Do you find it easy to read books online?
By luneliza
@luneliza (197)
December 29, 2007 12:58pm CST
I like reading very much, I think it's more than a hobby, it's a lifestyle, but I have to admit reading books online is not exactly my strong point. I haven't managed to finish any, although I found some really good ones. I'm not talking here about short articles or anything like that. I'm talking about real books, novels or studies of hundreds of pages.
For some reason, reading online doesn't feel like reading at all. I soon get bored, my eyes start hurting and I end by giving up. I have to touch and smell a book, to turn its pages, to feel it with my fingers. Is it just me or do you feel the same? Is there anything I can do to change that? Cause it would be a pity not to take advantage of the great reading opportunities one can find on the Internet.
2 people like this
13 responses
@berryliciousme (1003)
• Philippines
30 Dec 07
I don't enjoy reading books online that much. When I do this, I tend to read very fast and not savor the moment. Besides, it really strains my eyes. I would prefer a book I could hold. I love to lie down on my bed reading a book. Sometimes, I love scribbling on my book and putting dog ear on some page where I stopped. It's mine anyway, so I could do whatever I like.
@funfreak2k2 (1734)
• India
30 Dec 07
if you can get the PDF format of the book, download it, open it in the Acrobat Reader and enable speech. The book is read by the Reader, and you continue with your work as usual. If you get .txt format, download it and make it as pdf file with a pdf file maker software.
@shywolf (4514)
• United States
30 Dec 07
I don't tend to read books online all that often - usually if I get ahold of a book in e-book form I like to print it out and read it when I feel like having some time away from the computer. That being said, I do read other things over the internet, like fan fiction, quite often, when I get in the mood to read those sorts of things. I really don't feel that I need to have the feeling of a book or something tangible in my hands, although I do sometimes miss the days of spending hours in my room reading books from the library and becoming really engrossed in the stories.. I just don't tend to do that anymore, and I used to be such an avid book reader.
@kashifmahmood (617)
• Pakistan
30 Dec 07
Yes , it is not very comfortable to read 100s of pages on your computer but if you compare it with your reading from a book , its not that bad either.For example if you read about 200 pages from an ebook is is exactly equal to reading from a hand book .You can research the internet for body friendly postures for sitting infront of your monitor to read leangthy ebooks.For instance your eyes should be looking down towards the monitor rather than looking horizontally.Try this for a while and you will feel the difference.I had these problem earlier but I have dealth with them and now I can read upto 400 pages from ebooks in one go :-)
@kiiizu (1901)
• Estonia
29 Dec 07
No, I don't... I'm spending a lot of time online anyway, but when I'm reading for pleasure it has to be a good old fashioned book! And I prefer hard covers!
Of course, there is a lot of very interesting stuff on the net, free or downloadable for just a couple of bucks, but it never will replace a real book for me.
@moneyandgc (3428)
• United States
30 Dec 07
I don't really enjoy reading anything longer than a couple of pages on the internet. My eyes get tired or I become distracted. I can't get comfortable the way I can when I am reading a regular book. I love to read, just not so much on the computer screen!
@fanji008 (775)
• China
30 Dec 07
Hi,there! Well,frankly speaking,I also somehow have the feelings as you do.I don't think it's very easy to read books online.There're many things that we can find online so we can read it for free.However,I feel my eyes hurt if I read line by line on the internet. I feel tired if I read for a long time.So I think it's important to rest for some time and then continue to read or buy books sometimes:)Thanks for the discussion and have a nice day^_^
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
29 Dec 07
you might like amazon's new kindle...it lets you download books to a mini book you can actually hold in your hand, but is lightweight...it is pretty neat, but very costly, so I am not sure if it is actually worthwhile yet...i think it is a sign of greater things to come though!
@Vucjak (242)
• Macedonia
29 Dec 07
I have the same experience as you. The computer isn't very friendly for reading. Even when I read real books in front of my computer, I always end up surfing through Internet. I like to read in bed, with the book in hands, and nothing to take my concentration out of it.
@bballchamp1 (194)
• Canada
29 Dec 07
I agree with you luneliza. Reading online isnt the same for me. For me theres so much else going on while reading on the computer such as the internet surfing, or music playing, or something downloading. Theres always one distraction or another and i think thats the main problem with reading a book online. Also the opportunity to be doing something else plays on the mind.
@melomarcelo (4)
• Chile
30 Dec 07
simple "nothing can change the smell of a new book" the screen is so flat and cold, all the magic about reading is gone, i like to go and buy the book and read it in any place with music arround far far away from a computer. Sadly you cant change that because the computer screnn is brighter than the paper from a book and makes the eyes go like when you see at sun directly
