# Misunderstood: My Favorite Kindle Comments



## MoyJoy (Aug 24, 2010)

NYers who commute on the NYC Transit system have maximum exposure to Kindle Gawkers.  With the K1 and K2 I got a lot of stares and inquiries but with the popularity of ebooks spreading I've been getting some even crazier... assumptions I'll call them.  Here are my favorites (all said with complete confidence!)... I'd love to hear yours as well!

Can other people see that or just you? (as if it was in a language only I could understand)

What is that an iMac?  It’s an iMac right?  (got that more than once) 

It comes loaded with a thousand books right?

So you type all the books into that thing? <--my personal favorite


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## IUHoosier (Aug 6, 2010)

Wow.  Those are fabulous.  Thanks!


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## Samantha (Jul 16, 2010)

MoyJoy said:


> NYers who commute on the NYC Transit system have maximum exposure to Kindle Gawkers. With the K1 and K2 I got a lot of stares and inquiries but with the popularity of ebooks spreading I've been getting some even crazier... assumptions I'll call them. Here are my favorites (all said with complete confidence!)... I'd love to hear yours as well!
> 
> Can other people see that or just you? (as if it was in a language only I could understand)
> 
> ...


that's hilarious.


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## Shahi Paneer (Oct 4, 2010)

LOL!

10 minutes after I get my first ever Kindle, my friend walks in. Naturally, I proudly show it off to him.

He swipes his finger across the screen to "unlock" it and then exclaims, "No touch-screen? Waste!"

I so wanted to sock him in the face then.


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## dimples (Jul 28, 2010)

Shahi Paneer said:


> LOL!
> 
> 10 minutes after I get my first ever Kindle, my friend walks in. Naturally, I proudly show it off to him.
> 
> ...


Was it because he thought the kindle was a waste or because he got his greasy fingers all over your brand new beautiful e-ink screen?


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## SkierChick (Jul 30, 2010)

LOL! Those are funny. The goofiest comment I've gotten so far was when a coworker started touching the screen & said "How do I get to the next page?!?"


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## Shahi Paneer (Oct 4, 2010)

dimples said:


> Was it because he thought the kindle was a waste or because he got his greasy fingers all over your brand new beautiful e-ink screen?


The former really. Wiping off pre-concieved / ill-informed notions is much more difficult than the fingerprints.


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## Samantha (Jul 16, 2010)

Shahi Paneer said:


> LOL!
> 
> 10 minutes after I get my first ever Kindle, my friend walks in. Naturally, I proudly show it off to him.
> 
> ...


yeah I've had that happen. Twice! One was my mother who is technologically challenged. I'm like SERIOUSLY?


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

wow, I WISH it came pre-loaded with 1,000 books. How awesome would that be?


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Thalia the Muse said:


> wow, I WISH it came pre-loaded with 1,000 books. How awesome would that be?


But how many of them would be something you would want to read?


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

> But how many of them would be something you would want to read?


Depends on what they are -- but if it came preloaded with well-formatted versions of the public-domain usual suspects (Dickens, the Brontes, George Elliot, Les Miserables, Mark Twain, Dracula, H. G. Wells ...) I would have had plenty to keep me happily reading away.


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## MoyJoy (Aug 24, 2010)

I find the more you try and explain it to some people the less they understand it. I end up just saying "it's like an ipod for books".


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Thalia the Muse said:


> wow, I WISH it came pre-loaded with 1,000 books. How awesome would that be?


The Kobo, available at Borders, comes with 200 public domain classics. . . .which, for someone moving from paper books, is a really good deal. . . .'cause if you actually bought all of them, even in the cheapest paper editions, you'd probably be paying at least $400. . . .Unless, of course, you really don't want to read the classics. 

I've had a number of people say they weren't so sure about the Kindle because they liked "real books". I always say, "so do I, that's why the Kindle is so great -- I've got several hundred real books right here!"


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

One of the clerk/cashiers at Wallyworld last night saw my kindle in my hand and started to get all snooty with me, "Oh.. I see you have a Kindle, I have a Nook." In a very condescending tone of voice.
I said, "Great! I'm glad you read." Effectively spiked her guns, she really had no clue what to say to me after that. I just smiled and walked off giggling internally.


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## Wannabe (Nov 6, 2008)

BTackitt said:


> One of the clerk/cashiers at Wallyworld last night saw my kindle in my hand and started to get all snooty with me, "Oh.. I see you have a Kindle, I have a Nook." In a very condescending tone of voice.
> I said, "Great! I'm glad you read." Effectively spiked her guns, she really had no clue what to say to me after that. I just smiled and walked off giggling internally.


GREAT comback!!


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## The Atomic Bookworm (Jul 20, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I've had a number of people say they weren't so sure about the Kindle because they liked "real books". I always say, "so do I, that's why the Kindle is so great -- I've got several hundred real books right here!"


I tried this strategy... and the other party (who is the type of person who likes to 'win' arguments) said: "Well, I prefer the smell of books".


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## SusanCassidy (Nov 9, 2008)

Personally, I think that a company (or whatever) selecting 400 or 1000 classics for me is a huge waste.  The odds are greatly against their choices being things I would want to read.  

Far better would be the inclusion of a card listing free sites for public domain books, so that people who get a new reader would be made aware that free books are available (since many owners seem not to be), and where to get them.


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## Samantha (Jul 16, 2010)

The Atomic Bookworm said:


> I tried this strategy... and the other party (who is the type of person who likes to 'win' arguments) said: "Well, I prefer the smell of books".


I think I'd say "I'd prefer reading books as opposed to smelling them." I don't get this comment anyhow - I read a lot - have always read a lot and I don't remember books smelling.  I was just reading a DTB (why do I feel like I'm cheating on my Kindle?) on my lunch and I couldn't smell it.


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## svsilentsun (Nov 24, 2009)

I've had no fewer than 4 people in the last week ask me why I bought a new K3 instead of an iPad. I replied, "That's like, if I bought a motorcycle, saying 'Why didn't you buy a limo'." The iPad is totally cool, but I can't imagine reading for hours on the thing. Especially not in bed. Although it would really tone my upper body...


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I've had a number of people say they weren't so sure about the Kindle because they liked "real books".


I understand this. I miss physical books when I use an ereader; I miss carefully chosen fonts, precise formatting, the physicality, the ease of random access, speed of page turns, etc.

The K3 is impressive. It has its place but will not replace "real" books for me. Two very different reading experiences.


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## shalym (Sep 1, 2010)

Elk said:


> I understand this. I miss physical books when I use an ereader; I miss carefully chosen fonts, precise formatting, the physicality, the ease of random access, speed of page turns, etc.
> 
> The K3 is impressive. It has its place but will not replace "real" books for me. Two very different reading experiences.


Interesting...I'm just the opposite. I miss my Kindle when I'm reading paper books. The ability to change font sizes if my eyes are tired, being able to hold it with one hand while reading in bed, not losing my page if I fall asleep while reading...

Shari


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Good reasons to like a Kindle.

I do understand those that appreciate an aesthetic experience along with their content however.


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## izzy (Jun 12, 2010)

I've gotten a few different comments

on an airplane I had the aisle seat and was reading and the lady waiting to go the bathroom goes "Are you reading a book on that?" I said "yes its a kindle" She responded "a what? I've never heard of that" I was kind of like have you lived under a rock for the past 3 years? 

Another favorite is "wow so thats what a kindle looks like? I never thought it would look like that" 

I've explained to a professor who I didn't even have a class with how to download books onto his wife's kindle. That was fun.

Of course i've also gotten the usual "i can't imagine giving up real books" and what not but I usually respond with "well I get to carry around a bunch of books at once instead of just a few now"


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## macaroni (Sep 4, 2010)

I totally understand the I like the real book "experiance" because I was one of those people. I bought a Kindle for my daughter for her birthday because she is a techno nerd and has wanted a Kindle for a year. I thought how could any one read on that cold piece of hardware .... it has no soul.

After playing with her Kindle for a little while I came to the conclusion that a Kindle does have a soul .... but where a DTB's soul is kind of a Tweed jacket with leather elbow patches and cherry flavored pipe tobaco kind of thing, a Kindle has a kind of R2D2, Wall-E, little bit of whimsy kind of soul.

I can't really enjoy an all nighter reading a "real" book any more because my eyesight has gone so darn bad, but I now can enjoy reading my new Kindle free from eyestrain as long as I darn well please ...


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## Samantha (Jul 16, 2010)

shalym said:


> Interesting...I'm just the opposite. I miss my Kindle when I'm reading paper books. The ability to change font sizes if my eyes are tired, being able to hold it with one hand while reading in bed, not losing my page if I fall asleep while reading...
> 
> Shari


Me too! And the ability for it fit in my purse. Hard covers don't fit in my purse.

I do miss seeing the jacket cover tho.


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## Samantha (Jul 16, 2010)

macaroni said:


> After playing with her Kindle for a little while I came to the conclusion that a Kindle does have a soul .... but where a DTB's soul is kind of a Tweed jacket with leather elbow patches and cherry flavored pipe tobaco kind of thing, a Kindle has a kind of R2D2, Wall-E, little bit of whimsy kind of soul.


what a cool way of thinking


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## MoyJoy (Aug 24, 2010)

On my way home today I had this exchange with this teenage boy:

is that a MAC?

It's a Kindle.

A what?

A Kindle?

A what?

A k i n d l e? <-while pointing at the word Kindle.

A what? You know what. I'm sorry. Never mind. 

I mean, the word does exist already in the English language. It's not a new word. LOL!

This one girl the other day on the subway was so cute. She was about 16 and she was so engrossed in my Kindle. Her friends were sitting across from her. I was trying to ignore her in a polite way because I could tell she wasn't trying to be rude, she was just totally mesmerized, but her friends totally called her out. They were like "Daaaaaamn, you might as well be sitting in her lap!" LOL!


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## caracara (May 23, 2010)

My favorite is this one kid my class.  Everyday I have Libby out he just turn her from sleep to on back to sleep because he loves seeing the screen change.
Then someone else will come up and swipe there finger across it. I go click the button. And then they are impressed.  Hopefully I will convince a couple of classmates by the end of the year to buy one!


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Hahahaha, I love those comments. The best one I've ever gotten was on a plane when someone asked if it was my phone. I giggled to think of holding a Kindle up to my head and talking into it!


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Ha!!  These stories are cracking me up!  

Vicki


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## Cardinal (Feb 24, 2010)

Jessica Billings said:


> The best one I've ever gotten was on a plane when someone asked if it was my phone.


That cracks me up. 

I've had people ask me about my Kindle and eReaders, but no derogatory comments from strangers. When I've mentioned I bought a Kindle to most of my friends they launch into a twenty minute monologue about their love of real books.


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

I had my K3 at the denitst and the woman who did my xrays was quite annoying in general.. she saw my Kindle 3 and kept braying "it is so BIG!" Huh?  I  guess she was thinking it was a giant iphone?

Too bad I didn't have my DX.


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## Patra (Feb 24, 2009)

My favorite:  "Is that one of them there reader things?"  Me: "Yep."  Him: "Huh."  Then he just walked off.


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## CoffeeCat (Sep 13, 2010)

Haha these are too funny. I haven't had anyone ask me stupid questions about my Kindle in ages, so I don't have anything to add just yet, but I'm sure it will come up soon enough.


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## tomatogirl (Aug 27, 2010)

Help me out, I'm looking for a good comeback!

When someone says, "Oh, I like to read real books" (or something to that effect)
And I explain how they are real books, I inevitably get the 
"Oh, you know what I mean."

What's the next best retort to that?


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

"Oh, the ones that are three times the size and twice as heavy as the hundred I have here."


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## Trophywife007 (Aug 31, 2009)

That comment: "I like real books."  Ugh.  I'd guess that everyone here likes real books and that, in fact, we all have more real books than the average person out there.  

Someone probably said the same thing when they went from wax tablets to parchment... they're not Kindle-worthy.


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## Samantha (Jul 16, 2010)

tomatogirl said:


> Help me out, I'm looking for a good comeback!
> 
> When someone says, "Oh, I like to read real books" (or something to that effect)
> And I explain how they are real books, I inevitably get the
> ...


Say no you don't know. Let them explain what they are talking about. 

It's ok if people prefer to read DTB; I'm not sure why they need to say that.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Samantha said:


> Say no you don't know. Let them explain what they are talking about.


Yeah. . .that's what I'd do. . . . "No, I don't?" while looking at them quizzically and confusedly. . . . .don't know if it qualifies as a _good_ comeback. . .

Then if they come right out and say they prefer paper. . . .I usually say, "Well, that's o.k. too. . . have you ever used an ereader? No? But you prefer paper? Oh. O.k. then." Smiling all the time and then go back to my reading.


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## Samantha (Jul 16, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Yeah. . .that's what I'd do. . . . "No, I don't?" while looking at them quizzically and confusedly. . . . .don't know if it qualifies as a _good_ comeback. . .
> 
> Then if they come right out and say they prefer paper. . . .I usually say, "Well, that's o.k. too. . . have you ever used an ereader? No? But you prefer paper? Oh. O.k. then." Smiling all the time and then go back to my reading.


that's my thought - it's not necessarily a good comeback but it puts them on the spot. It's ok if they like paper but I'm not sure why people have to say that every time an e-reader is discussed.  It's not like people say this is THE only way to read.


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## tomatogirl (Aug 27, 2010)

My guess would be most of these folks have never tried an ereader, and are being hoity out of either jealousy or a superiority complex.

So far, my only reply has been "it doesn't have to be an either/or situation. I can still read paper books."

I'd love a funny, shut-them-up comeback.


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## Jon King (Sep 10, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Then if they come right out and say they prefer paper. . . .I usually say, "Well, that's o.k. too. . . have you ever used an ereader? No? But you prefer paper? Oh. O.k. then." Smiling all the time and then go back to my reading.


While that would work with many of the fine people who read Kindles, most people are probably too dumb for subtlety to be an effective weapon. If that fails, I suggest grabbing their DTB and knocking them over the head with it.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

izzy said:


> Of course i've also gotten the usual "i can't imagine giving up real books" and what not but I usually respond with "well I get to carry around a bunch of books at once instead of just a few now"


While I've never had anyone actually say they couldn't give up "real books", I typically get "How can you read on that?". I then have the pleasure of showing how great the text looks and explaining that I'm a huge sci-fi/fantasy fan and that right now, I am holding the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the Hobbit* and George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series, and each one of those books by themselves is a nice doorstop. Plus whatever else I might have at the time, all on this itty bitty device that doesn't break my back.  That always impresses them and then they ask how many books can the Kindle hold.

*And now I can add the Hitchhiker's Guide series to the list hehehe


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## Samantha (Jul 16, 2010)

tomatogirl said:


> So far, my only reply has been "it doesn't have to be an either/or situation. I can still read paper books."


good point!  I'm reading a DTB now! A library book!


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## Shahi Paneer (Oct 4, 2010)

Seeing all the responses on this thread and considering how long Kindle has been available in US, I am surprised to see so many people still have very limited knowledge about e-readers/Kindle.

Now I wonder what kind of reactions will I get with the Kindle once I go back to my own country.


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## me3boyz (Jan 10, 2010)

The Atomic Bookworm said:


> I tried this strategy... and the other party (who is the type of person who likes to 'win' arguments) said: "Well, I prefer the smell of books".


"I prefer sitting under a tree rather than holding one in my hands."


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## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

tomatogirl said:


> "Oh, I like to read real books" (or something to that effect)


"I like to read real books too, those are what I read on my Kindle, real books! Lots of them!"


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## akpak (Mar 5, 2009)

I think my response is usually along the lines of this:

Them: "I couldn't give up 'real' books. I like how they feel and smell, etc etc"
Me: "That's what I thought too. Turns out it was the words I liked, and the trappings are irrelevant"


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## tomatogirl (Aug 27, 2010)

akpak said:


> I think my response is usually along the lines of this:
> 
> Them: "I couldn't give up 'real' books. I like how they feel and smell, etc etc"
> Me: "That's what I thought too. Turns out it was the words I liked, and the trappings are irrelevant"


Oh, that's a good one! I think I saw someone mention over at MR that their response was something like: if you're loving the smell or the feel, then you're probably not that into the story.


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## bookfiend (Feb 22, 2009)

My favorite comment so far has been "are you listening to that thing?"  In distracting noisy places I put on background music and earplugs.  Funny enough the guy didnt care about reading, just what you could listen too.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Why does one need a comeback to those who state they prefer "real books?"

Reading a real, non-virtual book is a different experience from reading on an ereader.

Why not smile, acknowledge the pleasures of a well-produced physical book, and describe what you find to be the benefits of an ereader?


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## Samantha (Jul 16, 2010)

Elk said:


> Why does one need a comeback to those who state they prefer "real books?"
> 
> Reading a real, non-virtual book is a different experience from reading on an ereader.
> 
> Why not smile, acknowledge the pleasures of a well-produced physical book, and describe what you find to be the benefits of an ereader?


I don't think people are looking for comebacks to be spiteful. What I'm assuming is happening is person is asking what the Kindle is, person gets it explained to them and then the first person says 'well I like REAL books'. Which honestly is kind of snotty.


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## Patra (Feb 24, 2009)

Elk said:


> Why does one need a comeback to those who state they prefer "real books?"
> 
> Reading a real, non-virtual book is a different experience from reading on an ereader.
> 
> Why not smile, acknowledge the pleasures of a well-produced physical book, and describe what you find to be the benefits of an ereader?


Because having the last word is very important in our society. :/ You are right. Really, does it matter what they think? I'm certainly not going to enjoy my Kindle less because someone doesn't like it. Just because they feel a need to express their unsolicited opinion doesn't mean we need to do the same.


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## BK (Feb 5, 2009)

me3boyz said:


> "I prefer sitting under a tree rather than holding one in my hands."


Best comment ever! Thank you!


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## tomatogirl (Aug 27, 2010)

Elk said:


> Why does one need a comeback to those who state they prefer "real books?"
> 
> Reading a real, non-virtual book is a different experience from reading on an ereader.
> 
> Why not smile, acknowledge the pleasures of a well-produced physical book, and describe what you find to be the benefits of an ereader?


Here's the thing: I'm minding my own business reading - on a plane, at a coffee shop, etc - and someone approaches me to ask me what that 'thing' is, I explain quite happily. If they come back with "Oh, well I prefer _real_ books." - that's just rude. We are strangers, they've bothered me _and then_ put me down? Sometimes having a quick comeback is the only way to show those people how obnoxious they are. I have been hoping for a funny one to make light of the situation.

If I'm having a conversation with friends/acquaintances or colleagues, I wouldn't dream of a rude comeback, since, you know, we'd be having a conversation.


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## svsilentsun (Nov 24, 2009)

Funny, I've never had a stranger be rude to me about my Kindle (except that durned flight attendant who made me turn it 'off'). I guess I'm just so excited about it that when someone brings it up, my enthusiasm rubs off. I can't say I convert them all, but I just talk and talk and talk about it till they go 'Wow, I had no idea.' Which is usually the case, right? 

Love the 'Sitting under the tree' comment.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

tomatogirl said:


> If they come back with "Oh, well I prefer _real_ books." - that's just rude.


It could be rude if delivered condescendingly. I suspect most are just expressing an opinion however.

This is precisely the time to explain why an ereader is a handy thing when traveling, etc.

Convert them!


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

Elk said:


> It could be rude if delivered condescendingly. I suspect most are just expressing an opinion however.
> 
> This is precisely the time to explain why an ereader is a handy thing when traveling, etc.
> 
> Convert them!


People have said to me that they prefer real books. I hadn't seen a need to respond. And if people prefer the feel and smell of DTBs, could be because they're more into tactile experiences or the physical presence of something. Maybe they like the heft of the book or the sound of the pages.

There's room for both in this world. I find myself switching back and forth right now myself.


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

I still read my share of older out of print books, but I have to admit that the "smell" people keep talking about turns me off.  I am allergic to mold and a lot of the older books are moldy smelling.  So while I still read them, I much prefer the smell of my purse as I open it to retrieve my Kindle.


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## vanzant (Oct 4, 2010)

KindleChickie said:


> I still read my share of older out of print books, but I have to admit that the "smell" people keep talking about turns me off. I am allergic to mold and a lot of the older books are moldy smelling. So while I still read them, I much prefer the smell of my purse as I open it to retrieve my Kindle.


Me 2. Not too long ago I was in my basement where I found a book that I read in elementary school called Sharks: Attacks on Man. I thought Cool, I'd love to read this again. Well, I didn't get very far, the smell was just too much. I checked yesterday for an eBook version of my old Shark book but No Luck.

My K3 should be here Friday or Saturday.


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## ayuryogini (Jan 3, 2010)

MoyJoy said:


> Can other people see that or just you? (as if it was in a language only I could understand)
> 
> What is that an iMac? It's an iMac right? (got that more than once)
> 
> ...


I don't have any to add, but thanks for these; they were literally Laugh Out Loud Funny! especially that last one.


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## jasonrw (Jan 2, 2010)

I've been asked if my DX was an ipad...


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

the few times I have had someone say Well, I would miss the smell/ feel of the book, I say, maybe, but my DS#2 has allergies, and unfortunately old books get musty, which aggravates his allergies, and I'd rather have my son around than books. and as to the "Feel" of a book, I'd rather read the story than get a papercut.


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

KindleChickie said:


> I still read my share of older out of print books, but I have to admit that the "smell" people keep talking about turns me off. I am allergic to mold and a lot of the older books are moldy smelling. So while I still read them, I much prefer the smell of my purse as I open it to retrieve my Kindle.


I'm the same way. The smell of dust and mildew on older books really doesn't do anything for me except make me sneeze and my eyes water. Newer books just smell like glue to me and I was never into the smell of glue, even as a child .

I prefer the smell of my Oberon cover to any DTB.


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## Jon King (Sep 10, 2010)

I don't know, I guess I understand the "smell" thing.  I love walking into a used book store (not the massive Half-Price Books chains, necessarily, but the little hole-in-the-wall places) and getting hit with the wave of semi-musty paper.  For some reason I've always associated it with the smell of "knowledge."

I still won't go back to just paper books though.  And most of my coworkers/peers are engineer-types, who look upon reading as only a means to completing whatever task is in front of you at the moment, like learning calculus or repairing a transmission.  No whimsy...


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

My view is that there are books that deserve to be in old hardcover from used bookstore form, and that most books are just content. If I'm reading a book for the content, I'd prefer the kindle, if its one that has an emotional attachment to the oldness of the book, I want a used copy.

I have an emotional attachment to all my books and won't get rid of any of them, and I'll still get certain books from used book stores, but its rare to find a book that deserves a used bookstore copy - especially because those are even more rarely fiction books. Books can be favorites of mine without me wanting a paper copy, or they can be books that I'll not completely reread and want a paper copy of.


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## TotallyEpic (Aug 14, 2010)

When I express my intentions of getting a Kindle, I always get "Why not get an iPad?"


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

TotallyEpic said:


> When I express my intentions of getting a Kindle, I always get "Why not get an iPad?"


Yeah, I've gotten that too. Depending on my mood I either say, "Because I don't want an iPad," or "well, there's no law that says I can't have both."

In fact there are a bunch of folks here who _do_ have both. . . they're completely different animals! (the Kindle and iPad, not the members who have both.  )


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## TLM (Apr 8, 2010)

I ordered my Kindle the day I-Pads went on sale.  While I-Pads are very cool, I have a laptop, a Droid and now a Kindle, I don't need a device that is somewhere inbetween the three.  Anyway, I got the "Is that an I-pad?! a lot the first month or so that I had my Kindle.  Always when I answered, "No, it's a Kindle." they would say, "oh" in a disappointed voice.

The other reaction I get from people who don't know about Kindles is surprise that I have to actually pay for the books on top of paying for a Kindle!  For some reason they think that the books should be free if you pay for the device.    I paid for my I-Pod and still have to pay for the songs that I download.  The only difference is that if the I-pod breaks, Apple doesn't care if I lose $$$ worth of music, I should have backed up my library myself.  Amazon will always have my books safe for me.


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## littlemac (Sep 29, 2010)

tomatogirl said:


> Help me out, I'm looking for a good comeback!
> 
> When someone says, "Oh, I like to read real books" (or something to that effect)
> And I explain how they are real books, I inevitably get the
> ...


Personally, I just give them the incredulous look and mumble something about the 'poor trees that went into your dead tree book'. That tends to be pretty effective.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

TLM said:


> The other reaction I get from people who don't know about Kindles is surprise that I have to actually pay for the books on top of paying for a Kindle! For some reason they think that the books should be free if you pay for the device.


Sadly this is not surprising.

Consider how many think it is appropriate to sell a used Kindle complete with copies of books the seller is also keeping.

Many similarly think it is OK to download copies of music they haven't paid for.

Once intellectual property is transferred to digital many people believe it is now free.


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## Trophywife007 (Aug 31, 2009)

I never paid much attention one way or the other to the smell of books, but now I do pay attention to how good a nice leather Kindle cover feels in my hands.  No paperback or even hard back (unless one has books with leather binding, and usually those aren't too squishy) comes close.


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## ttluisa (Sep 27, 2010)

I used to take my Kobo with me whenever I'm on the train(I'm a New Yorker), other people whether busy taking naps, listening to music or reading their own materials. The only attention I got from a ereader is that recently I exposed my newly arrived kindle 3 in a campus cafeteria, and a fellow colleague walked by and said "Oh, you have one of that. " Well that's about it.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

"I prefer real books."

Retorts:

"I prefer real trees."

"I prefer my Kindle. Are we done now?"

"Free country."

"A lot of people say that."

"Whatever."

All carry the subtext: "This conversation is over."


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## Tip10 (Apr 16, 2009)

I still think it ought to be more along the lines of:

"I prefer real books"

"So do I"

"But you have one of '_those_'"

"Yep, and I read real books on it!"

Seriously folks, I fail to understand the reasoning that somehow an electronic version isn't a "_REAL_" book. 
They all seem to be real books to me. 
They have stories, I can read them -- after all isn't a book a printed or written literary work? 
Isn't that what we read on our Kindle's? 
I mean, did Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass or Pride or Prejudice somehow become less than the literary classics they are because I read them on a Kindle?


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## ZankerH (Oct 8, 2010)

Elk said:


> Once intellectual property is transferred to digital many people believe it is now free.


"Intellectual property" is just a way for publishers to profit off authors' talents. My financial status allows me to participate in this scheme as opposed to breaking the law (and Amazon sure made it convenient to do so), but I completely understand the people who chose not to. After all, all art in digital form is information, the purest expression of the author. And according to the UN general declaration of human rights, expression should be free.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

ZankerH said:


> And according to the UN general declaration of human rights, expression should be free.


You are free to express yourself in anyway you see fit.

However, this does not give you the right to steal others' creative expression, whether it be printed, an audio recording or in digital form.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Tip10 said:


> I still think it ought to be more along the lines of:
> 
> "I prefer real books"
> 
> ...


This is exactly how I feel. . . .Mind you, if it's a person who I know has lots of books, I don't mind the remark nearly as much -- I just make a bit of an effort to convert them to the wonders of a Kindle. But when it's someone who I know, for a fact, rarely reads at all. . . .I find the remark a bit disingenuous. How can they prefer 'real' books if they don't READ! That said. . . .they also shouldn't spend the money for a Kindle.


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## ZankerH (Oct 8, 2010)

Elk said:


> You are free to express yourself in anyway you see fit.
> 
> However, this does not give you the right to steal others' creative expression, whether it be printed, an audio recording or in digital form.


Hello, you seem to be mistaking copyright violation for theft. They're both crimes, but let's not get sensational here. After all, according to the publishers' cartel, public libraries are tantamount to the biggest organised crime ring. Theft removes the original item, directly depriving its owner of it. Copyright violation only deprives the publishers of the potential profit, some of the time - if their flawed analyses are to be believed, in any case.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

ZankerH said:


> Hello, you seem to be mistaking copyright violation for theft.


No confusion here.



> They're both crimes,


Exactly. Thus, it doesn't appear you are confused either.

Another's property is another's property - physical or digital. An illegal taking is an illegal taking.

You may feel it is ethical/moral/legal to take intellectual property that doesn't belong to you. If so, good luck justifying it. I suggest http://www.arguewitheveryone.com/ Perhaps someone there will agree with you.

Best wishes.


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

ZankerH said:


> <snipped> After all, according to the publishers' cartel, public libraries are tantamount to the biggest organised crime ring. <snipped>


Yeppers. That would be us.  Public libraries are evil absconders of property rights. Heck, we let little children read books for *free*.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Folks, we've had the discussion multiple times about copyrights and violations and is it theft or something else. . . . .

This thread is supposed to be an amusing thread about odd statements we've gotten from people who don't yet know Kindle.

Let's please keep it on topic.

Thank you.


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## Cirlonde (Sep 25, 2010)

Regarding the smell of so-called "real" books, I have to say I totally get that.  Smells are often tied to memories for me and I grew up spending a lot of time in our local library which had the most wonderful smell.  Only as I grew older did I realize that smell was caused by a negative thing (mold/mustiness).   Regardless, to this day sticking my nose literally in a book and taking a deep breath makes me feel amazing.  It's like the whole world melts away and I'm carried back to those childhood memories of whole afternoons spent browsing through the library or re-reading the same book for the umpteenth time.  So I think for some people the idea of a physical book being somehow more "real" than an eBook has more to do with associative memories than anything else.  It's certainly not that I enjoy the smell/feel/look of a physical book more than I do the words that are on the pages; it's just that for 26ish years now, "books" have meant the feel of the pages between my fingers, the weight in my hands, and that oh-so-distinctive scent.  However, as others have mentioned regarding the epic fantasy tomes, the Kindle is SOOOO much easier on my wrists that it's definitely worth sacrificing a touch of nostalgia!  As Kindle lovers, it's our job to show people that it's a great alternative way of reading but doesn't mean you can't ever enjoy a "real" book again. 
-C


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

I usually do not receive any comments while reading on the trains.  Last Saturday I was reading a library ebook on Cybook Opus during intermission at the ballet.  The woman behind me says:

"I have to ask you, which one is that?"

I show it to her and tell her I use this one for library ebooks.  I tell her how light it is and tell her to hold it.  I put it to sleep and she says, "oh, that looks like an eye chart" (it is -- it's an eye chart screensaver that came with the device).  Then she says:

"I love my library.  It's just around the corner from where I live.  I love the smell and feel of books and newspapers."

That was the first time I got the "smell" remark, except for the ones I've seen online.


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## AnnetteL (Jul 14, 2010)

A lot of this reminds me of the first time my mom saw something about the Kindle on Amazon. She's a huge reader, but (not surprisingly) her first reaction was that it wouldn't be like "real" book. She'd done a lot of air travel recently, so I pointed out that during long flights, she could have literally hundreds of books with her in this tiny thing instead of cramming two or three novels into a carry-on.

THAT is when her eyes lit right up and she leaned in to read the ad better. "How much does it cost?"

Yeah, I think she'll be getting one soon.


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## cyclefreaksix (Sep 4, 2010)

I've gotten the "I prefer real books" statement several times since I've had my K3.  My response is to say, " Oh and what are you currently reading?".  This usually results in some sort of excuse making about being too busy to read or something along those lines.


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

Haven't gotten any strange remarks about my Kindle lately, but this summer my DS was showing off his new EVO smartphone and said "look Mom, I have the Kindle app on my phone so I don't _HAVE_ to have a Kindle to read books." Even though his remark was a dig at my having a Kindle I quite graciously replied back, "that's cool, what are you reading?" To which he shrugged his shoulders and said "nothing, I just have the app, why would I want to read on my phone?"


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## lowspark (Apr 18, 2010)

I have always read quite a bit. At least I thought I did. House is filled with physical books. Too many actually, the wife wont let me get rid of any of them. Regardless, upon learning about the Kindle and what it was and how it worked, thought there is no way I could get into one of those. I love physical books entirely too much. Well the wife bought me a K2 in April for my birthday, I was halfway through a hardback novel that I was getting into pretty good by the time my new K2 arrived. I had to try it out right away so I downloaded several books to start off. I put down the hardback and read through those first couple pretty quick. I have not picked that novel I was reading back up, I tried a few times and put it right back down. Not because the book isn't any good either. Anyway like I said I used to think I read quite a bit, now I am reading a ton more. Technology isn't always a bad thing, just different than what we are used to.


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## Lomiel (Oct 3, 2010)

I've been in the "I prefer real books" group for a while (though I don't think I've actually said this to anyone with a Kindle!), for the aforementioned reasons: smell, heft, sound, feel, visual presentation, etc. For instance, one of my favorite ways to get a feel for a book--if I want to read it or not--is to make my own mini-story by flipping to random pages and reading the first sentence my eyes land on, which is obviously impossible on a Kindle. Also, the Kindle severely limits the possibility for serendipity--the "What are you reading? Oh, I love that book!" comments, the "Here, I'm done with this, would you like it?" kind of sharing.

But although I'm now waiting for my first Kindle and am quite excited about getting it, I don't see any reason why the two can't co-exist...temporarily. I'm sure some of the "real books" crowd are just being snooty, but there's also a real fear of the "real book" becoming outdated and eventually disappearing, in the same way that an immigrant to a new country has to learn the foreign language, but their children grow up know both, and their children are monolingual in the "foreign" language. There's a real fear among people who love "real books" that the joy of making, reading, and having such a book is going to disappear soon, so the hostility is, to a point, understandable.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

Cirlonde said:


> As Kindle lovers, it's our job to show people that it's a great alternative way of reading but doesn't mean you can't ever enjoy a "real" book again.


Great post, Cirlonde, and this final sentence exhibits exactly the right attitude IMO.


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## Cindee (Oct 4, 2010)

I got my kindle yesterday ... and got my *'Hey is it a iPad moment' *  today already by some guy who was standing next to me outside a subway station in Hong Kong. 

He still looked a bit confused and lost when I told him, "No it's a kindle ... a e-book reader from amazon ..."


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

Angela said:


> Haven't gotten any strange remarks about my Kindle lately, but this summer my DS was showing off his new EVO smartphone and said "look Mom, I have the Kindle app on my phone so I don't _HAVE_ to have a Kindle to read books." Even though his remark was a dig at my having a Kindle I quite graciously replied back, "that's cool, what are you reading?" To which he shrugged his shoulders and said "nothing, I just have the app, why would I want to read on my phone?"


Score!



> I have not picked that novel I was reading back up, I tried a few times and put it right back down.


Thanks for saying that. I never finished the book I was reading when I got my Kindle. OTOH, it wasn't a good book. After about 3 weeks however, I've gone back to happily reading DTBs and switching back and forth between them and my Kindle. I just now bought a better DTB of Diana Wynne Jone's best book Fire and Hemlock. It is not on Kindle and I feel sure I'll enjoy re-reading it for nth time in paper.


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## MicroBeta (Jun 9, 2009)

MoyJoy said:


> NYers who commute on the NYC Transit system have maximum exposure to Kindle Gawkers. With the K1 and K2 I got a lot of stares and inquiries but with the popularity of ebooks spreading I've been getting some even crazier... assumptions I'll call them. Here are my favorites (all said with complete confidence!)... I'd love to hear yours as well!
> 
> Can other people see that or just you? (as if it was in a language only I could understand)
> 
> ...


The typing the books into it is my favorite too...and one that I've actually heard. 

Of all the things I've actually heard and read in this thread this one just confounds me. Why the heck would anyone think you would have to type your books into something so you could read them later?

Thinking about it makes my head hurt. 









Mike


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## chiffchaff (Dec 19, 2008)

Cindee said:


> I got my kindle yesterday ... and got my *'Hey is it a iPad moment' *  today already by some guy who was standing next to me outside a subway station in Hong Kong.
> 
> He still looked a bit confused and lost when I told him, "No it's a kindle ... a e-book reader from amazon ..."


Oddly, I've never been asked if my Kindle was an iPad (at least not yet). OTOH I've had two people ask if my iPad was a Kindle!


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## fairy_dreams (Jun 17, 2010)

If someone misses the smell and feel of books, you could suggest buying this cover:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/39386158/carry-your-kindle-hidden-inside-a-real

I've had people ask me if my Kindle is a Nook, to which I reply with a scream of agony


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

fairy_dreams said:


> If someone misses the smell and feel of books, you could suggest buying this cover:
> 
> http://www.etsy.com/listing/39386158/carry-your-kindle-hidden-inside-a-real
> 
> I've had people ask me if my Kindle is a Nook, to which I reply with a scream of agony


Oh no. $30 to put the Kindle into a hardcover book.


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## Patra (Feb 24, 2009)

lowspark said:


> Well the wife bought me a K2 in April for my birthday, I was halfway through a hardback novel that I was getting into pretty good by the time my new K2 arrived. I had to try it out right away so I downloaded several books to start off. I put down the hardback and read through those first couple pretty quick. I have not picked that novel I was reading back up, I tried a few times and put it right back down. Not because the book isn't any good either. Anyway like I said I used to think I read quite a bit, now I am reading a ton more. Technology isn't always a bad thing, just different than what we are used to.


Same thing happened to me when I got my K1 two years ago. I was about half-way through a really good book, so I just bought the book for the Kindle and finished it. I haven't read a "real" book since I received my Kindle (except for Bible study and commentaries that aren't available on the Kindle).


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## stormhawk (Apr 29, 2009)

Thalia the Muse said:


> wow, I WISH it came pre-loaded with 1,000 books. How awesome would that be?


The Kobo comes with 100 or so public domain books that you'll never actually read. A couple of years ago the Sony eReader had a similar offer.

I am grateful that I didn't have to spend time deleting such things off my shiny (not really, because it's matte black, of course) new Kindle.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

fairy_dreams said:


> If someone misses the smell and feel of books, you could suggest buying this cover:


Deliciously bizarre.

Amusingly the hard cover book they cut to fit a Kindle in it is not available as an ebook.


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## Cindee (Oct 4, 2010)

chiffchaff said:


> Oddly, I've never been asked if my Kindle was an iPad (at least not yet). OTOH I've had two people ask if my iPad was a Kindle!


I was majorly amused by the short remark this Chinese old man left while passing me in the subway this morning:

"Oh that IS a ebook reader!"

Remark like this makes us wonder if some of us are overly exposed to different media and thus our brains tend to complicate things a bit too much when we see something NEW. For this old man, I guess there are only two kinds of books in his world: physical ones and e-books. He didn't even give me the 'Oh is that a iPad/nook/etc) moment' cuz he is already sure it is NOT a physical book.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I've never had any rude or ignorant comments in person, or had anyone think the Kindle was something else. I've had people ask me if it was one of those book readers and people mention it by name, but all good stuff. 

Of course, I'm a nice person, really, ridiculously so, but I seem to have inherited or picked up a family tendency to look frowny when I'm concentrating or my face is in repose. At the very least, my face is sometimes hard to read. So, no one had interrupted my reading to ask about it either and so most of the conversations have been with servers. 

Online I read the comments all the time. The real books comments bug me. I've written: If I see you on a plane and tell you I've read the book that you're reading, and we have a nice discussion about it, does it matter if I read it on a Kindle? Does my experience really seem less real to you if we've just had a truly enjoyable meeting of the minds? Are you really saying that your copy is real? That you're a better, more serious reader? You know what's serious? Walking around with a portable bookshelf.   

The last part is also part of how I respond to people who say it's ridiculous to spend money on a book-reader. I ask them how much they would spend on a book shelf or find it reasonable for someone else to spend -- because as much as a reader is a fair description, it's also something that holds lots of books. I am looking at two custom made book cases, beautiful work, and no one -- not once -- has asked me what they cost or disparaged the purchase. They're each, as I recall, more expensive than a Kindle. While lovely, I can't really lug them around. So, Kindle is the best book shelf ever!

I'd love to see that as a focus of an ad. Kindle: The Best (Portable, Affordable, Organizable) Book Shelf/Magazine Rack Ever. While other people in the lobby are reading a grimy Time Magazine from when Bush was still Pres. and will have to stop reading when her name is called, the Kindle owner is reading the newest issue that just DLed -- and can continue it later if need be. 

I think that's more relatable than sun glasses.


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## vanzant (Oct 4, 2010)

Great analogy, you nailed it.

Maybe I'm wrong but I think that the new prices will change some of these attitudes.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

I suspect I WOULD read a good chunk of the 100 public-domain books. I read a lot of public-domain books as it is, that would just save me downloading them myself/trying desperately to figure out which version has been formatted to be readable.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Thalia the Muse said:


> I suspect I WOULD read a good chunk of the 100 public-domain books. I read a lot of public-domain books as it is, that would just save me downloading them myself/trying desperately to figure out which version has been formatted to be readable.


Yeah, I expect I'd read a lot of them too. . . . . .or else, find I already had!


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## Edge (Mar 6, 2009)

I travel for business and pleasure quite a bit, and nearly every time I fly, I am asked at least once about my Kindle. It's about 50/50 between, "Is that an iPad?" and "Is that a Kindle?" The people who asked if it was an iPad are disappointed that it's not and move on. Those who ask if it's a Kindle follow up by asking me how much I like it. When I tell them I love it, EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO ASKED tells me, "I'm going to buy mine today/tonight." I also show them the device, let them go through a book I put together as an example (it's a PDF book I made with some pictures, variable sizes of text, etc to help me demo it since it happens so often and I hate letting people mess with a book I'm currently reading).

I have had a few people tell me they prefer "Real books," to which I tell them, "I used to read real books, too. Now I stick to sci-fi and fiction, and I have over 100 of each with me right now to choose from." I love the confused looks on their faces.


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

These are hilarious!  

My favorite that happened to me:

I was reading my Kindle, in its case, when a coworker walks over:

"Are you reading a book on that?"

"Yes, it's a Kindle." 

Blank Look....Then, he tilts his head for a side view.

"Do you have to take the book out every time you want to turn the page?"

Once I quite laughing, I explained that it was electronic.


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## blue13x (Aug 1, 2010)

Most people seem to find the kindle very cool, especially when they learn that it's green by saving paper.
But many many people don't understand the fact that I actuallyy READ, saying this like: so why are you reading? Are you studying for something?


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## stormhawk (Apr 29, 2009)

blue13x said:


> Most people seem to find the kindle very cool, especially when they learn that it's green by saving paper.
> But many many people don't understand the fact that I actuallyy READ, saying this like: so why are you reading? Are you studying for something?


Although I know it's not unusual, that statement saddens me beyond words.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

RedAdept said:


> These are hilarious!
> 
> My favorite that happened to me:
> 
> ...


This is certainly a testament to how well the e-ink mimics the look of paper!


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## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

I love the bookshelf/bookcase analogy.  Thank you-- that is an amazing description.

My dd would tell you that her classmates (not her friends, just other classmates) think it's weird that she reads so much.  Her boyfriend stole her heart by suggesting books to her, spending almost 2 hours at BN with her, and then she saw that he had bookshelves of his own...ah, love.  lol


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

stormhawk said:


> Although I know it's not unusual, that statement saddens me beyond words.


I hear it too frequently. As a librarian people seem to like to admit to me that they don't read. Sometimes they seem disdainful of reading for pleasure, but just as often, more often really, they're a bit shame-faced about it and tell me that they hope to start reading one day.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

I think there's a fair amount of reverse snobbery about not reading -- especially about not reading "mere fiction."


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## blefever (Jul 29, 2010)

RedAdept said:


> These are hilarious!
> 
> My favorite that happened to me:
> 
> ...


I almost spilled my tea when I read this. I LOVE people. They are a riot!


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## ZsuZsu (Dec 27, 2009)

It's not unusual for people to ask if my Kindle is an iPad... when I tell them that it is not, they ask what I do with it if it isn't an iPad... when I go into my spiel about it being an e-book reader and that I can store hundreds and hundreds of books and grab new ones whenever/wherever I like, some of these poor folks kind of glaze over and then ask with amazement "So you just READ on that thing?!" "Why would you do that? Is it for work or school or something?"  And then they walk away shaking their heads.  
It's sad to me how many people just DON'T read unless it is a "required activity"... Sigh.....

Of course, there are some people who are completely fascinated and want to "test drive" my Kindle and then swear that they are going to order one.... too bad that is a far fewer number of people!


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## Melonhead (Jan 1, 2010)

I had a medical tech person look at my Kindle, sigh, and say, "I wish I liked to read, you people always look so happy."

That had me speechless.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

Aw, that's sad!


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## MoyJoy (Aug 24, 2010)

Last week I had a woman ask me about my Kindle because she wanted to get one for her son for Christmas (he's 9 and his school requires a half hour of leisure reading per day).  Anywho, she proceeded to tell me alllllll about her son... for the entire subway right.  She did apologize for keeping me from my reading.  


I also had a guy get all excited because I mentioned you could put mp3's on it... which doesn't seem odd, except he wanted to get it to put audiobooks on it!!!  I explained to him that you can do text to speech but he was specifically excited about audiobooks.  Eeeeeeven after I explained to him that it would be more practical to put audiobooks on an ipod... or something smaller, much smaller than a Kindle.


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## Jan Strnad (May 27, 2010)

> The Kobo comes with 100 or so public domain books that you'll never actually read.


The first thing I read was _Dracula_, which I'd never made it through on paper. I've either or read or sampled several other "100" books and am glad for the opportunity. I know I won't read them all, but I'm glad to have them available.


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## Tom Diego (Jun 30, 2010)

MichelleR said:


> While other people in the lobby are reading a grimy Time Magazine from when Bush was still Pres. and will have to stop reading when her name is called, the Kindle owner is reading the newest issue that just DLed -- and can continue it later if need be.


What always amazes me is the number of people in a waiting room or an airport lounge who just sit there...and do nothing! Whenever I got to the doctor, dentist, the airport, or anywhere where I expect to wait I take my Kindle. I used to always take a book, a newspaper, or one or two of my magazines. To sit there and do nothing just seems to me to be the most incredible waste of time.

Although this worked to my disadvantage once. I've had three different jobs in my career where I traveled all the time, two where I traveled all over the country. I never went to the airport without at least two books. One time, about 25 years ago, I was scheduled on the last flight out for my outbound leg. I became so absorbed in my book that I didn't notice that they had boarded everyone, closed the door, and left the gate. I looked up to an empty terminal except for the lone gate agent still at the desk. I asked her what happened to the flight and she said it left 10 minutes ago!


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

Melonhead said:


> I had a medical tech person look at my Kindle, sigh, and say, "I wish I liked to read, you people always look so happy."
> 
> That had me speechless.


You should have anwered, "We are, we are! Reading is the key to constant happiness. Didn't you read the memo?" 

The one I hate to hear is: "I would read, but I just don't have time."

This was most recently told to me by a woman whose big hobby is "truck pulling" and who constantly brought baked goods to work. Hmmm....she had time for all of that...I chose to read...and not cook....or work on a truck...


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## harleyman (Sep 28, 2010)

Well I have only had my kindle for 2 weeks, I only took it out into the wild once, on a company picnic. I had a few coments, like "so and so has a nook, so whats the diference?" Or "those are cool, I might get one" My fave was a co-worker, who likes to read, come up to me and go..."Is that a kindle? Thats stupid, why would you buy one of those. Let me see it.........OOHH thats preety, how many books does it hold? I want one for x-mas!"


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## chiffchaff (Dec 19, 2008)

MoyJoy said:


> I also had a guy get all excited because I mentioned you could put mp3's on it... which doesn't seem odd, except he wanted to get it to put audiobooks on it!!! I explained to him that you can do text to speech but he was specifically excited about audiobooks. Eeeeeeven after I explained to him that it would be more practical to put audiobooks on an ipod... or something smaller, much smaller than a Kindle.


Yeah, a surprising number of people seem to get excited about that and it always amazes me too. I like audio books but I choose them when I'm doing something like walking or driving or cleaning, so a little bitty iPod is perfect. I wonder if the people who get jazzed about the possibility of audiobooks on Kindle are wanna-be readers/listeners, who like the idea of spending more time with books and so are intrigued by any device that seems to make that easier or more likely. Sort of like the people who confess to unknown2cherubim that they intend to read more someday!


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## parakeetgirl (Feb 27, 2009)

unknown2cherubim said:


> I hear it too frequently. As a librarian people seem to like to admit to me that they don't read. Sometimes they seem disdainful of reading for pleasure, but just as often, more often really, they're a bit shame-faced about it and tell me that they hope to start reading one day.


I can't even wrap my brain around the idea of not liking pleasure reading. Honestly, I can't even relate to that.  I'm someone who will read a cereal box if there's nothing else available, so I'm biased.


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## Ariadne (Oct 7, 2009)

parakeetgirl said:


> I can't even wrap my brain around the idea of not liking pleasure reading. Honestly, I can't even relate to that.  I'm someone who will read a cereal box if there's nothing else available, so I'm biased.


I can't imagine that either. I think there must be a genre or a writing style for everyone! There Re so many different things to read, there should be something for everyone in every mood.
Sometimes I think that some people maybe are to ambitious in their decisions what to read when they try to start reading more.
I love reading the classics, but sometimes ( okay, quite often) I just need a cozy mystery or a romance novel- when in those cases I tried to read Thomas Mann, Tolstoi or James Joyce, I can easily imagine getting 
frustrated!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

parakeetgirl said:


> I can't even wrap my brain around the idea of not liking pleasure reading. Honestly, I can't even relate to that.


For some people, (one of my brothers) it was very hard to learn to read. . . .so they _can_ read, but they just don't associate it with anything pleasurable. . . .it's difficult for them to take the squiggles on the page and translate it into a story. So even if it's a good story, the difficulty of input makes it not fun. It's absolutely not relaxing like it would be for many of us -- more like hard work -- and generally not worth it when they can listen and/or watch to get a good story instead.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> For some people, (one of my brothers) it was very hard to learn to read. . . .so they _can_ read, but they just don't associate it with anything pleasurable. . . .it's difficult for them to take the squiggles on the page and translate it into a story. So even if it's a good story, the difficulty of input makes it not fun. It's absolutely not relaxing like it would be for many of us -- more like hard work -- and generally not worth it when they can listen and/or watch to get a good story instead.


Very well said.

Also, not every family supports and embraces reading and so those early years when the love of it might naturally take hold might instead be associated with homework and reading as a chore.

When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I had a friend who told me she liked to read, but I never saw her do it. I bought her a couple of my favorite books as a present, as a token of how how I cared about her. I was actually living at her house after going through a rough patch. I had a falling out with this friend in what is still one of the craziest incidences of my life. I wasn't talking to my mother at this point, but apparently she was, and she told her I bought her books as if it were a bad thing, because I should have been sensitive to her eyestrain.  My mother told her that she was pretty sure I did it because books matter to me and I was giving her something I'd like. (Which touches me, that we were fighting, but she understood this.)

Anyhow ... people, for various reasons, don't always get it or are even raised in a way that discourages it. It then becomes something they'd like to do at some point when they have more time. We all have a list like that, only our items are different than the items of a non-reader. Getting into reading as an adult can actually be intimidating and even fall by the wayside again since it isn't a habit.


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> For some people, (one of my brothers) it was very hard to learn to read. . . .so they _can_ read, but they just don't associate it with anything pleasurable. . . .it's difficult for them to take the squiggles on the page and translate it into a story. So even if it's a good story, the difficulty of input makes it not fun. It's absolutely not relaxing like it would be for many of us -- more like hard work -- and generally not worth it when they can listen and/or watch to get a good story instead.


This is exactly why my boyfriend says he does not 'read for pleasure.' He says it's just too much like work.


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

There are also people who enjoy reading, but it is not the first thing on their list for  if they have free time.

My boyfriend is currently doing a thesis. He's spending most of his day on his laptop messing with code and reading about the things he's trying to implement. Pretty standard for a thesis. However this means that if he gets a little bit of free time, that he won't generally turn to reading in the free time despite enjoying reading. Because he's so far into the thesis, that free time goes to making physical things. He's someone who is very much interested in both the academics and the "I take fire and steel and bend it", or "I take the lathe on my desk and keep my computer running via force of will by making a connector for my power cord". 

It's not that my boyfriend isn't a reader, its that he's a maker before he's a reader. He doesn't have time for both and reading is the one that is generally dropped. (He has still gone out of his way to read some things and then make me read them, but its been rare). Still there are books he's planning on reading when we find my copy (they're packed in boxes still because I've just been using the kindle), and he would read more if he had more time, because he does read for pleasure, just 'reader' isn't the most important adjective to describe him with.

So, there's one reason someone might be wanting to read more than they actually read; mental tasks being what they have to do for work, and if they can only do one thing doing physical tasks, or simply enjoying reading but it not being the biggest thing in their life as it is with some people on here.


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## Linda S. Prather Author (Jun 25, 2010)

MoyJoy, thank you for sharing this thread.  I loved it.  And the comments are truly precious in many ways.  


Linda


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## stormhawk (Apr 29, 2009)

People doing theses are not normal. Even if they are customarily readers, they do not read for pleasure during theses-izing. Neither do they sleep, eat nutritiously, nor engage in social activities. They do not represent any sort of standard of comparison to non-readers.


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## tomatogirl (Aug 27, 2010)

stormhawk said:


> People doing theses are not normal. Even if they are customarily readers, they do not read for pleasure during theses-izing. Neither do they sleep, eat nutritiously, nor engage in social activities. They do not represent any sort of standard of comparison to non-readers.


Yup! I turned into a total monster/zombie while writing up my thesis and prepping for my defense. The day after my defense, I spent the whole day drinking margaritas and playing Yahoo games. I needed a total brain wipe. Then I went and bought a few books to read for fun! It was such a luxury.


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## Tuttle (Jun 10, 2010)

stormhawk said:


> People doing theses are not normal. Even if they are customarily readers, they do not read for pleasure during theses-izing. Neither do they sleep, eat nutritiously, nor engage in social activities. They do not represent any sort of standard of comparison to non-readers.


heh, yep, that was rather the point I was making, except that it isn't only a thesis that can do that sort of thing to people. Any sort of thing that requires that type of attention can easily pull people into "I wish I could read" mode.

But yes, my current job is making sure that my boyfriend eats and sleeps regularly enough to manage to be making progress on his thesis. And being sad when he needs to borrow the kindle for reading pdfs but not stopping him because its a thesis.


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

My brother never read a book for pleasure his first 25 years of life.  I highly doubt he even read the required reading, probably just skimmed over it and asked questions to the people who did read it.  When I asked him why he said the words moved across the page making it impossible for him to concentrate on the story.

A couple of months ago, when the kindle I bought my mom came in, he picked it up and discovered the words didn't move around on the kindle screen.  We have since bought him a kindle and he has read the complete Percy Jackson series, Sh*t My Dad Says and has began the new Camp Halfblood book that came out yesterday.  

Instead of spending all his time watching TV he now will sit down and read when he has free time.  Needless to say my mother thinks the Kindle is the best invention ever made.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

Reading IS a time-consuming hobby -- a lot of people listen to music or watch TV while they do other things, like fold laundry, talk on the phone (but they don't talk to ME, because that drives me crazy!), do crafts, surf the Internet ... but when you're reading, all you can do is read and, maybe, eat or drink.


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## Labrynth (Dec 31, 2009)

I've gotten the iPad comment on more than one occasion.  I've been told I should buy an iPad, at which point I simply point out I don't WANT an iPad.

Tho I think the one that made me shake my head the most was the lady who kept looking at me, then finally walked over and said she had a Kindle "But mine doesn't have all that stuff on it."  *sigh* I told her it was just a big sticker and went back to what I was doing.


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

Tom Diego said:


> What always amazes me is the number of people in a waiting room or an airport lounge who just sit there...and do nothing! Whenever I got to the doctor, dentist, the airport, or anywhere where I expect to wait I take my Kindle. I used to always take a book, a newspaper, or one or two of my magazines. To sit there and do nothing just seems to me to be the most incredible waste of time.
> 
> Although this worked to my disadvantage once. I've had three different jobs in my career where I traveled all the time, two where I traveled all over the country. I never went to the airport without at least two books. One time, about 25 years ago, I was scheduled on the last flight out for my outbound leg. I became so absorbed in my book that I didn't notice that they had boarded everyone, closed the door, and left the gate. I looked up to an empty terminal except for the lone gate agent still at the desk. I asked her what happened to the flight and she said it left 10 minutes ago!


I can so relate. I carry my Kindle everywhere and don't mind waiting rooms at all anymore... as for the missed flight, that hasn't happened to me yet, but I have been late to a couple of appointments because I was reading my Kindle!


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## MoyJoy (Aug 24, 2010)

Linda S. Prather Author said:


> MoyJoy, thank you for sharing this thread. I loved it. And the comments are truly precious in many ways.
> 
> Linda


A pleasure. 

I had a lovely smelly drunk on the subway today who asked me "how do you read on that thing?". It was all I could do to not say "with my eyes" but I didn't open my mouth in fear I could taste the smell that was eminating from his mouth. Then he proceeded to tell me how he loves to read.

And I quote: "I love two things in life the most. Reading and drinking. Too bad I can't read."


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

MoyJoy said:


> A pleasure.
> 
> I had a lovely smelly drunk on the subway today who asked me "how do you read on that thing?". It was all I could do to not say "with my eyes" but I didn't open my mouth in fear I could taste the smell that was eminating from his mouth. Then he proceeded to tell me how he loves to read.
> 
> And I quote: "I love two things in life the most. Reading and drinking. Too bad I can't read."


Now that's a _great _quote.


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

My neighbor was telling me why I shouldn't have bought a Kindle. She was factually wrong on every point but there was no reason to tell her that. I said, "The Kindle is really for readers so you shouldn't get one."
"What do you mean?"
"What's the last book you read?"
"Oh, I don't remember."
"Okay, let's try this. When did you last read a book?"
She thought a bit and said, "Last year, probably." Then she said, "I still think you were stupid to get that thing."


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## mlewis78 (Apr 19, 2009)

patrickt said:


> She thought a bit and said, "Last year, probably." Then she said, "I still think you were stupid to get that thing."


That was a very unfriendly thing for her to say.


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

I hate the ipad question. "why didn't you get an ipad?" I got it today again from a classmate. I gave the honest truth:
1. the ipad didn't exist at the time of purchase.
2. eInk technology
3. battery life
4. not distracted by facebook updates
5. smaller
6. i own an itouch

ps; daddy said he'd buy me an ipad if i lose ___lb. (pounds to lose not yet specified


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## Jon King (Sep 10, 2010)

MoyJoy said:


> And I quote: "I love two things in life the most. Reading and drinking. Too bad I can't read."


That seems like the kind of guy you could have a decent conversation with on the subway...well, except for the taste thing, I guess.


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

Tuttle said:


> There are also people who enjoy reading, but it is not the first thing on their list for if they have free time.
> 
> My boyfriend is currently doing a thesis. He's spending most of his day on his laptop messing with code and reading about the things he's trying to implement. Pretty standard for a thesis. However this means that if he gets a little bit of free time, that he won't generally turn to reading in the free time despite enjoying reading. Because he's so far into the thesis, that free time goes to making physical things. He's someone who is very much interested in both the academics and the "I take fire and steel and bend it", or "I take the lathe on my desk and keep my computer running via force of will by making a connector for my power cord".


That sounds like my situation. I'm doing a part time MS in Engineering, so there's little time left for reading fiction. I get most of my reading done in the bathroom and in bed!

I've never heard any interesting quotes! People have asked me what it was on the airplane (back when the K2 was newish), but there were no strange comments. I may be more intimidating than most, though! I have had some interesting comments on facebook - I tend to share the links for new kindles, price drops, etc. It's amazing how many people are offended by e-readers... as if we're taking their p-books away. It's also really strange how people will shell out thousands of dollars for a smart phone, but think an e-reader is still too expensive!


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

Why not the iPad? This review of a new children's book encapsulates why.

iRead


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## kb7uen Gene (Mar 13, 2009)

I usually get the real book is better and it is going to put book stores out of business.

Well the book store they are talking about are the big chains, which put the mom and pop book stores out of business, so I don't feel too sorry for them.  Besides, they won't go out of business, they just won't be seeing the margins they want to put as much money in the pockets of the board of directors, high end executives, and the share holders.

On the real book comment, I say I like real books as well and wouldn't want to see them go away, however, the Kindle is accessible to me and a real book isn't.  That brings the conversation to an end.

But I would never say to someone the Kindle is superior to a real book because it isn't, it is just a different way of reading.  To each their own.

The only comment I can completely agree on is going to the store itself to shop.  My mother likes to shop and browse book stores, and I can relate to that because I used to do the same thing in record stores.  I was sad to see the LP record disappear to be replaced by the CD, but even after that happened, the browsing and shopping experience was still there.  Now it is hard to find a brick and mortar record or I guess CD store which truly has a decent selection beyond the most current stuff which I am not interested in.  Video stores have also gone by the waste side, which is also sad to me.  The online shopping experience is in no way as pleasent or relaxing and never will be.

Gene


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

kb7uen Gene said:


> The only comment I can completely agree on is going to the store itself to shop. . . . The online shopping experience is in no way as pleasent or relaxing and never will be.


Agreed. And somehow discovering new books or new music is not the same when shopping virtually. Physical experience is better.

The difference in experiences is akin to the difference between reading physical books and e-books.


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## Jeff Tompkins (Sep 17, 2010)

MoyJoy said:


> So you type all the books into that thing?


That's crazy! The author comes to your house and types the book in for you.


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## tomatogirl (Aug 27, 2010)

I got a new one yesterday when I was flying home. On the plane, woman sitting next to me keeps eying my Kindle. At the end of the flight, when I put it away, she asks me about the Kindle, so I happily tell her all about it, she seems interested. 

Then she comes out with, "But isn't that just like stealing?" I was very confused. Turns out she thought the only books you can read on eReaders were pirated ones!


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## MoyJoy (Aug 24, 2010)

Jeff_Tompkins said:


> That's crazy! The author comes to your house and types the book in for you.


HAHAHA!!! 

Regarding the book store experience, I actually do go into the bookstore all the time to get books as gifts; especially for my 1 year old niece. I always go through the shelves for myself as well and note the books I want to read on my Kindle. (I did try once to buy the books as I browsed the store directly on my Kindle but you'll never get through that way since people will constantly stop you to ask about it.)


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

tomatogirl said:


> I got a new one yesterday when I was flying home. On the plane, woman sitting next to me keeps eying my Kindle. At the end of the flight, when I put it away, she asks me about the Kindle, so I happily tell her all about it, she seems interested.
> 
> Then she comes out with, "But isn't that just like stealing?" I was very confused. Turns out she thought the only books you can read on eReaders were pirated ones!


Heeheehee! That is funny.

All of these stories crack me up.

Vicki


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## Samantha (Jul 16, 2010)

MoyJoy said:


> HAHAHA!!!
> 
> Regarding the book store experience, I actually do go into the bookstore all the time to get books as gifts; especially for my 1 year old niece. I always go through the shelves for myself as well and note the books I want to read on my Kindle. (I did try once to buy the books as I browsed the store directly on my Kindle but you'll never get through that way since people will constantly stop you to ask about it.)


yeah I still browse in bookstores. If you like to do that why would having a Kindle stop you?


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## AnnetteL (Jul 14, 2010)

My dad falls into the category of growing up with reading as work. Turns out he had bad eyes, so reading literally hurt--it gave him headaches. He ended up being a successful professor, so he could read just fine, but it wasn't until he retired that I ever caught him reading for pleasure.

But his experience helped me figure out why my oldest daughter seemed to hate reading. She complained of headaches in her forehead, so I took her to the optometrist. She wasn't near-sighted, but she had significant astigmatism, which made for eye muscle strain and headaches. She got glasses for reading and computer screen use. Within a week, I caught her curled up on her bed with a book. I almost cried.

(Now she reads faster than I do. It rocks.)


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## Masara (Sep 23, 2010)

My kindle's only a few weeks old and hasn't yet been out of the house, so I haven't had any comments from strangers yet. But my husband came out with a new one yesterday. 
He came and peered at my kindle and I automatically flipped the cover shut because I don't like people reading over my shoulder. At which point he asked, "oh doesn't it switch off when you close it?"
He'd seen me read it coverless before the cover arrived, but somehow his mind had linked to two together


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

AnnetteL said:


> My dad falls into the category of growing up with reading as work. Turns out he had bad eyes, so reading literally hurt--it gave him headaches. He ended up being a successful professor, so he could read just fine, but it wasn't until he retired that I ever caught him reading for pleasure.
> 
> But his experience helped me figure out why my oldest daughter seemed to hate reading. She complained of headaches in her forehead, so I took her to the optometrist. She wasn't near-sighted, but she had significant astigmatism, which made for eye muscle strain and headaches. She got glasses for reading and computer screen use. Within a week, I caught her curled up on her bed with a book. I almost cried.
> 
> (Now she reads faster than I do. It rocks.)


I love that!


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## monkeyluis (Oct 17, 2010)

Jeff_Tompkins said:


> That's crazy! The author comes to your house and types the book in for you.


I am very sarcastic and generally don't like people in the physical world bothering me, so I'm going to use this one day. Great idea. It has a keyboard so it makes sense right.


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## parakeetgirl (Feb 27, 2009)

RedAdept said:


> This is exactly why my boyfriend says he does not 'read for pleasure.' He says it's just too much like work.


I agree with you and the PPs that said that a love of reading has to be ingrained and supported by the family..my dad read to me when I was a child every night, starting as an infant. Because of that, I was able to read at 4. He made reading a fun activity- it was never a chore.

That's why I read to my baby niece every time I see her.


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## svsilentsun (Nov 24, 2009)

I gave good Kindle this weekend. We were visiting friends at a yacht club (not as snooty as it sounds, promise!) that was hosting a sailboat race, and a casual friend asked about my Kindle (he saw my Facebook post about receiving it). I whipped out my K3 and Hubbo's K1 for comparison. He has an iPad and was astounded at the difference. I told him my now-standard "comparing the Kindle to the iPad is like comparing a motorcycle to a limousine" comment and the lightbulb went off. Pretty soon a crowd of people were handling my K3, tilting it this way and that, impressed by the non-glare and fact that you can read at any angle. I would say that about 90% of the folks who looked at it were very impressed and hadn't realized what it was all about.  "Oooh, it almost floats!" said one iPadder. Of course the next tried to turn the page by swiping the screen, but whaddya gonna do?


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

Hahaha, had to bump this up again with a new story. I was sitting around reading my Kindle in a public area today when someone came over and asked what it was, what it did, the usual questions. But then he looked at me blankly and said, "But...you can't smack a fly with that thing." While I suppose that is true, I don't think I would smack a fly with a DTB either!!


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## Gingy (Oct 15, 2010)

Jessica Billings said:


> Hahaha, had to bump this up again with a new story. I was sitting around reading my Kindle in a public area today when someone came over and asked what it was, what it did, the usual questions. But then he looked at me blankly and said, "But...you can't smack a fly with that thing." While I suppose that is true, I don't think I would smack a fly with a DTB either!!


Ha! that's pretty funny.


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## amafan (Aug 11, 2010)

I showed my buddy the K3 yesterday at breakfast.  He uses Kindle on his iPod and really enjoys it.  The first thing he did was try to flip pages by swipping a finger across the screen.  Even he had to laugh as he's a high tech guru and knows about screen tecnology.  It's just natural to do that I guess.  I personally don't care about the page turning buttoms, but people now seem to expect that touchscreen to to the work.  I prefer the buttons because you don't have to move your hand to turn the page.  The interesting thing was the real selling point for him was the lghted cover.  He thought that was beautiful.  Anyway, he used his phone to order a new Kindle while we were eating breakfast so I guess he liked it.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

At work today we had a visit from our IT consultant and as it was lunch time I was reading on my Kindle. "I didn't think you'd buy one of those" he said, "I thought you'd go for an iPad". I told him I had an iPad and he wanted to know why I was bothering to use the Kindle then. I explained about the difference between reading on e-ink screens and back-lit screens and various other points I felt were in it's favour and he didn't seem to think it was important.

It just shows you that it's not just the technologically challenged who don't appreciate the necessity for a good dedicated e-reader. People who read a lot on the other hand I think are more likely to 'get it'.



amafan said:


> I showed my buddy the K3 yesterday at breakfast. He uses Kindle on his iPod and really enjoys it. The first thing he did was try to flip pages by swipping a finger across the screen. Even he had to laugh as he's a high tech guru and knows about screen tecnology. It's just natural to do that I guess. I personally don't care about the page turning buttoms, but people now seem to expect that touchscreen to to the work. I prefer the buttons because you don't have to move your hand to turn the page. The interesting thing was the real selling point for him was the lghted cover. He thought that was beautiful. Anyway, he used his phone to order a new Kindle while we were eating breakfast so I guess he liked it.


I have to say that if I go back to my Kindle after a long session on my iPad I do sometimes forget and start touching the screen. It does become a habit after a while - but I still prefer the Kindle to NOT be a touch screen.


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