What is it that interests people in reading books, be it fiction or non-fiction?
For me the answer is another reality that I can escape to. I enjoy creating the world in my head like a director, and watching the events take place, either as a character with narrative or from a distance depending on the scene.
I have owned an iPad for a year now and was excited about the opportunity to have hundreds of books(known as e-Books in the tech world) at my fingertips, literally, and the portability of said books. After reading a few novels I came to the realization that it doesn't live up to the hype that has made it into the tech media, but I do believe it does have its qualities. Some of the pros are portability, many books available without occupying physical space, some features built in, for example a dictionary, ability to take notes, quote passages that you like and keeping track of your progress. As the iPad also has the ability to play music, I can then purchase Audio Books and listen to them while working away at other things. Saying this though I have never tried an Audio Book, and am unsure if I ever will. Usually when I am doing other things, for instance cycling or cooking diner, I have mp3's playing with me and listen to music, but never really focus on it, I only have it there for noise in the background. If i had a novel being read to me I'm not sure I would ever really know what is going on, and with another person reading it they may vocalize the story differently then myself, and therefor I would have difficulty perceiving the world and characters. My other negative towards Audio Books is the cost vs e-Books or Printed Books, they cost anywhere from 2-4x the retail price, but I do understand that the person reading the novel needs to be paid as with the author and publishing company. Lastly comes the tried and true Printed Book that has been going for hundreds of years, and has only slowed down recently due to e-Books. My preference is still with this type of book as it gives you a sense of accomplishment once you finish it. There is something about picking up a thousand page novel, and I'm not sure if it's that you may find it daunting, or you simply want the challenge and satisfaction once you finish it. There are so many pros and very few cons with a Printed Book. The smell, breaking the binding for the first time, the way a bookshelf looks with hundreds of books on it, even though that could be viewed as an egotistical status symbol, the variety of hardback, paperback, first printing, different covers, forewords by other authors, and having them signed. The only cons I can think of are physical space that they occupy, especially if you travel a lot, and reading a book so many times that it starts to fall apart.
I think you should try an audio at least once before you knock them. They've grown on me and I just download them for free at the library because they are indeed expensive. But, paper books are still wholly in my heart.
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