Strange Machines

Lately I realize I haven’t been buying any print books. Not for a really long time, and it is not just because Borders has closed down (RIP Borders. :*() or that brick and mortar bookstores are becoming a thing of the past, like mom and pop stores (RIP too).

Truth is, my bookshelf is already bursting with books I’ve had since I was a teenager and then subsequently an adult. I am a voracious reader. I have read my favourite books between 20 to 50 times. And reading is my number one hobby. Always been, always will be.

So since I had the kids, I entered the world of ebooks. They cost considerably less, take up virtually (excuse the pun) no space, and are very very portable, thanks to the iPhone. Incredibly, I carry my entire library around (okay, not every single book as they are not all available in ebook, but definitely my favourite books which I have bought ecopies of).

I have to say this though, the reading experience is totally different. I find I have a much shorter attention span and get agitated more often. The book has to be exponentially more engaging to keep me reading. It’s something to do with the backlighting and the glare that causes this, but since my favourite activity of lying in bed reading is no longer an option, ebooks has been the way and will probably be for a long time coming.

Some of my friends are recommending I get a Kindle. I have to confess to be extremely annoyed at the geographic restrictions on many new ebooks when the print book is readily available in hardcover in Kinokuniya. Since I can’t read print anymore (for now, because of my motherly obligations – I’ll explain the logistics another time but suffice to say, it is about space and comfort), I have to patiently wait for an ebook to be released to the international audience about a year later. This doesn’t make sense. So publishers, if you are reading this, please think of the poor readers stuck with ereaders waiting patiently to read a book which is not available to them, just because it is digital content.

Still the cost of ebooks is a great lure. You can save on kindle fire books and other ebooks by signing up for ebook store newsletters where they routinely send you coupons, or just Google the store name plus coupon. I’ve print and digital copies of all my favourite books now. It feels great to carry them around (although my eyesight is seriously going!).