I’ve always wanted some sort of e-reader. I’m a huge fan of books and while I can constantly be found dividing my time between a few (and sticking with the ones that catch my attention the most) they don’t exactly leave a lot of options for me as far as storage goes. I’ve got bins of books stashed away everywhere, I’ve got books piled on the floor, on my desk. Cats of course love to chew these books. Bad kitties. Anyway. The point is I’ve always wanted an e-reader, but never actually purchased one.
Until yesterday.
I now have a 5″ Sony E-Reader, and I absolutely love it. It can read a variety of document formats which was really key for me, it means that I’m not restricted in where I get my books from. As if that were not enough I found out that the city library actually allows you to download e-books so long as you have a valid library card. There are SO many books available from that option alone, and I just about danced around the house I was so excited. A lot of the book choices are things I already own or have read previously, but just about the entire selection of library books is available. Today I’m headed to the library to get my account fixed up, as it’s been 8 years or so since I’ve actually used it and I need a pin number associated with it. If I have one I don’t have the faintest idea what it is. One would think that I should just get books from the library in physical format if I’m headed there anyway, but again I come to the issue of space, and kitties chewing them up.
Of course the first thing I did was try not to get upset at the number of books that are available for the US vs. the ones available here in Canada. Blasted copywrite laws. I also checked a few stores for any free book deals that may be going on, and I moved my ipod books over to the e-reader, including Bram Stokers Dracula which I had never read before. I love being able to read on the ipod, but it’s just a little too small for me. The e-reader is the perfect size and is made specifically for reading, the screen and little details all incorporate that use. I had contemplated getting an ipad, but I don’t think I need one since I already own the smaller ipod version, and the e-reader was far cheaper. It’s small, fits in my purse, and can easily be brought anywhere with me. I’m looking forward to being outside reading without having to worry about bringing a big bulky book around with me, and I’m excited about making some book purchases in the future.
If anyone else has some suggestions on where to get free e-books (or even paid ones) please don’t hesitate to let me know in comments below!
@Ardua – The problem with the ‘Nook’ for me personally – is that there’s no Barnes and Nobles here in Canada, it makes it very difficult to get the reader, and books available in Canada. The e-reader does have a touch version as well, but it’s (as someone mentioned above) not as nice as the regular version.
Glad to hear the Sony Reader works out for you. Personally I’m after a nook myself (http://quilldragon.com/2010/05/11/the-power-of-touch/) but to each their own. I wonder if libraries in Ireland do the same sort of ebook thing.
Chap above me mentioned Project Gutenberg and there’s a similar thing in Google Books. Also try the likes of Barnes and Noble and other stores or heck ereader.com as they often have free books as well as very cheap ones.
As a Canadian don’t forget to do your shopping local – http://www.kobobooks.com :)
Grats on getting the best sony reader! The bigger fancier one with the touch screen and expandable memory and bigger screen is terrible, the screen is nowhere near as good. I’d suggest using the free, open-source calibre software for managing non-DRM books, but that’s only because I don’t like the default sony software and only use it when I have to (say, for DRM’d books :( ). It converts books from pretty much any format into something the reader’ll read happily.
If you like SF/F and don’t mind legendarily bad cover art, Baen’s Webscriptions do cheap ebooks, no DRM, and you get to download them in half a dozen formats if you want. They also have some free books. I’m sure you also know of project gutenberg, which has SO MUCH STUFF. Free. Including a massive collection of Wodehouse. <3 And if you ever get bored grinding faction in mmos, you can join the distributed proofreading grind and help them get more books online. :P
The first thing you should download is calibre. It’s and ebook management program that far surpasses sony’s default program
http://calibre-ebook.com/
Also don’t forget google books for all your classic book needs
Suvudu Free Book Library has some really good short stories and sometimes full books for free.
http://www.suvudu.com/freelibrary/
Well… Cory Doctorow’s MMO related book For The Win is available as a free download in multiple formats.
I wrote about it in Games and Geekery, but here’s the link for you for easy reference: http://craphound.com/ftw/download/