Can we talk?

e-books

         My favorite part about the kindle or other e-book is that I don't have to go shopping (I know, I'm female, and I don't like shopping) and I can get it in a few minutes. I can order a book without leaving home, but I have to wait for delivery. That instant gratification without the hassle is wonderful.

         However, the quality of editing stinks. They don't check for typos, grammar, etc. Now I like the free ones, but most cost a few dollars or the same as a hardback, depending on the book. If it's a classic or one I pay for, I want it free of errors.

         There's also the problem of coming back to something later. If you want to mark a passage for quoting, or just to savor it again, it's almost impossible to find it again. Then the contraption itself can freeze and have to be reset. Or if the battery is running low, the pages will be slow to turn or will quit and go back to where you started this session without signaling you that the battery needs charging. I do like that it gives me a percentage of how far I've come, but that only helps irritate me when I've read 84%, and suddenly I find myself back at 60%.

         I still like real books. My mother was an avid reader and left plenty of books. So I can go back to the 80's and 90's for the best sellers of those days with ease. I'm not giving up books I can hold. And I can lend a physical book, or pass it around. I can't push my Kindle off on anyone else, or encourage them to browse my electronic library. For sharing with others, the old-fashioned book is the only way.