• stardust@lemmy.ca
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    10 months ago

    Getting actual E ink display led to me reading more, since it’s comfortable to hold compared to an actual book but easier on the eyes than a smartphone.

    • Chobbes@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I feel dumb saying that books aren’t ergonomic… But they aren’t! I hate holding them open so much. This should be a minor complaint, but it’s a huge benefit of ereaders to me.

      • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
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        10 months ago

        people act as if books are the be-all end-all of information, but like… they’re just the best people managed with resources and technology of the time! If you asked an ancient scholar if they prefer a book, or a tablet with MANY books in it, gee i sure do wonder which one they’d choose…

        • SokathHisEyesOpen@lemmy.ml
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          10 months ago

          “Hey Socrates, do you want this clay tablet, or an electronic tablet with every book that ever existed on it?”

        • Chobbes@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          For sure! I mean there are definitely advantages to physical books, like anything that you want to flip through quickly like a textbook is awful on an ereader… but just having hundreds of books on the go is a huge win.

          • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
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            10 months ago

            and even that is something we could fix if we decided to, e-ink technology is starting to improve again and we’ll probably have decent refresh speeds in a few years and then you’ll be able to flip through them like a book!

            • Chobbes@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              God I hope so T_T. I have like an ancient kindle at this point and I’ve been waiting for something that’s actually worth upgrading to.

        • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Yeah I just listen to audiobooks while playing video games, doing chores, or cycling. It’s what it takes for me so it’s worth it

      • SokathHisEyesOpen@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        You read faster with eReaders too. The act of turning pages with a paper book becomes a ritual that consumes more time than it needs to, and over thousands of pages that ritual definitely adds up.

    • xpinchx@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Same, I’m 37 and barely read anything since highschool. My fiance got me a kindle in July and I’m a reading machine. I love me some fantasy and sci Fi.

        • xpinchx@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          I’ll check it out, have you read king killer chronicles? Aka name of the wind. That got me back into reading, they’re masterfully done and read very easily.

          • SokathHisEyesOpen@lemmy.ml
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            10 months ago

            Yeah, they’re great books with pretty writing, but it’s a shame that the series will never be finished. A lot of his ideas for the second book came from Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. I read all 14 books and enjoyed the journey, but it’s not for everyone. Jordan spends a lot of time describing women’s clothing, and books 10 and 11 are a slog. His health was failing and it shows in the writing. Thankfully he took meticulous notes and passed the project on to Brandon Sanderson who picked the pace back up and really did the story justice with the ending. There’s a whole lot in modern fantasy that is derivative of Robert Jordan’s work. If you can stomach a very long, and very intricate series, then I highly recommend that one too. Amazon recently released a TV show based on the books, but I think it’s terrible. Some people like it, but I strongly disliked it, so much so that I couldn’t even force myself to finish it. Anyways, WoT is a great series, as is almost anything by Sanderson.

    • DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca
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      10 months ago

      Came here to say exactly this. Recently bought a Kobo and I’ve now read more than in the 5 years prior.

    • SokathHisEyesOpen@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      And works in bed without a reading lamp. Plus you can just pass out with it in your hand without losing your place in the book.

  • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Just finished the book “4000 Weeks”. It’s written by a guy who was originally obsessed with all the “maximize your time” books like Eat That Frog and 4-hour workweek.

    He now changed course, instead focusing on just living.

    Big takeaway: time is going to move, with or without you. “Maximizing your time” and completing endless checklists to one day “find time” is a quest for failure. It’ll never arise. Do the thing you wanna do.

  • The Menemen!@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Audiobooks are the solution, not perfect but better than nothing. I “read” my books while cooking, while cleaning, in the bus, while walking around, in the car and at the fitness club.

    • Ignisnex@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      No hate for audio books, but I think it’s not comparable to reading. They are fundamentally different ways to get things in your brain, and they are handled differently. It’s a different thing. Granted, if you want to experience a narrative or story, fine. But it’s not reading. If you want to read, you look at words on a page. If you want to listen to an audio book, you do not want to read.

      • The Menemen!@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        That is why I wrote “it is not perfect”. I agree that reading is different. Not really for the reason you mentioned though. For me it is mostly, that reading is relaxing for me, audiobooks aren’t. But one takes what one can get. Maybe when the children are bigger I start reading again.

        • Ignisnex@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Different strokes for different folks. You do what you gotta do to enjoy life, and if you want to read or listen to audiobooks, I wish you all the best! My particular neuosis centers around definitions, and it’s insane, and I know it is. For me, the whole “I want to read more so I listen to audiobooks” statement just hits me like “I want to eat bacon so I eat lettuce”. Sure, they’re both crunchy, but it’s like… A totally different thing. If you want something crunchy (a metaphor for a good story or something), then say that, then the format doesn’t matter! This is a strange hangup to have haha I’m going to bed.

    • Squirrel@thelemmy.club
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      10 months ago

      Audiobooks are also great if distraction keeps you from reading. Similarly, they help if you have trouble staying interested during the boring parts of a book.

      Both apply to me, and I’ve gotten through hundreds of audiobooks since I started ~11 years ago. I listen while traveling, cooking, cleaning, doing puzzles, and even while playing some videogames. I often listen alongside my wife or kids, making it a much more shared experience than a regular book. Audiobooks are great.

      • dustyData@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        I’ve tried dozens of times and in many different contexts and settings. For the love of me, if I’m trying to do something else while listening to an AudioBook, not a single word is registered by my brain. I would make it through chapters and suddenly realize I have no clue of what is happening in the plot or who the characters are.

        • Squirrel@thelemmy.club
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          10 months ago

          It needs to be an activity I can do on autopilot. I’m not listening to books while cooking a new recipe, driving somewhere I’ve never been, or playing a game that still requires any thought. Even when I can do it on autopilot, I have to pause and/or rewind occasionally (but not terribly often). Regardless, I know not everyone can easily split their attention for this.

  • expatriado@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    if the words of all the memes i read were added, it would amount to few books worth

    • Stantana@lemmy.sambands.net
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      10 months ago

      I read a lot, for example I just read a four panel web comic and a comment that went “if the words of all the memes i read were added, it would amount to few books worth”.

      • YerLam@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        I read a lot, for example I just read a four panel web comic and a comment that went “I read a lot, for example I just read a four panel web comic and a comment that went “if the words of all the memes i read were added, it would amount to few books worth”.”

  • Slimy_hog@programming.dev
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    10 months ago

    Lol, I’m currently sitting with a book open on my lap and reading lemmy instead of the book that I’m enjoying…

  • Seraph@kbin.social
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    10 months ago

    I’ve listened to a LOT of books this year just while commuting or doing chores. Thanks Libby!

    • Duranie@midwest.social
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      10 months ago

      I see someone down voted you for some reason. In case it’s because of the misconception that audiobooks aren’t as good as reading, several years back there was some research which showed that as far as the brain is concerned, there’s essentially no difference.

      “Looking at the brain scans and data analysis, the researchers saw that the stories stimulated the same cognitive and emotional areas, regardless of their medium. It’s adding to our understanding of how our brains give semantic meaning to the squiggly letters and bursts of sound that make up our communication.”

      https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/audiobooks-or-reading-to-our-brains-it-doesnt-matter

      • bricklove@midwest.social
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        10 months ago

        I can attest to this. I never actually read the A Song of Ice and Fire books but I know that world like it’s my own.

      • bitsplease@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        It’s just the same attitude as people who claim it’s not really reading if you’re using an eReader. Some people get weirdly elitist about books and reading

        • Richard@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Wow who would even say that? That would be pretty much as illogical as it can get

          • bitsplease@lemmy.ml
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            10 months ago

            As always, people who just hate change in any form - combined with the depressingly common outlook that if you don’t personally like something, it must be objectively bad

  • AustralianSimon@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    My wife gifted me a kindle 3 or 4 years ago and I’ve read religiously 30mins a night minimum. I upgraded to a waterproof one so I can sit in the pool or at the beach and read too.

  • TheFriar@lemm.ee
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    10 months ago

    I will say, for anyone who feels this way: set yourself a goal of reading for 15 min/day. It’s not even a full episode of that show you’re binging (unless you’re binging Burning Love, which I highly recommend). You will almost always read more than just that 15, but starting is the hardest part.

  • GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    The one thing that has gotten me to read more is the price increase in streaming services along with a decrease in shows that I find interesting.

    All that extra time I would be trying to find a show I now just open a book and read. So thank you Netfilx, et. al. for your greed has reintroduced books into my life.

    • SokathHisEyesOpen@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      Yeah, I was just looking for something to watch and like 90% of everything that exists is about cops, crime, or both. Why!

  • guyrocket@kbin.social
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    10 months ago

    I AM reading more. Just past halfway in King’s The Stand. Trying to finish it by the end of next weekend.