Okay, so I chose a combination of options. I already had the Nook e-reader on my Droid phone. I had only read some of the free books I got at the initial download. Not compelling titles to me. I knew that I didn't really like reading on the small screen of my phone, but I haven't gotten a tablet (yet) and I am not about to sit at the desktop to read a book.
So, I went to my public library's site again to look for a book to borrow. I found The Wilder Life and decided to go for it. I must say that it still was quite difficult to download even though I already had the Overdrive software on the Droid. It is very confusing that you have to register with Adobe and that your Adobe ID is your e-mail address??!! Still I have the book at hand now and will start reading it.
I also read a bunch of the articles. It seems to me that this whole battle between Amazon and the rest is a lot like the battle over VHS vs. Beta, or now DVD vs. Blueray. At some point, someone will become the clear winner, but until then we are all pawns in the game.
I really haven't gotten into eBooks at my library for a few reasons. One is cost. Yes, I understand the advantages, but cost is a real problem for school libraries right now. The other is accessibility. Many of my students don't have real access at home. Some will tell you that they have a computer at home, BUT it is not working, or it is not hooked up to the net, OR their parent(s) are on it all of the time, etc. Even at school they really don't have sufficient access or time to utilize the eBooks. A real book can be read anywhere they have light with anytime they have.
Still, I am contemplating the plunge. Personally, I'm wondering about a grant of some sort. I used Donors Choose to try to get into the Playaway collection, but I am only getting a few. I really need more money to do the eBook thing.
I am excited about the free books available, but I must be in a tough reading mode lately because I don't find much that I haven't read that I am interested in reading. Maybe it is just because it is spring and I want some lighter reads.
Certainly this is an area for more consideration on my part. I will post about my experiences reading my new library eBook as it unfolds (so to speak).
