I most definitely was! I already stare at a monitor for eight hours a day at work, so the idea of coming home and doing it some more didn’t exactly appeal to me. The main reason being that I got Lasik eye surgery three years ago and ever since then my eyes get dry faster, especially in the winter with the heat going full blast. Before I used to be able to push myself through it and keep reading, but now I get to a point where I just physically can’t. Thank goodness for audiobooks and Kindle’s text-to-speech feature!
As the years have progressed and eReaders have gotten better, I find that I actually prefer reading on my Kobo now. The backlight is super convenient—I can read beside my guy at all hours of the night without disturbing him—and it’s always at the ideal brightness. No more constantly adjusting my lamp or finding the least annoying place to clip my booklight. And, no more replacing the impossible-to-find batteries that go in the latter. It’s available at the click of a button, and I can make it as bright or as dim as I want depending on how much I’ve abused my eyes that day.
I also like the storage aspect of eReaders because let’s face it, although I would LOVE to have a library like Bella in Beauty and the Beast, I live in a tiny bungalow where space is extremely limited. So, being able to store my books on my computer’s hard drive and on my Kobo/Kindle is a huge benefit as well. Then there’s the one-click buy side to it; if I want to purchase and read a novel the day it comes out, I can. No more making “special” trips to the bookstore (it’s a 45 minute drive!) or having to go to the post office to pick-up my latest shipment (I live in the country where there’s no door-to-door mail delivery). And, then of course there’s all the nifty features eReaders have; the dictionary is handy, Kindle’s text-to-speech works ok in a pinch, and I like the stats too because they help estimate reading times.
Ooh, and I can’t forget the prevalence of digital ARCs! I live in Canada, so physical advanced copies can be hard to come by because of the cost of shipping, but practically ever publisher is willing to send me a file to review. So yeah, I went from being a reluctant eReader reader, to being completely and utterly hooked in less than three years. LOL How about you?
Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
Oh yes, me too Carmel! I remember my dad was the first one to get a Kindle (because he always has to have the newest gadgets), and I thought why would you want that? I just loved the feel of a book in my hands and didn’t like the idea of giving that up. Then I read a book on his Kindle and saw how easy it was to download them from Amazon and I was in love. I can’t live without my Kindle now, though I do of course still crave a physical book in my hands:)
I still read physical books just for the “feel” and smell of them. Hehe
I swore I would never get an eReader thankyouverymuch. I might have even said that eReaders were indicative of everything that is wrong with modern society.
*eats words*
I honestly don’t know how I warmed to the idea (so strong was my animosity), but I’m SO glad that I did. I don’t have the mail issues that you do, but one-click buying is definitely my favorite feature<——instant gratification is good, I like it. And I know that you should never be ashamed of the books you read, but my father-in-law is the head of the English department at a nearby university (a conservative Christian university), and I'm just being honest when I say that there is no way that I would read a book in front of him that would invite a moral debate on "occult" literature. Not for all the UF books in the world, LOL. My Kindle ensures that will never happen 🙂
eReaders are great for hiding books you are ashamed to admit you are reading. LOL
I am total the opposite from you. I was all for the eReader when they came out. Ya! No more lugging around several books. Just put my eReader in my purse and off I go.
I do still love books, but limited space makes it hard to own every book I want, so I pick and choose which to own as books and which to have on eReader. ^_^
Wow! I think you’re the first blogger I’ve talked to who was excited right off the bat about eReaders. I can totally understand your lugging around books complaint.
I love my ereaders 🙂 I didn’t think I would ever like ebooks as much as print, but now it actually feels odd to read print books since I read more or my ereaders. And when reading print books, l really miss having the dictionary and backlight. Plus with digital books, I can buy a new book at 3 am from the comfort of my bed and read it immediately.
You gotta love those 3 AM purchases! I love being able to buy the next book in a series IMMEDIATELY! 😀
I loved the e-readers right away, mostly for the convenience, an also because I could look for a word in the dictionary right away ;). I have a lot friends that felt the same way you did.
I’m surprised to hear that so many peeps jumped on the eReader bandwagon so quickly. Then again, you were probably already listening to audiobooks on your phone, so it wasn’t as much of a stretch for you.
YES! I was very against ebooks and eReaders when they first came out. I just didn’t think I could part with my paperbacks. But, I eventually caved and got a kindle and I love it. It is light, no more heavy books in my arms and much easier for travel. But, I still love my print books and have to have my favorites on the shelf. I also have an issue with costs and will usually go for the print version if the price is the same.
There’s no way signed digital copies will ever replace my physical ones, so I’ll always have books on my shelves just for that reason alone.
Yes I was and probably should admit I still am in some ways. Although I have plenty of material on Kindle, I via towards picking a tree book from the shelves.
I still loving browsing an actual bookstore way more than Amazon.
I was a little reluctant at first, I felt like I was cheating on my print books but being able to throw my Nook in my purse and not have bent pages or ripped covers, plus being able to read multiple books at once ultimately sold me and now the only way to take it away would be to pry it from my cold dead hands…LOL
I love that I don’t have to worry about ruining my babies anymore when I throw them into my purse. One sturdy eReader case is all you need! Your cheating analogy is too funny. LOL
I jumped on the eReader train immediately! I love my paper books but I am so hard on them and eReaders gave me a freedom when traveling I just didn’t get from a paper book. Now I actually down right prefer to read on my eReader when I don’t have an audiobook handy!
eReaders are SO convenient for travelling. For my last trip, I made sure both my Kobo and my iPhone were fully-loaded. 🙂
I’m still on the fence a bit. I tend to still want a physical copy. But I do like on my paperwhite that I can read in the dark. It’s very convenient in bed and traveling. I also like that I can get a book instantly and read it immediately. I really only use it for review books. Well, I guess I do buy some Indies on it. I still like to hold a real physical book though and tend to prefer to pick them up first.
The indie market wouldn’t be what it is today without eReaders; they’ve opened up so many doors for authors! But, yes, I still love the thrill I get from holding a physical copy in my hands.
When they first came out I was very anti-eReader. Nope wasn’t ever going to get one, no, no, no. But it started getting harder and harder to find books that I wanted to read and I was having to order most of mine online anyway. Then started running out of physical room, so I decided to give it a shot. I was hooked! Now I can’t imagine life without my Nook.
Gotta love all the freebies too! There weren’t too many of those before eReaders either.
I do like my new reader but at the same tine…DRM! I bought a book with a GC and could not even read it. And I can’t buy ebooks like that either, so for me, the whole ebook world has a little growing to do
I’m not a fan of DRM either; it can be such a pain in the butt. Sometimes my books look all wonky, and I just can’t read them when the font’s like 50px. which is like what, 10 words a page? So annoying.
Great post, Carmel. No I was not a reluctant ereader. I jumped on board and got my first Kindle for Christmas in 2008 and it opened a whole new world for me. I love my paperwhite kindle with the light and I so agree, I love being able to hoard hundreds of books on my kindle and not worry about having them stacked all over. I would rather read on my ereader than a physical book.
I went from having no eReaders to having too many of ’em. LOL Now, my hardest decision is WHICH one should I use today?
Sigh. I know. I know. So many good reasons but I’ve yet to make the shift. I have the kindle app on my phone and I’ve read a couple of books on it and my husband just got me a laptop/tablet hybrid so I MIGHT start moving that way but…ugh! I LOVE holding books…reading in the bathtub…
Reading in the bathtub is iffy with an eReader which is why I use my cheap Kobo for that, and my Kindle Fire for less hazardous reading. LOL
I’m actually one of the people who was totally happy when I heard about the kindle readers! I live in Europe, and for years, I ordered my books from amazon, and it too about five weeks for the books to be delivered to me. On top of that, I had to pay outrageous delivery fees.
I was waiting for the possibility to get my first kindle delivered here, and my, how my reading habits changed! Not only could I pre-order books and have them delivered to my kindle the day they were released, but I also didn’t have to pay for delivery anymore.
Now, I have more than one kindle, the app on my iPad AND my iPhone, and I can even get e-ARCs just by clicking on Netgalley! I’m in book-heaven now 🙂
Oh yes, there’s nothing I hate more than paying for shipping or having to wait weeks to read a book I’ve been anxiously anticipating.
Instant gratification is awesome 😉
Yes, for all the reasons you listed. Boy was I wrong! I love the highlight feature because I love re-reading my favorite scenes and highlighting makes it so convenient to find them all. I also had no idea about the book deals!!! I’ve picked up so many books for $2.99 or less!
I don’t use highlighting a lot, but I agree, it is helpful, especially for bloggers if you like featuring quotes in your reviews.
My first ereader was the gen on Nook with the e-ink. It was liking reading paper book. I loved it.
I did drag my feet when the table ereaders came out. I didn’t want to look another “computer” screen when I got home from looking at one for 9 hours at work. My hubby bought me a NookColor and I wasn’t please at first but then I got use to it.
I’ve learned to put it on night mode for reading so that the text is white and the background is black. It’s great for reading in bed when you don’t want to turn on a light.
But because of the whole working on a computer all day then coming home to read on an ereader I’m thinking about getting one of e-ink readers again. I have decided.
You like the night mode? I find the contrast hurts my eyes. o_O
I was the same…very reluctant to make the switch. I started downloading freebies, then I couldn’t turn down some of the great sales. Shelve space became a premium. I still love physical books, but I don’t look at books same way anymore. Much to my surprise, most of my book purchases are now ebooks.
eBooks are slowly taking over the world! 😉
I waited a long time to get my first eReader. I don’t like to buy tech stuff until I think all the bugs are worked out. I didn’t have a smart phone until 3 years ago. I had an original Envy. Now, I have 3 eReaders. (Hangs head in shame). I did give one to a friend because she had no book budget.
I read most of my books on my iPad. I have a hard time with android stuff for some reason. The main reason I wanted an eReader was because I tended to keep way too many books. I had books on shelves, in boxes and everywhere. Now, I only have physical books for some very special authors and I make myself stick to it unless…book signings, you know.
I like to highlight stuff a lot. It helps me remember things. I absolutely love the search option too. When I forget something about a character, search! The other reason is health related. Eyes are getting older so I can change the print size until it’s comfortable and then there is the arthritis, yep, I’m old. I had a very hard time holding books.
Love the eReaders!!
The search function is great, especially when you forget how to spell a character’s name; it’s a HUGE time saver! My arms get tired when I read on my Kindle Fire. It’s so heavy, so I have to find creative ways of leaning it against stuff. LOL
I was not reluctant at all, and wanted one as soon as they started coming out. So much lighter than the massive books I was reading. Plus the ability to have so many books without using up all the space in my house was great.
There are definitely more pros than cons to eReaders.
Yes, I most definitely was. That is until I got the 3rd gen kindle. I found that I could read faster with it than physical books. Now I’m a reluctant physical book reader. 🙂
It’s funny how quickly our habits have changed!
Definitely was not reluctant at all. In fact I embraced it and now I have two ereaders. The small Kindle and the Kindle Fire. My husband got the first gen Kindle when it came out because he was tired of me buying paperbacks/hardcovers. He upgraded me to the small Kindle that came out and I gave him my old one.
I love my Kindle…but I still buy paperbacks/hardcovers because I sometimes need to read a physical book. I love to smell them, caress them…etc. =) It doesn’t help when the books have beautiful/sexy covers to them. My husband still threatens to throw away my books…but he doesn’t want a divorce on his hands.
-FranJessca
I agree, it’s not as fun to stare at gorgeous covers on eReaders as it is to hold them in your hands. And, that’s super mean of your husband, threatening to throw your books away! If my guy ever did that we’d have WORDS. Hehe
I was a reluctant eReader because I love the feel and smell of books and before when in ebooks came out they were so pricey! But I used to work for a cruise line which means constant traveling for me and cramming books in my luggage’s can be a total pain in the ass so when I got my hands on a Kindle keyboard it was awesome! All these books in this little device. Now I’ve upgraded to the paperwhite and love it even more. The backlight doesn’t hurt my eyes unlike when I’m reading on my iPad. Also, I read romance books and it keeps me from being embarrassed about sexy covers and titles in public lol
So where in Canada!? Ontario? If so then you are coming to BEA right!? OH yes I know what you mean about Lasiks – I had it too like ten years ago and my eyes used to dry out fast but they are normal again now – though I still see halos at night. I love both print and my kindle. I think I love the kindle when the book is big cause the kindle is light. Course I still love my print books but I find I like using my kindle more and more. but I can’t help it print books will always be my first love because I can loan them to friends. And i hate that you can’t loan out ALL e-reader copies only “select few” and when I say few I mean VERY VERY FEW!
I had to have one as soon as I heard about them, then the features I didn’t know about came to play and I was sold. Highlighting? Dictionary? Read with one hand. Love them. Keep a Kindle fire for inside reading and a K3 for outside in the summer.
No, I embraced the eReader when it was gifted to me one Christmas, What I was reluctant about was audio books and now gads.. I am loving them!
I actually really like my eReader. I got my first one before I started blogging and it was awesome. I use a Kindle now, because the Kobo I had was giving me constant problems, and I love how it doesn’t hurt my eyes and the backlight is great.
I think it’s a great way to save space for sure, and when I finish a book if I’m out I can just choose another instead of carrying a bunch of paperbacks in my bag. 🙂
I like having an e-reader for all of those self published books that are not out in paper and all of the digital arcs that are easier to come by than the paper editions as well.
I do not use my nook as much as I should though and sometimes I just want to read paper books all the time, especially since I have a huge bookshelf. I would very much like to be like Belle in Beauty and the Beast lol.
I liked the idea of an e-reader, but I felt guilty about spending the money. I bought a kindle (with a keyboard) a few years ago as a reward for myself after completing a portion of my dissertation. I fell in love with it. I have a kindle paperwhite now. It really is like reading a physical book. I can’t read on tablets for long periods of time, because the backlight hurts my eyes. The lights on the paperwhite is just like a lamp, it is perfect. 🙂