miss minimalist

iPod with Kindle app

In Part 1 of this topic, I talked about how moving overseas (and being separated from my favorite tomes) made me a huge fan of ebooks.

Even before I moved, however, I was growing weary of physical books. I didn’t like how everything I read seemed to stick around on my bookshelf. Consequently, I committed to get rid of (resell, pass on, or donate) books directly after I’d finished them. I’m a fast reader, though, so in many cases books would leave my house just a day or two after I purchased them! That didn’t feel quite right either.

To compound the problem, the town I lived in (before moving to the UK) was NOT part of the county’s library system (!). Therefore, borrowing a book from the library involved borrowing a friend or relative’s library card, and going to their town to browse the stacks. (And being particularly diligent about returning books on time, lest they incur late fees!) Oftentimes, it seemed more trouble than it was worth.

Unfortunately, these two factors greatly curtailed my reading. There were plenty of new, nonfiction titles I wanted to read, but instead I made do with what I could read online at Project Gutenberg. I simply didn’t want to own any more books, or go through the hassle of acquiring, then reselling or donating them.

Therefore, I was thrilled when Amazon released the Kindle-for-PC reader last fall. I downloaded it the day it came out, purchased a few titles I’d been longing to read, and felt like I was in touch with the literary world again!

Mostly, however, I wanted to be able to read ebooks while traveling. I often take long flights and train rides, and relish those hours of uninterrupted reading time. But I travel carryon only, so the weight and volume of books always presented a problem. The titles I took on a trip would be determined by page count and font density (in an effort to find the longest, yet lightest-weight book), rather than what I really wanted to read. (Although, as a result, I became quite well-read in Russian classics!)

I considered purchasing a Kindle or Sony Reader, but didn’t want to carry yet another electronic device. I always take my iPod on the road, so decided to replace my Nano with a Touch—that way, I could have just one device for both music and books. I downloaded the apps for Kindle, Barnes and Noble, and general reading, and it’s worked out beautifully; I can read on the Touch for hours with no problem, and it’s much smaller and lighter than a dedicated ereader. Better yet, it’s always with me: so I can read on the bus, on the subway, while waiting for appointments, etc. I even curl up in bed with it at night!

Going forth, my goal is to purchase as few physical books as possible. I plan to use a combination of the library (to which I now have access!) and ebooks for all my literary needs. In the future, I’d love to see the following:

1. Lower prices on ebooks, given the absence of manufacturing and distribution costs.

2. The ability to borrow ebooks from the library.

3. A secondhand (“used”) market for ebooks, which would allow me to sell my “ownership” of one to someone else, at a reduced price.

4. The ability to share or trade the ebooks I own with friends and family.

5. Ereaders that can display color photographs and pictures, so that art, architecture, and other graphic-intensive books can be read digitally.

That doesn’t sound like too much to ask, does it?

Anyway, I love how technology is making it easier (and more fun!) to be a minimalist—and I’m looking forward to what the future holds!

Amazon’s Kindle

In response to my post on Printing to PDF, Stuart brought up the subject of ebooks. Oh Stuart, you had to get me started… I know this is a controversial topic here, and some of you fundamentally disagree with my opinion. But it’s an issue near and dear to my heart, and I just can’t refrain from pontificating on it.

I have a love/hate relationship with books. I love the content, but I hate the physical format. It’s not that I don’t like to hold a book in my hands while reading it; I don’t mind that at all, and in fact, sometimes relish the tactile experience of diving into its pages.

However, that same physicality (the covers, the binding, the hundreds of pages—and the resulting weight) is what’s currently separating me from my collection! The fact that I can’t enjoy my favorite books, because they’re too heavy, unwieldy, and expensive to ship, is what gets my knickers in a twist.

Before I moved overseas, I culled my library to roughly thirty books. These are the tomes with which I’m loath to part. They’re primarily non-fiction, covering topics like art, architecture, philosophy, travel, history, cultural studies, and writing. I wish I could invoke my minimalist superpowers and simply let them go; but for the most part, they would be difficult, if not impossible (some are out of print), to obtain again if I so desired.

Now, I’d have no problem giving them up, if I could simply nip down to the library when I had the need to consult one. But unfortunately, only two were available from my local library system (one through Interlibrary Loan) the last time I checked.

(Fortunately, fiction does not pose such a problem for me. What I read generally falls in the Great Classics of Literature category, and many of my favorites are in the public domain. They’re readily available in libraries, from bookstores, and on the internet. Therefore, I don’t feel the need to own them in order to secure future access to them.)

So, out of my thirty books, only four currently reside with me (the most I could fit in my duffel bag when I moved). I’d intended to have the rest shipped over once we were settled. But I’ve come to realize that when living abroad on a visa, you’re never really settled (and for the record, I don’t consider that a bad thing). However, I’m reluctant to pay big bucks to transport them over here (the Post Office no longer offers the cost-effective International Media Mail), only to have to drag them around the next time we move.

Ebooks, then, are the answer to my minimalist prayers—well, theoretically. If I could replace every book in my “permanent” collection with a digital version, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, however, only a handful are currently available in electronic form. Amazon has an “I’d like to read this on Kindle” button on each book’s product page, that sends the request to the publisher. I’ve been clicking that link like mad for the books in question, with the hope that someday I’ll be (digitally) reunited with my beloved volumes.

Wow–this post is getting too long, and I’ve barely begun to wax poetic on the wonders of ebooks and how they’ve changed my reading habits. I think I’ll call this Part 1, and continue my discourse (I told you not to get me started!) in my next post…

As always, comments (both for and against ebooks) are welcome. This is one of my favorite topics, and I love hearing everyone’s opinions!