STILL RELEVANT: Physical books still have a place in the hearts of avid readers.
CYNTHIA CHIN
LORINA ELSA JENIS
KUCHING: The reading trend today has drastically changed since 15 years ago as reading materials can be found in the form of e-books online.
However, the waning trend of reading is likely caused by people being interrupted or distracted by online social networking, social gaming and social sharing.
For Cynthia Chin, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) senior programme officer, she uses both for her work and leisure because both have their own distinct advantages.
“I use both in equal measure. I like paper books for their collectability. I have my own library, but because paper books are so incredibly expensive these days, I only buy those that I want to keep or collect,” Chin said.
“I use my iPad as an ebook reader when I travel. It’s a really cheap source of great reading. I also use it to read technical reports and papers for work. I used to be averse to e-books because I like the smell and touch of paper books. I still do. But the cost and weight of paper books, combined with my constant travelling, has pushed me towards e-books,” she added.
The benefits of e-books are that she can carry hundreds of books and thousands of technical papers in one device as it is useful and convenient.
She stressed that though she will never cease to love paper books, it is also important to use e-books because it means lower usage of paper and less trees being cut down for books.
In her line of work, she needs reference books, mainly scientific papers on wildlife, forest management and environmental issues.
For leisure, she likes reading stories set in the 1900s, anything written by Neil Gaiman and anything well written. Prose and style are very important and as long as the author tells his or her stories in a style that she loves, she will read it.
“Looking back, I thought I would never get into ebooks. Now I read them more than paper books. I really don’t know how to feel about that yet. The art of reading has evolved. There’s also a lot more distraction for me. I used to read a book a month,”
“Now, that is interrupted by Facebook, Candy Crush, emails anywhere anytime. It’s a real challenge for me to shut out the world and disappear into my books these days. I think that’s not exactly a good thing. Reading is a really healthy way to slow our pace down and enjoy a long, drawn-out quiet moment for the soul,” she said.
Meanwhile, Lorina Elsa Jenis, a student, said that she uses both physical and digital books when doing her assignments.
Since some books are available in print but not available in soft copy, she goes to the library and also online to find the materials she needs.
Though the real books can be heavy, she said sometimes she has no choice as there is no online copy available.
“I use both print and e-books for my studies as it is a means to an end. I will look for the books in the library first and if I can’t find it, then I will search online. I prefer not to search online first because I will get distracted with social networking, but if I do it later, I would have found half of what I need,” she said.
“For leisure, I also enjoy reading. Nothing beats diving into a different world and enjoying my free time than reading a book. Since my siblings also like reading, we would exchange books once we’re done reading, and also with friends who also like reading.”
She said she prefers reaching out for a paper book novel because reading it on a laptop or tablet can cause strain to the eyes when reading for too long.
Plus bringing a tablet to the beach or waterfall is not a good idea as it can get damaged or risk it falling into the water, she said.