Paleo Retiree writes:
Although these days I do probably 90% of my reading on the computer, and although I enjoy being a little irreverent about books — good Lord, can’t some people get mighty sentimental about books! — I’ve nonetheless found myself deep in the middle of three books simultaneously. Here’s a snap of them:
Only one of them (“Seeing Like a State” by James C. Scott) is a traditional ink-on-paper book. Another (“The Discovery of France” by Graham Robb) is an ebook that I’m reading on my Nexus 7; the third (“The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”) is something I’m going through on audiocassette as I take my daily walk. I still own a Walkman and a stack of books-on-cassette, as archaic as that sounds, so I’m doing what I can to get through some of these productions before that particular tech collapses entirely.
No particular point to make in this posting aside from: Wowee, we’re really living in the 21st century now! How are you doing most of your own book-reading these days?
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- I’m a huge fan of the literature published in audiobook form by Audio Connoisseur, all of them produced and narrated by Charlton Griffin. What a great way to get through a lot of classic literature, philosophy and history. They can be bought on Amazon or via Audible.
Blowhard, Esq.
Callowman
Sherbrooke
Eddie Pensier
Enzo Nakamura
Epaminondas
Fabrizio del Wrongo
Fenster
Brundle Guy
Glynn Marshes
Paleo Retiree
Atypical Neurotic
Question Lady
Sax von Stroheim
Sir Barken Hyena
The Mistaken
Uncouth Reflections 
I carry a paper book and Kindle pretty much everywhere I go — I’m reading “Wuthering Heights” currently. Teaching Company lectures for my daily commute — right now it’s Kenneth Harl’s “Fall of the Pagans and Rise of Medieval Christianity”. I also usually have an art book or two that I’m browsing through — Gil Elvgren’s “The Complete Pinups” and Robert Frank’s “The Americans” are two recent favorites.
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Nice lineup. How’s the Harl, btw? That’s his new one, right? It’s a fascinating period in history, god knows. Do you have prefs where questions like “what kind of books work best as ebooks and what kinds work best on paper” go?
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Yeah, that’s the new Harl and it’s great. He argues that Constantine’s conversion to Christianity is one of the four turning points of Western history (the others being the emergence of self-rule in Greek city-states, the discovery of the New World, and the Industrial Revolution), so yeah, it’s a fascinating period to explore.
I find novels, or anything I’m going to read straight thru, work best as ebooks. I tend to skip around and skim more when it comes to nonfiction — I don’t find an ereader to be very conductive to that kind of activity.
For example, I tried reading Augustine’s “Confessions” recently on my Kindle and didn’t make it far. He seems to load up every sentence with prayers and entreaties to God, so I found it tough going. I think it’ll be much easier to tackle in paper form.
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I’m a youngish curmudgeon, always late to embrace new technologies; so far, no Kindle or Kobo for me; just actual books in paperback or hardcover.
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My new Kindle Paperwhite just arrived this week. Loving it so far. The interface is quicker and easier to use than the old one. It’s lit, so I no longer have to station myself under a streetlight at bus stops. My media pattern is similar to Blowhard, Esq’s – the e-reader is good for things I intend to read in sequence. For non-fiction, where I usually start from the conclusion and work my way back towards the front, it’s much less convenient. I also listen to a lot of stuff while walking and doing household chores, but I usually opt for podcasts. Audiobooks feel a bit dead to me, usually, whereas live chat or talks are more engaging.
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I’m also still splitting time between books and e-readers. Currently, I think I’m in the middle of about a dozen things on my Kindle. For whatever reason, not having the physical book there to remind me about it makes me more likely to just give up on something that doesn’t really grab me.
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Paper, hardcover if I can afford it. E-reader for 19c public domain, OOP crimethink only.
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I’ll add that having a smartphone (or tablet) handy for the use of the dictionary, Wikipedia, maps, translator, web/image search while reading is invaluable–I wouldn’t want to go back. But it comes at the cost of distraction.
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