Life After Kindle

After having a Kindle for a full year, and not reading a fiction print novel since then, I decided it was time to (literally) dust off the old paperbacks I hadn't read yet and dive in.  I chose to go with an author that I loved in high school to help ease me back into the paper world...Dean Koontz.  I noticed a huge difference right away.  No automatic bookmarks!  I had to dig around for a book mark (which ended up being a sticky note...) and found TONS of them, but... they were all from when I was much younger. And it was obvious.  After that I figured, I would actually share my "rediscovery" experience with everyone... so here we go!

What I missed about my Kindle:

1. Automatic bookmarks - ugh...hate it when bookmarks fall out! And I refuse to "dog ear" or fold over the corner of a page.
2. Kindle book light - just better lighting than overhead lighting
3. Size - it is sooo skinny it fits in my purse without making it bulky
4. Weight of my Kindle - even with my case on, it still weighs less than the paperback book
5. The device itself - because I just love it that much!
6. Having a built-in, easily and quickly accessible dictionary
7. Hands free reading - using the stand on my case
8. One hand reading - holding my book with just one hand for more than 2-3 minutes..without pain.
9. Book Library - I really missed being able to access more than one book at a time.
10. Anonymity - Nobody would know what I was reading or working on.
11. Notepad - used to jot down the book recommendations people give to me while on campus.

What I did not miss about my Kindle.

1. .... (I missed everything about my Kindle!!)

What I missed about print books:

1. Smell - Fellow book junkies can agree! New books smell good!
2. The sound of "breaking" the spine of a brand new book.
3. Feeling the amount of pages I have/have not read

What I did not miss about print books:

1. No Dictionary - find words I didn't know; write down the words; look up the words later (if I remember)...too much work!
2. Smell - Old book smell isn't that great.. especially dusty and dirty old book smell. Now before you get all jumpy, I keep my books in a drawer, not on shelves, and they still got dusty and gross.
3. Texture - when it's cold outside your skin might not be as soft or smooth...rough skin can easily catch on the paper and makes the pages feel gritty... ewww (cringe)
4. Covers - I love cover art, but hate it at the same time.  Everyone and their brother knows what I'm reading and feels that it is their civic duty to ask about it.
5. Holding it open - I didn't really like having to hold it open, it's not easy to multitask after a while.
6. Bookmarks - finding a bookmark that didn't slid out, wasn't easy to loose or one that I actually wanted to keep with me was annoying, so I decided to just use a sticky note. Generic, but it worked!
7. Yellowing - paper is biodegradable so it oxidizes and yellows over time. My paperback books are three years old and turned that oh-so familiar light yellow color.
8. Slower reading - Oddly enough, I read slower with the print copies than I do with an ebook. Weird? Anyone else?

There are probably more things to add to each list, but I can't think of them immediately.  I felt like I was cheating on my Kindle! Poor DragonToo was left home for two weeks because my purse just wasn't big enough for both.  The debate continues....which do you like better?  Plastic or Print?  Happy Life After Kindle Day!!