Do you read (paper) books anymore?

I don't read books anymore: “That’s not precisely true, but my book reading is down to a trickle of what it used to be. Most of my reading happens online for kottke.org and when I’m through with all that, the last thing I want to do is tuck into a book, no matter how good it is. But what I really haven’t been doing is talking about the books I’ve read or am interested in reading if I had the time. Oh, there have been a few mentioned on the site recently, but there are many more1 stacked on the bedside table, on the shelf next to where I put my keys, and in the ‘to shelve’ pile near the bookshelves that have gone unmentioned.”

[Via kottke.org.] Amen. Like Jason, I have piles of books left to read; most of which are review copies sent in by publishers for my Urban Planning blog. Since I’m on their mailing list now, they send in the copies without even asking and so the pile keeps growing. And I always mean to get around to reading them. I start a book but lose interest so have quite a few with bookmarks stuffed in them at different intervals.

When I flew to Chicago last weekend, I finally got around to reading Who Turned Out the Lights: Your Guide to the Energy Crisis and I’ll post my review soon. But unless, I have to read a dead-tree book now, I rarely do and most of my reading is done online. Even the scholarly journal articles are read online complete with annotations and notes in Adobe Professional. Only when I have to interactive with the content manually, as we did for a house plan that we were looking at that I decided to print it out. This is by no means only from an environmental perspective. If you detach yourself from the emotional and nostalgic feeling of reading paper books, there is little reason to persist with paper books. It is just that I find reading and storing from paper copies cumbersome and I spend my day in front of the computer anyway so the only time I actually have an inclination to hold up a paper book or a magazine is when I go to bed. Hence the pile of books on the bedside table.

“Do you read (paper) books anymore?” [Short URL: http://www.ipatrix.com/?p=3076] was published Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 2:38 pm by Patrix, filed under 9rules, Books, Personal, and tagged as Books, change, computers. Both comments and linkbacks are closed.

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http://lotusnova.blogspot.com Amit
One word: libraries. Reuse, recycle, green. Not to mention, sexy librarians. :D
And the “dead-tree book” guilt-trip works only if you’ve given up on using toilet paper and other paper products that use trees. ;)
- http://www.ipatrix.com Patrix
  One word: libraries.
  That’s like saying, post offices when told about the virtues of email.
  And yup, probably that dead-tree mention was uncalled for. But re: toilet paper, I’ll use a hose spray any day :)
http://lotusnova.blogspot.com Amit
“Thatâ€™s like saying, post offices when told about the virtues of email.”
Nope. The analogy doesn’t quite fit. :)
And why would I want to detach myself of the feelings of reading a paper book? That is part of the experience. Besides, I can’t just pick up my computer and go to the neighborhood park/pond if I want to spend some time reading a book under a tree – a paper book is much more convenient and suitable. If the issues are clutter/piles/space and environmental concerns, then libraries provide a solution to both.
- http://www.ipatrix.com Patrix
  What exactly is the experience here? The feel of a book, the social experience of reading a book in public, hanging out in a public space (libraries) among other ppl doing the same activity (reading) as you are? Technology (Kindle, Nook, eReader, and tablets) now provides a solution akin to picking up a book and reading it under the tree. Of course, there are DRM issues but the convenience factor is creeping up to be almost similar. Of course, you can’t hold it over your head in case of rain (actual reason cited for paper newspapers)
  There are other reasons for paper-books. Often being seen with a book is a social signal about your tastes and preferences; almost a status symbol. Some like to display their books in their study/living room to indicate their choices or just simply because books make for good wall art (there might be solutions for that too).
  Mind you, I’m a book lover and love buying, reading, and storing books and I’m just wondering…
  - http://lotusnova.blogspot.com Amit
    “What exactly is the experience here? The feel of a book, the social experience of reading a book in public, hanging out in a public space (libraries) among other ppl doing the same activity (reading) as you are?”
    Any and all of it – depends on the day and the mood. :-)
    “Often being seen with a book is a social signal about your tastes and preferences; almost a status symbol. Some like to display their books in their study/living room to indicate their choices or just simply because books make for good wall art (there might be solutions for that too).”
    That equally – or even more – applies to Kindle and new tech gadgets. iPhone, for example.
    Shelfari, What Books Am I Reading and other similar online applications are the digital equivalent of a book-shelf – though visible to all friends, and not just those who visit my home and happen to look at it. In a way, these online applications have even more bragging/status symbol quotient than books on a physical shelf. BTW, I don’t really care for applications like Shelfari though I’m sure others find it useful.
    And how green are gadgets like Kindle and how would they compare to borrowing books from a library?
    An old, outdated Kindle will likely end up in a third-world country in a landfill, leaching toxins into the land and water for centuries, though on the plus side, it will provide us bleeding heart greens with a new charitable mission. ;)
    Is the controversy over Coltan settled yet? I’m assuming it’s used in the Kindle screen, unless an alternative has been found/used.
    I’m not quite sold on the “e-gadgets to read books as the greener alternatives to books” theory as yet.
    - http://www.ipatrix.com Patrix
      Now you are making my arguments :) So even a technological solution to books will exhibit the same social benefits as paper-books do right now.
      Re: environmental damage, yes, it is a known issue. And I’m sure technology will even solve that. Computers and mobiles leak more toxins than paper but we still prefer emails over snail mail because it is convenient. That said, there ought to be a concerted effort to reduce the environmental impact. Apple has already started moving toward such efforts and even chose to leave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; which is admirable (and it makes business sense too).
http://www.rpsam.blogspot.com Rhucha
I agree with you about the online reading. Last year I had reached the point of dissatisfaction with online reading when I completely stopped reading a paper book :) Unfortunately, all the work and school reading is online and it’s easier to have 4 tabs open to rush through references. However, I have made it a point to read something every night before I go to bed and it’s a paper book! Yahoo…I still read paper books and of course I take public transport everyday so paper books are my saviors through that journey. I still enjoy going to library quite often, actually. Al though the news paper has vanished since the day I landed in US but leisure reading is still with the paper book.
- http://www.ipatrix.com Patrix
  As you point out, almost all our essential reading nowadays is online and it is even convenient. So probably it is just a matter of time before we move past our emotional ties to paper books, right? Kids born today may actually never lay their hands on a paper book for required reading.

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Do you read (paper) books anymore?

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