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| I wouldn't really go so far as to say it sucks. |
I'm probably overly romantic about books. The scent, the feel, the texture.... You know what I mean. Or do you? Are you a Kindle person?
I get that you can can carry them anywhere, but you can carry a book anywhere too. It's not like books are 50 lbs or something.
How about let's move on. Weigh in if you have an opinion!
Speaking of reading, I finally caved to the zillions of positive reviews and have started reading The Hunger Games. How many of you have read it? So far, I'm really enjoying it.
And lastly, in Wednesday Thoughts, yesterday a friend of mine told me about some goals she's set for herself. They were all health related and one that really stood out to me was "get 8 hours of sleep a night." We discussed this one for awhile. I'm single and I don't have any kids so getting 8 hours of sleep should be an achievable goal for me, yet somehow I live on 5-6 hours every night. Why? I dunno. I can't key down at night, or I'm up reading (cough...blogging...cough), or whatever. Then suddenly I look at the clock, panic about how little sleep I'm going to get, then can't sleep because I'm worrying about that. It's a vicious cycle.Happy Wednesday.
24 comments:
In order to get 8 hours of sleep, I'd have to be crawling into bed pre-10pm...it just isn't realistic. Instead, I rely heavily on naps to supplement my sleep hours. :)
I read laying down sometimes, and oh how I wish I had a Kindle instead of a book. When I'm on my side, it's just hard to read a book!
I get 7-8 hours a night...until the next baby comes. You're a nut for not sleeping as long. When I was single, I didn't care who wanted to do what, I needed my sleep!
Do you exercise?
I do exercise daily. But I try not to do it too close to bedtime.
I fall asleep easily even driving in the middle of the afternoon relaxes me. But 9-10 are optimal for me. And usually I choose to not get what I need because I need some personal time to unwind.
I am the same exact way with you with sleep. I actually just wrote a post about it too. I panic that I won't sleep, and then I can't sleep. Worst thing ever!!
My friend works for Barnes and Noble and swears by the Nook (their version of the eReader) The screen is not a typical screen, it's apparently just like reading from a book. And she can carry like 1000 books at a time (that might be > 50lbs), but I tried reading multiple books at once, and just have to finish one before moving on to the next one personally. I don't really see the necessity. Maybe if I had a long subway commute or something where I was constantly reading and needed a lot of material...
I just read the entire Hunger Games Series 2 weeks ago. (I didn't get much else done that weekend...) I really liked the first book. The other two didn't feel as well developed to me. Maybe it was because I was speed reading and I missed some key points... who knows?
I sleep about 7 hours a night - or at least try to. However, since I don't have early classes, I often stay in bed for an extra 30 minutes now that it's freezing and my bed is oh so cozy. I never used to do that because I always had somewhere to be. I still have stuff to do, but it just doesn't seem as pressing.
For as much as I love sleeping, I sure don't do it enough. I'm a night person, but I have to get up at 6 at the very latest, so I usually get about 5-6 hours of sleep. Traditionally, I'm the last one of all my roommates to go to sleep. I guess maybe I'm afraid something cool will happen and I'll miss it by being asleep.
I love books. I love reading them and I love owning them. I love it that they more you like one the more it gets all beat up and sometimes soggy from being dropped in the tub.
BUT - I was considering wanting a kindle for Christmas because I thought maybe the books on it would be cheaper and I wouldn't have to fight with The Coach over my refusal to part with books I have already read. (He just doesn't get it.)
We are definitely sisters, E! I was ordering some books on Amazon last night (I love their used book section!), and they had all of these ads for Kindle. At one point I actually said out loud, "Uggh! Who cares about Kindle?!" I'm with you - I love the feel, smell, and sensation of holding a book. It's the best! I pulled out "The Chosen" last night to start rereading it and one of the first things I did was smell it! Sigh.
I do have an app on my iPhone with the collected works of Jane Austen on it, and it's nice when I have to sit and wait somewhere and didn't bring a book. But if I know I'll have a wait, I usually come prepared with a book. Maybe Kindle works for the Rory Gilmores of the world, but I'll stick with print!
As for 8 hours of sleep, I think it's an awesome goal! Maybe I'll work on that too. Making a list right before bed really helps me, because I can get all of my worries on paper, then let go. That and muscle-release exercises and relaxing thoughts... :) Good luck!
My parents both just got Kindles, and they love them. When I was home a few weeks ago I got to play with their new toys, and I could sort of see the appeal. But I still just really like the feel of a book in my hand. Even more, I like being able to add a book I love to my bookshelf, and I love seeing other people's bookshelves. Bookshelves are great conversation starters, and say a lot about a person, and I just don't think it would be the same if everyone had to go around showing each other their e-readers.
I am extremely grouchy without 8 hours of sleep. So I shoot for it, but I'm a night person and those demon children of mine are morning people. It gets awkward in the morning.
And I was just thinking of doing a blog post like this!! here's the analogy I thought of (and might still blog): what if someone invented something that made shoes totally unnecessary. Don't you think women would still buy shoes? There's heels, flats, clogs, mules, shiny, matte, leather, suede, who'd give them all up?? Its not just the utilitarian purpose, its the look, the variety, the smells of books.
And. On a side note: just read that e-readers disrupt your sleep!! So if you want your 8 hours, you better stick with books!
I prefer reading from paper in a book. Lots of reading on a screen makes my eyes sore. There is a used book store 1/2 a mile from my house and I visit there regularly for inexpensive paperbacks. If Amazon shipping for used books was cheaper, I'd order more often. I like to read before I go to sleep, so even if a book is boring or about unmarried British women, it helps me relax and get my 8+ hours of snooze-time a night.
I like looking at other people's books to see what they like. My shelves are crammed two rows deep with stuff I've read. No stories about teenage vampires or wizards.
Do you still keep college books out where you can get to them, or are they packed away in the attic?
SO I love books and prefer to read the real thing...but I can see real benefits to the kindle.
With kids- it's nice to be able to read one handed. And not lose your place as easily... My boys do not understand the meaning of a bookmark.
We don't own a house yet and are not settled yet so moving a ton of books is just not an option. Someday I hope to live in one place and have a library that my boys can raid for books to read... but right now it is just not practical (though we do have lots of kids books for them- gotta start the reading love early).
I also think that it's cool that you can just download books anytime with the Kindle. No waiting necessary. Sometimes I just need a book right away and I can't just pick up and go to the store or library. And have you seen some of the waiting lists for popular books at the library? It's insane!
I don't own a kindle but I can read books on my phone. So for right now I get books at the library if I want to read a real book or I get Matt to put a book on my phone if I need to read one handed. :)
I am not really sure what to think of the Kindle. I use the library a lot, and honestly, and terrible at reading for my own leisure. Call it too much school. I do like magazines on parenting and sports, so we have a lot of those around. We aren't in a house either, and have tons of school books cluttering our office. I would love to get rid of them, but can't seem to part with them. I would love to have a cool bookcase in a house with the books I have read for my own personal reasons instead of school/work reasons.
On sleep, I need an insane amount. Perhaps because I train so much and I let myself get really stressed. I get about 8 hours every night, and that doesn't seem like enough. I can take a 3 hour nap on Sunday and still fall asleep at 11 and not wake up until 7 or 8, if the kids allow. Perhaps I feel like my sleep is always shortchanged b/c I rarely wake up without being woken up by kids coming into the room. I bet if they would give me like 30sec more, I would probably wake up on my own and feel fine, but I just hate the feeling of being woken up, especially if it is before the time that we actually need to wake up to go to a given place. I do OK on 7 hours, but 8 or 9 is ideal for me, and much less than 6 is horrible. For almost 2 years, I couldn't sleep more than 4 hours in a row due to kids, and I have no idea how I functioned, because I can't think of having that little sleep now. I have been able to sleep for 8 hours for about 8 months now, and it was AMAZING when it first started. I felt awesome, and now I am just used to it again, I guess.
I prefer owning real books, but love the kindle for
1) Instant gratification - 1 click and tadaaa, you have a new book to read!
2) Being able to quickly searching for highlighted sections.
3) Saves space: less stuff I'll have to move around the globe with me.
I don't know anyone who gets exactly 8 hours of sleep. Personally, my sleep cycles work in multiples of 3. It has to be 3,6, or 9 hours, waking up at the 8 hour mark is just too painful.
I sleep a LOT now because I don't have a job or school, or children but when I had a full time job, 6-7 hours was ideal as long as I could sleep in on Saturday to catch up.
Sleeping is something I really think is paramount to quality of life. Lots of people talk about eating healthy these days, but not enough talk about sleeping well. If we could teach ourselves to sleep well, we would all be happier people.
I don't think I would ever use a kindle, nook, ebook, etc. I agree about the time used on a screen (I would rather strain my eyes in nighttime lamp light than continuously be glued to my macbook screen).
Melanie actually got me interested in the Hunger Games and I am thinking about going out to buy the first one today or tomorrow. I really miss reading for pleasure - I learn so much from my textbooks, but I don't feel like forced reading brings pleasure for me.
I love physical books, but the Kindle is good for those who read books that are super dense (either actual 50-lb books or just really densely-worded), who need to switch it up by reading a more accessible (i.e. trashy lol) book while going through the former type. I'm generally reading about 3 different books at a time, and while I don't think I'd get a Kindle, it would be nice to not have to carry 3 books at once and/or switch between books with the press of a few buttons. Also great for travel, because books take up a lot of space. But, all that being said, I love my physical books! New book smell for the win!
How ironic, I ordered a Kindle this week after over a year of deliberating. I make it a pastime to wander around bookstores and libraries. I love the fact I can find anything at the library for free, and I do adore the feel of an old book. Kindle's ebook selection is good, but they don't have everything. I agree with Amy about bookshelves being great conversation starters. For me, though, I have minimal access to books in English, so it's a good world traveler choice. Plus I went with Kindle since it's supposed to not cause you eye strain, unlike the color screen ebook readers. If I was still back in Michigan, I would be in your position and would not consider one.
I love books and I also adore my Kindle. If I love a particular book I will still buy a hard copy, but the Kindle is a great supplement to (rather than replacement for) my personal library. I love it because I can load it up with a bunch of my favorite, go-to, re-read books and have them with me wherever I go. It saved me so much room on vacation (and is probably good for my back and shoulders by decreasing the weight of my suitcase/purse). Most importantly, now that I have a newborn (which is why you'll notice I'm not weighing in on the sleep question, it being a foreign concept these days), the one-handed reading option is nothing short of a godsend. As far as reading from a screen goes, the Kindle screen actually isn't like a regular screen; it looks the same as reading a regular book and doesn't strain your eyes any more than a printed page would (it's called e-ink and I find it fascinating). Sorry for this love song to my Kindle, but I desalt do love it as a new part of my library.
Well, I've finally decided to give in an get a Kindle. As much as I have ranted and raved, the time has come. However, I will not spend a penny of my own money for it, even at $150 that's at least 20 paperback books (hair pulling). As so many publishers offer their books to reviewers as an ebook, it's give in or I'm forced to sit hunched over my PC reading. I HATE READING BOOKS ON A PC. The biggest thing is that because I'm uncomfortable and I didn't pay for the book, I don't think I've given several of them the time that they deserve. So, I'm going to sacrifice my gift certificates that I've won from other authors and bloggers and purchase a Kindle so that I can once again pile up on the couch or in the bed and read some of the books that I need to review. Do they make air fresheners that smells like books? Maybe if I squirt a little before starting a book on the ereader, I can get deep enough in it that I don't notice that it's not paper. But I'm not giving up on paperbacks if I can get them, no sir, no way, no how.
I have to say that I think you fall into the group of people who romanticize "staying up late". I recall a teen age Elizabeth who loved to stay up late for any reason. I too love to stay up late. I also love having a late dinner out, going to the last showing of movies, walking in parks in the dark... So my question to your is: If you didn't have to go to work would you get up early or sleep in late?
Oh yeah I don't get the Kindle thing either, it just further impairs our vision.
You should start hand writing you blog and then send it out to your readers by pony express. Think about it.
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