Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader--and Now There's a Kobo!

A few months back, my husband begged me to get a Kindle. He was tired of my multiple To Be Read (TBR) piles encroaching on our living space. Truth be told, I even had a mobile TBR pile on the front seat of my car.

I did some research about Kindle versus Sony Reader versus Nook , i.e. queried other writers. I also waited for the iPad to come out just in case I might want to go that route--and then remembered I am not a Mac person. (Gasp!) So, I settled on a Kindle.

I've got to say, I like this gizmo. Why? One word: convenience.

Now there's a new e-reader on the block: Borders is offering the Kobo e-reader.

I'm not having buyer's remorse. I'm just wondering how many more e-readers are going to pop up--and if one of them will tempt me away from my Kindle any time soon.

The Kobo costs all of $149 and it weighs all of 8 ounces. I'm pretty sure I've eaten a steak that weighed more than that. (I shared it with Rob!) My Kindle weighs only a couple ounces more, so I'm not overly-concerned. Borders touts the Kobo's quilted back--but that's not getting me too excited either.

It looks like navigating through to books and through books may be a bit easier on the Kobo than it is on the Kindle. But, I'm not a techie. This is just my initial observation.

So, here's the question: Do you own an e-reader? If so, which one? And why did you select that one?

And, yes, I realize that's three questions.

To Kindle or Not to Kindle, That is the Question

Amazon's Kindle: Are you for it or against it?

Maybe, like a friend of mine, you're asking what is a Kindle? Amazon calls it an wireless reading device. Call it a handheld electronic bookreader. No bindings. No front and back covers. No pages.

I was intrigued by the idea--and put off by the $399 price tag. Downloading books cost $9.99 per book. You can also subscribe to newspapers or magazines via your Kindle.

There are pro-Kindle folks and anti-Kindle folks. Some people--me included--like holding a book in their hands when their reading. They don't like the idea of reading off a screen. They think a Kindle will interfere with their reading pleasure, if you will. I think this might happen--but until I try a Kindle, I won't know for sure.

Author David Edelman says such talk is silly when you consider that a Kindle allows you to hold your entire library in your hand or download new books whenever you wish. Edlman goes so far as to suggest that the Kindle will lead to the death of the novel.

"... the written word is going electronic. Permanently. Soon. Once that happens, storytellers will have no need to shoehorn their stories into these 8x 12 hunks of pulped wood and ink. And once we’re not restricted to the medium of the novel, we’ll be leaving the form behind.
The death of the novel doesn’t mean the death of storytelling. It doesn’t mean that nobody’s ever going to put an Aristotelian structure of fiction into 120,000 words. On the contrary, it’s going to mean that storytelling will finally be unleashed. We’re going to see fiction strap on blue tights and a red cape and really soar.
Personally I think that’s going to be fun to see."

Hhhhhm. I see Edelman's point, but I'm not sure if I agree with it or not. And that's okay. I haven't seen a lot of people toting Kindles around yet. Maybe if the price drops that may change. I don't know.

To be honest, I've read novels that have jumped over the proverbial building in a single bound--and they were the old-fashioned kind. I don't think Kindle is the new superhero tool of novelists.