Nooks and craniums

I have succumbed to the modern age. No, I didn't buy a smart phone or start a Twitter account. What I did was buy an e-Reader. To be specific, I bought a Barnes and Noble Nook Color. Of course, I'm lost and confused. Faye says we can "check out" digital books through our local library access. The local library does not directly provide this service but gives us access through their website to the Tampa library which does provide the service.

So far, I have only read some of the Nook User's Guide.

I am not sure I will like this form of reading. I have a hard time reading through lengthy documents online, much harder than reading paper documents. I am afraid I will do more skimming and skipping ahead, knowing I can easily jump back and find relevant sections if needed. I do this with paper books, of course, but the searching is more difficult and discourages skimming for me. I pay close attention to what I read. When I was younger, my perception was better and it allowed me to read quickly and accurately. I have lost more of that talent/trait than I would like to admit. As a result, I read much more slowly than I once did. It does not help that I must use reading glasses.

One of the reasons I wanted to get the Nook is its limited "tablet" ability. I wanted something lighter and easier to carry when I went on short trips out of town. I need to be able to read email, answer some of it, and access the internet. The Nook has these abilities, though I am barely able to use them yet. I like technology but my ability to learn these days is a little hampered.

Since I am cheap, I don't want to spend a lot of money on books; one of the reasons I like our public libraries. But there is something available called Project Gutenberg [link]. This is a wonderful service which provides downloadable digital copies of a huge number of classic books. They support the e-Readers. So the very first book I have loaded onto my Nook is "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. I am sure there will be many more.

I am going to miss the feel of a book, the turning of actual pages, the physicality of a book. But I cannot fight technological progress.