English Mysteries Club discussion

I like both! My kindle was great on the flight to Germany this summer.

They each have their advantages for me - but I much prefer having a 'real' book in my hands (as my overflowing bookcases will attest). I suppose I am old-fashioned too. If I am at all tired, I find the more frequent page-turning of the ereader a bit distracting - that being said, if a book I ABSOLUTELY need to read is not on the shelf or I cannot get to the store, the convenience of the ereader wins. I really do try to control myself though & wait for a print book on order:)

Print. I refuse to use e-books on princible.

It worries me that my local library is channeling more and more funds & effort in that direction. With the closure of many local bookstores, the library is one of the few remaining places you can browse actual books.

I love both, as they both have their advantages and disadvantages depending on your circumstances. I must admit I was a bit of a skeptic about e-books at first (thought they would be too sterile for me) but it didn't take me long to see their advantages. There's definitely a place for both in my reading life!

I buy ebooks, I buy hardcopy books, and I go to the library. A book is a book is a book, whatever the medium. All the same to me.

But because I hate to see trees cut down, I usually buy ebooks or go to the library. And I'm tired of having books piled everywhere in the house. ;) It all depends on how long I need the book for or if I'm willing to wait if the book is already out of the library.

Lynnm wrote: "I buy ebooks, I buy hardcopy books, and I go to the library. A book is a book is a book, whatever the medium. All the same to me.

But because I hate to see trees cut down, I usually buy ebooks or ..."

I feel the same, Lynnm. i use my library for the majority of my reading. I've been putting classics and freebies in my kindle, and I buy a book when I really want to own it.

I wish there was a here library taht was easy to get to. So I buy ebooks for those things I can't find through mooching, etc.

I will always have books around me, but my increasing blindness makes ebooks an increasing necessity. I'm reading a wonderful PD James mystery now, but it's an older copy and the print is so damn small!

Yep, same here. I just can't do tiny font anymore.

E-books are wonderful for failing sight, arthritis and allergies, all of which I have. I can't do library books because of allergies (perfumes, cigarette smoke, dust etc) so have to buy my books new thus the reason why I got a Kindle--cheaper books. My e-reader is also easier for me to hold than paperbacks especially the chunksters.

I didn't really want a e-reader; the little bit of me that did I tried to dismiss by telling myself that with all the books I own I did not need a Kindle. Then I got one for Christmas, two actually (my brother and sister having the same idea), and my mother and I have been happily Kindling away ever since.

I love the ability to carry hundreds of books with me. I do not love the ability to buy books at a whim; I think I've spent more this year on "Daily Deals" and "Hey! It's only $2!" than I spent on books in all of last year. I love being able to highlight a quote and send it to my computer. I do not love how the Kindle freezes up as often as not when I try to do that (though I think I now know why, so maybe it'll stop). I love the dictionary built into the Kindle. I do not love the really terrible formatting and editing issues that plague such a high percentage of e-books.

On the whole, though I will always love "real" books best, for a lot of reasons - because it's much easier to find things in a real book (the search function tends to freeze up too), and because unless nails or glue or duct tape are involved you will never not be able to open a book; the main reason I've read paper books this year is because I started them while rebooting the Kindle. Also, if you accidentally put a knee down on a paper book, it will not break...

I've found the 'instant gratification' factor in buying Kindle books very addictive :-).

Very (she replied, thinking guiltily of last night's binge).

I had a binge today! And to think I originally thought that buying a Kindle would save me money. LOL.

I have been trying so hard NOT to binge since I did just that with Spencer-Fleming ... I will probably download one :) that being August's read ...

:D

Tracey wrote: "I do not love the really terrible formatting and editing issues that plague such a high percentage of e-books."

I paid 13.00 bucks for the penguin edition of the new translation of the Count of Monte Cristo, and I'm glad I did. It was brilliant. Perfect editing, perfect everything. I won't do it a lot, but sometimes it's worth the price.

I agree Hayes, for stuff like that I buy the Penguins too.

Hayes wrote: "I paid 13.00 bucks for the penguin edition of the new translation of the Count of Monte Cristo, and I'm glad I did. It was brilliant. Perfect editing, perfect everything. I won't do it a lot, but sometimes it's worth the price. "

It always pays to look around. I was lucky that I owned the same edition of The Count already.

Tracey wrote: "I love the dictionary built into the Kindle. "

I just read a paper copy of The Corinthian, and I really missed the kindle dictionary!

I took another look at my bookstore's website and one copy of August's read has made an appearance on the shelf (usually I call before I make the trip to be SURE it is actually there) and since the ebook is strangely enough only marginally less expensive - I will go for the print :)

Tracey wrote: "I love the ability to carry hundreds of books with me. I do not love the ability to buy books at a whim"

I know! It's too easy to buy books with an e-book. Less than a minute and the book is there in front of you.

So, I have a rule for myself. Can't buy unless the books I am reading are fully completed.

Sometimes though, the rule is broken. ;)

I got a Kindle last year and, at first, just loved it. Then I started to miss holding a book and turning the pages and seeing the beautiful color covers. So now I'm reading books again. I'll probably go back to my Kindle at some point, but it's books again for me right now.

The convenience of ebook using my phone is great. Where ever I go it is just a push away, but the traditional book is fun to carry and when people see it they are curious. I can tell them about the book when I don't have the real thing but when I do have the book they can look at it and gives them some idea of the style. I think that they both have their own type of appeal. One advantage to the internet is sometimes you can read a book without paying too much. Goodread has books to read with paying. If a book is really enjoyable I would buy it just so I could re-read it when time has passed and I can revisit a old "friend".

I resisted getting an e-reader for some time, but I love love love my Kindle. The only disadvantage is that it's harder to flick back over a few pages to check on something. Other than that, the fact that so many books take up so little space and fewer trees get chopped down to feed my reading habit is great. Getting used to an e-reader for reading is like getting used to a computer for writing. At one point in my life I was convinced that I needed a pen in my hand and paper in front of me to compose a sentence. That conviction has long since passed. These days I always check to see if a book is available in electronic format before buying it. The one exception to this is cookbooks, which I still prefer in hard copy. Although, I find that I use on-line recipe sources much more these days.

When the dictionary was incorporated into the books, I couldn't resist them anymore. I wish I could order thru Amazon UK. Many of the authors I like to read are not consistantly printed in the US. Many times I have to resort to buying used books.

Do you live in the US, J?

Kim wrote: "Getting used to an e-reader for reading is like getting used to a computer for writing. At one point in my life I was convinced that I needed a pen in my hand and paper in front of me to compose a sentence. That conviction has long since passed..."

Exactly! I could not composing in front of a keyboard. (NaNoWriMo helped take care of that!)

I'm chary of cooking from a recipe on the Kindle; Amazon's replaced one for me, I don't think they'd be quite so quick a second time if I covered this one in eggs or something.

No using the kindle in the kitchen! Or leaving it resting precariously on the bath tub (which my husband has done!).

My laptop has survived being used as a cookbook so far.

I shouldn't have said that.

I print all my recipes out...

I love my Nook, but one thing I don't use it for is cookbooks. That's my one holdout in the digital world. :-) My recipes get smudges, no matter how many times I wash my hands during cooking. And I don't want my beloved Nook to have smudges! ;)

Spilling, rather than smudges, is my problem.

I need to print them out too... and then I tape the recipe at eye level on a cabinet door. I am a very messy cook!

No cabinets over my main prep area, unfortunately!

My printer's been on the fritz for a while. This is the main reason I need a new one.

Yes.

Jeannette wrote: "Do you live in the US, J?"

J wrote: "When the dictionary was incorporated into the books, I couldn't resist them anymore. I wish I could order thru Amazon UK. Many of the authors I like to read are not consistantly printed in the US..."

I've ordered from amazon UK no problem, (I live in Iowa), at least I've ordered dvds, without a hitch. I wasn't sure if you meant books or Kindle books. I haven't tried ordering Kindle from the UK.

Just looked: I cannot order Kindle books from the UK. :(

Only UK people can get Kindle editions from Amazon UK. Other stuff for some reason is fine. Oddly enough, even though our OZ publishing times and editions are more like the UK than the US, we have to do our Kindle stuff through Amazon.com even though we have different things available (or mostly not available!) to us than the US buyers.

It's the same with audio. Even if there were no other reason to go to the UK (and I have about a quarter million) I'd consider going just to get my hands on a couple of audiobooks I want which simply aren't available here.

When I got my ereader I ordered the few books I bought from Waterstones (where I bought the device). About 9 months later they stopped letting me do that, I assume because of copyright issues. But that doesn't explain why Waterstone's would send me a hard copy of the same title... ah well...

Quick question: does the ereader count as one of those devices you can't use on the airplane? Mine's not WiFi or anything.

Good question! My mother's has something newish called "airplane mode", which is what used to be "wireless off"; I wonder if it's safe to assume it's, er, safe.

I have a question for anyone with a Kindle - does anyone else have issues with highlighting and searching? Sometimes a highlight will work on my Keyboard, but more times than not it will just freeze and need restarting. Searches always freeze the thing. This is my second Kindle, and I was really hoping the first one was a lemon, but it's doing the same thing. (I may, of course, have it overloaded, but I think it always did this.)

Sorry, can't help as I don't search or highlight on mine. Kindles seem to be notorious for freezing though, mine does it when the batteries are low and I can't turn the darn thing on or off. Does it make any difference if your Kindle is fully charged?

I don't think so ... Hm. I'll have to try it under controlled conditions and see.

I saw something in Amazon's forums about saving the the "my clippings" file to your computer periodically and deleting it from the Kindle to start fresh, but the second time I tried highlighting after doing that: freeze. I just liked not having to jot down quotes; it was a neat little feature, but not worth the ten minutes it takes to reboot.

The sony reader doesn't freeze for the note taking and underlining, but it's very clumsy. It's doable, but takes too many steps. I wonder if the newer versions have streamlined that. (I have the first touch version, non wifi.)

Hayes wrote: "Quick question: does the ereader count as one of those devices you can't use on the airplane? Mine's not WiFi or anything. "

I used my kindle on the flight to Germany. I typically keep my wifi off, unless I am buying a book (saves battery). You have to shut the kindle off for take-off and landing, when all electronic devices must be turned off. The rest of the time you can use it in "airplane mode" or with wifi off.

Great, thanks Jeannette.

You're welcome, Hayes! It was the only way I could get around to reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

I've got a bunch of things that are languishing on the reader... I should be able to get through 5 or 6 what with all the flying we'll be doing.

I read quite a few on the trip. Tenant is 500+ pages, and I had a few freebies on there, too. It was nice to have choice, to be able to ditch a stinker and pick up something else. ;)

Jeannette wrote: "I've ordered from amazon UK no problem, (I live in Iowa), at least I've ordered dvds, without a hitch. I wasn't sure if you meant books or Kindle books. I haven't tried ordering Kindle from the UK."

I've thought of ordering from Amazon UK because I can't get the latest two books in the 44 Scotland Street series here in the U.S. but have hesitated wondering if everything would work out alright.

Good to hear that it works well.

That's how I got the Sherlock dvd. They even subtract the VAT (tax), and shipping was reasonable, too. Give it a try.