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[ladysprite]

I never thought I would do this. When I first noticed the trend, I was honestly fairly outspoken against it. It just seemed wrong, and something that I would never want to do. Then slowly, over the last year or two, it started slowly creeping in my mind, first to 'if I ever choose to do this,' and then eventually to 'when I ultimately break down and do this.' And last week I finally broke down and gave in to the inevitable.

I bought a Nook.

It's mostly coffeeem's fault. She's the driving force behind The Shadow Unit, an online collaborative urban fantasy/horror storytelling group that I would love if I could only make myself read it - I just hate reading anything longer than a page or two on my computer. A couple of weeks ago she announced that they'd be selling the entire first season of Shadow Unit.... but only as an e-book.

That was enough to convince me. Well, that and the thought of never having to try to stuff another 987-page Robert Jordan paperback into my purse. And never having to pack an entire backpack of books when I go away for a week. Okay, I admit that there are up-sides to e-books. Even if they'll never be quite as emotionally fulfilling and comforting as real books.

I got a Nook because... well, honestly, because umbran did the research and said it was probably a closer match to what I wanted than anything else. And I went with the black and white version, since as far as I can tell the Nook Color just meant spending an extra $100 for a toy that could do exactly the same things my Ipod already does. Also, what I ultimately wanted was a way to read books, and for me, the e-paper of the black and white Nook is easier and more pleasant to read.

I admit that I spent the entire ride home from Barnes & Noble apologizing to the paperback book in my purse, and I've been alternating between excitedly playing with my new toy and dawdling finishing the last couple of books I was reading, but I've finally started actually reading on this thing and.... I like it. I feel vaguely guilty about it, but it's pretty darn cool.

Also, the Baen Free Library rocks my world, as does Project Gutenberg. It'll take some time for me to build up the rest of my virtual library, and to figure out all the bells and whistles and the best ways to take advantage of the gizmo, but as a start, they make this a lot more pleasant and easy, and a lot less of an enormous cash sink....

Comments

[kyttn.livejournal.com]

Since I work for a small used book store, I confess, I'm distressed by the number of people turning to electronic books. That said, I've downloaded Nook and Kindle apps to my phone. The problem I see with the e-readers is that the free stuff is mostly classics that I've already read, and the paid-for stuff is usually more expensive than used books are. I also love the ability to hand off a book that I've just finished reading to someone else. I was reading a book in IHOP the other day that a waitress was interested in, so when I finished the book, I was able to just give it to her. It is nice, though, to always have something to read in my pocket, no matter where I am, and when I travel, I definitely plan to load up my phone with books for the trip.