ebook

Rock, Paper, E-Readers

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Many of us have a special relationship with books. We tuck ourselves into bed at night, sink into a chair or sprawl over the couch enthralled by fictional or non-fictional worlds and the characters residing within.

Yet loving books doesn’t mean reading  printed hardbound or paperback titles. Instead, books can now be read on electronic devices called e-readers which can store thousands of texts that are retrieved by the click of a button. Despite the ease of use and amount of writing that can be stored on these devices there remains resistance from book lovers to replace their paper books with digital ones.

When people first drew on cave walls I’m sure they couldn’t imagine upgrading to parchment or chiseling drawings onto stone. Imagine the debate that would have started after each breakthrough in technology.
“It just doesn’t look the same,” our rock dwelling ancestors say. “Cave paintings are permanent and we can gaze at them during the day or over an open fire”.
“But,” the stone tablet maker responds. “You can’t carry a cave painting.  It remains fixed to the one place. Stone tablets are so much more versatile.”
“You can’t move a cave,” the parchment maker interjects. “But it is also a heavy burden to carry around stone tablets.  Consider this parchment which is light, can be rolled up and sealed for privacy.”
“Absolutely,” Guttenberg adds,  “but look at what I’ve created. This printing press uses paper which is then collated into a book which can be copied many times, shipped and read by people throughout the world.”

ebookIf we stuck with one idea then we would never make any progress. The e-reader is the continuation of a set of tools we use to convey information. People argue that a paper book feels better and that they couldn’t get the same sort of pleasure from holding a plastic device. However, you can adapt to changes very quickly.

I’ve had my Kindle for a month now and I can’t imagine going back to reading a paper book. They appear bulky and clumsy compared to the slim lines and light weight Kindle device. Paper books are heavy to carry around, easy to drop and lose your page, smell when they age, are vulnerable to damp and sunlight and are expensive.

You can get all sorts of e-readers including Nooks, Kindles, Sony Reader, BeBook Neo and variations within these brands. The ebook market is huge and you can order most titles online and straight to your e-reader. An added bonus is that ebooks are a lot cheaper than their paper cousins.

I am now a convert to e-readers and I would encourage anyone who is thinking of taking the plunge to order one as soon as possible. I would suggest doing some research into the type of e-reader that will suit your needs as there are many on the market. To get some idea of what is available and the differences between brands please click on the link below.

What is the best e-reader for you?

Author: Sue Bell
Sue Bell is an entertainment writer and author of Backpacked: A mostly true story, Beat Street and When Dreamworks came to Stanley.

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