I Read My First eBook
Are they even called that anymore?
I have always read books in their paper form, saving digital media for social media, how-to's, recipes, and exploring my personal wonder - by that, I mean Wikipedia.
I have been through seven long years of college and have amassed over 70 books during that time all related to the readings of coursework. I don't even remember what class mandated that I read The Jungle or God Gave Us Reason -- Not Religion. But they did, and instead of just renting them, I bought a fresh copy, right off Amazon's Click-to-Print presses.
My collection of college-mandated books also includes lucrative reads like Organic Chemistry 3rd Edition and Modern Inventing 6th Edition. I know, these two are at the top of Amazon Best Sellers list. In fact, instead of paying $680 for Organic Chemistry like I did, you can get this exact edition for just $30! What a bargain! I mean, who knows when I may need to reference the chemistry vices circa 2013?
My first e-read was actually Appalachian Eulogy, due in part to my own ambitions but also because it was free for 30 days if I just handed over a credit card. I figured it would be a good start.
The experience was mixed.
I generally like reading a solid book under the blazing sun or next to the fireplace or even on a car ride. I immediately see issue with all but one of these. Under the sun, obviously focusing on the OLED screen will still prove difficult at best, and long car rides with a screen constantly illuminated will leave me (or the tablet) wanting more juice in no time. Maybe a fireside snuggle with the device would out fine.
For my first read, it was fireside experience. During day 341 (or maybe 17) of the COVID pandemic on a Monday (or was it a Wednesday?) afternoon (pretty sure it was after noon --my watch read 13:47, so). I fumbled on my old RCA tablet from like 2012 or something -- ya know, whenever that whole fad was underway. I found a vacant spot not occupied by a cat or a dog (difficult in my household) on the sofa, tossed a log of beech wood into the pit and got to reading.
There isn't much to report on the reading. It worked. Like reading a listless Wikipedia article that went on and on without end. I did find it wonky to 'pause' the read, and holding a slab became uncomfortable after a couple hours versus simply adjusting a book... you know I am one of those disturbed individuals that twist the left side of the book up underneath the right side as if to challenge the physics of the bindings. I am a lefty, and doing such allows my dominant hand to rest on the active read. It's the small things.
Anyway. I can't do that with my tablet. Unless I got one of those weird leather case things --anyway.
My battery died. After like 45 minutes I was reaching for the USB cable. After two hours, I was needing some ice to chill the slab of plastic in my hands. Seriously, this old tablet was not up to the task.
With that in mind, I have decided to jump all-in and invest a couple hundred into converting to ereading. I picked up the Kindle Paperwhite without the Special Offers (Read: Spam). We will see if throwing some money at this adventure returns a more universal replacement for my bookshelf.
I have always read books in their paper form, saving digital media for social media, how-to's, recipes, and exploring my personal wonder - by that, I mean Wikipedia.
I have been through seven long years of college and have amassed over 70 books during that time all related to the readings of coursework. I don't even remember what class mandated that I read The Jungle or God Gave Us Reason -- Not Religion. But they did, and instead of just renting them, I bought a fresh copy, right off Amazon's Click-to-Print presses.
My collection of college-mandated books also includes lucrative reads like Organic Chemistry 3rd Edition and Modern Inventing 6th Edition. I know, these two are at the top of Amazon Best Sellers list. In fact, instead of paying $680 for Organic Chemistry like I did, you can get this exact edition for just $30! What a bargain! I mean, who knows when I may need to reference the chemistry vices circa 2013?
My first e-read was actually Appalachian Eulogy, due in part to my own ambitions but also because it was free for 30 days if I just handed over a credit card. I figured it would be a good start.
The experience was mixed.
I generally like reading a solid book under the blazing sun or next to the fireplace or even on a car ride. I immediately see issue with all but one of these. Under the sun, obviously focusing on the OLED screen will still prove difficult at best, and long car rides with a screen constantly illuminated will leave me (or the tablet) wanting more juice in no time. Maybe a fireside snuggle with the device would out fine.
For my first read, it was fireside experience. During day 341 (or maybe 17) of the COVID pandemic on a Monday (or was it a Wednesday?) afternoon (pretty sure it was after noon --my watch read 13:47, so). I fumbled on my old RCA tablet from like 2012 or something -- ya know, whenever that whole fad was underway. I found a vacant spot not occupied by a cat or a dog (difficult in my household) on the sofa, tossed a log of beech wood into the pit and got to reading.
There isn't much to report on the reading. It worked. Like reading a listless Wikipedia article that went on and on without end. I did find it wonky to 'pause' the read, and holding a slab became uncomfortable after a couple hours versus simply adjusting a book... you know I am one of those disturbed individuals that twist the left side of the book up underneath the right side as if to challenge the physics of the bindings. I am a lefty, and doing such allows my dominant hand to rest on the active read. It's the small things.
Anyway. I can't do that with my tablet. Unless I got one of those weird leather case things --anyway.
My battery died. After like 45 minutes I was reaching for the USB cable. After two hours, I was needing some ice to chill the slab of plastic in my hands. Seriously, this old tablet was not up to the task.
With that in mind, I have decided to jump all-in and invest a couple hundred into converting to ereading. I picked up the Kindle Paperwhite without the Special Offers (Read: Spam). We will see if throwing some money at this adventure returns a more universal replacement for my bookshelf.
Definitely my take on reading my first e-book Aaron. What happens if the power is out for more than a day (which can happen here)? What are the effects on our eyes? Does it change the way you remember the context? I worked in a library for ten years and love to see the new book covers and read them. I like the smell of books and the turning of a page. The only thing I don't like is the waste in a resource. Books are quickly popular and than old news. They need space and a dry room to remain intact. They are also more expensive than the digital form.
ReplyDeleteI find some of what you describe to be relatable, but for me, over the last three semesters of college I have found myself specifically resorting to e-books. If the option isn't available (and it has only happened a couple of times) I literally don't know what to do with myself. How can I wait a week for a physical book to come in the mail when I'm so used to having it the very moment I pay for it on Amazon? Plus, I have a very strong aversion to clutter, so changing to e-books has made my life that much nicer. I don't have piles of textbooks I'll never read again stacked in my closet, plus, I don't have to spend all day pulling out useless junk just to reach the bottom of the pile and flip to that one page in that one book to reference something I think I remember correctly. I find e-books make my life that much easier in general.
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