Online Reading - Are You Doing It?

I've been wondering - do you ever read books online? One of my goals for this year is to read classic literature. I decided to start with Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I watched one of the movie versions (1996 with William Hurt as Mr. Rochester) last year and knew I'd love it. I definitely want to add a copy of this book to my home library, but in the meantime I wanted to get started reading. I was snooping around online and came across a site called Literature.org. I typed in a search for 'Jane Eyre online' and there it was! I'm sure some of you already know about this useful site but I still thought it was worth mentioning.

This site is the perfect answer for me. Since I don't drive, with the help of this site, I can read a book without actually having it. Reading online is not my first choice, but until I can get to the bookstore or library, this is a good substitute. I don't know if I'll read the entire book online, but at least I'll have a headstart.

Another useful aspect of this site is that it enables you to check out a book to see if it's something you'd like to read. For instance, I've never read any Dickens or Faulkner and I've heard many readers say they don't care for their work. Well, I can go to this site and see for myself without leaving my home. If I see that its something I'll enjoy, on my next trip to the library, I'll get the book.

Another cool site I recently discovered from another blogger (forgive me - I can't remember who) is DailyLit. . It's similiar, but you sign up to receive installments regularly, either through your email or an RSS feed. You can even decide how often you want to receive them. It may take awhile to read, say Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, (over 400 installments, I believe), but it is a way to get access to the book for free.

I know most of you prefer to have an actual book in your hand, but I can see where these types of sites could be very helpful to some. How do you feel about online reading? Have you used sites like these? And if so, what were the circumstances. I'd be interested to know how popular they are. Please leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts.

BTT: Discussing Electronic vs Paper

Today's Booking Through Thursday is a little different.
First - Go read this great article from Time Magazine: Books Gone Wild: The Digital Age Reshapes Literature. (Well worth reading.)

Second - Stop and think about it for moment. Computers and digital media are changing everything we do these days, whether we realize it or not, and that includes our beloved books.
Third. DISCUSS!

To be different, today, we're having a discussion in the comments section of MizzB's blog. I've participated in the discussion and I'm also posting my response here.

Tell us what you think. Do you have an ebook reader? Do you read ebooks on your computer? Do you hate the very thought? How do you feel about the fact that book publishing is changing and facing much the same existential dilemma as the music industry upon the creation of MP3s?
To follow this discussion click here to go to the Comments section of BTT.

My response:

I always enjoy discussions on this topic. I think Trish made some great comments and I agree with her that publishers will be publishing actual books when I’m old and gray. Like Peta, I have a couple ebooks on my computer, but I haven’t read either of them. I prefer to physically hold a book in my hands, smell the pages and gaze at the cover art while I’m reading. That’s all part of the enjoyment for me.

My view on the Kindle and like products is that I think they do serve a purpose and can be quite handy. I like the idea of downloading whole books in minutes and having a large number. However, I like to collect physical books for my library.

That being said, I was diagnosed with a retinal disease many years ago (Retinitis Pigmentosa) that is gradually stealing my sight. I’ve read reports stating that products like the Kindle are helpful to people with eye issues becaause of the ability to change fonts, etc. and that the screen is easy on the eyes therefore, creating less eye fatigue. Because I am legally blind, but I still have tunnel vision which enables me to have center sight, my eyes do get incredibly tired faster than most. I will no doubt invest in a Kindle at some point, but I will always prefer a tangible book.

The same goes with audio books. I do have a few, but I find it difficult to focus and concentrate on the narrator. I’m sure it just takes some getting used to. At some point, I’ll have to use audio books, but I’ll jump off that bridge when I get there.