When I first started reading ebooks, I was very hesitant. I never thought I would prefer my e-reader to an actual book that I could hold in my hand and smell the pages. After reading a few ebooks, I really can't stand when I have to read a print book. I get irritated by the weight of the book and how hard it is to keep open while laying in bed. As an avid fiction reader, I don't think any of the appeals are missing from my ebook experience. I still fall easily into the story and get attached to the characters. I think the drawback would be with the nonfiction genre. Pictures, graphs, etc. aren't as friendly on the Kindle e-reader. Reading on an iPad/tablet might be different because it is more like a computer, but my Kindle doesn't do graphics very well. It looks beautiful as a page in a book though. I love the editable features of ebooks. Being able to manipulate the text and highlight passages without (gasp!) ruining the book make it so much better for me. I would have never written in a book not for school, but now I highlight passages and look up words like a scholar :) I think this adds to reading a genre because you can understand a book even better. You may be too lazy to look up a word you don't know, but if you can tap a word and find out the definition, anyone would do that.
As for audiobooks, I absolutely want to like them, but I don't. I am too much of a visual person to follow along with the story. I tried listening on a long commute, but I found myself 40 minutes into the drive and realized I had tuned out the entire story. I get too distracted to listen to audiobooks. I know there are people who love them, so I will talk about their appeal. They are great because you can hear the inflection which can be important in the more fast-paced genres. It wouldn't be good for nonfiction because, much like ebooks, the pictures would be nonexistent. Narrator is everything for audiobooks, and I know my grandma loves when the author reads his/her own book. We always look to buy her those gems for her birthday and Christmas. Overall, I think ebooks and audiobooks still appeal to readers and have their own appeal. I prefer reading on my e-reader because it is lightweight and backlit, and my grandma likes audiobooks because she doesn't see well. Reading is reading in my book :)
Thanks for mentioning the ability to look up word definitions on an e-reader. I completely forgot about that in my analysis, but I know that it is a huge asset for some people. At the college where I work many students have expressed a dislike for using e-textbooks. Even most of the ones who enjoy leisure reading on a Kindle/iPad still prefer a printed textbook for class. But some of our international students benefit from embedded dictionaries in e-textbooks that help facilitate their comprehension of the language.
ReplyDeleteThere are just so many facets to consider in this ongoing debate!
I agree! I keep reading other people's posts and finding out other things I forgot to mention too. I think I would prefer a print textbook too, but I see the benefit for international students.
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