You're not the only one. Although I don't share your opinion. (I can't seem to enjoy an ebook the same way I can a print copy) But I don't think there's anything wrong with preferring the electronic format. Different strokes, I guess. ETA: I don't have a legitimate reason for not enjoying ebooks the same way. It's just one of those things that I just do.
That happened to me as well. I didn't like Kindle at first, not at all. Mind you, I first tried reading an 'original' Kindle which my husband owns, and found it clunky and difficult. Couldn't see the words very well (grey pages) and I hated that clicker thing on the right-hand side. So I wasn't motivated to buy one for myself. UNTIL. A friend of mine showed me his new Paperwhite. I went out the next day and bought one for myself. Love it. Easy to see (the screen is lit to your own specifications) and tapping is a much easier way to navigate than that damn clicker. Plus all the controls except the on/off button are on screen—no more fiddly arrow keys. As a reading tool, the paperwhite is pretty much perfect AND the battery charge lasts a long time as well. My only complaint is that it's not easy to hold the device for very long, or at least I find it tiring. But I've got this nifty little lap pillow that solves THAT problem.
Do you get the red-eye syndrome that I seem to get from staring at my computer screen for so long? I've never gotten that from reading a book, only from reading on a screen. I think it has something to do with the kinesthetic act of moving the pages to advance through the book. When I turn a page, my eyes get a break. If I just scroll down on a screen, my eyes never get any sort of break. It's almost like a ~90,000 word wall of text. To me, anyway.
I read on a fairly old Kindle - one of the early ones, for sure. Black print on grey background, the kind @jannert doesn't like! And there's no eye strain because it's not backlit. It's also easy to read it outside, or wherever else you might want to go (and might have trouble reading off a conventional computer screen). And there's no scrolling... I don't think there's scrolling on the new ones, either? You flip a virtual page.
Flipping a virtual page does sound much better. I'll have to give it a try, open-mind and such, but I think I really enjoy the physical turning a page and the feeling of the majority of pages shifting from one side to the other. I suppose that's just an adjustment curve, though, right? Just like reading a new author, it takes time to adjust to their style then it's more natural. ETA: I may have made up the scrolling part of my post to be more dramatic. Remembered incorrectly, rather.
... Though it's also likely that the monks who handwrote everything also said basically the same thing about the printing press
Yeah, I think the new ones are swipers, not tappers! I didn't know any of them 'scrolled.' Mind you, I'm really happy with the one I've got. And if the light strains your eyes, you can simply dim it down to where it looks like the 'old screen.' In fact, if you're reading in a darkened room, turning the light down is recommended. But because the screen itself is lit, you don't have trouble seeing it. At any rate, I find I can read from mine no bother, although I always do keep a bedside light turned on as well. I do prefer 'real' paper books, though. It's just that Kindle offers options that are sometimes more convenient. I read them both. @Spencer1990 - I don't think I ever got 'red eye' syndrome from my Kindle. At least I've never noticed anything happening with my eyes when I read from it.
I love my Kindle. I have bought a couple of paper books in the years I've had a Kindle, but only when the price difference was VERY marked and I really wanted the book. Nowadays, if it's only available in print I just don't buy it. The benefits for me: - It's lighter. - I can carry around 1,000 books instead of a couple. - I can highlight words or passages to research later without permanently marking the book. - I don't need to have a 'big' light on at night to read. - I can read my own WIPs and mark them up without having to waste ink and paper. - I can read a book a minute after I've decided I want to read it. - Cheaper. - Books don't smell weird (anyone else bought a second hand paperback that stinks of smoke? Eurgh.) - No faffing around with bookmarks; the Kindle keeps my place. I can't see any reason at all to go back to paper books. I do want to be published in print as well as ebook, but only because print still makes up a large part of the market.
I keep reading about how great eBooks are. Maybe I should try it again. I still have a few on my Kindle I haven't finished yet. One of them is "In Cold Blood" - a great book I've read many times. Always good.
