Sunday, July 08, 2012

Books or Nooks -- what is YOUR pleasure?

I am a complete contradiction.  I pride myself on striving to live a "green" lifestyle yet I love technology.  I don't know what to do with it -- can't program it, can't fix it, can only push buttons, not a geek, but I love the concept.

When the first generation Nook came out I really wanted one.  I looked, shopped, thought, rationalized and then I bought it.  I loved it.  I was happy with my little Nook.  I really liked the idea of being able to rack up sizable credit card bills to Barnes and Noble while sitting in my easy chair.  It was easy to read, easy to hold, easy to put in a purse.  It took a load off my bulging bookshelves because it is clearly evident that I will never, ever quit buying books.

Then the Nook color came out.  Yep, I bought one.  It is very nice for Angry Birds but I don't enjoy reading on it as much because it is glarey.  The battery life is pathetic.

Not long after the Nook color came to live in our house, the Nook Simple Touch was born and up for adoption.  Yep, like a stray puppy, I couldn't resist and I brought it home.  It is beyond cute and lives in a hot pink cover with a quote from Hans Christian Anderson embossed on the front cover.  It is easy to read with the e-ink technology (like the original Nook) and has a phenomenal battery life -- about a month.  So small, it fits great in a purse and is light as a feather.

So, why, with all of this reading (and Angry Birds) opportunity around me do I still want to buy physical books? I had this conversation with a sales person at B&N just the other day.  The books are slightly less expensive on the Nook which is a plus but I think the problem is that if you love books -- not just reading but the actual book, when you use an e-reader you don't feel like you are getting anything for your money.  The sales person told me that while they sell lots of e-readers, their actual book sales aren't being affected at all.  She agreed with my idea that when you buy virtual books you don't really feel like you have anything for your money.

So......Nook has come out with two new products -- a tablet and a Simple Touch with a light.  So far I have resisted both but  I am not sure for how long.  The tablet would be nice for the computer capability rather than the  reading capability.  The new Simple Touch is great for people who  read in bed and don't want to disturb another person.  I don't read in bed so I don't see that I need to replace my first little ST.  However, I do have a netbook that I carry around with me sometimes and wonder if I really need another device, like a tablet, to do the same thing.  I think not.

A couple of days ago I wasn't feeling up to par so I just sort of sat around and "surfed" all day.  By the end of the day I was exhausted and I hadn't done anything.  Visiting FB numerous times was tiring -- I don't think I am really FB material because I don't feel the need to share my every thought with the cyber world but it is nice to contact relatives with.  I did some blog reading which I enjoy immensely and spent way too much time on Pinterest.  Oh, the television was going the entire time as well.  I wasn't watching it -- it was just on.  Noise pollution at its best. Even my husband suggested we turn off the tv and read.

 As evening drew in, I turned off all the devices, lowered the lights a bit and grabbed a new read -- a physical book -- curled up and immersed myself in the life of Rose of Ruby Street at the time of Queen Elizabeth's coronation.  It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I could relax. It was wonderful and has shifted my attention back to my budding "green" lifestyle which is really where I want to be living.

So, what is it for you -- e-readers or books?  Why? How has technology affected your lifestyle -- better, worse?  I don't think we will ever go back or do without technology but has it taken over too much of our lives?  It is definitely food for thought.

















Update

 Ok, so we visited our cardiologist yesterday to get the lay of the land for the Hubs.  Seems there is an issue with one of the grafts from ...