Friday, January 11, 2013

More or Less Reading?


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I received a Kindle several years ago as a gift, and this week I'm upgrading to a Kindle Fire HD. I'm excited about all the new features the Fire offers, and like many others I too made reading a priority for 2013.

Every time I read someone's list of  resolutions with reading as a goal, I wondered, have eReaders increased or decreased our reading? You would think the convenience of having the of option millions of books at our fingertips for immediate download, would increase readership, but based on all the resolutions I'm seeing, I'm not sure it did. Initially, I imagine millions of books were downloaded, but all of them read? Doubtful. Why? I have a theory.

Information overload for one. When there are a  zillion different titles at your disposal, and a new book is added every minute, or so it seems, you soon own more books and magazines than you have time to read. The marketing statistics will tell us how many eReaders sold and how many books have been downloaded, but they cannot tell us how many are actually being read. And secondly, I miss books, real books, and I bet I'm not alone.

Reading by the fireI love my Kindle, the convenience of instant gratification and being able to carry hundreds of books wherever I go. But, nothing compares to holding a book in my hand, or the smell of its pages while curled up in a chair by the fireplace. I've never gotten lost in a story on my Kindle the way I do when reading a real book. The experience just isn't the same.

Hundreds of books are on my Kindle waiting to be read, and at one time, I read a book a week. Reading is one of my favorite, most passionate things to do. I hope to do better this year, but I'll need to be more discerning in my choices. I'd love to hear from you, other readers. What do you think? Have the use of eReaders increased or decreased your reading pleasure? Are you reading more books or fewer? Leave me a comment. I'd love to know your thoughts.



2 comments:

  1. I bought a new Kindle Fire to replace my original Kindle that died for no reason. I don't enjoy the new one in the same way as the old one. It is heavier and I get overwhelmed with the data available. I do not really like the apps that were loaded on the Fire and I often sit down to read and find myself, instead, on email or Facebook.

    Unlike you, however, I can get lost in a book even on the Kindle. I have learned to use the sliding scale at the bottom that shows page and percentage of book read. That adds to my mounting anxiety at the end of a good book and I like that connection to a story. I have to know the end but I mourn its passing.

    I do get download some books that languish in the half read pile just like a real book would. And I have some that I downloaded just because they were free. I may never read them.

    What I really miss in the new Kindle Fire, is the lightweight character of the first Kindle. I got the bigger Fire and it is heavier, harder to handle, and the touch screen is either too sensitive or totally unresponsive. But, to answer your question: I am reading more!

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  2. Teresa,
    I also bought a Kindle Fire too and I haven't gotten use to it yet either. Just haven't had the time to investigate all its features. One feature I love, however, is the audio. When I write a story I send it to my kindle and listen to a read back of the story. Hearing has provided me a unique opportunity to hear things I needed to edit, I hadn't heard or saw when i read the story. Here is a link for tips and tricks for the Kindle Fire you may find helpful. http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57341517-285/your-complete-guide-to-the-kindle-fire/
    Be sure to stop by the Cow pasture Chronicles if you get the chance. Thanks for stopping by and do come again.

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