Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

I used to be all about paper books having worked for a family owned bookstore for years. Then my job required more travel, and an e-reader is a lifesaver for long flights and airport delays.

I’m know I’m about to sound a bit whiny, so I apologize in advance. But I think we do a disservice by making Franzen’s statement more inflammatory than it is. Other than the comment about serious readers, he’s not disparaging e-books or e-book readers in anyway by stating his preference. I’m not saying there aren’t people like that (heck, I gave my dad a lecture when he insulted the e-reader I bought for my mom for X-mas), but I don’t think this conversation is helpful when framed by this particular context. The permanence of books is a big issue for many readers, as is the difficulty sharing books with friends and family. Not just from a personal reading experience point of view, but from a larger social perspective as well. Seanan McGuire a while back wrote a thought-provoking blog piece about the challenges for poor people as books become increasingly e-format. I think this are discussions this site would want to encourage.

Personally, I feel privileged to be able to have an e-reader, and to afford paperbacks on occasion. I don’t think one makes me a more or less serious or engaged reader. But, I do know that I don’t get the same cultural value out of e-books because I don’t share them with friends, or have drawn-out (non-internet) conversations about e-books because it’s unlikely that everyone in my social network will pay for the same e-books. That makes me sad, but I still buy e-books and appreciate the luxury of having multiple books with me when I travel and not getting carpel tunnel syndrome from a heavy hardcover. Regardless, the question about the implications of e-books vs. paperbacks can and should be had without having to go into a silly debate about the quality of e-books and their readers.

And for the record, I prefer bookotry :)

I really don’t get why there is such a competition between the two. I mean, I utilize both formats for mass success! Paper is for my reads that I want to spend time on in a peaceful environment, where as ebook format is brilliant for those quick reads on 15 minute work breaks, sudden delays, and those trips to the doctors office. You never have to worry about losing your place when you have to cram it back in your purse as fast as possible with ebooks!

I think one will never totally ecplise the other, IMO. And at the very least, I expect print book shops to be around 50 years in the future like there are still record shops in today’s world. (And those require technology very few people have to run!)

Print-a-poop or dig-a-drip depending on which format you’re dising.  That’s the best I can do.  Sorry.  Brain isn’t functioning right now.

Does EIKAL have charts/graphics that won’t display properly on a 1st Generation Kindle? I want to take advantage of the sale but don’t want to miss half of the content.

Thanks.

I think that we should be happy that people are actually *reading* anything at all!

This book versus e-book seems like just the next step of the age old argument of ‘print’ vs ‘illuminated manuscript’/ Literature vs literature/ lit vs genre and so on, and so forth.
JL, is right about Franzen. He doesn’t fully criticize e-book readers, however,  his language is rather derogatory and he does fall into the trap of privileging one format over the other. (I say trap because of the discourse of the ‘Aura’ of Art that came out of the Frankfurt School in the 30s and 40s.*)
I can’t avoid suggesting that he is using it as a means to validate his own work. Instilling ‘social capital’ in his work, and the work *he* likes through the undermining of popular/ populist formats and genres**.

Tho’, it is worth mentioning the hilarity that surrounded the publication of Freedom in the UK (the unproofed work being sent to print).

Portmanteau words are great; I quite like ‘Bookotry’ and ‘Biblioformist’.

*Stems from Walter Benjamin’s ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’.
**Pierre Bourdieu talks about notions of ‘taste’ in regards to class in his work ‘Distinction’. And, I can’t help but bring him up whenever people privilege one medium over the other, or genre, or art form.

EIKAL has been bought for the Kindle, how could I resist that price?

(Off-on-a-Tangent: it is getting on my nerves that I have to buy my Kindle books from Amazon.com - Not only because of the UK/US spelling differences, but because I can’t always avail of the same offers that are available to US customers. )

I’m not a Frantzen fan, so I’d kinda like to be all snarky about his infallibility and pearls of wisdom and all that, but (oh, this hurts), he does have a point about the beauty and relative permanence of a printed book.  With that out of the way, I still don’t like his condescending, elitist tone.  Lighten up, man!  Not everyone has to read what you deem to be important works.  Just be glad they’re reading anything at all, and maybe they’ll go on from there.  Or maybe not.  Not the end of civilization.  No Visigoths at the gate.

Ebooks are not the enemy of print books; they complement them.  And people aren’t going to read less because ebooks/ereaders; they’re going to read more.  And a wider variety of things because of the accessibility, at that.  The people I know who have gotten ereaders now read much, much more than they did before.  That’s a cause for celebration rather than sanctimonious gloom-and-doom pronouncements. 

(I like printist/printentious! )

On a lighter note, thanks posting the sale info.  A-shopping I go!

I swear I was shopping a bunch of those books last night when I finished my latest ebook read and I couldn’t decide which before I got too sleepy and put the Nook away. I’m going to go buy at least a couple.

I thought the technical term for people like Frantzen was ‘twat’.

At least, that’s what I’ve been calling them for ages.

I am getting different prices for some of the books. The Connie Brockway’s book is showing as $7.46 on Amazon for me. Everything I Know about Love I Learned from Romance Novels is slightly cheaper at Books on Board @ $2.69.

I find Books on Board prices matches Amazon.com quite often, which is great for me in the UK (I registered for a US account with a US address <borrowed my=”” sil’s=”“> and then pay through Paypal)</borrowed>

Natasha, I often get different prices from Amazon.com than advertised- I’m in Ireland, and blame the VAT/sales tax.
Also, neither Connie Brockway nor Cat Adams came up at $0.00. While, Julia Spencer-Fleming and Jocelynn Drake aren’t available to me in e-book.

@Shell C
on Bargain Books the
Jocelynn Drake book is $.99 for epub
http://www.booksonboard.com/in…

Julia Spencer-Fleming’s In the Bleak Midwinter is $2.99
http://www.booksonboard.com/in…

Which part of Ireland are you from? I live on the North Coast (County Antrim near Cushendall)

For audiobook haters - Hearesy; the willful and persistent rejection of listening to the written word instead of actually reading.  Many people don’t think that listening to a book counts.

Isn’t it ironic that “social” media in our increasingly digital world so frequently results in reduced human interaction.  Activities that previously had an interactive human component (like reading and sharing a book) now find us more and more isolated with and by our technology.  We communicate, but when was the last time your laptop/phone/ereader hugged you?

pReadjudice?

I think the durability of supports and formats is a legitimate concern, that needs to be taken ito account when choosing in witch format to buy a book. In general, the impermanence of digital data and the difficulties to find suitable formats resilient enough for archiving purposes is a huge problem that has yet to find a satisfactory solution. So I don’t see why a call to remind these issues as fundamentally hostile to digital formats. It’s more the moral stance he chose to use that can be quite grating.

To me, the biggest flaw in ebooks right now is the presence of DRM. They are like if a publisher sold books with locks without giving you the key so you have to ask them the permission every time you want to open it. Right now, DRM are the surest way to make sure ebooks are indeed perishable goods.

Every time someone is horrible about book formats, I think of this picture. (http://alizabith.tumblr.com/po…
Basically, reading is good, no matter how you read.

I enjoy both bookist and printentious. (which my phone just tried to autocorrect to print tikis. Caused me a little giggle.) these terms, by the way, remind me of the Thursday Next novels. If only I could become a Literary Detective.

Personally, I love any and all forms of written word. I have those books I feel a need to have always, to look at their cover and smell the ink and paper. I buy extra editions of books (ie the leather bound Anansi Boys/American Gods and Narnia I have purchased in the past year). BUT it isn’t always possible to lug around a book. My kindle is teeny and fits well in my bag. The same can’t be said for most books. (plus the FYA girls have it right…brown bagging some of the TERRIBLE COVERS the publishers subject us to isn’t an issue with ereaders) I will continue to split my patronage. I also use my library’s digital services A LOT for both audiobooks and ebooks.

The Other Guy’s Bride is also only free for Prime members.  For the rest of us, it’s $4.99

e-hostility, e-heresy, paper hater

Hi Natasha and ShellC, I’m in Ireland too and have all the same problems with Amazon.

I’ll check out Books on Board, thanx Natasha

There is a purpose for all things.  There is something for everyone.  And that is how it should be.  Everything else is just opinion which can be ignored and belittled!

The entire series is worth never getting out of the recliner. I think it is one of my favorites!

If I didn’t listen to audiobooks while I drive I would 1) miss out on a lot of really great series that I have no time to sit and read and 2) have a lot of speeding tickets since I tend to drive the speed limit so I can listen to as much of the story as possible.

May said…
—> In general, the impermanence of digital data and the difficulties to find suitable formats resilient enough for archiving purposes is a huge problem that has yet to find a satisfactory solution.

This is so true. Digital is really quite fragile as a storage format, and The Library of Congress has gone so far as to call digital formats “not inherently safe harbors of preservation.”

There was a story in Rolling Stone a couple of years ago about how The Cult went back to their digital multi-track masters to issue a re-release of an album they recorded in 1985, only to find one master completely unplayable, and another 20% blank. The band had to go back to the studio and re-record several songs.  We’ll hear more and more about this issue within the next decade, as people start losing data they thought was “safe.” 

Aside: on a different forum I watched a fellow who not only hated trade-size paperbacks over mass-market, but was unhappy that there wasn’t a standard mass-market size and that they could differ by as much as half a centimeter in height (he was from the UK).

It spoiled the look of the bookshelf you see, if the top line made the books all zig-zaggy.

Issues? Pfft. Bloody newsstand, more like.

It sounds crazy to organize books by size, but I know a lot of people who do, because when you have a small space and a lot of books, you’re really forced to consider making some custom shelves, and then it’s amazing how many more books you can fit in the same space if they’re grouped by size.  My visual memory is so bad that I would never find anything, so I’m very grateful my tiny, craptastic apartment has 14 foot ceilings.

Oh, Franzen.  If he’s so well-read and committed to the furthering of literature, why does he keep writing mediocre, self-indulgent twaddle?  Shouldn’t he, with his perfect taste, know better?

I actually got my nook so I could access all the obscure out of print ‘serious’ books that are available for free on Project Gutenberg.  I also prefer print, but I don’t see how that makes ebooks any less genius.  There are so many occasions for snobbery, and I would have completely missed this one.

I love printed books; I always have. Something resonates every time I read an author who points out the qualities of printed works versus other formats. Bujold has innumerable scenes in the library at Vorkosigan House. One of her characters, a former city guard, ruminates on the fact that he never had a domestic violence investigation anywhere where such books were abundant.

I just read that scene last week on my computer in html format. The book it’s from is on a shelf, but I was at the computer so…

I have a thumb drive containing just over 1300 eBooks, in a key chain carrying pouch. It goes where I go. Imagine if I tried to carry the books instead. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to own the books for when I’m comfortably home.

I enjoy books. Period. Each format has its advantages and disadvantages, like virtually everything else in life. One great thing about ereaders that’s often overlooked is their accessibility to the visually impaired. I think most of the Bitchery would agree that it would be awful to be limited to titles available in large print. When one friend who’s a voracious reader developed macular degeneration, she read all of the large print books in our library in one month. Now she has a Kindle, and has recovered the joy of reading.

The issues of access and conservation are important—for works produced in all media.

Some of us make our living from print books, a little hard to sell ebooks in a used book store.. so I think you can understand if we are a little snarky when it comes to ebooks. I really have no problem with them in general, just that they killing my business. I think that anything that encourages someone to read is a good thing, but I truly believe that nothing compares to a paper book.

Actually, I think this is a really interesting point you are raising. My recently widowed father-in-law announced to me that he wants to start reading, though he has no idea what kind of books he likes. He has macular degeneration and terrible hearing, so no audiobooks.
I can only find (overpriced) James Patterson large-print books to buy for him! Not to slight Patterson, but some variety would be nice! Same problem with the library.
If I could teach my F-I-L to use an e-reader, it would save me a lot of grief. Unfortunately, he’s not computer literate in anyway and can’t figure e-readers out. But for future generations who are computer literate, e-readers might make a big difference.

Can’t I just be biliterary.  I love my kindle and I love my library.

I can, sort of, sympathize with that view point. It took me forever to pick up one of those slightly taller mmpb because I thought they looked awkward, they cost more, and they’d stick up taller than other books in the same series.

They actually seem easier to read, so I’ll just hate the extra $2 price tag. I still don’t like the height difference, but my collection has wonkier bits.

I second the request to be biliterary.  My personal library numbers in excess of 2500 volumes, which is why I bought a 3 bedroom house!  My Kindle is a recent acquisition but I love it for its ease of use and portability.  Since I’m a rereader some old favourites that I own in print have also been purchased in digital so I always have something to read.

I’m also looking forward to being able to travel without having to find room in my suitcase for half a dozen books plus whatever additional volumes I acquire in my travels!

I read both paper and e books and love a good audiobook from time to time. I LOVE stories in all formats. What I find so ironic about Franzen’s comment, “I think, for serious readers, a sense of permanence has always been part of the experience. Everything else in your life is fluid, but here is this text that doesn’t change.” is that I buy e-books for their permanence.

Paper books are just paper. He says you can spill a glass of water on them and they’ll still work? They’re PAPER. If I drop my hardcover in the bath it’s ruined. That is not permanent. If I drop my Nook in the tub, my Nook is ruined, but all the books I have stored in a cloud are still there just waiting to be called into service.

He says it “feels” like it can be changed and rearranged. But, that doesn’t mean it can. His reasons are all illusions.

I hate the snobbery. I used to order my ebooks through my local indie store, but every other Facebook and blog post was trashing ebook readers. Now, I just download from B&N.

Hi Sarah!!

I love all of the suggestions!! I usually just call ‘those people’, Format Snobs. Lucky for me, I love both formats. They both have their pros and cons… well, no cons really, unless the writing/story itself stinks…

Anyway, ‘Forsnobs’ might work, or ‘Snobats’?

biblioidiotry?

JL—About a yr ago, I gave my 87-yo mother a Kindle DX (the big one) and made the font really big.  I have to order her books for her (as gifts) and then download them for her, but she can handle it from there.  She had almost had to give up reading due to vision probs and difficulty handling the actual books, but now reads up a storm.  This might really be worth pursuing for your FIL.

Interesting.  I was regarded as anti-social as a child because I would rather read than gather around the television. Low tech reading was an isolated act—watching high tech (then) television was social.

I find that e-books are good in certain circumstances—extensive travelling, for instance, and I’m finding that they’re nice when you don’t want people to see the covers of what you’re reading. : P Some books are only available in e-format, or the cost of a hardcopy is unreasonable (“Mister Mistress 2”, I’m looking at you—it was $70 not long ago but the Kindle verson was $6.95). I think the important thing is to be willing to flexible in the format you read, even if you prefer one over the other. I prefer real paperbacks to e-books, but Alex Beecroft? Yeah, I’ll read her books in e-format. That Kindle is really a conspiracy. I bought 16 ebooks the other day for my “Kindle for PC”. I don’t EVEN want to know what the total came to. : P Self control, I don’t has it. Not when it comes to books, anyway.