Back to the Paperback: Sharpe's Prey

By now, I thought I'd be running out of things to say about reading paperbacks.  Turns out, not quite yet.  Less, yes, but there is still the experience to talk about.

The Richard Sharpe series is great.  I've always read them in paperback even after I bought a Nook, mainly to keep my collection going.  The newest covers are just fantastic.

I was a little wary about bringing my precious new copy of the book with me on a camping trip.  Problem was I already started reading it.  These books are addicting.  I wasn't going to be able to go three days without reading it.  Therefore, I packed it up in a safe spot and brought it along.

I have to say it was neat reading this adventure story while on an adventure.  I've brought the Nook camping before and had to worry about it getting wet in rainstorm.  The same happened here as well, only there wasn't the same concern over losing something expensive to water.  In addition, reading a paperback while out in the wild felt more natural than when reading on the Nook in the same setting.  Can't really explain it.

The book survived mostly intact (just a bent corner on the cover) and is now safely home on my shelf next to the other Sharpe's novels.

My review of the actual book content can be found on my Goodreads page here: Goodreads

Back to the Paperback - The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothuss

The addictive nature of this book combined with the traditional paperback doorstopper-sized copy equaled an overall good reading experience.  Not too much to say about reading a paperback versus reading an eBook this time around.

However, as I read the last words, closed up the book, and put it in the return pile for the library, I realized I am engulfed in the paperback reading experience.  That is to say, I had no desire to return to reading on the Nook while I was reading this.

Then I thought about that some more.  And some more.  And a little more.  Not on purpose.  It just kept popping into my head that reading eBooks on the Nook is not really too different.  While reading paperbacks has its nostalgia, the eBook mostly the same.  Except of course worrying about battery power.  And not having to need light to read by. 

There is indeed a part of me that is eager to get back to reading on the Nook again.  That being said, I'm not ready to give up on reading paperbacks for the rest of the year. I think I'm going to enjoy that nostalgia for a while longer.

If you want to see my review of the actual book content, it can be found here at Goodreads:

The Name of the Wind

Back to the Paperback - THE BARROW by Mark Smylie

Another library book this time.  The cover and binding was reinforced with tape so it felt old and used, which is a good feel for a fantasy novel.  It’s the 6x9 paperback size and at 600+ pages it’s somewhat cumbersome to read at any angle or position.  It is a good size to read in the car though, just hard to fit in the glovebox, especially when the wads of Dunkin Donuts napkins don't want to share the space.

The experience of reading this book boils down how long it took me to complete.  It took me quite a while to read this one.  Long enough that I had to renew it twice and recheck it out twice to get through it.  Three main things contributed to this.  The first is that the book itself is chock full of exposition that really slows down the pace.  The second is all Netflix's fault for releasing the third season of Longmire along with some other shows I've been waiting for, which I just had to watch.  The third is that I lost interest a couple times in the plot.  I did finish it though and the ending was well worth it.  I returned it to the library for the last time just in time to pick up my next read.

For a somewhat more serious review of the actual of book, you can read my review at Goodreads here: Review of The Barrow at Goodreads

Back to the Paperback - VIPERHAND

As I wrote in the first post for “Back to Paperback”, this is not a review of the novel.  This is about my experience reading it in paperback.

If you would like to read my review of Viperhand, it can be found at Goodreads.

This was a nostalgia read for a two reasons.  First, it’s a Dungeons & Dragons novel and I haven't read one of these since I was a teenager.  Second, it’s a standard paperback mass-market/pocketbook size which I haven't read since I got the Nook.

The copy I read was from the library, so it looks as if it was well-used/read over the years.  The binding was somewhat creased and a little torn and wrinkled in places, the pages tinged that aged grayish-yellowish color.  One page had a tear in the corner.  And, this is no fault of it being a library book, but Chapter 13 had the title "Chapter 3".

When I purchase a paperback I like giving it some TLC such reading it in a way to carefully make sure no pesky creases show up on the binding.  Anyone else do this?  Admittedly, I didn't feel the urge to treat the library book quite the same way, which I'm going to attribute to its already well-used condition.  I was careful enough.

I was somewhat expected the feel of the paper to bring back some memories or feelings, but that didn't really happen.  What did evoke feelings of familiarity more than anything else was the size of the book.  It was handy to carry around.  I was able to read in bed on my back while remain comfortable.  There's that saying about curling up with a good book and that certainly pertains more to a paper than it does to the Nook for a reason I haven't figured out yet.

One big difference I noticed was that I read more while reading.  As long as I stashed the Nook away in another room, I was able to avoid the pull of the internet and the desire to just watch some Netflix instead a few nights a week.  That being said, it feels like it's taking forever for me to get through Season 2 of Ripper Street!  And I really can't wait to watch Turn now that it's finally on Netflix.

That’s it for Viperhand.  Next up, I'll be reading The Barrow by Mark Smylie.

Anyone out there prefer the standard paperback mass-market/pocketbook size book?  Any recommendations on some oldy but goody D&D novels?

BACK TO THE PAPERBACK

This year I've decided to give my Barnes & Noble Nook a rest (well, ok, I'm still watching plenty of Netflix on it at the gym).  Usually I read three books in a row on the Nook and the fourth in paperback (reserved for my in-progress collection of the Richard Sharpe series).  Reading an eBook versus a paperback is a whole different experience and there's plenty written about it on the internet I'm sure.  What I am going to do this year is write a short first hand account of what it is like reading each book on paperback and at the same time see if I have the urge to go back to the eBook.

March is almost over, so I've already got a head start.  Here are some things I've noticed so far:

No Features
I need to stop touching the edge of the page and expecting it to turn itself.  I only waited a half hour the first time I tried this on a paperback before concluding it was not going to magically flip to the next page.  Next time I try, I'll press harder and give it an hour to see if it happens.  I'm guessing glaring more sternly at the page might help.

No matter how hard I press on a word, the paperback won't look up the definition for me or allow me to make notes (unless I get a tool like a pen or pencil, but hey, I'd never deface a precious book like that, even if I'm never going to read it again (oh, and these are library books so I can't do that anyway!).

No Internet Access!
This is a good thing.  There is no internet access on those paperbacks which means less distraction and more reading!  I can go to sleep after closing the book instead of looking up stuff on the internet for another half hour.  And even better, I don't pause reading to look up stuff either so I get more reading done.
Does anyone else have this problem?  How much time do you spent on the internet when trying to read?

Having to read with the lights on!
Well, even with the Nook set on a black screen and the back-light turned down all the way, its still murder on my eyes to read in the dark with the thing, so no change here- I read with the lights on anyway.
Does anyone else have this issue?

Reading in the Car
Not much difference here except I can toss a book up on the dash and not worry about stowing it away.  I doubt anyone will break into the car to steal a book.  At least I hope not!  And by the way, I'm talking about riding in a car and reading, not reading while driving.  Just saying.

Falling Asleep While Reading
Waking up with drool all over the Nook screen is an easy clean up.  On a paperback, its just gross.
Reading laying on my back and holding the Nook over my face can be mildly dangerous when I doze off and said Nook slips from my fingers to land on my face (and makes me feel like a moron).
I'm not the only on that does this, right?  Right?  I've never had this happen with a paperback- have you?

Here's the paperbacks I've read already this year:
Sharpe's Trafalgar (by Bernard Cornwell)
Empire in Black and Gold (by Adrian Tchaikovsky)
Shaman (by Kim Stanley Robinson)

NEXT POST:  I am currently reading Viperhand by Douglas Niles.  Yes, it is a Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons novel.  When I'm done reading Viperhand I will write about why I'm reading it  in addition to my experience reading it for my next post on "Back to the Paperback".

In the meantime, what are your thoughts about reading an eBook versus a paperback?