I still like to buy books on hardcover and collect old books ’cause why? I want to keep it old-school. Reading books is very good for you. It’s very healthy for your mind. Reading books will help you get smarter. It’ll help you think; will help you become a better person. I’ve been buying used books at book sales and used book shops like crazy this Spring. Earlier today I went to take a long bike trip out to a book shop out-of-town, and came back home with 4 different books. Came home with another poetry book, a biography of Abe Lincoln, a book about the Kennedy Family, and a book about writing. Yesterday, I went to an Antique Fair, and sure enough they were selling old books too. Yesterday, I picked up a couple of classic books: “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Phantom of the Opera”. I also picked up a World War II history book.
Last week, I picked up a brand-new book called, “American Sniper” the Chris Kyle story that Steven Spielberg plans to make a movie out of — a brand new book, not a used one.
I’ll stop buying books for a long-while because these will keep me busy throughout the Spring-Summer.
The whole point of reading was that they want you to learn so you can get away from un-healthy things like video-games, TV, etc. Sure enough, technology had to change things around. The digital age of books: the Nook, Ipad, etc. I know I made similar posts like this before but I’ll make it a little different this time. Honestly, I hate the digital age of books. When the Nook, Ipad, and all these gadgets came out where you have to stare at a computer screen to read books, that’s unfair. It’s unfair to the original goal of what books was originally intended to be, if you know what I mean. Nobody reads books by hardcover/paperbacks anymore. People rely on these stupid gadget things.
I do read books on the Ipad digitally sometimes, but only if I want to read something I don’t want to buy at the store or if I want to read something that’s hard to find.
Just like with CD’s, the digital age is destroying books too. Sad but true. Why do you see more book sales and more used book-shops happening more and more? It’s because there’s a lot of people that still like to read books the old-school way. Some prefer to read an actual hardcover/paperback, and not some digital gadget. You can’t buy old books at the new book stores anymore. If you want to read an old classic you won’t be able to get the original edition at a new bookstore; you would get forced to get it on paperback which is unfair. You would find the original hardcover edition at used bookshops.
Used book shops are totally awesome, and I love going to them.
I’ve been buying more politically, government, history, and war books lately ’cause I’m interested in that stuff. Always has been. I just want to learn more about stuff that I didn’t learn in school. Plus, politics and history is interesting to me. When you see me on the internet being all over politics and history stuff, it’s because I care about my country. I love the USA and take our home seriously. Just listen to my songs people. My songs are just as political. So if you get tired of my political stuff, I don’t care. It’s what I like and I want to teach people things myself.
Kev
K'Brocking 
What’s there difference if youre reading an actual book or reading it digitally? You’re still reading.
You’re still reading but there is a huge difference. Like I said in this post, reading an actual book was a way to help keep people away from the TV, video games or the computer. To stop people from looking at screens all day, since it’s not a healthy thing to do. A book has pages and a digital gadget does not — you’re looking at a screen. Looking at a book digitally is no different than reading the internet or watching TV. I prefer people reading an actual book with pages, better that way. People reading a book with pages (as in paper) is sadly coming to an end.
Kev
How is looking at a Nook screen not healthy? I don’t understand
It’s all about the eyes, mate, the eyes. You can get eye strain and bad eye-sight just by reading a book digitally just like reading on the internet. There are plenty of other health issues staring at a screen for hours. You know how when too many kids play video games all day or hang on the internet all day? Same thing if you read the Nook all day. Headaches too.
Kev
If you read an actual book with actual pages made of paper, you would get less health risks for your eyes or even your life overall. I think you know exactly what I’m talking about, you’re just being a negative smart-ass like usual.
Kev
I read this blog and I agree. There is a HUGE difference between e-reading and reading. For one thing, I don’t feel like I’m reading when I’m sitting there staring at a tablet. The sentimentality is gone, which sounds really lame, but it’s true. You can’t read anyone else’s notes from a used book on a tablet because people can’t even really make notes – just highlight and type a little bit on the kindle. Theres also the difference in formatting. Often e-books (especially poetry) aren’t ever formatted correctly and you have to decipher how the author wanted it formatted. I could go on and on, but I’ll give you one more. When you’re reading a book, you can look at it and see how much you have left. I get really competitive with the percentage at the bottom of the page on my ipad and then I stop reading because it doesn’t seem to be moving or the pages are off.
Plus, how the hell are you going to decorate your house in e-books?
Questions, questions.
Cassie just explained more on why I hate e-books or those digital book gadgets. Cassie knows what she’s talking about! Thanks! Rock on! \m/
Kev
Have you ever used a dedicated e-reader? They designed the screen of the Nook (and the Kindle) to be easy on the eyes. They’re not like a computer or laptop screen. E-reader screens are no harder on your eyes than paper books. There are legitimate reasons to not want to use an e-reader. Health concerns are not one of them, though.
I love my Nook. Words are words, man, doesn’t matter what they’re printed on.
Some of you guys can defend these digital gadgets all you want to — the Nook, Kindle, Ipad, etc. Whatever — but the fact of the matter is, that the digital age of books is destroying the book market. A lot of new book stores all across the USA have gone out of business, especially a lot of Borders stores and I expect even more book stores to go out of business too — could “Barnes and Noble” be next?
I would rather have a bookshelf full of actual books on them instead of having them all listed in a small digital thing. It’s nice to have an actual book and turning the pages with your two fingers, instead of doing it with one on a touch screen.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll read a book digitally on an Ipad sometimes but only for special reasons.
On top of that, it’s pretty annoying to hold a digital gadget so close to your face just to read; when you have an actual book you can just read it from your lap. Huge difference between the two.
Those who defend those digital gadget things kind of shows that people has lost touch with actual hardcovers/paperbacks. Actual hardcover/books can be pretty valuable too if you take good care of them.
Kev
I don’t have to hold my Nook close to my face. I can read with it on my lap. And I do not experience any more eyestrain than as if I was reading as real book.
I live in a very humid environment. Books get moldy and musty here. And they take up a lot of valuable space. And forests don’t need to be clear cut to publish ebooks. Not to mention all the other environmental pollution that results from the process of paper production.
Times change. Technology advances. Steam power killed the stagecoach. Internal combustion engines killed steam power.
How are digital bookstores, ebooks and ereaders any different than digital music stores, mp3s and mp3 players?
You’re just continuing to prove even more that people lost their passion and respect for actual books. When people decide to buy books digitally instead of a physical copy of an actual hardcover, you’re not really a true book lover that people say they are. A true book-lover would be a die-hard collector. Collecting everything from rare books, original editions, everything from fiction to non-fiction. Hardcover books can last a very long time, if you take care of them well-enough. They can be worth money and they can be considered antiques. Those digital e-books are worth nothing.
Kev
Buying books is not a passion. Reading is a passion.
And book collecting can be a passion.
People that are buying ebooks are the people that are passionate about reading. They are embracing new technology.
I love rwading and I live a good book. I just prefer to read on an e reader now.
Another thing those e-reader gadgets can be very expensive and pricey. Buying e-books can be just as expensive. I know ’cause I’ve bought books from the e-reader on the Ipad myself. I know hardcover books can be expensive too, but paperbacks can be cheaper than everything else out there.
Plus, physical books are much easier to carry and travel around with, then carrying around that computer thing which can be dropped, broken, and would need repairs. Well, with an actual book, they can last a long time. Longer than them e-reader things. That’s why real books are totally worth it, and better. Real books won’t get ruined if dropped but with those e-readers they can get broken easily. Those things are a lot of money. I’m sure they would cost even more to get repaired. You don’t have to repair a real book, though, unless you drop it in a mud-puddle or something but that’s a different story.
Real books are so much better for so many reasons, and it’s a real shame that e-reader supporters don’t want to admit that.
Kev
Another point, since you have to pay a couple of hundred dollars for those e-reader gadgets and then you have to pay even more for the books you want to read, doing the math, a regular hardcover/paperback would be a lot cheaper.
I prefer to read from a real book for many reasons. Keep it old school. And like Cassie explained when you’r reading a real book, you’re really reading something like the original goal of a “book” was. When I read on the e-reader, sorry to say, I don’t feel like reading a book. I feel like reading something on the internet.
Technology really sucks, and I hate how it’s taking over the world. I’m an old school kind of guy and proud to be that way.
And by the way, the reason I wanted to get an Ipad was not to read books on it. I got it ’cause it can be a handy tool. Pretty much the only reason I got an Ipad was so that I can have something to record music on Garageband with. Plus, when I travel I can take it on an airplane with me to tweet/facebook/listen to music, etc. I also use the Ipad to watch Netflix and movies with. There’s so many different things you can do on an Ipad. I used to be skeptical of Apple gadgets but I had a change of heart with the Ipad ’cause it’s actually a cool little toy.
Kev
Actually, it’s MUCH easier to carry around an e-reader any book(s). I spend a lot of time on tour and can put 10 books on my small, lighweight Nook that is easy to carry on a plane, bus, or van. If I were to carry that many actual books around it’d be nuts. I’ve also actually dropped mine in a bathtub and put it through the washing machine by accident and it still works just fine. I can read it on my lap and because it uses e-ink, it’s no strain on my eyes. It’s got a built-in dictionary so I can look up words I don’t know instantly. And once, a few years ago, it did stop working, and Barnes & Noble just sent me another one free of charge. You can ‘borrow’ e-books from your local library for free also. I live in NYC where space is at a premium and I don’t have a room in my apartment to devote to books, as much as I wish I did.
I’m not saying paper books aren’t nice too (my mother is a librarian, I’ve been surrounded by them since I was small) but c’mon man. Be real here.