Prior to my iPad acquisition, I was a minimum one-book-a-week reader. Now that’s slumped to maybe 2 per month and the trendline “ain’t pretty.” And I am the type that MUST finish my book…no matter what. (There must be a personality disorder for needing to finish a horrible book…no matter what.) I now have a growing collection of DNFs (Did-Not-Finish) and a knot in my stomach. DNFs are also so much easier to hide and forget on your eReader. This New York Times article sums up my malady: Finding Your Book Interrupted … By the Tablet You Read It On. Here’s some choice excerpts:
“Can you concentrate on Flaubert when Facebook is only a swipe away, or give your true devotion to Mr. Darcy while Twitter beckons?”
“E-mail lurks tantalizingly within reach. Looking up a tricky word or unknown fact in the book is easily accomplished through a quick Google search. And if a book starts to drag, giving up on it to stream a movie over Netflix or scroll through your Twitter feed is only a few taps away.”
“Some of the millions of consumers who have bought tablets and sampled e-books on apps have come away with a conclusion: It’s harder than ever to sit down and focus on reading…These apps beg you to review them all the time…”
“…there are signs that publishers are cooling on tablets for e-reading. A recent survey by Forrester Research showed that 31 percent of publishers believed iPads and similar tablets were the ideal e-reading platform; one year ago, 46 percent thought so.
“The tablet is like a temptress…It’s constantly saying, ‘You could be on YouTube now.’ Or it’s sending constant alerts that pop up, saying you just got an e-mail. Reading itself is trying to compete.”
“…She is constantly fending off the urge to check other media, making it tough to finish books…the only time she was able to focus on it was on an airplane because there was no Internet access…”
“I’ve tried to sit down and read it…and then the next thing you know I’ve been surfing for 25 minutes,”
“…for a voracious reader in Los Angeles, the era of e-readers has had one major effect: she has accumulated many more books that she categorizes as “DNFs” — Did Not Finish. But she is also buying more books, she said, and she thinks that all the interruptions have, in a way, made her a more discerning reader.”
…“With so many distractions, my taste in books has really leveled up…I gravitate to books that make me forget I have a world of entertainment at my fingertips. If the book’s not good enough to do that, I guess my time is better spent.”
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This is a weakness for me as well. At any given meeting, I have my lap top and mobile phone, both of which run multiple apps for social media and otherwise. I think the old estimate of being exposed to more than 2,000 advertisement impressions each day has gone through the rough with social media. What’s more is part of my job is branding through social media interaction.
Don’t get me wrong – I am a #tweetnut (hash tag for effect), but it can be completely distracting at the most inopportune times.
Dale, I was smiling reading your comment. I carry my blackberry, my iphone and at times my iPad. I was in the dentist chair last week between x-rays checking my emails. Crazy!
I am a traditionalist, and I prefer to read a book; with paper and printed words with ink. I still can’t imagine reading a book on a Kindle or iPad. But, the day will certainly come when the book goes the way of other great items of our history. The buggy whip was lost thanks to the automobile; the vinyl record was lost thanks to the audio cassette – then the CD – then to ITunes; mailing a letter via the postal service was lost to the ‘SEND’ button sending an email. I can go on, but this isn’t my blog…it would be rude to write a post as a comment. But, I think you get the point.
Dale, I WAS in your camp. And I dug in for months. And lost the battle. I now can’t live without it. And btw, I would welcome your writing a post as a comment. Point – counterpoint like!
I completely agree with you Dale! The paper trail is slowly dwindling away. I’m a 20 year old college student, and it makes me sad to think that someday all books will be online. I love sitting down to read a book, best part of summers. I also can’t imagine having to read on a tablet. They strain your eyes and that’s not something I like. I hope books can manage to stay around. In some way, I think they will. I think people will get annoyed with reading on a screen and they will turn to the good old ink and paper. Cross your fingers!
I used to have to finish my books no matter what. Then I learned that it’s okay to not like a book after 25 or 50 pages and to move on. I’m not a big fan of books that have a lot of cursing, cussing, and foul language in them, so if I come across that, I’ll quit and move on. Fortunately, I only buy books from authors I like (Stephen King); anything else I get from the library, unless it comes to me as a pre-published edition. Three books that I gave up on because of the language:
» “Cogan’s Trade” by George V. Higgins
» “Raylan” by Elmore Leonard
» “Start Shooting” by Charlie Newton
Wow, you pull up after 25-50 pages. Wise man not to spin your wheels. I haven’t cracked the code on this yet. As to favorite authors, I generally go on binges – get tired of one and move to another – from Updike collection to Haruki Murakami to Ken Follet. Dave
If I don’t like it, it has no useful information, and it’s not relevant to my life, why go on? Life is too short to do things you don’t have to do or don’t want to do. As my wise old grandmother said, “Life is a journey, not an end. Enjoy the journey.” To which I always add, “And take lots of pictures to share.”
Ironically, I’m trying to type up an outline for an exam I have this week. That doesn’t go very well when the internet can pop up in a second.
LOL
I’m not sure if I am any MORE distracted reading on my iPad than I am reading paper books, but I have learned not to feel guilty about starting more books than I finish. I feel like most books are 2-3 times longer than they need to be anyway. I probably have the gist by 100-150 pages in and I move on to the next one. Unless it’s a novel, of course, but I don’t read too many of those– although I do wish Tom Wolfe would hurry it up already with his new one.
JP, sounds like you’ve found the magic. Wolfe purists would probably shudder at the hurry up. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Dave
Great post!
Until quite recently I was an avid reader. I’m reading less these days – and I don’t even have an iPad or Kindle. The books I read are the paper and ink type. The problem is the laptop – everything is way too immediate and it makes it harder to pick up a book.
I also don’t have a problem ditching a book if it’s not good – 25 pages is usually enough to determine that. To paraphrase what Russel said, there are far too many good books out there to waste time reading garbage – poorly written, bad language, and so on.
And now – it really is time to shut down this computer and pick up my current read (The Cat’s Table).
If you have a laptop and that is a problem, stay far far away from anyplace where you can test drive an iPad. Take my word for it. 25 pages, huh. Wow. Based on reader comments above, I’m in the minority. (again). Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts. Dave
Great post! I am sill a paper reader. I also have difficulty with needing to finish a book before I start another.
Finally, a soul mate on needing to finish!
I am still old school needing to have physical paper & ink books. My reason is cause I like to highlight certain things that I would like to refer back to later. But really if see the book laying around the house, office or bookshelf I will feel guilty if I don’t finish it. I know that it won’t be long before I am converted to the technology side!
Dark side is right around the corner Bro. Just a matter of time.
When I first started out writing, I had no internet and sometimes wrote for nine hours a day when not visiting the library to research stuff. It is now lunchtime and I’ve penned one haiku on my blog and am now busy posting comments on other people’s blogs. The document file containing my novel (under revision) hasn’t yet been opened.
D:
:). Thanks for sharing Sarah. Do you post on desktop, iPad or laptop?
I’ve just semi-retired my laptop as it was grinding to a halt. My husband has just rebuilt a desktop PC and loaded Linux on it, which is superfast, simple, and without any of the irritations associated with microsoft word. My efficiency and my mood have improved vastly 🙂
Funny how our mood fluctuates with speed of PC or internet…we’re all wired!
When I traded my Kindle for the iPad, my book reading plummeted. The temptation to see what’s happening with the dozens of news sites, message boards and blogs I follow is too great. In fact, when I’m in a 3G “dead zone” you’ll see me with both the iPad and iPhone going, reading off one while the other downloads pages. As for books, it’s really got to grab me these days and right now I think that means fiction. I’ve always loved nonfiction, but without a plot and characters calling to me, it’s too easy to dip in and out of a book. I miss those book that make me want to turn off the Daily Show and go to bed early to read.
Rob, I smiled as I read through your comments. I relate. I have moved to fiction as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Dave
Amen to this, I have been in the trap myself and it took discipline to stay away from my tablet so that I could get some work done. I had to put time limits on myself or I found that once I started surfing, I was gone for hours. Great post!
Time limits huh? Good for you! Dave
Give me a cardboard and paper book where I can place a dog-eared bookmark between reading sessions. Also, I love secondhand books, purchased very cheaply, that I feel free to jot and doodle in! And if I am reading in the tub or at the beach and I drop the book in water, I can just dry it out and keep on reading! Preserve me from electronic reading!
First word that comes to mind (Dinosaur). I didn’t just say that did I? Thanks for sharing your thoughts!