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Old 09-20-2010, 12:13 PM
 
Location: Katonah, NY
21,192 posts, read 25,060,658 times
Reputation: 22274

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Quote:
Originally Posted by PA2UK View Post

Really? You must either have a very large home to store them all in or you don't read as much as I do. In the last year I've read 60 books so I would need 200+ books to last me "several years". I just don't have room for that in my 650sq ft apartment.
We just moved from a 300 Sq foot apartment into an 1800 Sq foot house! Now I have all the room I need for my books! Yay!
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Old 09-21-2010, 04:37 PM
 
3,724 posts, read 9,282,884 times
Reputation: 1427
Quote:
Originally Posted by PA2UK View Post
..............
Really? You must either have a very large home to store them all in or you don't read as much as I do. In the last year I've read 60 books so I would need 200+ books to last me "several years". I just don't have room for that in my 650sq ft apartment.
The house I had that burned, the one where I lost ~12,000 books, was a 20X20 split level downstairs, with a 10X20 sleeping loft. All the books were downstairs - they lined all the walls, except the part with the kitchen stove against it. That's books, plus 1,000 slides in trays, plus several hundred LPs (it was a long time ago, before cassettes or CDs), plus me, my soon to be husband, 2 kids, 5 dogs, and 3 cats. Poof, all of it. Fortunately, all the critters were outside at the time of the fire because no one was home to let any of them out.
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Old 09-21-2010, 07:08 PM
 
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 32,856,515 times
Reputation: 28898
Quote:
Originally Posted by karibear View Post
The house I had that burned, the one where I lost ~12,000 books, was a 20X20 split level downstairs, with a 10X20 sleeping loft. All the books were downstairs - they lined all the walls, except the part with the kitchen stove against it. That's books, plus 1,000 slides in trays, plus several hundred LPs (it was a long time ago, before cassettes or CDs), plus me, my soon to be husband, 2 kids, 5 dogs, and 3 cats. Poof, all of it. Fortunately, all the critters were outside at the time of the fire because no one was home to let any of them out.
Oh my gosh, my heart just skipped several beats reading this. Thank God everyone -- pets included -- was OK.
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Old 09-22-2010, 08:44 AM
 
3,724 posts, read 9,282,884 times
Reputation: 1427
Quote:
Originally Posted by DandJ View Post
Oh my gosh, my heart just skipped several beats reading this. Thank God everyone -- pets included -- was OK.
Especially the pets. It was a long time ago, over 30 years. And the beginning of many learning experiences with insurance companies. As for the books, I had a lot of first editions, some complete works, some that were real antiques, and a lot I'd paid full cover price for. The bloody insurance agent told me to just go to garage sales and used book stores for replacements if I had to have them again, they certainly weren't going to reimburse me for all I'd lost, not even the sets of encyclopedias. It took me about a year to realize that I could either spend the rest of my life trying to recreate what I'd had, or let it go and get on with living. To this day, more than 30 years later, I know if I had something (and not just books), but not when or whether I still do, in some instances.
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Old 09-22-2010, 11:59 AM
 
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 32,856,515 times
Reputation: 28898
Quote:
Originally Posted by karibear View Post
Especially the pets. It was a long time ago, over 30 years. And the beginning of many learning experiences with insurance companies. As for the books, I had a lot of first editions, some complete works, some that were real antiques, and a lot I'd paid full cover price for. The bloody insurance agent told me to just go to garage sales and used book stores for replacements if I had to have them again, they certainly weren't going to reimburse me for all I'd lost, not even the sets of encyclopedias. It took me about a year to realize that I could either spend the rest of my life trying to recreate what I'd had, or let it go and get on with living. To this day, more than 30 years later, I know if I had something (and not just books), but not when or whether I still do, in some instances.
I'm with you regarding the pets. My dog is my heart.

I feel your pain regarding your books. When I moved from Montreal (Canada) to Connecticut, I was bringing everything -- furniture, clothes, the whole nine yards. I did donate a lot of household stuff but, for the most part, it was all coming with me. Most of my books, I donated to the local library because books are REALLY heavy and the move was by weight. (As if the living room couch WASN'T heavy???)

Once I got here and unpacked, I started searching for my books. And then I remembered. And to this day, although it's only 6 years compared to your 30, I could kick myself for being so stupid (and "frugal").
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Old 09-23-2010, 01:46 PM
 
Location: Matthews, NC
14,688 posts, read 26,493,427 times
Reputation: 14408
Quote:
Originally Posted by PinkString View Post
Also, with the ebooks, can you find good deals for 10cents or a quarter at yard sales? I don't think so.
I have such a stash of real books that will keep me going for several years, so I am in a happy place.
I have a buttload of free books. Jules Verne, HP Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are among the authors whose books I have downloaded for free through Amazon. If you have a child in school and a Kindle you might want to look into using it when they have to read the classics.
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Old 09-23-2010, 03:15 PM
 
Location: Lafayette, La
2,057 posts, read 5,298,027 times
Reputation: 1515
Ive never read an Ebook.
Whats so great about them?
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Old 09-23-2010, 05:35 PM
 
3,724 posts, read 9,282,884 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Innotech View Post
Ive never read an Ebook.
Whats so great about them?
It's the same words. It's also being able to adjust the font size for your reading comfort; it's the ability to get what you want when you want it without having to order it, wait, and pay shipping costs. If you're planning to go on vacation, it's the ability to take as many books along to hoose from as you want without having to pay extra for added weight. It's an added convenience, like having a cell phone with you and not having to stop and check messages on your home answering machine when you're expecting an important call or being in touch if your kids need you.
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Old 09-24-2010, 04:42 AM
 
Location: North Carolina
10,194 posts, read 17,731,299 times
Reputation: 13903
Quote:
Originally Posted by Innotech View Post
Ive never read an Ebook.
Whats so great about them?
ebooks are to books what mp3s are to music. It's just a digital format of your books. Likewise, an ereader is like an iPod for books - it's a portable device that allows you to pile all your ebooks onto it and take them anywhere. There are a lot of benefits but whether they suit you is a personal and individual thing. Many have already been mentioned but just to overview all the benefits in one post:

Most ereaders, particular Kindle's latest generation, are thinner and lighter than a paperback (height and width are roughly the same). And since you don't have to hold it open like you do a paper book, it is easier to hold. For me personally, this was a major benefit because I get hand strain from holding open a book too long.

It's a great space saver - being able to fit thousands of books onto one device means your books no longer clutter your home, especially if you have a small home like I do. Some people like to display their books so this can also be a negative but it just comes down to your personal wants and needs. And of course, buying an ereader doesn't mean you have to get rid of or stop buying paper books for your shelves too.

Many ebooks are less expensive than their paperback version. Some are the same price, some are more expensive than the paperback (but many people refuse to buy these) but as I was mentioning before, you can also get free ebooks of out of copyright books (all the classics) and there are a lot of bargain books ranging from $1-$5.

ebooks allow independent authors to publish without a publishing company so there are many books and new authors only available in ebook format. And no, that doesn't mean the quality of writing suffers - I first thought "there's a reason these authors haven't been picked up by a proper publisher yet"... but actually, after trying some of them, they can be really good!

Most ereaders support audio books and mp3s. Some ereaders also have a text-to-speech feature where the device will read out the text to you (it does sound robotic but some people still use it while their hands are busy, like during cooking).

Most ereaders use eInk which is not the same as a backlit computer screen, it's extremely easy on the eyes and very paper-like.

The Nook ereader supports library books. It also supports sharing an ebook with a friend but it's very limited at the moment (14 day limit and you can only share it once). I feel other ereaders will eventually support these as well.

You can highlight, make notes and bookmark/dogear pages. With Kindle, you can also access these highlights and notes in "My Clippings" on the device or at kindle.amazon.com where you can copy and paste passages online or on your computer (great for quoting academic texts). You can also share passages directly to social networks like Facebook or Twitter.

ereaders have built in dictionaries so you just navigate to a chosen word and a definition pops up.

With all the ebook apps out there for PC/Mac and smart phones, you can check out ebooks before taking the plunge and buying an ereader.

Kindle and I think Barnes and Noble supply samples of all their books so you can see what the writing is like before purchasing one. Much like you might browse a book store, reading the first chapter or few pages of a book before buying - except with ebooks, you can read each sample at your leisure, whenever you want.

Most ereaders also support some newspapers and magazines in digital format.

You can easily search for a word or phrase from a book.

Not only can you change the size of the font (great for people who need or prefer large print) but with Kindle's latest generation, you can also change the font type to suit you, as well other text formatting like the line spacing.

All your Kindle or Barnes & Noble ebooks are backed up on the store's server and in your account so if you lose or break your Kindle, you don't need to worry about losing all your books and you don't have to rebuy them.

Most ereaders also support other document formats like PDF, TXT, DOC, etc.

You can buy waterproof cases for ereaders so you can read in places you might not normally be able to with a paper book.

Lastly, most ereaders also have a web browser so you can surf the web, check your email, etc. However, because most ereaders don't have a touch screen yet, the navigation can be a bit clunky so this is not it's main feature.

Add to all that the ones karibear already mentioned: instant access to books, travel convenience, font size adjustments, no shipping costs - and that's a lot of great things about ereaders and ebooks.
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Old 09-24-2010, 01:56 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles>Little Rock>Houston>Little Rock
6,489 posts, read 8,754,479 times
Reputation: 17513
Quote:
Originally Posted by bs13690 View Post
I have a buttload of free books. Jules Verne, HP Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are among the authors whose books I have downloaded for free through Amazon. If you have a child in school and a Kindle you might want to look into using it when they have to read the classics.
I just got 3 of the books on my son's reading list for this semester free. I upgraded to the new K3 and gave my K2 to him with his school reading list already loaded on it.
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