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Changing My Style of Reading

It is so easy to spot other campers' maladjustments to 'the lifestyle.' Most of them do not have any kind of recreational activity; they are just couch potatoes looking for free rent; they watch satellite television or run generators half the day.

But I have always known what my biggest problem was: I read books in a nerdy, serious mood. There is little relaxation or pleasure in it, for me.  On a long winter night, this causes sourness or glumness in the reading chair.


Paper books are almost irrelevant to a mobile camper, for obvious reasons. So let's just talk eBooks. The eReader "manufacturers" show advertisements of some young, attractive person reading their gadget, outdoors, perhaps on a mountain top or on the beach. I am surprised they don't show somebody skydiving while reading their gadget.


I have never liked reading outdoors, with the intense sunlight, wind, and a bit of insect life. But the eReader ads are correct that I need to relax with a book, instead of studying it, or 'ripping its heart out', as was said of Samuel Johnson. 

With that preamble as my excuse, I just ordered a Kobo eReader. (And yes, this is a deliberate effort to de-emphasize Amazon in my life.) It will show up at the local Walmart in a couple days. Wish me luck!

Comments

I have been using the Walmart internet sales for the last year or more because they have been cheaper and better on deliveries for the things I order.
Barney, Walmart.com needs a lot of improvement. As a customer, I have disciplined myself to stay away from all the third-party vendors, and stick to things coming from Walmart, which can be picked up at a Walmart store.

It is nice to avoid the hassles of ordering from Amazon and trying to find a package delivery store.
Ed said…
I do wish you luck.

You don't say which model of Kobo eReader you bought. I got a Kobo Clara HD that I had to return because I could not connect to the Internet through my Verizon MIFI router. The Clara operates on the 2.4 GHz WIFI band and my MIFI was sending both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signals which the Clara could not sort out.
Brewed Journey said…
Good luck. Library books are still the best deal in town, but I’m not a full timer. I like my e reader while traveling. I read titles that i get for free or a couple of bucks from bookbub.
Brewed Journey, I had sort of forgotten about bookbub, so thanks for the reminder. Do I understand it right: it is just an aggregator of other people's products (Kobo, Amazon, Google, B & N). It doesn't offer any books directly?
Brewed Journey said…
I think so. I always get directed to amazon when I select a book. What I like is that many of the free offerings are by new authors who are trying to get started. I’ve discovered some interesting new books and have even engaged with some of the authors who enjoy hearing feedback.
Ed, my Kobo eReader is the Libra H2O Liquid, 7". It got connected to my phone's hotspot in seconds. No problems so far.
Ed` said…
I am only guessing but most smartphones use the 2.4 GHz band so it would in turn broadcast on that band to the Kobo (all models working only on the 2.4 GHz band).

It looks like a good choice for you. The only books that you are giving up are those from Amazon which is not a sacrifice. You can usually find any Amazon boon someplace else in a file format that you will be able to read.