Thanks, DebF!
I have a Mac and I bought FileMaker Pro 8.0. Terrific application.
I bought an older version as my computer is "older" and it is a lot cheaper than buying a later version.
My idea of a good time is dreaming up and implementing databases!
A few months ago, I purchased a Kindle because I had books in so many places I couldn't find the ones I was looking for. Not all books are available yet in ebook form--apparently some publishers don't appreciate the potential yet. Unlike some ebook owners, I have no intention of getting rid of all my DTBs (Dead Tree book). I think that keeping your Shakespeare, Milton, etc are a good idea. As well as any book that brings you tactile pleasure. books with graphs and craft and cook books are probably better in paper (though many disagree with me). But for all other reading, an ebook takes up no physical space and can be backed up and organized using Calibre (a free library program). IMHO, the ipad and other computers do not make good reading devices. To get that real book feeling you will probably want an ereader with e-ink, such as the Sony, Kindle or Nook. Plus the ipad, tablets, etc are backlight and cannot be read in sunlight--eink can be read in sunlight and is easlier on your eyes. There are pros and cons to each. BTW, I still use the public library for DTBs if I think a book is too expensive or it's one, I probably will only read once. But I use the "sample" feature on Amazon (B&N has it for the Nook as well) to decide if I want to read it.
Good lord, this post seriously *speaks* to me and I know I will re-read it many times.
During the past couple of years I've had a hard time justifying buying novels, but I've still purchased the occasional reference book. Now it seems to have become a real trend of mine, I'm sad to say, and I need to fight the urge to start buying the latter type on a bigger scale, partly due to space issues (or real estate as someone called it above) and partly due to the emotional stress that I'd be creating for myself. While I'm trying very hard to declutter the rest of my home, I realize now the value of not slipping when it comes to my library.
It's not like I have to stop reading either, because I have more unread books that I care to remind myself of and then there's the library, which I should make a detour for a bit more often. I still remember one Summer while still a pre-teen, when I didn't have anything in particular arranged, so I read practically the whole section of interesting girls' books during those weeks. Thanks for reminding me of this option!
I don't see myself becoming an ebook reader anytime soon, because I use computers and other electronical equipment so much already that "DTBs" are a luxurious option (or so it feels like to me). The trees have been killed regardless of my choice to keep a certain book versus to chuck it out, so if I like the paper version and choose to keep it, even if it takes up some space, then why not?
Very good thread, thanks guys!
And now, seven months later, I'm researching e-readers.
I've read through some old posts and have added the tag e-reader to those, which hadn't been marked yet. If you're interested in researching before buying, check them out via this tag. You might also want to familiarize yourself with the very good tables available at wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-book_readers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-book_formats
Finally, an interesting article on the blog (don't miss the readers' comments either):
http://unclutterer.com/2008/01/08/sony-and-borders-join-e-book-forces/
I had no interest in e-readers--until I was reading over someone's shoulder on the uBahn around mid-November. Now the idea is buzzing around my head like an annoying mosquito. I swat it away sometimes, but it keeps coming back...hmmm...
DH got me a Kindle for Christmas. I immediately downloaded a book for *him* to read on it. :-) I have jury duty next week and am hoping I have to report to the courthouse so I can dig into my queue!
I divested several hundred books last year. Just last weekend, I took two cartons of art/design/architecture books to a local specialty store and traded them for credit plus a copy of "More is More: Tony Duquette" that I have been coveting for months.
The title, perhaps, many of us can relate to?
djk, there's a mosquito here too! chacha1, More is More, huh? :) Well done on the purging.
While writing my post seven months ago I didn't use the library very often, but now I'm a proud, frequent guest again. I haven't bought a magazine on interior decoration in a long time and I've borrowed some books that I thought would be nice to have, only I wanted to make sure first. One I decided to scan a couple of passages from, two I ended up buying with gift money, and two others are on my wish list. These are reference books, not novels, and I wouldn't use them on an e-reader either, so they need to be more scrutinized as they seem more permanent to me. It is okay to want glorious pictures shown on huge spreads and to want the texture, smell, weight of a real book, but not all books are like that - and I'm released somehow.
ninakk, that's exactly the frame of mind I'm in. A lot of those art/architecture/design books had just a few photos that I wanted to "keep" for reference and inspiration. So I hauled the books to my office a couple at a time, scanned the pages I wanted on the high-quality color scanners here, and then the books could go ... away.
And the majority of the other books I divested last year were novels I had already read and was keeping for the proverbial rainy day, but are now available on Kindle, so should I ever have the overwhelming need to read one again, I can. In the meantime, I have gained glorious space!
love love love my kindle. it goes everywhere with me!
Got one for one of my daughters and my Dad this xmas. they love theirs too!
so convenient, you always have something with you to read or a game to play...
I love my iPad for the same reason, esp when traveling. I still read "real" books (mostly from the library or borrowed) at home, but I read a lot and taking enough books for a trip was overwhelming my luggage. I always take the iPad when going for appointments or anywhere I might have to wait (like last night when I was picking up some friends from the airport). I am happy I got one with 3G capability as the house we are renting in Hawaii does not have inernet access, and while we can easily go to a nearby coffee shop, it's handy to be able to use it where we are.
oooh good thread. I don't want an e-reader, it just doesn't seem right, plus I imagine my to-read list would be even bigger than the physical pile I have and hence way more expensive. It would be just too easy to spend spend spend.
Great food for reflection. As a child/teen I couldn't buy more than a book a
month, if that, and as I had read practically every volume in the local library, I endlessly re-read everything my family had at home. I eveloped eclectic tastes! Now, I can buy whatever I want, and have had to learn to control the natural urge to binge and hoard (see above re e-reader). I think I'm doing well - very little of what I buy gets a permanent home, once I finally get round to reading it (I have a lot less time now, thanks to small children).
I have that urge too, Charity. I satisfy it by putting books on my Amazon wish list, and not actually buying one until I'm ready to read it. It's almost like having it waiting on my bedside table, and I don't pay for it until just before I read it.
There are many FREE ebooks out there. You can find them at Project Gutenberg, or at Manybooks.net. I have thousands of ebooks stored on my computer; all but twenty or so were free.
Anything pre-1923 is public domain in the US and might have been converted into an ebook (that's what I do, as a volunteer). Project Gutenberg Australia has books that are public domain in Australia but not the US. If you buy something with a large screen, you might be able to read PDFs, and Google has millions of those, for free.
Most of the English-language classics, like Dickens and Eliot, have already been turned into free ebooks. At Distributed Proofreaders we're working on the less-well-known authors, some of whom shouldn't have been forgotten! You can find some cracking good free reads.
I've enjoyed boys adventure novels by Joseph Altsheler, who wrote the Young Trailers series. Young backwoodsmen on the American frontier. The author is surprisingly even-handed in his treatment of Indians/Native Americans (well, surprising for the time). Some of the noblest characters are Indians.
Don't refrain from buying an ereader because you think you will buy too many books. You may find that you can read all you want for nothing more than the initial cost of the reader.
I do get free books for my reader as well, but much of what I want to read does come with a cost. And since I do read a lot from the library, I don't mind paying for some. I browse Amazon regularly for things I want to get from the library as well. I miss the part of my job (I was a library director)that gave me access to lots of book reviews, notification of all new books coming out, etc. Not that I couldn't get it still, but it's too expensive for a private person.....
Oh WOOOOT!!! We celebrated my mom's birthday yesterday and I told them about this e-reader thingy that I've been looking into. All of them went "Hrm, I could never use one of those, I like the feeling of a real book too much", then mom "And I know from experience how annoying it is to read on the screen, my eyes hurt", me "But there's this thing called e-ink now, new technology and all", then mom again "Oh okay, well my eyes still hurt". Me thinking "Oh you old fart, you won't even give it a shot :P". Then mom "Well, you know, if you pass your exam in February, dad and I will buy you one if it really matters that much to you". WHAT!? YIPPEE!!! So if you guys are interested, this is what my new baby could look like:
http://www.bookeen.com/en/cybook/?id=2
It's the white Cybook Orizon by Bookeen. Gosh, I'm excited! Now I just have to focyyyz. Then I can start from the library books if finances are too strained. I just checked what they have here so far and it's rather business focused, but there seem to be some interesting ones in between too. Not forgetting Project Gutenberg either, Zora :)
Our library does e-books, I haven't checked out their selection yet but you just log on and download the book and after a limited period it disappears off your e-reader, genius and free :) They also do e-audiobooks. I think I'm going to get a Kindle, I really hate having to print out all the papers I need to read for uni and my laptop is too bulky for taking out and about.
I've begun using the library more frequently again. Last year I was so busy and kept forgetting to return books so the fines were stupid. However over Christmas I had time to read again and ds1 ran out of books to read so I've started going to the library again. I culled my books a lot last year, so pretty much all of 'my' books have been reduced to the ones I love and will re-read. I still have to put up with dh's addiction to buying books and never ever throwing them out, but I refuse to let them take over the house more than they have already. He bought a Kindle last year and has been buying plenty of books for it, so he appears to be slowly moving to more e-books. Phew!
Our library has e-audiobooks, which I use all the time. I'm sure they're considering e-books as well, so I keep checking (this is the large library system in Anchorage - which I have access to because I take classes at the local branch of the University which is part of the same system - as our small library here could not afford it).
The e-book lending system our library uses won't work on a Kindle - my mom uses our mailing address, and our library system, since they don't have a permanent address, and she can't borrow ebooks for her Kindle because Kindle doesn't support the format.
Rosa: I think there are ways to convert other file types to the Kindle one, but not the other way around unless one does it illegally (in some countries anyway). Since I don't know what format your library books are, I can't help immediately but I could take a look if you want. Or you can google "convert to kindle" or similar.
You must log in to post. If you do not already have an account, you can register here.
