 PM  

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