How to Simplify Life with an Ebook Reader
A few months ago, I purchased a Sony PRS-505 ebook reader
To people who don’t own an ebook reader, it can seem a frivolous purchase. Why on earth would you need an electronic device for reading, for example? My answer to that is simply convenience. You probably own a computer and a television, neither of which you actually need, yet they are a convenience to you. And if you have any size of a book collection at all, I would argue that you could save huge amounts of space by making the switch to an ebook reader.
The next question out of most people’s mouths is then, why didn’t you buy a Kindle
Second, the Kindle reader only reads a proprietary Amazon book format created especially for the Kindle. I support open formats so that readers are not arbitrarily restricted by the limitations of their ebook reader as to what book formats they can purchase and use. The Sony PRS-505 reads the popular open format EPUB and Sony LRF ebook formats, as well as RTF, PDFs, TXT, providing much more versatility when you are looking for a certain book in ebook format.
A final point I should make is that reading on an ebook reader is not like reading on a computer screen, and that is to the good. There is no eyestrain-inducing backlight on ebook readers, for one. For another, the technology behind ebook reader screens produces a screen that looks a lot like – well, paper. It’s really easy to read off of, plus people with poor vision can adjust the font sizes on the reader itself, so in many ways an ebook reader is much easier on your eyes.
If you are comfortable enough with technology to make the switch to an ebook reader, you can open up space in your home previously taken up by bulky books. The Sony ebook reader holds almost 200 books easily, plus you can buy additional memory cards for the ebook reader. For travelers, ebooks readers can save you money on airline fees by weighing less than one traditional hardback book.
Though there will always be some books I prefer to read in traditional paper format, I have definitely enjoyed the convenience and portability of having my favorite books with me all the time, whether I’m flying, traveling, or just stuck in a line somewhere.
If you want more information, I have written a full, feature-by-feature comparison of the Kindle 2 and the Sony 505 ebook readers.
Read MoreStoring Books in Small Spaces
For many people, myself included, we acknowledge that books take up an awful lot of space, especially for something that is usually only actively used for a few months and then kept and stored for years. How can we justify our desire for compact, organized living when we have so many little rectangular objects taking up shelf/closet/floor space in our homes? If you love books, then you are happy to pay the price of having to deal with more objects in your life, keeping them reasonably organized, and finding ways to store them without creating clutter.
My advice for book lovers whose homes are also small is to only keep your best books. What I mean by that is:
- Keep the library at the library. Having books for the sake of owning them is too self-indulgent for small home owners. Other thins will fit nicely on your lovely bookshelves, so don’t buy books to fill space, either. You can set a vase, a flower pot, your trinkets, or some framed photos on a bookshelf, too.
- Only keep books you love, and have happy memories/emotions associated with them. If you finished a book and you didn’t like it, get it out of your house as quickly as possible. I’m trying not to get too feng-sui / aura-happy here, but it makes sense: if you want a happy home, only own things that make you happy.
- Keep only what you will read again. I have enjoyed many books that I will never open again, because they were too sad/depressing, too long, too complicated, or irrelevant to my current goals (Learn Japanese, anyone?). Only keep the books that you will get use out of in the future. Everything else is clutter.
Having said all that, it is completely fine, if you love books, to have many of them in your home, and many people have found clever ways to store them where they are still accessible, yet do not get in the way. From storing your books in the rafters to building them into table legs, people living in small spaces can be very creative when it comes down to finding a way to fit their books in or getting rid of them. Some people organize their books by color or style, and some put uniform book jackets on their collection to match their decor. Whatever your home design goals, you can find a clever and interesting way to live peacefully – and stylishly – with your beloved books.