Nov 30, 2010
In this episode, we talk about our experiences reading digitally, then Ann gives an overview of a few of the major e-reading devices. We end with two nonfiction books we can't wait for you to read
The Experience of E
Ann and I have both been reading work manuscripts electronically for several years now. We spend the first segment of this episode sharing our thoughts on what we like about e-reading and what we don't. We also mention information from a Wall Street Journal article about e-reading habits, but the story is from August, and things in this area are constantly evolving.
A Reader's Guide to Readers (12:36)
Ann hit the road to visit some stores that sell e-book readers, and she shares what she found. At Barnes & Noble, she found both a Nook (with a traditional black and white "e-ink" screen) and a Nook Color (with a full-color LCD screen). A trip to Borders revealed 6 (six!) different e-reader options, but the notable devices were two offerings from Kobo and two from Sony (all four use black and white e-ink), Nook, Kobo and Sony all allow you to borrow books from your local library if it offers e-books. Finally, at Staples, Ann got her hands on a Kindle. Unfortunately it was locked into Demo mode, so she wasn't able to play with it very much. Two drawbacks of the Kindle (in Ann's - and my - opinion) are that you can only buy books from Amazon and you cannot borrow books from the library. If she's going to e-read, Ann still prefers her iPad, but it's also what she is most used to. Through various apps, she can access books from Amazon, B&N, Borders, Kobo, her library, and eventually, Independent Bookstores, via Google Editions.
Two Books We Can't Wait For You to Read (30:28)
Mike Brown's greatest dream as a child was to discover a planet. In 2005, he did just that, but it had unintended consequences which he recounts in How I Killed Pluto, and Why It Had It Coming, on sale December 7. Also out on the 7th is Reading Jackie by William Kuhn. Some people may not know that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a book editor for 20 years. Here, biographer William Kuhn looks at Jackie and what the books she edited said about her.
Segment Three in our next three episodes will be "Two Books We're Giving as Gifts."
If you listened to our 100th Episode, you'll know that we ran a super-secret contest. We didn't tweet about it or publicize it in any other way. It was just for our podcast listeners! Congratulations to Amy Nash who won The Stieg Larsson Millennium Trilogy Deluxe Boxed Set!