Reading habits / E-books
Unfortunately, my reading habits have declined over the years. I used to read so much in elementary school up to high school and once I started working a lot more and had a heavier course load with college…I haven’t read as many books as I used to. I think a lot of it has to do with already having to read so much of the required textbooks and other books that are assigned to me. Also frequenting different blogs and reading numerous articles online has played a role in it. I usually like to read book series. I think I like them a lot, because of the character development. It’s nice getting attached to a relatable character. And you can really tell when an author took the time to really think out a character and that’s something that I commend, because that can make or break a book. I really enjoyed the Crank series by Ellen Hopkins, although it’s not the best example of a series with good character development. I know that Twilight gets a lot of hate, but at the time I enjoyed reading The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. My favorite genre is fantasy. Anything fiction really. The last book I read was Witches of East End by Melissa De La Cruz, partly because I really enjoyed the T.V. show and wanted to compare the two. I think a lot of people enjoy that as well with books. Comparing the book to the T.V. show/movie adaptation. I’ve always liked reading paper books. I like having something in my hand. My eyes get really sore if I stare at a computer screen too long and I can’t imagine ever reading a book online.
Obviously the easy accessibility of getting digital books now is something that has grown and that a lot of people enjoy. Being able to buy a book with just a click and being able to read it right away, instead of having to search for it and pay for it at a store. As seen from the video, “A Simple Guide To Self-Publishing,” almost anyone can easily self-publish their own book, giving new authors a chance to get their stuff out there without the hassle of going through large publishing companies. You can have as many books as you want stored into one device – laptop/Kindle/iPad. A lot of e-books are super cheap. You can buy short stories and novellas, which is something that has been growing in popularity. There’s so many advantages with digital books.
I honestly prefer reading paper books, one of the main reasons being the discomfort of having to read something on a computer screen, but also because it feels more authentic to me. I know a lot of people that love to just go into book stores or find a random quant bookstore and just browse and find a new book. It’s an experience in itself to actually go into a bookstore and buy a book. Also a lot more digital books aren’t edited as well as a lot of paper books. Most paper books go through an extensive editing process before they’re actually published. A downside to a lot of people self-publishing. People also like building a collection. A lot of people take pride in having an original copy of a book.
Connor T Ball 