Sony Reader Digital Book — Giveaway

I was so excited to get my hands on the Sony Digital Reader, give it a spin and tell you all what I thought of it. When I supervised the media department at a public library after college, we were always talking about the latest technology in video, music and book readers. This was about 5 years ago and digital books were out there in the market but none of them truly felt like you were reading a book. I thought they’d never catch on.

For a few years now I’ve had the scriptures and a few other books uploaded to my PDA and it’s great for quick reference but not particularly enjoyable to use and I don’t want to feel like I’m reading from a computer. I wanted to review the Sony Reader Digital Book so I could tell you how the technology was coming along and all the reasons it wasn’t good enough.
sony
Well, that was a couple of months ago. The reader showed up at my house and I pulled it out of the box and started using it immediately. And it feels like a book. It’s small and lightweight and the screen is such that it looks like paper, truly. The font and spacing feel like a paperback except that you can CHANGE the font size. I like to keep it somewhere between itty bitty Lord of the Rings font and granny-needs-glasses large print.

There’s no backlight, which may seem like a downside, but what book glows? Not this one. It’s really like you’re reading from paper, only it always saves your place, you can fit hundreds of books in one small device, and most importantly you don’t have that lopsided page flipping problem. You know when you’re lying on your side reading and one side is always more comfortable to lay on, depending on how far along you are in the book and whether you’re reading the left or right page? But then you switch to the other page and you have to flip over on your other side or hold the book in some really weird way?

You don’t have to do that with this book. It is never lopsided and there are buttons on both sides to turn the pages.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one digital blog reader and wireless device, this is not the toy for you. But that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m looking for this. It does also have a black and white picture viewer, an MP3 player, and two storage card slots so you can use it to store and use a TON of media. You can even play music while you read.

It has a long battery life and the screen is viewable even in direct sunlight… like… I don’t know… a book!

There are a few negatives. The books do load slower than I’d like because you know, I like it fast. The software interface for downloading and uploading books is not super user-friendly. I fancy myself somewhat of a techie and I had some trouble figuring out how to get the books on the device the first time. There is no way to use the book while it is plugged in your computer to charge and you have to buy the DC power adapter separately, which I would highly recommend. Sony also doesn’t have the greatest selection of books in the world. They have a good amount of classic titles and a lot of new releases but the selection is not as broad as that for the Amazon Kindle.

However, I prefer the Sony reader to what I’ve seen of the Kindle because I want a book, a real book, but better. I hope they continue to grow their inventory of content.

I waited weeks to do this review because I’m so enjoying using it and because of my advertising contract now I must pass it on to one of you. So weighing in at a retail value of $299.00, I give you the Sony Reader Digital Book. It also comes with 100 free classic titles from Shakespeare to George Eliot.

Now does anyone want to give me one? It’s on my wish list. Oh the joys of carrying my entire library around all the time!

If you’re willing to enter this giveaway, even though the reader is lightly used and has my cooties on it, leave a comment listing 2 non-religious books you’d like to carry around with you everywhere. I know you all love the Bible and the Koran. What else do you love? (I’m willing to ship within the US. Anywhere else, I’ll be happy to send it if you pay the postage.)

I’ll randomly choose a winner Sunday night at 10pm PST. Oh, and Sony wants me to let you know that they’re not responsible if you fall and hurt yourself while reading it or if it self-destructs when you disassemble it to see the little men turning the gears on the inside.

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213 Responses to Sony Reader Digital Book — Giveaway

  1. Pops says:

    You seriously know how to attract traffic to your website, eh?

    Here’s two:

    Great Expectations (Dickens)
    Human Action (Ludwig von Mises – the last great liberal)

  2. Wendy says:

    Pick me!!! 😀

    Books:
    1. Love in the Time of Cholera
    2. Puget Sound Birds (so I can ID any birds while I’m out and about! bird geek that I’ve become!)

  3. stacey says:

    Gifts from the Sea
    Cry, the Beloved Country

    All the best!!!

  4. Casey says:

    I would love this!!! I would have to have East Wind, West Wind by Pearl Buck and the entire collection of Jane Austin (who could choose just one).

  5. Baby B says:

    Two books I’d carry around with me everywhere…
    The Secret History by Donna Tartt
    One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

  6. Kimber says:

    Please add me to the hundreds of other interested fans. I would like to add my two books…

    “The Princess Bride” (yes, the movie was based on this book and like most cases the book is WAY better…you’re asking yourself if that is possible…it is)

    Le Petit Prince ( a great book for contemplating about our place in the world)

  7. falwyn says:

    I really don’t know if I could pick just two. Seriously.

    But The Last Unicorn is a perennial favorite of mine. And maybe the Winnie the Pooh stories for amusing my children.

    Good to hear that they’re improving digital readers. Still, I LIKE books. Though now in the throes of packing, I think, my whole library on a disk, maybe not such a bad thing…

  8. Elizabeth Hosto says:

    I would have to agree with the rest of the commenter’s, two books is too few books! The Harry Potter series, anything by Nora Roberts or David Eddings, the Twilight series, Lord of the Rings, Dracula, and the list goes on and on. I should probably limit myself to classics since that is where I am least read, but I love fluff. I was wondering about these devices, my husband tried to explain them to me when the Kindle was released but I didn’t quite get it so I would love to be able to see one in person and try it out!

  9. This time of year I would probably say…..

    Canning & Preserving for Dummies
    and
    The Star Garden (it’s the last book in the series I need to read)

    Maybe an “Organization for Dummies” if it exists……

  10. Kate says:

    Alright, alright, you got me! I’ve been lurking for months and this is the post that finally made me break down and comment.

    I would love that Sony! I would hug it and pet it and call it George. Seriously. :^)

    My two books would have to be:
    Anne of Green Gables (a favorite from childhood)
    &
    To Kill a Mockingbird (because it is just awesome)

    Also, I just want to thank you for your blog(s). I swear, sometimes you say things that I was sure no one else thought but me. And you make me laugh, which is pretty dang cool.

  11. Keri-Ann says:

    Hmmm… Sherlock Holmes collection and Mistborn (or anything really) by Brandon Sanderson

  12. I’d like this. If I won it, I would say I’d pick Creatures of Light and Darkness by Roger Zelazny and Wit: A Play by Margaret Edson. Because the idea is to pick books that I don’t already have and haven’t read. I could pick my favorites, but I already own those in book form.

  13. AMinTX says:

    This would be so handy, because right now we are literally pakcing up pretty much all of our books and putting them into storage to make way for baby #2. I would love HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY by Richard Llewellyn and SONG OF YEARS by Bess Streeter Aldrich on hand at all times.

    Great idea for a give-away 🙂

  14. Carolyn says:

    Man, I would so use this!
    Two books I’d love to always have on hand: The Oxford English Dictionary and the Joy of Cooking – both totally amazing references that I just don’t have around when I need them. These are not my desert island choices (Complete works of Oscar Wilde and AA Milne), but that’s not what you asked.

  15. rebekah says:

    sorry I was jet lagged in my eager first reply. my two books that I would take everywhere are roses for mama (janette oke) and little house on the prarie (first “chapter book” I ever read on my own. Sadly unavailable in digital format at this time)

  16. Heffalump says:

    The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley is my favorite book, so that would have to be one of the two…and…The Complete Chronciles of Narnia (I have seen them all in one volume) so I would have something to read to my kids…

  17. Dona says:

    I would love to have an e-reader, who wouldn’t . I am a big fan of
    David McCullouch “John Adams” and “” He really bring American history to life.

  18. Shalee says:

    Man I’m late. Time Traveler’s Wife and Grasshoppers have been in my hands more times than I can count!

  19. Dr. Maureen says:

    I’d like to try this out! As for what two books I carry, that’s a tough question. How about: Whatever two paperback books I am reading at the time.

  20. Stephanie says:

    A Tale of Two Cities and Pride and Prejudice for sure.

  21. Bailey's Leaf says:

    I would love to re-read the Diary of Anne Frank and The Collector. I think I remember the title right! I read it in a college Great Books class. Actually, it was the only book that I read without faking it out with Cliff’s Notes.

    Sign me up, please! We’re cool with recycling!

    🙂

  22. Camille says:

    Tough question! I would put “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom and “Pride and Prejudice” because, hey, it’s a classic.

  23. Sara says:

    I would carry To Kill a Mockingbird and On the Road by Jack Kerouac. It’s hard to pick just two, good thing it comes with a lot on it already.

  24. Joni says:

    What the heck?

    Hands down?

    Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (because I already have four copies of this book and a fifth one would round things out nicely – five is my favorite number)

    and. . .

    Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson (because that’s a kind of book that you would want to take with you if you had one of these things to travel with. . . )

  25. Nancy R. says:

    Wow – it sounds cool, even if it does have your cooties…

    Only two books? I’d have to choose ‘A Room of One’s Own’ by Virginia Woolf. I read this whenever I need some feminine inspiration. I also love the Lord of the Rings and read it whenever I need some soul food (not the Southern cooking kind) of the non-religious variety.

  26. erinbeth says:

    love the time traveler’s wife, and the wolves of willoughby chase

  27. seven says:

    Ooh, I’d love to have one of those. I am always tossing and turning and trying to avoid the awkward book-holding positions.

    I don’t know about two specific books that I would carry around… maybe Pride & Prejudice (popular choice, I know) and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (because it’s funny).

    One of my friends has carried around a copy of Fahrenheit 451 for (seriously) years. Like 5 or 6 years. He keeps it in his jacket pocket, which I guess means that he gives it a rest in the summer. But still.

  28. Melissa says:

    Hey Kathryn, I’ve commented before but never on one of the giveaways. BUT I LOVE books and the idea of having hundreds without packing them when I go on trips–priceless.

    OK, I don’t know if I could narrow it down to two. Here are some favorites off the top of my head.

    Jan Karon’s Mitford series
    Pride and Prejudice
    Les Miserables

  29. Not Too Pensive says:

    Les Miserables and Walden.

    Sign me up!

  30. Lindsey says:

    Right now I’m really into my marketing books, as I like a bit of quick inspiration when I can get it. So I’d choose two books by Seth Godin. Perhaps Meatball Sundae and the Purple Cow.

  31. divrchk says:

    Awesome! I’d load up The Red Tent and The Alienist.

  32. Tiffany Wylie says:

    Oh, my birthday is tomorrow and this would be such a lovely gift. Being a single mom, I probably won’t get much. My favoritest book is The Giver by Lois Lowry. I’m also currently in love with the Twilight series and I’m greatly anticipating the arrival of Breaking Dawn, so I think I would have it on there.

  33. Rebecca says:

    Two non-religious books? Hee. I spent ages carrying “If You Want To Write” by Brenda Ueland – literally, years – almost everywhere with me.

    And Persuasion by Jane Austen. I’ve reread it multiple times and it still a heartbreaking and great consolation.

  34. Megan says:

    Hmmm..two non-religious books? I would have to say the Chronicles of Narnia, you know, the one book made up of all the other books? That counts as one book right? 😛 And I love the Brothers Grimm fairy tale book, Grimm’s fairy tales. Or any good fairy tale book. I love them!

  35. Sketchy says:

    Oh that is so cool!!! I adore that it is not backlit.

    2 books, hmmmm what to choose, what to choose…something I love, and can reread over and over…and something too bulky to carry comfortably in my purse….hmmmm

    1. Jane Eyre
    2. The complete collection of Harry Potter (assuming someday it comes in a big compilation like that)

    Yeah, that sort of sums of my reading tastes, classics to fantasy and everything in between.

  36. Heidi Bye`` says:

    If I could carry two books with me every where to read while waiting in line or sitting at the park with my kids, I would pick:

    “The Twilight Series” by Stephenie Meyer because I can pick up any of those books and start reading anywhere in the story and be completely entertained.

    I would also carry “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell. Scarlett O’Hara is one of my favorite characters in all of literature!

  37. Cynthia says:

    Oh Kathryn…I would rather have you in person but your goobers on some techie device would suffice if that was all you were offering.

    1. Lord of the Rings because I never read it but have watched the movies like a dozen times. and I would read it in LOTR print too.

    2. Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child because I’m always getting it at the library as a refresher.

  38. cheryl says:

    I’ve never even heard of these. Crazy! It looks like fun!

    My two books:
    1. Anything by Jane Austen. Yes. ‘Tis true, and it didn’t escape my notice that Emma was on the Reader in your picture. 🙂
    2. Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards because it doesn’t hurt to have a story about a poor orphan girl who wants love and family and…(spoiler)…eventually finds love and a family.

  39. Jennie says:

    Reading is my big indulgence as a mom- I would so love to plunk down with this at the park while my kids play peacefully without any adult supervision! (in my dreams:)

  40. Jenny says:

    This sounds fantastic. I have been waiting for something like this to come out! I would load it with To Kill A Mockingbird, and A Separate Peace. These are two I read in high school, and I could still read them over and over again. I can’t wait until my kids are old enough to read them and discuss them with me!

  41. Lacey says:

    My husband would love something like this, and I would use it when he wasn’t.

    I would have “To Kill a Mocking Bird” and “The Forest People”, it was one anthropology book I enjoyed in college.

  42. Emily says:

    This looks totally awesome! Too bad I don’t have an extra $299 hanging around…

    The two books I’d carry with me are Pride and Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables.

  43. Karen says:

    Long time reader, but first time commenter. Kinda sad that a giveaway is what it took for me to de-lurk…

    Anyway, my two book choices would be “The Light of Other Days” by Arthur C. Clark and Stephen Baxter, and “Sophie’s World” By Jostein Gaarder.

  44. Sarah S says:

    Wow, I have wanted one of these forever. I would have to say the books I would carry everywhere with me are….wow I dont have any idea, a kids book quick as a cricket and come kind of beach read, maybe a Janet Evanovich…never know when you are going to be stuck somewhere with nothing to do!

  45. Deb says:

    Hmmm… Looks very nice.

    But only 2?

    The first one would be “welcome to my planet” by Shannon Olson and I can’t decide if the other would be “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” or Annie Dillard’s “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”

    Have fun choosing!

  46. Mary Jenkins says:

    I love Amy Tan books.. like the joy luck club. books about powerful or inspiring women! that’s what i love. you’re nice to giveaway such an expensive item..really nice!

  47. kris says:

    What a cool gadget! I would like to carry Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery), because I like escaping to Prince Edward Island and reading about someone who gets in more trouble than I do, and Many Waters (Madeleine L’Engle) because I love reading her description of the story behind Noah’s ark. 🙂
    And I like reading the comments on this post for other summer reading suggestions!

  48. fawndear says:

    Can’t ever have enough electronics. Would love the William S. stuff.

  49. Sara says:

    Two books: East of Eden by John Steinbeck and All Over but the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg. (Read them. Love them. Seriously.) Both are great for picking up and flipping through kind of randomly!

  50. Angie Kimbro says:

    Just two – that is so hard. I would say the first and last Harry Potter books although I love me some John Grisham and Candace Bushnell. I also just read the Kite Runner and it was A-MAZ-ING!

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