Note to self: wipe fingerprints and smudges off screen before taking pictures...
Back around New Year’s I joined the ranks of e-reader owners, and as a result I am now a changed bookworm. I had been considering this purchase for a while but kept waiting for the size of my “to read” book stack to shrink a bit more and for my stack of Barnes and Noble gift cards to increase a bit more. I finally got to a point where I just couldn’t stand it anymore, though, and I gave in and bought one. I got a Nook Color, because I had enough gift cards to cover it and, yeah, it’s much cooler and does more than just the basic version. So how has my reading been revolutionized by this nifty piece of technology? Well, let me tell you…
Portability
Wherever I go, I can carry around a whole library in a small amount of space, so I’ll never run out of things to read when I’m on the go. Yeah, I know, it’s the number one selling point of e-readers everywhere, but it’s true. I love not having to make the tough decisions about which books will fit in my bag and which I have to leave at home and how many to take, because I don’t want to run out of things to read while I’m on vacation, and… you get the drift. I also have quite a variety of books, so I will always be able to find something to fit my mood when I finish one thing and get ready to start another.
Instant Gratification
I no longer have to wait until I have a chance to go to a bookstore or the library — I can find something to read and have it on my device in a matter of minutes, no driving involved! What’s ever better is that I really have no need to buy very many books anymore at all. Between sites like Project Gutenberg for classics that are in the public domain, my local library’s e-book collection, and promotional deals like “Free Friday” books from Barnes and Noble, I have read quite a few books while spending very little money.
Instant Reference
I’m one of those nerdy people who writes down unfamiliar words I come across while reading so that I can go back and look them up later. With my Nook, I don’t have to do that anymore. I simply touch the word I want to know the definition of and with just a few more taps of the screen, there it is. If the built-in dictionary doesn’t have the word and I happen to have a wifi connection, with one more tap I can either Google it or look it up in Wikipedia. It has a built-in web browser, too, and I have found it immensely useful when watching TV — no more waiting for a commercial break to run to the computer and look up that actor in IMDb!
Don't judge a Nook by its cover — exercising my inner crafty nerd was much cheaper (and more fun) than buying one.
Computer Away from Computer
In addition to the aforementioned web browser, the Nook Color allows me a variety of apps for doing things other than reading. It’s not a replacement for a laptop if you need to get serious work done on the go, but it’s much easier to use than my phone for reading email and facebook while I’m on a trip (provided I’m somewhere with wifi access). I use my Evernote app to keep important information with me, as well as collect all the articles and blog posts I come across and save to read later. There’s a Dropbox app so I can look at things saved there (again, provided I have wifi access). And, of course, when I don’t feel like reading, I have a multitude of games to choose from.
New Horizons
Now that it is so easy to get books, I have started branching out and trying new authors and genres, especially non-fiction titles from the library that I would not look for or check out otherwise. And because I have a device that supports color, I am even considering trying out a medium I’ve never paid much attention to before: comics and graphic novels.
Now that I have an ereader, I sometimes wonder what I did before I got it. It’s a wonderful piece of technology for bookworms like me, and I anticipate getting my money’s worth and more out of it. Will it completely replace actual books made of dead trees for me? Not any time soon. Despite all of its wonderful features and abilities, it is still a battery-powered electronic device that will need to be recharged and that always has the potential to malfunction, probably at the most inconvenient time. For that reason, I will always continue to pack a paperback when I go on a trip. And there are plenty of favorites and classics that I will want to keep in physical form on my bookshelf. For everyday reading, however, as the title says, I am definitely hooked on my Nook!
