Voyager Classics

Reading is not just an enjoyable pastime, but a rewarding and self-enriching hobby as well. A person who likes to read various publications and books across a range of subjects can easily carry on a conversation regarding different interests. Reading stimulates the mind, exposes your thinking to different philosophies and perspectives, and also challenges the mind to translate words into mental images and illustrations, unlike film or television which already feed the images to the brain.

In recent years, reading has experienced a major upheaval as the Internet age has given rise to digitized books, or e-books, and a plethora of different ways people now consume reading material. Bookstores are reporting decreased sales of paperbacks and hardbound books, while e-book readers such as the Kindle and Nook have become successful as consumers shift to e-books. Not surprisingly, tablets, smartphones and notebook computers also work with e-books.

Almost all newspapers today have an online edition as readers prefer to read their news on the Internet instead of the traditional morning paper. Also, online news editions can be updated regularly especially during coverage of a breaking news story, which is one major advantage for online news. Magazines typically have Web editions also.

It really should not be surprising that reading habits and trends have shifted towards online consumption. As the Internet has permeated daily transactions, business processes, and even forms of learning like language tutorials, cooking courses or the best online guitar lessons, the convenience and mobility offered by e-books was inevitable. You can have an entire library of various books fit in your digital reader for easy access while on a plane or sitting by the beach.

Many traditionalists have lamented the digitization of reading, and blame the Internet on less reading habits among the youth today. However, others contend that the youth’s quick adoption of anything Web-related or tech-savvy can actually be a catalyst for popularizing reading as a hobby again. When online users read news articles or research online, they are still reading and consuming information, even though it is not in printed form. E-books can be used to get today’s generation to develop a love for reading, if used the right way.

Until recently I wasn’t at all a fan of Asian travel eBooks.  I spend most of my time in Asia, and travel books are an essential part of life when you don’t speak the language and you’re just trying to figure out what the hell is going on, but I just couldn’t get on board with eBooks. 

Unfortunately, I damaged my back while lifting a heavy bag at Chiang Mai airport in Thailand,  and since then I’ve simply been unable to carry my usual huge collection of travel books with me around the world.

On the pleading of my doctor I bought myself an iPad and downloaded the Kindle app.  I then downloaded a couple of hundred Asian travel eBooks from Amazon – much more than my usual collection of about 20 Asian travel books (rest in piece).  

I have to say that it’s a revelation.  I used to walk around with almost a broken spine because I insisted on carrying a crapload of travel books with me, but now I skip around happily with a light bag, iPad in hand with hundreds of thousands of words squeezed into the Asian travel eBooks on the hard drive.  I just love it.  

I’ve decided never to go back to regular books.  Even if I had to stop travelling around Asia and return home to the UK I’m going to stick with my iPad and Kindle.  Asian travel books are just too darned convenient.