Smile-breaks
Reading the book
I'm reading the book. Not the Kindle, not the Nook, I'm reading the book. Well, I was... but I couldn't read the small print and the page was too dark and when I tapped it, it didn't turn to the next page.
I tried. I really tried. Last month Lou, our Book Club chooser of the month, brought a slew of real books for us to choose from, instead of recommending a book for the month. Each of us was supposed to choose our own book. That way we wouldn't have to go to the library or buy the book. I chose the crime story "L.A.Times," by Stuart Woods. It happened to be in an oversize hardcover book.
If you have a Kindle or a Nook, or some other e-book that I haven't heard of, you'll understand. The e-books are small enough to slip in your back pocket so you can read on the go or when you're dining alone. The cover stands it up so you don't even have to hold it, and the light adjustment makes it easy to read anywhere—especially good when you're propped up against your pillow reading before you go to sleep or if you want to read in the evening on the patio when it's starting to get dark. And the font! I can choose any of about eight fonts and I can make them bigger or smaller to suit my eyes.
So. Having not read a real book in a long time, a few days later I picked up this kind'a big hardcover book—not a Kindle, not a Nook, a book. I opened to Chapter One, page seven.
The page was faded yellowish-white. The print was small. I took the book closer to the window, for better light. Didn't help much. The print was still small. I managed for a while. The writing was good and the story was okay but it was kind'a hard getting into it, so I decided to download a sample on my Kindle to see if I wanted to read the whole thing.
The sample downloaded. I tapped on the title and began to read. I tapped on the brightness icon and adjusted the light. The font was set to one I use most of the time so I didn't have to adjust that. Much better! Plus I had two hands free for munching on crackers and cheese while I read.
When I got to the end of the sample, I tapped on the page to see what it cost to buy the whole book. Hmmm. A little much. And why would I buy it when I have the book right beside me? I didn't.
It was a week later that I picked up the book and started reading again. Strange, but the crimes seemed more interesting on paper. Still, it was hard to carry it around with me for reading here and there and I sure couldn't read it in bed—not comfortably anyway—so
I did the logical thing. I bought the book on Kindle.
Since then I've been reading "L.A. Times" sometimes in the book, sometimes on my Kindle, depending on where I am at the time. The other day I tapped the paper page of the book to get to the next page. You know—like when you click your car remote as you're walking up to your front door. Nothing happens.
Lou, you can teach an old dog new tricks, but you can't teach an old dog to go back to the way it was. At least, not this old dog.
