My son finished books 4 & 5 of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series in a week so I promised him I'd get 6 & 7 from the library; but when we visited the library, it was closed. Oh, the disappointment! So we walked to the nearest bookstore which, alas, did not have books 6 & 7.
So I did something for him that I'd never have done for myself: I got the Kindle app for iPad and I bought the e-book.
Verdict? Bah.
It's nice that the book only cost $5 and it's nice that I was able to indulge my son's reading habit, which I understand is an unusual one for a 9-year-old boy, but we won't be buying an e-book again soon. It's too annoying. You can't tell where you are. The e-book has no page numbers and no chapter headings and no dog-ears, of course, and no places where the book naturally falls because you bent back the binding. If you touch the wrong part of the screen, going back a chapter or back to the beginning, for example, and you're a certain 9-year-old, you're going to have to yell, "Moooooo-ooom!" and she's going to have to speak in that come-away-from-the-window-ledge voice to keep your fury in check.
I imagine as a reference tool the Kindle for iPad would be useful – with a reference book one would find the search function necessary – but for casual reading, I (we) prefer a printed book.
I imagine as a reference tool the Kindle for iPad would be useful – with a reference book one would find the search function necessary – but for casual reading, I (we) prefer a printed book.
5 comments:
I have been playing with the idea of getting one, but hearing this has pretty well confirmed my doubts.
I hope he masters it soon!
You can bookmark pages - especially to come back to - though to do it right and move it as you would a real bookmark, you have to keep deleting the prior one - which is cumbersome.
Interesting. We've been really happy with the Kindle children's books we have, almost entirely because we can pay for one copy and then have it on multiple iPods. The kids figured out how to find the tables of contents and add bookmarks more quickly than I did. But I do find the inconsistent coding irritating -- sometimes you can use the little navigator button on the kindle to advance a chapter, sometimes you can't. And some of the features on the kindle aren't there on the kindle APP.
I agree that the kindle books won't replace paper books. But we've been slightly happier with their role as supplements.
Since I got my ipad, my hands will never touch paper again! No more reading by flashlight or treacherous hand cramp from holding the book open. And - did you know you can get textbooks electronically these days? For CHEAP! I'd say give it another chance.
I have the same prob with e-readers! I love books!
That said, if we ever start traveling a lot again, I would get one if I could. It's so much easier for transporting and buying new books.
Post a Comment