http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/fashion/26kindle.html?_r=2&ref=fashion
With Kindle, Can You Tell It's Proust?
sort of funny too.
With Kindle, Can You Tell It's Proust?
sort of funny too.
NY Times Article on kindle
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I linked to her book in the "klick for kindle" thread. . . .she may be sorry. . . . ! 
ann
ann
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<snicker> That's funny.Ann in Arlington said:I linked to her book in the "klick for kindle" thread. . . .she may be sorry. . . . !
ann
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And yet, we've had so many threads basically saying "I'm so glad people can't see what I'm reading anymore!" LOL
Ann
Ann
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I do have to admit, I can see the other side of this argument I *do* like to see what others are reading..I just don't always like everyone to see what I'm reading.Ann in Arlington said:
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LOL - that is why I also have a large collection of Vera Bradley paperback book covers.luvmy4brats said:I do have to admit, I can see the other side of this argument I *do* like to see what others are reading..I just don't always like everyone to see what I'm reading.
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"If you're going to pay that, you're giving a statement to the world that you like to read - and you're probably not using it to read a mass market paperback."
So her idea is that having sufficient funds guarantees highbrow tastes in literature?
The practice of judging people by the covers of their books is old and time-honored. And the Kindle, which looks kind of like a giant white calculator, is the technology equivalent of a plain brown wrapper. If people jettison their book collections or stop buying new volumes, it will grow increasingly hard to form snap opinions about them by wandering casually into their living rooms.
Judging people? Isn't that a little harsh? I look at people's bookshelves; it has nothing to do with being judgmental but with looking for something I may have in common with them, or something that might be a conversation-starter. Finding *nothing* in common with them tells me something too. How is that any more judgmental than being aware of other visual clues about someone? Hmmm... what do you think, is there something wrong with looking at people's bookshelves?
So her idea is that having sufficient funds guarantees highbrow tastes in literature?
The practice of judging people by the covers of their books is old and time-honored. And the Kindle, which looks kind of like a giant white calculator, is the technology equivalent of a plain brown wrapper. If people jettison their book collections or stop buying new volumes, it will grow increasingly hard to form snap opinions about them by wandering casually into their living rooms.
Judging people? Isn't that a little harsh? I look at people's bookshelves; it has nothing to do with being judgmental but with looking for something I may have in common with them, or something that might be a conversation-starter. Finding *nothing* in common with them tells me something too. How is that any more judgmental than being aware of other visual clues about someone? Hmmm... what do you think, is there something wrong with looking at people's bookshelves?
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This woman has it all wrong! It is not the CONTENT of the Kindle, for it may indeed be filled with mass market smut snot, but it has moved from what books. Say the complete works of Arthur Conan Doyle to what the kindle is wearing. The snobbishness is now about the fashion of it. The cover, the skin, the bag. Who can Pimp their Prowess the best. and i read her article from my kindle so meh. Says the woman writing for a quickly dying media...
and i read her article from my kindle so meh. Says the woman writing for a quickly dying media...
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Interesting.
I love the silliness of worrying that books won't get an extra bump, because people can't tell what you're reading -- that's why there's Kindleboards and Goodreads, etc. That's where the bump is now.
The line about people with Kindles not reading mass market is funny, and based on a whole lot of nothing. Some of the most passionate, rabid readers are devoted to books that cause literary snobs the vapors. Ha, ever see the reaction on the Amazon Boards when the monthly Silhouette or Harlequin bundle is late? We can see here that owners have a wide variety of tastes and that most genres are pretty well-represented.
Never got why some readers want to put down other readers. Just as I don't get why DTB enthusiasts seem to have a need to insult Kindle fans. That's because I'm very live and let live -- it's not for me to judge the reading tastes of others, other than if our tastes overlap enough that there might be a discussion or recommendations. I don't care if people prefer DTBs or Sony over Kindle, other than I'm a bit of a tree hugger. Why would what someone else spends their money on, as long as it doesn't put others in danger, affect me?
I love the silliness of worrying that books won't get an extra bump, because people can't tell what you're reading -- that's why there's Kindleboards and Goodreads, etc. That's where the bump is now.
The line about people with Kindles not reading mass market is funny, and based on a whole lot of nothing. Some of the most passionate, rabid readers are devoted to books that cause literary snobs the vapors. Ha, ever see the reaction on the Amazon Boards when the monthly Silhouette or Harlequin bundle is late? We can see here that owners have a wide variety of tastes and that most genres are pretty well-represented.
Never got why some readers want to put down other readers. Just as I don't get why DTB enthusiasts seem to have a need to insult Kindle fans. That's because I'm very live and let live -- it's not for me to judge the reading tastes of others, other than if our tastes overlap enough that there might be a discussion or recommendations. I don't care if people prefer DTBs or Sony over Kindle, other than I'm a bit of a tree hugger. Why would what someone else spends their money on, as long as it doesn't put others in danger, affect me?
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Does anybody remember when this book came out?
Which was really unnecessarily antagonistic namewise?
So then, people who found it antagonistic, wrote this:
(Not available on Kindle.)
Anyhow, I read both, liked both. Why were women writers putting down other women writers? What did it serve? Some of the allegedly *not* chick lit stories were kinda click litty, really, but just showed writers taking their stuff way too seriously. Women tend to want to read about the same issues and concerns in their reading, at least those stories meant to be marketed for them, so acting like the elimination of humor and no name-dropping of designer brands puts on a story on a different plain is ludicrous.
The same with the Kindle/DTB issues -- readers are ridiculous to put down other readers.
Which was really unnecessarily antagonistic namewise?
So then, people who found it antagonistic, wrote this:
(Not available on Kindle.)Anyhow, I read both, liked both. Why were women writers putting down other women writers? What did it serve? Some of the allegedly *not* chick lit stories were kinda click litty, really, but just showed writers taking their stuff way too seriously. Women tend to want to read about the same issues and concerns in their reading, at least those stories meant to be marketed for them, so acting like the elimination of humor and no name-dropping of designer brands puts on a story on a different plain is ludicrous.
The same with the Kindle/DTB issues -- readers are ridiculous to put down other readers.
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Ah, a very thought provoking article, thanks Lady Volz for posting it.
So many things...for one, I never thought to check out what someone was reading by looking at their Kindle, but then if I bumped into a celebrity, perhaps I would.
I wonder what Ms. Nelson has on her Kindle? And she talks about it being expensive but also has a Sony Reader? And what a snobbish attitude. Although I do agree that it "telegraphs a commitment to books."
(Although that in itself is kind of funny as so many anti-Kindle people say "but I like BOOKS." Is a book the physical paper and ink or the words and ideas? When Ms. Fadiman expresses love for books as objects, is it really BOOKS she loves, or decoration? Has anyone read Ex Libris? I, too, immediately wanted to klick on Ms. Fadiman's book. Thanks for putting the link out there, Ann, I shall click it immediately!
So many examples of people using books to make a statement. Doesn't carrying a Kindle make a statement? At least until they are ubiquitous.
I really argue with the author's comment "It's a safe bet that the Kindle is unlikely to attract people who seldom pick up a book or, on the other end of the spectrum, people who prowl antiquarian book fairs for first editions." Just from the experience here on the board, we have members who've said they started reading MORE once they had the Kindle and also collectors who willl continue to collect first editions. Why would having a Kindle to READ on stop one from buying collectibles?
I thought it was amusing to read the number of examples about "literary desire" when seeing someone with an interesting book and therefore wanting to befriend or date that person. Did anyone notice it was always a fantasy, never something anyone actually acted on? And anyway, why wouldn't a Kindle do the same thing? If we see someone with a Kindle, we strike up conversations or people strike conversations up with us (not always when we want them to, we have other threads about that.)
Did anyone else read David Rosenthal's comment about not liking to read books on his Sony Reader, "it feels awkward to have a metal tablet as opposed to a book" and think "he should have bought a Kindle instead and accessorized!" I do think that's one reason why I like my Oberon cover, it gives me a tactile experience while I'm reading.
Anyway, I'm not sure if it was a positive piece, but they say even bad press is good press. Keep the Kindle name out there. I was glad that it had quotes from authors who liked the Kindle, too.
Betsy
So many things...for one, I never thought to check out what someone was reading by looking at their Kindle, but then if I bumped into a celebrity, perhaps I would.
I wonder what Ms. Nelson has on her Kindle? And she talks about it being expensive but also has a Sony Reader? And what a snobbish attitude. Although I do agree that it "telegraphs a commitment to books."
(Although that in itself is kind of funny as so many anti-Kindle people say "but I like BOOKS." Is a book the physical paper and ink or the words and ideas? When Ms. Fadiman expresses love for books as objects, is it really BOOKS she loves, or decoration? Has anyone read Ex Libris? I, too, immediately wanted to klick on Ms. Fadiman's book. Thanks for putting the link out there, Ann, I shall click it immediately!
So many examples of people using books to make a statement. Doesn't carrying a Kindle make a statement? At least until they are ubiquitous.
I really argue with the author's comment "It's a safe bet that the Kindle is unlikely to attract people who seldom pick up a book or, on the other end of the spectrum, people who prowl antiquarian book fairs for first editions." Just from the experience here on the board, we have members who've said they started reading MORE once they had the Kindle and also collectors who willl continue to collect first editions. Why would having a Kindle to READ on stop one from buying collectibles?
I thought it was amusing to read the number of examples about "literary desire" when seeing someone with an interesting book and therefore wanting to befriend or date that person. Did anyone notice it was always a fantasy, never something anyone actually acted on? And anyway, why wouldn't a Kindle do the same thing? If we see someone with a Kindle, we strike up conversations or people strike conversations up with us (not always when we want them to, we have other threads about that.
)Did anyone else read David Rosenthal's comment about not liking to read books on his Sony Reader, "it feels awkward to have a metal tablet as opposed to a book" and think "he should have bought a Kindle instead and accessorized!" I do think that's one reason why I like my Oberon cover, it gives me a tactile experience while I'm reading.
Anyway, I'm not sure if it was a positive piece, but they say even bad press is good press. Keep the Kindle name out there. I was glad that it had quotes from authors who liked the Kindle, too.
Betsy
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I think it is the nature of some people. When my kids were infants the same type of debates raged (and I'm sure still is) about bottle feeding vs breast feeding and stay at home vs working moms.MichelleR said:
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I just looked and it doesn't seem to be posted yet. . . .unless you're using an assumed name. . .Leslie said:
ann
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I'm appalled at the snobbism expressed by Ms. Fadiman and to a lesser degree in the article as a whole. Of course, I just clicked to request Ex Libris. The funniest thing is that her previous book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures IS on Kindle and I bet she's not turning down the revenues from it. I don't understand why these authors think it is okay to insult their readers.
I also found the line in the article "If you're going to pay that, you're giving a statement to the world that you like to read - and you're probably not using it to read a mass market paperback." to be laughable in its ignorance. Oh well, seems like some people just have to find a way of putting others down to make themselves feel better.
I also found the line in the article "If you're going to pay that, you're giving a statement to the world that you like to read - and you're probably not using it to read a mass market paperback." to be laughable in its ignorance. Oh well, seems like some people just have to find a way of putting others down to make themselves feel better.
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