On Becoming An E-Book Snob

~ Bitchy After 60

Stories have been around a whole lot longer than books. Books have only been around a few hundred years in comparison to stories. In the beginning books were very rare and were all crafted by hand. Then came the invention of the printing press, after which books became luxury items for those who could pay and who could read. Maybe that is where book snobbery originated. Stories, on the other hand, were passed down from elders to younger generations long before humans could read or write. It is the stories that are meant to be remembered not the vessels that deliver them. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love books. But what I love most about books is what is inside. I am long past the stage of needing to own books. A few years ago I culled my relatively small collection of books and only kept the ones I will read again someday. And the ones I have already read twice or more because those are the ones I really love. Most of these books are by Canadian authors who I am proud to support as I have been doing for years. 

I will never be past the stage of needing to read the content of books. It is their many stories that add so much depth to my days. Especially blustery February days like today when hunkering down with a good book is all I want to do. However, I no longer, or very rarely, read actual books. I no longer have to-read piles cluttering up my office, bed table or our seldom-used dining room table. And, I can honestly say, I don’t miss that aspect of reading at all. I read on my iPad. I have been doing so for many years. 

Whether it is an iPad, a Kindle, a Kobo or any other tablet, they come with a whole lot of benefits that work for me. It is not about real vs e-books for me it is about convenience and comfort. I am all about both of these things 

To read on my iPad, I just rest it on a surface like my breakfast bar or my lap while reclined either on the sofa or in bed. My hands are free. I can eat and drink and only need to swipe, with my cleanest finger, to get to the next page. I can also wipe off any fingerprints or even food from the glass surface. I always hated picking up a book from the library that someone stained with grease or food or coffee. I never used to eat while reading, but I do now.

Call me lazy but it is so nice to read when not having to be constantly supporting and adjusting the weight of a book. Some books are really heavy. I have smallish hands and short fingers. I no longer have to struggle to keep either a too heavy or too flimsy book open, which can be a real pain sometimes. Or at least a pain for me.

One of the biggest complaints about reading e-books is eye strain. So I read in reverse, white letters on a black background, which never strains my eyes. Also, I can adjust the brightness to be perfect. I can read in bed without a light so the room is almost dark and easier for my husband to fall asleep. 

What I really like is the ability to change the font size and style in order to make it bigger and easier to read. And I like the adjustable contrast between the text and the background. I find paper books no longer have enough contrast for me to read easily at night. After all most of the paper is not a nice bright white, but some shade of tan or yellow; and the ink isn’t really a nice sharp black because sharp blacks only appear on bright white coated paper stock that allows the ink to sit on top of the paper rather than be partially absorbed by the paper. Sorry that is a bit graphic designer intel from my past oozing out. 

By far the best thing I love about reading on my iPad is that as soon as I finish one book I can pick out another. If I don’t already have one on my to-read list, usually something I purchased when on sale, I can find something that interests me in minutes. I don’t even have to leave my chair. What can I say, it’s the perfect situation for a lazy introverted snob like me.

Thank you for reading

Photos: Jenn Stone

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23 thoughts on “On Becoming An E-Book Snob”

  1. I still prefer reading printed books over ebooks, but the space, cost, and convenience of ebooks is hard to argue with. I would estimate that 80% of my books were ebooks last year, a percentage that was never that high for me before. It’s part of my nightly bedtime routine.

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  3. Anything that encourages people to read is fine with me. As a voracious reader I understand the convenience of books on demand… but I just can’t. Books are my tactile pleasure and I enjoy the feel of turning pages. To each their own!

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  4. I like looking up definitions or doing parallel searches when something of interest is mentioned.

    I like being able to change the back light from dark to light or sepia and back to dark again.

    I like to be able to change the font size.

    I like to take screenshots of particularly interesting passages.

    And I like the fact that I don’t have to dust ebooks. 😀

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  7. I’m 180º opposite of you. I don’t like reading a book on a screen nor do I find using an e-reader easier to hold. And white letters on a black background? Makes my eyes cross. Not that it matters one wit to me how you come to see the words that make a story a story, in fact I’m glad you’ve found a way that works for you. Me? I’ll be over in the corner leafing through a paper book.

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    1. I never tried a kindle. I do know people who use them and like them. I had a Kobo years ago and found it wasn’t bright enough. Then again, I don’t see well when driving at night so that probably says more about me than the device.

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  9. I’m the opposite and actually enjoy reading a physical book. I have quite a few bookcases full but they’re all ones I read at least once a year. They’re mostly mountain and outdoor adventure literature and mostly non-fiction. I do have a few novels though and actually enjoy reading a lot of childrens’ series – one of my all-time favourites which I always enjoy reading through the whole series is Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books – they really are cracking adventures!

    My first reaction to reading something on a computer was the eye-strain thing but you’re right you can instantly make it larger and I’m sure, if you look into how, you can reverse the print or change the background colour. Contrast is definitely important as your eyes age.

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    1. I used computers for most of my life so I was pretty used to screens and all you can do with them.
      If there is something I really want to read and someone offered it to me as a paper book, I certainly wouldn’t be too snobby to read it.

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