Chris, I know exactly what you mean when you say that holding up a book becomes very painful and almost impossible to do after a while! After a lifetime of being an avid reader--I mean, just devouring book after book--I had reached a point in my life a few years ago where I was lucky if I read one book a year. First I had to give up hardcover books, as they were just way too heavy and way too unwieldy for me to hold onto. Even as we speak, I have not read the last two books in Stephen Kings fantastic "Gunslinger" series because they were gifted to me in hardcover and I never got around to buying the softcover ones instead.

For a time, paperback books were ok, especially the smaller mass market paperbacks (as opposed to the classification known as trade paperback, which usually are the same dimensions as the hardcover version, just with a paperback cover instead of the hardback). I was able to bend and fold back the pages in paperback books enough to create a suitable reading position without too much trouble.

In time, even paperbacks made my hands hurt too much, and on top of that, my recurring iritis made it tougher and tougher to see the text in ANY book. I think the only reason I didn't get even more depressed about basically losing reading as one of my pasttimes is because the web was exploding at the same time and eating up all of my time anyhow.

Still, web or no web, I did miss reading books--magazines are a poor substitute. Then, just before Christmas 2008, a miracle occurred!! OK, a miracle is a bit strong, so let's just say I made a wonderful discovery. I received a Sony Reader as an early Christmas present, and ever since that day, reading is once again a big part of my life.

The Reader is Sony's ebook reader--it is similar to the Amazon Kindle in many ways, although the Kindle has more features. For anyone who has trouble holding books without pain, or who has trouble with their vision, I cannot recommend an ebook reader strongly enough. The Sony Reader is very lightweight, very thin, and super easy to hold and carry. It uses a technology called "e-Ink" to create a "page" on the screen that looks very much like a real book page. More importantly, you can choose from one of three font sizes for your reading pleasure--Bingo! No more struggling to decipher small print. One other great thing about the readers is that ebooks, at least for the time being, are much cheaper than hardcover books and on par with trade and mass market paperbacks. I don't think I have paid more than $9.99 for any new release since I received my Reader--hardcover versions of the same books cost at least $19.99.

The Kindle and the Sony Reader are still the two biggest players in the ebook field, but there are new competitors jumping in all the time. I know that Barnes and Noble introduced their own proprietary model this past Christmas. Both of the big 2 have their pros and cons, although I know most folks really love the Kindle's wireless capability. The Reader, on the other hand, just came out with a mini-version that is slightly bigger than an iPhone, and speaking of the iPhone, I know there are Kindle and other ebook apps on it aomw people swear by. For me, those screens are just too small. Prices range from about $200 for the mini Reader to anywhere from $300 to $500.

If you can afford one right now, or if your insurance will subsidize one, I cannot recommend strongly enough getting an ebook reader. They changed my life in a very positive way.

Brad

He who has a 'why' to live can bear with almost any 'how'.
--Friedrich Nietzsche

Sounds like everything takes time, discipline, and patience, and those are seven things I don't have.
--Jon Dore