Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

Tuesday, 8 January 2013

Books vs. E-books

This image is used by permission from Hobbies on a Budget



Since so many of my Day Zero Challenges revolve around books, and I will be reading BOTH 'real' books and e-books, I thought I would weigh in on the whole Books versus E-books debate. I've compiled a small, quick list of the benefits/things I like about both.

I'll start with 'real' books.

  • They smell good.
  • They feel nice in your hands.
  • You can thumb through the pages.
  • I like looking over my book collection.
  • You can borrow books from the library.
  • You can find cheap used books quite easily.

Now E-books
  • An e-reader is compact and light, meaning you can easily take it anywhere.
  • You can hold literally thousands of books on your e-reader.
  • No need to worry about storage on your bookshelves.
  • You can download books from the comfort of your own home
  • There are tons of free classics, and you can now borrow from the library.
  • There are often cheap books you can buy, and discount codes you can use.
This is just the things I thought up in a matter of 10-15 minutes. 

People are getting all up in arms about this whole debate. There are people on both side of the debate with valid points and strong opinions. I doubt this conversation will stop any time soon.

Do you want to know what I think? I don't think it matters HOW you read. Whether you prefer books, or a sleek e-reader, as long as you are reading, who cares? As my favorite author John Green said, on this exact subject in fact; 
"I don't care how you read, I care whether you read."


Friday, 4 January 2013

Reading Challenge - Do you like to read?

As part of my Day Zero Challenge I have a LOT of goals that revolve around books. I have a huge list of 'to-read' books on Goodreads and I have a few already downloaded to my Kobo, and some on my shelf I still need to read. I have vowed to try and borrow lots of books from the library to read, our local library is within walking distance but it is pretty small. I actually cleaned off my shelf and donated the books I wouldn't be reading again. (this was a bit painful to do!)

My favorite genre is Young Adult and more recently Steampunk... I can't stand reading anything too scary/intense/sad. I am a pretty big wuss! My favorite books would have to be, well, anything by John Green, Shine by Lauren Myracle, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The Book Thief is an amazing book and I urge anyone who likes a good read to check it out! I ALMOST stopped reading it but I am so glad I kept going.

A few books that are on my 'to-read' shelf are:


  • The Fault in our Stars by John Green
  • The Girl in the Clockwork Collar - Kady Cross
  • Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare
  • the 'Hush, Hush' series - Becca Fitzpatrick
  • Leviathan - Scott Westerfield
And lots, lots more! I'm excited to get started on my reading challenges this year! Are you challenging yourself with any reading goals this year? GoodReads is a great place to find books! They show you recommendations based on how you rate books you have already read!


Add me as a friend of Goodreads and recommend books to me, and join the challenge!