Thursday, March 17, 2016

Um. It's Thursday...

Which means I didn't get my Wednesday blog up.  Guess I got going on housework-ity stuff, and spaced.  Meh...

So.

The Wednesday, Now Thursday, Blog Topic Du Jour...

Kindle vs. Paperback.

Now that I have had my tablet-y thing for a bit, I thought I would give a general idea of my opinion.  When I first tried it, I did NOT like the Kindle thing.  I have learned better how to use it, and worked out some of the quirks of my using it, so now I give you Battle of the Reading Materials.

Battery Life. book
Ok, yeah, this is a gimme, but it's the one thing that will always and forever put the Kindle in second place for me.  I am reading, and the detective rounds the corner, pistol raised, and enters the room, the light goes out... No, not in the story, the blasted Kindle dies!  With the exception of reading under the covers with my battery operated flashlight,  I have never had this problem with a paper book.  So, until they make a supercharger for it, that is going to be it.

Reading at night. Kindle
I have found that the Kindle thing has different light levels, as well as colors that you can read by.  I might want to finish a chapter, but Husband is ready to sleep.  So, I turn the colors of the page to black background, white text.  It looks like this, takes much less light, and makes it so I can read, Husband can sleep, and I will begrudgingly admit, not needing a little hangy on light, or some gimmick to read my paperback is nice.  

Reading in the bath. book
Okay, anyone that has known me for more than 5 minutes, knows that I am not She of Infinite Grace and Fancy Feet.  Mega Klutzoid is probably a bit closer.  So, considering I have had, more than once, to put my paperbacks near an air vent, to rescue them from an unintended dunking, somehow, I think the electronics wouldn't forgive me.

Reading on the go. Toss up
Grab my book, grab the tablet, get to where I am going, read.  The only minor thing, sometimes the Kindle can take a little bit to load, but I think that's because I have have an older one.  I am not about to buy a new one, so I will put up with it.  But in this case, they both are rightly good.

Taking several books with me. Kindle
Presently, I have about 700 books, a couple magazines, and a newspaper in my Kindle.  I don't really think that would be comfortable in a backpack...  I love my paperbacks, but when space is at a premium, flat screening it is a terrific thing.

Cost. Hard to say.
Ok, the tablet isn't HUGELY expensive, but to my skinflint ways, it's not necessarily cheap, either.  BUT.  New books can be rather pricey, as well.  That being said, once you have the reader/tablet, you can find lots of free books.  I like to read obscure, old (as old as 100 years or more) stuff, and quite a bit of that is available just for finding it.  But, if you have friends, or people moving, or people downsizing, what have you, sometimes you get books because they know you like X, need to find a home for books, or just they want the stuff out of the house.  Either way, you can get a nice library that way, too.  So, I don't think I can really point out, yes, that one.

Reading in different environments. book
Ok, I gather that some of the new ones have some glare protection, so you can read in bright sun.  I haven't seen that, to know how it works.  My looks as if it has gone blank in bright sun.  Reading the tablet in the kitchen, I have to move it to a place away from any cooking, as I am... exuberant... in things like putting flour in a bowl.  Or at least getting the majority into the bowl.  And putting liquids into something.  I am rather generous in my mixing, too.  So, if I have a recipe, it's usually behind a plastic liner.  The minor problem with this, I can sometimes manage to get the flour/liquid/whatever BEHIND the plastic liner.  It's not great with paper, but with the other, oh, boy... !  In dark environments, I have mentioned that the Kindle seems to do better, but I still can read with a very small light source with a book, too.  Maybe I should put "Not annoying Husband's sleep" for the above mentioned one.

Nostalgia book
This one is just, well...

I can remember the smell of the books in the library, tracing pictures out of books on sheets of paper, before I found the magic of copy machines... Cutting up magazines to make designs.  Reading a Dr. Suess book in a tree.  Having a copy of a picture book that measures close to 17 by 20, so I can look at a gallery of bits and pieces...  Somehow, I don't see much of that happening with the other as effectively.  But, I am quite sure when they find the whatever that replaces Kindle, there will be some grouchy old lady that will gripe about how great the Kindle was!

Not that I'm that old. Yet...


I add this, just because I think it's funny.  Which to use, tablet or paper?



4 comments:

Sharon said...

Kindle, or EPUB reader, or book? Well ... I should say Kindle, because I have one and I have been going through Kindle Unlimited reads like a house afire, but I do like real tangible books. My reader is older and heavier, so that has to be discounted. DH just carried off 2 good sized boxes and a garbage bag full of books to the 'Loaves and Fishes' where I borrow them from at a quarter to fifty cents apiece. I didn't have him get any replacements because of the unlimited thing and lack of space in my womb. It seems easier to put a book down than the shiny Kindle and you are never caught on a tether with the plug in at 3:00 a.m. trying to catch that last 2% until the end.

The Kindle was a gift from DH, I think he likes not having to make all those trips to swap out books for me. No to mention listening to me, "Fantasy? What were you thinking?"

Happy reading, Cat!

stephen Hayes said...

I love the idea of you reading Dr. Suess in a tree.

messymimi said...

That video is funny! Yes, i love my books. A Kindle or Nook or whatever would be nice, but for now, i have what i have and i enjoy it.

Cperz said...

I have kind of become less enthusiastic as time goes on with my Kindle or reading iBooks on my iPad. I do fairly regularly because, the iBooks or Kindle books are cheaper but I like reading an actual book, turning pages...all of it. I have always love books.

If any of my favorite authors come out with a new book, I order the hard copy of it. I'll pass it along to friends after I read it but the joy of having the real book is joyful for me.