Thursday, June 24, 2010

In which our heroine becomes hooked on eBooks


My first foray into ebooks didn't go so well. Reading them on my laptop wasn't comfortable, cozy. or practical: you can't curl up with the laptop and it's not extremely portable. I tried a few on my iPhone, but the pages were tiny and I had to turn them way too often. Since I had a baby three months ago, that's all changed. EBooks are now my go-to read. The nursing mother spends 40-70 hours per week nursing. That can last from 7-40 minutes, every 2-3 hours around the clock. I've thought about buying a real ereader, but my phone is small, light, and more durable than the regular Kindle. (I once borrowed a friend's Kindle and was paranoid the whole time about breaking it. I couldn't casually toss it on the bedside table or take it in the bath. Paperbacks seemed so much tougher! Not two weeks after I returned it, my friend dropped it on the carpet and the screen cracked. There went his reader. There went his books. Sob.) My phone is also backlit, which is a necessity. In the middle of the night I can't turn on the lights, since DH is still snoring next to me and I want the baby to go right back to sleep. Lastly, I carry the phone everywhere anyway. With all the baby stuff I need to carry around these days, the last thing I need is an extra gadget!

Every time someone mentions on facebook (the nursing mother's other time crutch) that an ebook is available for free on the Kindle, I rush to download it. So far I've got "Mistress by Mistake" by Maggie Robinson, "The Scent of Shadows" by Vicki Pettersson, "The Irish Warrior" by Kris Kennedy, and "Cry Sanctuary" by Moira Rogers that way. (Thank you Book Binge!) Recently, I've bought and read "Something About You" by Julie James, "Rebels and Lovers" by Linnea Sinclair, "Tsunami Blue" by Gayle Ann Williams, "Soulless" by Gail Carriger.

Do you read eBooks? What kind of reader is, in your humble opinion, best? With the Amazon Kindle, Sony eReader, Barnes & Noble Nook, and now Apple iPad there are many options, but still, I think, quite a few kinks to work out. I'm frustrated that not all the books I want are available for the Kindle, and some are available but at a ridiculous price. Why would I pay $10 for an eBook when I can buy the print book for $8? An eBook doesn't have as much economic value as a print book: I can't loan it to my friends, re-sell it, or donate it to the library. Sigh. I think I'll stick to the free Kindle app on my phone for a while longer. I wish all books were available in all formats. I looked into buying "Clockwork Heart" by Dru Pagliassotti, but the publisher hasn't allowed a Kindle edition.

What's the best eBook you've read recently?

5 comments:

Keira Gillett said...

Basically every Carina Press ebook I've tried has been great. It's a very strong launch!

Tracy said...

I know I've said it several times but congrats once again on that beautiful baby. She's a doll.

I love my ereader - which is an Astak EZreader 6.0. It's wonderful for me as it accepts so many formats. For you it probably wouldn't work for what you need. It has no backlight so therefore you couldn't read it without turning the light on which would then wake up the hubby. Not good! lol

The best ebook I've read lately? Oh boy - I've read so many! I'd have to say No Souvenirs by KA Mitchell. A wonderful m/m book.

Lea said...

Congrats on your new arrival! You enjoy your baby!

I have an e-bookwise which I love and have read a couple of good books lately - Cold Victory by Fiona Jayde, Turbulent Passions by Anne Rainey and Handyman by Claire Thompson.

I also read off my MacBook and love it - light and portable.

Great post!

Jenre said...

I love my ebook reader with a passion. I have a Sony 505 and it goes everywhere with me in my handbag.

It's so difficult to pin down my favourite recent ebook - possibly I Fell in Love with a Zombie by Sean Kennedy, which is a post apocalyptic m/m zombie romance - but I read so many books on my Sony that by next month I'll have a new favourite :).

Sarah said...

I have hundreds of PB books, but like you started reading ebooks on my laptop. I have to agree, cuddling up with my laptop was just not the same!

Then I saw your iphone here in NZ and not long after got the ipod touch. What a revelation! You could not buy ebook readers here at the time, so this was a great start. Stanza is an absolutely brilliant app and it's what I read everything in now and have since got the iphone. I LOVE it. I buy 2-3 ebooks a week and the instant gratification is magic. :)

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