Question What are you reading?

[Bluesmanager]

The question is "What are you reading?" not "Why don't you show off about your new device?"

Anyhow, I'm reading "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis. Rattling through it at the moment, a really enjoyable read.

Well as it's 46 separate books, I thought I'd save the bother of going into minute detail. Besides, it's primarily a size issue that lead me to get one anyway. A Kindle looks rather good when you have a book collection the size of mine.

 

[Berrichonne shrimper]

I am reading IM A MELT.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Well as it's 46 separate books, I thought I'd save the bother of going into minute detail. Besides, it's primarily a size issue that lead me to get one anyway. A Kindle looks rather good when you have a book collection the size of mine.

I'm not sure I have a book "collection" as such, though I do have hundreds(if not thousands)of books on various shelves in our house and elsewhere.
I often joke with my wife that(like Montalban's detective Pepe Carvallo)I'll throw them on the fire and burn them when we retire to our "casa del campo" in France.
Kindles don't do it for me I'm afraid(though they do look smart).I supect they wouldn't make good firewood though.:smiles:

 

[canveyshrimper]

I'm not sure I have a book "collection" as such, though I do have hundreds(if not thousands)of books on various shelves in our house and elsewhere.
I often joke with my wife that(like Montalban's detective Pepe Carvallo)I'll throw them on the fire and burn them when we retire to our "casa del campo" in France.
Kindles don't do it for me I'm afraid(though they do look smart).I supect they wouldn't make good firewood though.:smiles:

Only at Fahrenheit 451 mind.

I succumbed to buying a Kindle and it's bloody brilliant, instead of lugging 4 or 5 books around with me, with a Kindle I can have 3500 books and it weighs about 200 grams.

 

[Napster]

I succumbed to buying a Kindle and it's bloody brilliant, instead of lugging 4 or 5 books around with me, with a Kindle I can have 3500 books and it weighs about 200 grams.

would you recommend it?

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

Things I read recently(ish): Ghost World - Daniel Clowes / Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer / Dance, Dance, Dance - Haruki Murakami / The Soft Machine - WS Burroughs / The Quitter - Harvey Pekar / Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby

Recently finished 'Logicomix' by Apostolos Doxiadis & Christos Papadimitriou. A brilliant graphic novel about the history of mathmatics in the 20th century told through the life of Bertrand Russell. Incredibly inventive in the way it tells the story.

Now reading 'Visions of Cody' by Kerouac, slow going as I don't have much time for reading at the moment.


Can't stand the idea of a kindle or e-book, give me a real book anyday.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Things I read recently(ish): Ghost World - Daniel Clowes / Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer / Dance, Dance, Dance - Haruki Murakami / The Soft Machine - WS Burroughs / The Quitter - Harvey Pekar / Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby

Recently finished 'Logicomix' by Apostolos Doxiadis & Christos Papadimitriou. A brilliant graphic novel about the history of mathmatics in the 20th century told through the life of Bertrand Russell. Incredibly inventive in the way it tells the story.

Now reading 'Visions of Cody' by Kerouac, slow going as I don't have much time for reading at the moment.


Can't stand the idea of a kindle or e-book, give me a real book anyday.

The voice of reason.:thumbsup:

 

[ibwiajwa]

The voice of reason.:thumbsup:

I said the same thing a year ago but my wife got one, I borrowed it and loved it. Mine is a Hanvon though, which has handwriting technology too. It came with hundreds of free books. The one I'm reading at the moment is Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes' which is funny, beautifully written and easy to read.

 

[steveo]

The Corner on the ipad. Bit slow, not very enthralling.

The Help in paperback form - quite good so far.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Things I read recently(ish): Ghost World - Daniel Clowes / Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer / Dance, Dance, Dance - Haruki Murakami / The Soft Machine - WS Burroughs / The Quitter - Harvey Pekar / Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby

Recently finished 'Logicomix' by Apostolos Doxiadis & Christos Papadimitriou. A brilliant graphic novel about the history of mathmatics in the 20th century told through the life of Bertrand Russell. Incredibly inventive in the way it tells the story.

Now reading 'Visions of Cody' by Kerouac, slow going as I don't have much time for reading at the moment.


Can't stand the idea of a kindle or e-book, give me a real book anyday.

DS, why not? Have you tried?

I had a go on a kindle for the first time last night and was pretty impressed. It's not too dissimilar to a book in terms of size, weight (it's a bit lighter) plus has the advantage that you don't have to break it's spine to keep it open on the right page.

To keep it on topic, am currently reading Leonard Gardner's Fat City. Have just finished Lucian Randall's Disgusting Bliss: the Brass Eye of Chris Morris.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

DS, why not? Have you tried?

I had a go on a kindle for the first time last night and was pretty impressed. It's not too dissimilar to a book in terms of size, weight (it's a bit lighter) plus has the advantage that you don't have to break it's spine to keep it open on the right page.

Believe me I don't need to try one to know.
1. I can own a book. I can bend the corners over to mark parts i want to go back to, I can highlight sections or make notes.
2. Reading a book is a tactile experience for me, you cantell how much I've read a book by it's condition, develop an attachment to it, an old book can evoke memories.
3. You can't lend or borrow an e-book.
4. I really don't need another ****ing screen to look at. I stare at a screen all day at work, I watch tv....
5. You can't buy 2nd hand or first edition e-books.
6. A book doesn't run out of battery-life, or break down, develop bugs etc.
7. A book doesn't offer distractions in the form of other books or in the case of say the iPad - the internet.
8. A book can be a beautiful object, in both it's 3d form & it's cover art, typesetting, insleeve etc. With an ebook you just get a cover.
9. A book can get wet and recover!
10. What would I do with my bookmarks?
11. You can't get an author to sign an e-book

In a similar vein, I have an ipod but it's battery died about a year & a half ago and I've never got around to getting it replaced. It's just not neccessary.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Believe me I don't need to try one to know.
1. I can own a book. I can bend the corners over to mark parts i want to go back to, I can highlight sections or make notes.
2. Reading a book is a tactile experience for me, you cantell how much I've read a book by it's condition, develop an attachment to it, an old book can evoke memories.
3. You can't lend or borrow an e-book.
4. I really don't need another ****ing screen to look at. I stare at a screen all day at work, I watch tv....
5. You can't buy 2nd hand or first edition e-books.
6. A book doesn't run out of battery-life, or break down, develop bugs etc.
7. A book doesn't offer distractions in the form of other books or in the case of say the iPad - the internet.
8. A book can be a beautiful object, in both it's 3d form & it's cover art, typesetting, insleeve etc. With an ebook you just get a cover.
9. A book can get wet and recover!
10. What would I do with my bookmarks?
11. You can't get an author to sign an e-book

In a similar vein, I have an ipod but it's battery died about a year & a half ago and I've never got around to getting it replaced. It's just not neccessary.

Pretty much spot on. Not to mention there's something lovely about a bookshelf full of real books.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

Pretty much spot on. Not to mention there's something lovely about a bookshelf full of books.

Indeed, Books have soul.

IMHO we should not be so quick to consign books to the trashcan of history, there's a reason they've been around for 555 years (and that's only counting from the Gutenberg Bible), they are the epitomy of product design, form & function.

 

[ibwiajwa]

Believe me I don't need to try one to know.
1. I can own a book. I can bend the corners over to mark parts i want to go back to, I can highlight sections or make notes.
You can own a book on ordinary ereaders (although the Kindle has a weird leasing system - one of the reasons why I don't like it). It remembers where you are in the book and you can 'bookmark' bits you like. You can also make notes with mine (Hanvon) as it has handwriting technology.
2. Reading a book is a tactile experience for me, you cantell how much I've read a book by it's condition, develop an attachment to it, an old book can evoke memories.
Fair enough.
3. You can't lend or borrow an e-book.
Yes you can, using the Essex Libraries overdrive service (as long as you don't have a Kindle which isn't compatible).
4. I really don't need another ****ing screen to look at. I stare at a screen all day at work, I watch tv....
Ereader screens use e-ink technology so no glare. It's like reading an ordinary book.
5. You can't buy 2nd hand or first edition e-books.
True.
6. A book doesn't run out of battery-life, or break down, develop bugs etc.
The battery life on mine is pretty bomb proof. I hardly ever have to charge it.
7. A book doesn't offer distractions in the form of other books or in the case of say the iPad - the internet.
Most ereaders don't have the internet.
8. A book can be a beautiful object, in both it's 3d form & it's cover art, typesetting, insleeve etc. With an ebook you just get a cover.
True!
9. A book can get wet and recover!
Really??!! The pages stick together!
10. What would I do with my bookmarks?
Does it matter?
11. You can't get an author to sign an e-book
It doesn't happen often though, does it?

In a similar vein, I have an ipod but it's battery died about a year & a half ago and I've never got around to getting it replaced. It's just not neccessary.
It's so much easier on holiday/commuting etc..

As I've said above, I felt the same as you DS, but I'm a convert now. They are much better than they used to be.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Believe me I don't need to try one to know.
1. I can own a book. I can bend the corners over to mark parts i want to go back to, I can highlight sections or make notes.
2. Reading a book is a tactile experience for me, you cantell how much I've read a book by it's condition, develop an attachment to it, an old book can evoke memories.
3. You can't lend or borrow an e-book.
4. I really don't need another ****ing screen to look at. I stare at a screen all day at work, I watch tv....
5. You can't buy 2nd hand or first edition e-books.
6. A book doesn't run out of battery-life, or break down, develop bugs etc.
7. A book doesn't offer distractions in the form of other books or in the case of say the iPad - the internet.
8. A book can be a beautiful object, in both it's 3d form & it's cover art, typesetting, insleeve etc. With an ebook you just get a cover.
9. A book can get wet and recover!
10. What would I do with my bookmarks?
11. You can't get an author to sign an e-book

In a similar vein, I have an ipod but it's battery died about a year & a half ago and I've never got around to getting it replaced. It's just not neccessary.

I'm surprised because with your fantastic reading lists I had you down as a lot more open-minded than that. I am (or maybe was) sceptical about the merits of a kindle and don't particular see the need for one, but I wouldn't rule one out until I'd tried one.

I'm not sure of a kindle's full capabilities, but I think you sell it short.

I think you can mark parts that you want to go back to (I'm not one who vandalises books and I'm reluctant to even mark things in pencil), dropping books in water is no good for them either, a kindle screen isn't like a computer screen or a tv screen, I think kindles have different typefaces etc

As much as I like books (and trust me, I do), they do have shortcomings: they get old, tattered and can fall apart, it's awkward to hold them with one hand and turn the page. The kindle does have the huge advantage of the built in dictionary that allows you to look up a word instanteously without losing your train of thought.

I'm not sure that I'll buy one, but I am open to the idea.

Pretty much spot on. Not to mention there's something lovely about a bookshelf full of real books.

My dream home would have a dedicated room as a library with floor to ceiling books on at least 3 sides. Including a section of every Wisden.

I will also have a stuffed bear standing on it's hind legs as a coat stand.

ps The soul of a book is in it's contents, not in it's physical form.

 

[steveo]

My dream home would have a dedicated room as a library with floor to ceiling books on at least 3 sides. Including a section of every Wisden.

But you could have read this lot on your ipad, saved them on a computer and think of the space you would save, suitable for maybe a 2 metre projector screen, an HD Projector and a banging sound system.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Including a section of every Wisden.

How many Wisdens do you have? I started getting them in 2000 and whilst it's hardly a huge collection, they do look lovely on the shelf.

I liked that story from a year or so ago about a woman who was clearing out the loft of a recently deceased relative when she found a load of old cricket books. She nearly threw them out, but someone else spotted what she'd unearthed and it turned out it was a collection of dozens of Wisdens worth thousands of pounds.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

How many Wisdens do you have? I started getting them in 2000 and whilst it's hardly a huge collection, they do look lovely on the shelf.

I liked that story from a year or so ago about a woman who was clearing out the loft of a recently deceased relative when she found a load of old cricket books. She nearly threw them out, but someone else spotted what she'd unearthed and it turned out it was a collection of dozens of Wisdens worth thousands of pounds.

Why anyone in their right mind would have any interest at all in cricket(apart from perhaps a passing interest in how Essex are doing)is really beyond me.Boring.:zzzzz:

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

I'm surprised because with your fantastic reading lists I had you down as a lot more open-minded than that. I am (or maybe was) sceptical about the merits of a kindle and don't particular see the need for one, but I wouldn't rule one out until I'd tried one.

Thanks for the compliment about my reading lists. I am perfectly open to new technologies, I just don't think all of them are necessary, and it should be down to personal choice. I feel no need to try ereaders as I am perfectly content with books.

My dream home would have a dedicated room as a library with floor to ceiling books on at least 3 sides. Including a section of every Wisden.

I will also have a stuffed bear standing on it's hind legs as a coat stand.

I too dream of having a study filled with floor to ceiling book shelves. I've also seen some amazing bookshelves built into staircases (in the steps). Not sure about the bear though!

ps The soul of a book is in it's contents, not in it's physical form.

I think it's a combination of both, but I am aware that's my personal feeling.

 

[sufc-gazza]

Just started Bad Science by Ben Goldacre!