This week’s musing asks…
What devices –if any– do you read books on? Do you find it enjoyable, or still somewhat bothersome? Or: If you only read the print books, why haven’t you chosen to read on any devices?
I started reading ebooks on my computer. It was not my favorite way to read but I used my laptop and purchased books from Baen for a really good price. I still read on the computer occasionally, mostly where I have downloaded something short.
I now have two e-readers. I purchased a eBookwise reader 4 or 5 years ago. It is limited in the formats that can be loaded or it would still be my only e-reader. It is simple to use, has a good font, and is backlit. I still use it when a book comes in one of the formats that will load on it.
My second e-reader is the original Nook. I purchased it because it used epub and epub is available almost everywhere except Amazon. I love the ease of purchasing books from Barnes and Noble and side loading for other publishers is not difficult.
I like to read on both of my e-readers but it does have some drawbacks. It is easy to forget about a book once it has been downloaded. It is hard to flip through the pages to find something you want to re-read. I also dislike the price difference between ebooks and paper copies. If the paper copy is cheaper I will always go paper. On the plus side there are a lot of books being released on in electronic form and having an e-reader makes it easy to purchase and read those. Another plus is the ability to check ebooks out from my local library. I have found that a good way to get books I might not find on the shelves.
I am thinking about getting an iPad to use when I travel and to download from Amazon. I think I would like reading on the iPad but battery life could be a problem.