Farewell, paper...and a question about ereaders.

[holyschist]

I made a first crack at the massive paper backlog and recycled two grocery bags full...and in the process found an uncashed check (!) from last November. So that was nice. Hopefully the second crack will reduce the paper mounds further.

Like a lot of people in this comm, I also have a bit of a book problem. I'm doing better, but books still take up an awful lot of space for us. I could reduce the book space significantly if I replaced most of my fiction collection and part (probably not a very large part) of my nonfiction collection with ebooks...but while I own an ereader (a slightly older Sony), I don't use it much except while traveling. It's not the current generation of eInk, and I don't really like the gray-on-gray screen. It only charges while plugged into my computer, and only while my computer is open...which means not overnight. I forget to charge it. I forget to sync files.

I'm trying to decide whether it might be worth investing in a newer ereader, since the current generation of eInk seems to be much higher contrast, closer to paper (is this true?)...but then I'm not entirely sure that the ereader is my own block against using ebooks for pleasure reading. I do tend to flip around in books; I also read a lot in the bath. I find paper books more comfortable to hold. So maybe I'm hopeless and will never make a switch unless forced...

...but I could free up so much shelf space. Any thoughts?

Comments

[finch]

I like my newer Sony a lot compared to the book it replaced, but your concerns suggest it might not be the best fit for you. I mean, once I had one I knew I would use it forever, it was just a question of working the kinks out.

If you have the money to spare, I'd say go for it and see how you feel, but if a new one would be a significant expense, you might want to hold off. (I'll also ask if you've looked at colored screen options - my gf liked my Sony well enough, but since she got an iPad, that thing practically lives in her hands.)

[holyschist]

I am not sure I have the money to spare unless it's going to be great for decluttering...I did look at colored screens, but then thought eInk would be easier on the eyes. OTOH, I do a lot of reading on my computer anyway, so it might not be that much worse, and there's something to be said for not needing a light to read in the dark. (iPads are way out of my price range, though.)

Maybe it's time to go look at current models again.

[finch]

I have a friend who got a Kindle Fire for Christmas and pretty much thinks the sun rises and sets by it, so it's probably at least worth a look. I think you'd feel better about the investment if you found an ereader that you thought was a sufficient improvement over the one you have now.

(If it helps? My girlfriend and I went from thirty five boxes of books to three due to replacing paper copies with ebooks. Made a huge difference for us.)

[holyschist]

*nods*

That's impressive! I think step one for me at this point is probably going to be finding out how many of my books I am both willing and able to replace with ebooks...I know a lot of my older fiction isn't available, and a good chunk of my nonfiction is not ebook-appropriate.

[finch]

It's definitely a decision where you have to check your own needs - there's no easy answer, but it looks like we have plenty of opinions to go around! :) Most of what my girlfriend and I kept were her knitting books - though she has a few more good solutions for knitting patterns on the iPad now than she did before - and my metalworking books, because ain't no way I'm leaving my Sony next to a hot forge. XD

You do a lot of SCA costuming and the like, correct? So it makes sense that you'd have a lot of things that aren't well-suited to a black and white ereader.

[holyschist]

and my metalworking books, because ain't no way I'm leaving my Sony next to a hot forge.

Ha, yeah!

Most of my costuming books aren't just B&W-unfriendly, but BIG...and I like them coffeetable size. Shrink 'em down to your average computer or ereader and they would be unreadable or require a lot of scrolling (I suspect most are not available as ebooks).

And then there are the field guides, which I'm disinclined to switch to electronic in case I fall in a river or something while hiking....

So yeah, I should probably try to figure out how much I could reasonable reduce the paper book collection. I definitely like having an ereader, but I don't feel the pressing need to upgrade yet....