I’m still in a bit of a flux with the ereaders. Recently at my book group a very new member showed us Amazon’s Kindle and I have to say it was most impressive. It was very light and easy to read, but my problem is – what happens to our literary history if we go completely over to the ereaders?
To me a hard copy even a hundred years from now can still be picked up and read, but on an ereader that is lost because technology changes so fast.
When I go into a book shop I’m attracted to the colour of the dust jacket and then I look inside to view the writing style or illustrations of the author. How can we do that on an ereader that only has different shades of grey?
I’ve read the reviews and spoken to various friends as well as holding the one brought in to the reading group, but I still can’t make up my mind. I feel disloyal to the hard copy versions of books because once downloaded they then become invisible. They disappear from the shelves at home.
My sister for instance swiped one my Robin Hobbs trilogies because she saw it on one of my bookshelves, but with an ereader the trilogy would have been invisible!
Still not sure – it all looks very glamerous and for travellors or people short on space I can see the practicalities of it, but don’t a shelf full of books also make for part of the character of a home?
I think this will be a decision that will take a long time to make.
I think the one thing that does disapoint is the fact that you can’t give an ebook to the charity shops, nor can you lend it to a friend, also you can’t buy it cheaply in the Market Place on Amazon. All of this lot make me hesitate. I want to be able to hold a book – feel it and look at the writing style to see if I like it – you can’t do that with an ebook as far as I know.
Think I’ll wait a while and see what happens in 2011!
