Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

Friends have been trying to get me to buy a Kindle or Nook for about as long as these devices have been available, and I just can't justify the cost. IF I traveled a lot for work, I could see where it would come in handy.

That is true.

I rely heavily on the library, and the books I buy are generally paperback and often passed along to friends or used bookstores, because I was being taken over by my books as well. :) The downsize is precisely why I thought it would be good for someone who travels a lot...no need to tote around a stack of books.

Most of the books I read are ebooks as well. I've got a Sony 505 & actually prefer reading on it instead of paper books. As most of my reading is done on the train, it also saves me the trouble of carrying around a heavy book.

Nook won't sell here in my country. Some of the books in the 1001 list you can buy here for the price of one bottle of Coke. My copy of Christa Wolf's "The Quest for Christa T.", for example, I bought for only 10 pesos. At the present exchange rate of P42 to US$1, that would only be about less than 25 cents. And after you read the book, you can even use its pages as fire starter for your charcoal stove. Not a thing wasted!

Tony wrote: "Friends have been trying to get me to buy a Kindle or Nook for about as long as these devices have been available, and I just can't justify the cost. IF I traveled a lot for work, I could see wher..."

I've had my Kindle for more than a year now. I love it. It will never replace real books for me (the smell, the covers, the feel of holding one in your hand), but it's fabulous. So perfect when traveling.

If Kindle or Nook can do these two things, I will surely buy one:

1. Make a brief description of the protagonists before the start of the novel/book; and

2. In one click, change the names of these characters as you desire.

These would be a great innovation and would contribute to a faster and more enjoyable reading.

For example, I'm currently reading Vikram Seth's "A Suitable Boy." A young and pretty lady there is named "Lata." Maybe this is a nice name for a girl in India, but in our language, "Lata" means can. So "lata ng sardinas" means "a can of sardines". Another character is a young, handsome but happy-go-lucky playboy named "Maan". In our culture, however, Maan is a girl's name. If I can Kindle or Nook this novel and, just by pushing some buttons I can change the Latas and the Maans to, say, Letty or Manny, it would help me enjoy the novel even more.

Imagine if you can do this also to those Russian novels with characters having long, difficult names. Or Japanese novels with men having girl-sounding names and women with boy-sounding names.