Bought Sony Reader

I've had the ebookwise ebook reader for probably around a year now and decided I needed to upgrade because I can only fit 10 books or so into that machine. I like having access to favorite stories and not having to keep changing out the books.

At first, I couldn't decide between the Kindle 2 and the Sony Reader 505. I saw a few negative reviews of the Sony Reader 700, so I quickly eliminated that one. I liked the fact that you could fit 1,500 books in the Kindle 2, but I'd seen a lot of positive feedback about the ease of using the Sony Reader and the intuitive buttons. I also sympathized with some of the Amazon reviewers who expressed discontent that their ebooks could suddenly disappear from their Kindle because the title was no longer offered on Amazon. Once you download something into your Sony, it's in there until you choose to remove it (whether or not the book is discontinued on their website).

So, after a few hours of researching online, I opted for the Sony Reader and bought a 2 GB memory stick to expand the number of ebooks it would hold. Sony has the Reader on sale for $279 on their website, but since I am a bargain shopper, I hunted on ebay and other outlets. I did find two viable options on ebay--one preloaded with the Charlene Harris books and another pre-loaded with "100 romance and love related ebooks". I opted for the latter because it was cheaper and I figured 100 books wasn't bad to start with.

There were some mishaps related to the post office, but I finally got the reader on Friday and I really enjoy it. It's slimmer than I expected and while it's slightly longer than my ebookwise, the Sony Reader is actually lighter.

I was even able to re-download books I bought from Samhain (MBam) and Fictionwise, so I was thrilled that I didn't have to buy everything all over again. I did have to repurchase Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld Bundle, but since that was 4 books in one, I didn't mind.

Between the Sony ebook store and Fictionwise, there are a lot of books available and since Harlequin is also having their 60th anniversary, I picked up a few free ebooks on their website. So, my first weekend with the Sony has been great. It's so light I can carry it easily in a purse and it has multiple buttons for page turning, so if my right hand gets tired, I can page turn with my left. It also allows me to bookmark the page I'm on or I can just open the book to wherever I left off.

My "100 romance & love ebooks" turned out to be primarily public domain books, so I wasn't terribly excited over those, but there was some Shakespeare and Jane Austen in there, which was great. And, since Google books and Sony have a deal going on right now, you can easily download public domain books into your Sony Reader for free.

If you are thinking about getting an ebook reader, I highly recommend it. While you'll shell out $300 for a new one, if you are willing to be a little adventurous, you can find used ones or refurbished ones for cheaper. And, I heard a rumor today that Sony is coming out with a new model which will be $200.

It is really worth the investment if you read a lot of books and have limited storage capacity. Even without the memory stick I bought, the Sony Reader will hold 160 ebooks. Most readers are not as obsessive in their book buying as I am, so 160 ebooks is plenty and you can certainly store more in your ebook Library and change books out when you need to.

Ebook Reading vs. Print Reading

I buy most of my books through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Borders. I do have an ebookwise ebook reader, but I don't have a lot of books on it. I actually do enjoy using it and it's handy to take with me when I'm on the bus or waiting somewhere.

But, even though I do support the ebook market and think it will grow more and more, I find that I don't buy as many ebooks as I do print books. I do have the Gena Showalter books on my ebookwise and I have several Beth Williamson books on it also (I'd like to now buy those in print). And, I use the ebook reader for erotic novellas from Samhain, Loose Id, or Ellora's Cave.

I was really impressed by some articles I read last year on eliminating excess paper and streamlining your library and it really motivated me to buy/use the ebook reader. However, as time has gone on, I find myself still buying lots of print books. I suppose I'll never not buy print books (unless by some quirk of the future they don't exist anymore). But, I'm a little sad that I don't buy more ebooks considering that I have this e-reader and am not using it so much anymore.

I'm curious for those who read a lot of romance books and who own an e-reader if they buy more books in digital format or in print.