jml's notebook
Reading books
Reading books
I’ve been trying to nudge myself away from reading books on my iPad.
The main reason for this is that I want to set a better visual example for my daughter. I love reading, and I want her to see me actually reading books, rather than staring at my tablet.
However, good intentions often founder on the rocky shores of laziness.
Instead of reading from my iPad, I’m now reading more from my Kindle. I definitely prefer this. The Kindle is smaller, lighter, easier to read from, and never ever beeps or buzzes at me. If I want to switch away to some other task, I have to take the very physical action of putting the Kindle down and moving somewhere else. This is good.
The Medici and By the Pricking of my Thumbs were both paperbacks. The old habits came back fairly quickly, and I remembered to take them with me on tube journeys and such. There is definitely something very engrossing and pleasant in reading a real, physical book, even if I didn’t particularly like either one.
The main disadvantage is that paperbacks are much harder to read while eating than a Kindle. My Kindle has a stand, and only needs to be lightly brushed to turn the page. The paperback must be held, forcing me to eat American style. To turn the page, I have to set my fork down and (alas, all too often) wipe my hands.
For the first bit of the Christmas break, I’m going to try to keep reading the paperbacks we have around the house that I haven’t read. Then, we’re off to the US, and I’ll just take my Kindle.