May 19, 2014

Maybe I Do Want an E-Reader After All



Remember how I said I didn't want an e-reader? Well, after I had issues with the audiobook version of Twenties Girl, I requested the e-book version from the library. It arrived, I downloaded it to my phone, and it was so easy to read while nursing Juliet.

So then I downloaded and rapidly read The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith*.

And in the last two days I read The Mysterious Affair at Styles and Death on the Nile on my phone too. That made me realize two things.

1. I prefer Hercule Poirot to Miss Marple. I guess I like my characters to err on the side of self-aggrandizement rather than self-effacement.
2. I might be hooked on reading books on my phone.

Further points in favor of reading e-books on my phone: 

  • The percentage read in the bottom corner is oddly challenging. I feel this urge to read faster to make the percentage higher.
  • I can read one handed, making it easier to accommodate a nursing or sleeping baby.
  • I can get books from the library instantly.
  • I can read in dim lighting.
  • I don't get distracted from reading by my phone. This may sound counter-intuitive, but I find that when I'm reading books, I'll get a text and check my phone, and then just happen to check Facebook or Instagram or whatever too, and waste several minutes before getting back to my book. I'm much less distracted when actually reading on my phone, because it's annoying to open and close the Overdrive app too often.

Points against:

  • In the long run, it might make my eyes hurt more. So far it seems fine, but I don't know.
  • I get sent hard copy ARCs for review. The ease of getting e-books for fun can make me not want to read review copies.
  • I've spent years telling people I only like real books, and it's slightly embarrassing to prove myself wrong. 
 
Do you prefer Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple? 


*The first pseudonymous mystery by J.K. Rowling. Verdict: not as good as some other mysteries I've read recently, but I'll definitely read the new one coming out soon.