READING AND AGING

For any reader, aging presents an extremely painful problem. My mother, a reading specialist and reading devotee with an extensive personal library, lived to the age of 101; after about 95 years, she found it hard to continue reading her beloved books. The print was too small, there was too little contrast with the paper, and so on. By the time she died, she could read almost nothing.

Fortunately, some helpful options are available. Listening to audiobooks is helpful for many people, whether they have poor vision or not. Indeed, audiobooks can be very pleasing when the reader is skilled. For instance, I especially enjoy hearing books written by the late mystery writer Dick Francis if they are read by Simon Prebble, whose voice is exactly right for Francis’s books. The main drawback to audiobooks is that you can’t go back to an earlier point (unless by a method I haven’t discovered) to look up something. They are invaluable for anyone who has lost their vision completely, and have been around since 1948 as a service of Recording for the Blind (now renamed Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic/Learning Ally).

Large-print books have long been available, too. In the past I found them limited to religious novels and other books someone decided were appealing to the elderly, but recently I have seen many that are suited to a wider audience. If a book you want to read is available in a large-print edition, it’s another good choice.

For a long time I resisted the Kindle electronic reader, being a snob about reading. Yes, the Kindle is inferior to a large library of “real books.” As my vision has declined, though, I find it harder and harder to read those. With a Kindle edition, I can adjust the font, the type size, the background color and brightness for maximum readability. Recently I read Melville’s Billy Budd on the Kindle after finding the library’s standard book impossible. For traveling, the Kindle can hold hundreds of books in a tiny space. The savvy reader can add notes, bookmarks, and so on, too. I’ve had some problems with using those, but I love the built-in dictionary.

The Kindle has its downsides:  It’s hard to flip through the “pages,” though searching for a character’s or place’s name sometimes makes it possible. It’s hard also to form a sentimental attachment to an electronic book; I can’t imagine giving one to a child. Compared with free books from a public library, Kindle books can get expensive. (Many books can be downloaded free from Gutenberg.org, though, and Amazon often offers free or inexpensive books.)

All in all, I’m lucky to have some alternatives to “real” books. I may miss the real thing, but at least I can still read a book’s contents.

Copyright © Decembert 20, 2021 by Carol Leth Stone (a.k.a. RovinCrone)

 

READING IN AN RV

A couple of years ago I bought a Nook e-reader from Barnes &Noble. This has opened up a new world of RV reading—partly good, partly bad—for me.

RV space is extremely limited, and that’s a problem for anyone who reads. Even a few paperbacks can take up space that is needed for something else. The Nook is ideal for RV travel. I can load many books on it—a few science books for reference or for bringing my knowledge up to date, a couple of current mysteries, some novels, and a couple of classics I’ve always meant to read.

 Though many ebooks are available for purchase from Barnes &Noble and other sources, that option can get expensive. Fortunately, I can also check out free ebooks and magazines from my local library. Though they must be returned, like any library books, the returns can be done online.

At times the lighted screen of the Nook helps enormously. Even the amount of brightness is adjustable. As a result, while my vision is poor, if we are boondocking and limited to only a low light level I can still read. That isn’t always true for books on paper.

Of course, if I should lose or damage the Nook, I may lose an entire  library. Supposedly Barnes & Noble can easily replace lost ebooks I have bought from them. That’s a bit scary, and I have not yet tested it.

I also have some doubts about just how much I learn or retain from ebooks. Studies of reading retention from ebooks and traditional books have had mixed results, though in the last few years ebooks have seemed more acceptable to students and teachers, as would be expected. (Ten years ago I thought “kindle” was only a verb.  Today nearly everyone knows what a Kindle is.) Nevertheless, some studies have shown greater retention from solid books that demand an interaction with paper, type fonts, and other characteristics. Much research is needed in this field.

My own experience bears this out. I have read many ebooks since retiring, both to fill out my “bucket list” and for casual enjoyment. Though the serious reading (including a lot of Tolstoy) has been pleasurable, and the built-in dictionary has helped with comprehension during reading, I find afterward that I haven’t retained a great deal from it. My impression is that reading the same books in a traditional paper format would have been more productive. I could have underlined portions of the text, written comments in the margins. When I look at books I read many years ago, just seeing my additions to them recalls a great deal. That may be possible with ebooks (it’s possible to highlight passages and add comments, but inconvenient). I haven’t made the effort, though. For me, the technology is too new. Younger readers may find it easy to handle, and won’t care about books on paper. (What a terrible thought! I hope I don’t  live long enough to see that happen.)

Casual reading is another matter. If I don’t remember all the details of a murder mystery, it doesn’t matter. In fact, I may be able to reread a book in a few years when I don’t recall whodunit! It’s an unexpected bonus of aging.

So, which mode of reading is better? As with so many things, it all depends. During travels in the RV, I am grateful for the Nook. During time at home I still tend to accumulate books printed on paper and add them to the library I’ve built since childhood. During many moves around the country over the years, and a major downsizing in 2005, I have ruthlessly cut down on that library, but it grows back as quickly as kudzu. And, many of those books are old friends, treasures that I have simply packed up and taken with me. Perhaps in time I will have a Nook library of favorites also, but it hasn’t happened yet.

 

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