e-book readers or paper! That is the question?

10 November 2017

 I have resisted moving from paper to ebooks but my resolve ended this week when a good friend bought me a kindle.  I thanked her profusely and kept my objections to myself. I have been having a problem waking up early and Annie believes I will benefit from having the option of reading through the night without waking my hubby.  So I have downloaded three books and am already well into the second, less than seven days from opening my gift via Amazon.

The first two nights, when I awoke at  4am, I simply openied the ereader and was right back where I had left the story when the lights went out at 11pm. Truth be told, I carried on reading without the lights until about midnight but at least my better half could get to sleep and I had a guilt free indulgence in a light hearted story 'The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of The Window and Disappeared' – not a work of literary genius but an enjoyable story for an insomniac. As usual I awoke at 4am and instead of getting cold and creeping downstairs, risking the dog barking, I was able to roll over and pull my kindle of the bedside table. By night three I had finished the book entirely and was on book two – however my insomnia has disappeared. You can't win! Now I need to set my alarm an hour before I need to get up to enjoy the pleasure.

I did think of all the disadvantages to a Kindle when I resisted getting one.  I still have plenty of books on my bookcase that I want to enjoy again, or share with people I know will appreciate them; what if I my books get deleted; how on earth can I justify a machine that will allow me to download more books than I have minutes left in my life; the feel of curling up with a good book is so adorable.

What a load of tosh! I can enjoy re-reading the book again and I have a copy on my kindle to remind myself what I have read; often I give away a great book and cant for the life of me remember who has it. I am a visitor who browses bookcases because I am hoping to find my old favourites – if any of my friends or family are reading this, where is my copy of the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver?  My other concern is dying before I read all the books available on Kindle. Again, what's wrong my daughter enjoying an inheritance that doesn't involve days of deciding what to keep or send to the charity shop. Oh and by the way darling – you will find your legacy will allow curl up with a good story, you won't necessarily need specs because you can change the font size, thus avoiding knocking over your glass of water while you fumble in the dark looking for them, and there is no rustle of paper while you find the page you lost – it's there for you. I also hear that it is great on the beach as there is no glare.

Finally, I am thinking of getting one for my mother –in- law.  Choosing the right ereader may need some research as she has glaucoma but is very capable technically (not that you need to be). Also, I can let her try before we buy,  which should help identify any challenges. In the meantime, if any reader with a visual impairment has any experience of using an electronic devise– do please drop an email. By the way – thank you Annie for a) my kindle paperwhite, b) the lovely floral print case, and c) helping me sleep through the night!

By the way you can search for cheaper downloads here at Find Book – our technical team are improving the experience – watch this space.