A friend of mine and I have decided to start a book club here in the Atlanta area. It seems with the growing popularity of the Nook, iPad and other eReaders many of us are rediscovering our passion for reading. Last night I started reading the first selection of our book club entitled “Glorious” by Bernice McFadden. I won’t tell you instead of getting some shut eye, I was nestled under the covers at 4a reading this book in its virtual form when I should’ve been asleep in anticipation of hearing cries through the baby monitor, which by the way Lil Mama did not disappoint and woke up at 5a just when I decided to shut my eyes…I digress.
Last night was actually my first experience reading a virtual book and to tell you the truth it was a bit awkward at first. I mean, there is something soothing about curling up, feeling the roughness of the pages in an actual book that sliding your finger across a screen just can’t provide. I struggled to find a position that was comfortable and then the iPad got kind of heavy. I finally settled with it laying on the bed and my head on the pillow and that worked well until I took too long reading a page and the screen blacked out and I had to enter my password over and over agian. A quick change to the settings resolved this issue, however I just wasn’t feeling the whole experience. I seemed to have enjoyed reading magazines more than the book on the device and I am sure it is because of the vivid colors and graphics that comprise a magazine in comparison to the boring black words/white background of a book.
I started to think of the appeal of the eReader and found myself coming up short. I mean it is convenient and let’s keep it real its just plain out neat, but the main question at hand is does the functionality of it outweigh its whimsy. I’m not sure it does, or maybe I just need to take more time with it.
Have you used an eReader? How was your experience? Can you offer any suggestions that might make it worth its weight in dollars..cause in my world if it don’t make sense, it ain’t worth the dollars.
13 Comments
E. RaMona
January 6, 2011 at 12:58 pmWell, I received a Nook Color for Christmas, and I do love it…….but I know what you mean. It is a bit awkward holding it and reading it at night when I get in the bed. I also agree that magazines are a bit more interesting to look at, however, I plan to ride this out. My guess is that it will just take some time getting used to the little bugger. I’ll probably love it more when I’m away from the home and can appreciate the mobility of the device.
Brandi
January 7, 2011 at 11:52 amNo I don’t have any of those e-readers yet. I was looking at the Nook because someone gave me a B&N giftcard for Christmas. I too love just curling up and reading a great book and am not sure how I will feel about the virtual one. Most likely you will probably just have to adjust and get used to it. I have been looking for a good book to read and I will be picking up the book that had you up until 4am this evening.
MrsTDJ
January 7, 2011 at 2:56 pmI love my Kindle, but it did take a little getting used to. I don’t normally read in bed because I can’t quite get comfortable. I tend to read in a comfy chair and a half that we have in our study. I still love the smell and feel of real books, but I’ve developed a different kinda love for my ereader. Being able to take it with me and it be half the size and weight of a traditional book won me over.
Alicia @MommyDelicious
January 7, 2011 at 10:41 pmI am with you on this one. As popular as EReaders and Nooks are now, I just can’t jump on this bandwagon. Call me old fashioned, but I like to have a hard copy of the book that I’m reading. I like to highlight something that stands out to me. I like to put one of those post-it thingys on a page that I loved. I like actual books. But those EReaders get rave reviews so I guess it’s working for someone. Not this ol’ skool gal.
Candace
January 8, 2011 at 3:25 amWell I got my Nook Color for Christmas and love it but it does not replace an actual book. Like you, I’m a curl up in bed and read kinda girl and it gets a little complicated lol but for on the go packing I can have something for me, the little one, and everyone all in one little package. And it’s small like a book so it slips in almost any of my bags.
Carla
January 8, 2011 at 11:57 amI downloaded the Kindle/Nook app on my Evo and while it helps to pass the time, I’d still rather reading a book.
Rose's Daughter
January 10, 2011 at 8:31 amSomeone got me an e reader that I didn’t want even though I SPECIFICALLY asked for a nook, but I digress…..
I find it really awkward reading in bed. Sometimes, I find that I can’t turn the pages as quickly as I would like( I mean really all of that finger sliding really doesn’t work as well). And it just gets…heavy. Maybe when I sell this thing on ebay and get my Nook color, I’ll love it……
V.
January 10, 2011 at 4:31 pmOh my goodness!
The hubby got me a Kindle for Christmas and I love it! Like you, I have a long running love affair with books and the feeling I get when I hold those pages. But, the Kindle has been awesome in allowing me to be able to hold two babies (newborn and toddler) while reading because I don’t have to worry about turning pages or holding the page in place. I can dump it in my purse and read in the car, while waiting at doc’s appts and all of that jazz. And it’s super light! Oh, and it doesn’t have that annoying glare that you would get from bright screens like on your computer or the Nook. Totally worth it!
YUMMommy
January 11, 2011 at 11:13 amAs far as Kindles and Nooks go I haven’t experimented with them. However, I hear that Android has some nice eReading apps that I can download to my Evo. James Patterson’s Alex Cross series is worth buying and reading. There aren’t many serious Black characters out there in books. Just finished reading Love, Honor and Betray by Kimberla L. Roby. It was a pretty decent book. I’m reviewing it on my blog next week.
Franchesca Lane
January 11, 2011 at 4:11 pmI want to join the Book Club but I am not a Kindle person(maybe cause I don’t have one)..lol.. LEt me know!
Tracita Linda
January 13, 2011 at 9:08 amI think it’s a great idea to start a book club, a fellow bookworm and I started one back in August (we meet once a month, but I keep up the blog in between then) and although we don’t have like 20 consistent members, we have about 8 loyal ones, and we find ourselves anticipating each meet! Sometimes it’s just the social aspect of getting together with other women outside of church, work,etc. There’s only one member with an e-reader as far as I know, and she swears by it, she even wrote a convincing argument here: http://irbr-2010.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-school-vs-old-school.html
Tracita Linda
January 13, 2011 at 9:09 amPS- You didn’t mention anything about your first book club selection, what’s it about?
Mimi
January 13, 2011 at 10:57 pmWe are reading Glorious by Bernice McFadden. It is historical fiction
set during the Harlem Renaissance. Well written, its about a young woman’s coming of age that takes her from a rural town all the way to Harlem and back home again.