Craig Dodge - Blog

For English learners, I've always encouraged more reading. Reading allows you to increase vocabulary and  absorb grammar naturally, as opposed to memorizing word lists and studying grammar rules. When you read about things that interest you, you will remember the language used more easily than if you are forced to study something in which you have no interest. Reading is FUNdamental.

Besides being an educational activity, reading can be very relaxing. Reading novels allows me to escape reality for a couple hours and stimulates my imagination. I love a good novel.

Finding English reading material in a non-English speaking country can be a challenge. The choices of reading material is limited. Taipei has a couple of book stores with English novels, like Page One and ESLite, and Costco has a few books that publishers are trying to clear out, but there just aren't many choices.

Most of my friends, clients and colleagues know that I have long predicted that e-books are the future. An e-book is an electronic book, published in digital form and readable on computers, smart phones and digital devices called e-book readers. I predict that most reading will be done on electronic devices, largely replacing paper books.

Besides providing access to an unlimited selection of books, e-books and e-book readers provide many other benefits. For authors and publishers, selling e-books is cheaper and less risky than publishing traditional, paper books. Additionally, in an era where everyone is trying to be more "green", people can appreciate that e-books are more environmentally friendly. For readers, e-books are more convenient to purchase and carry around, and generally less expensive than paper books.

Over the past couple years, I have been reading e-books on my iPhone while I researched and shopped for an e-book reader.  There are more and more options in the market, but with the recent launch of Amazon's Kindle 3, the choice for me became clear. The price was reasonable, the size was compact and the book selection was enormous. I purchased a Kindle and brought it back with me when I made my recent trip home. In the week I was home, and the couple of weeks I've been back in Taiwan, I've read 5 novels on my new Kindle.

I encourage you to do some research on your own.  Reading is an educational and relaxing activity, and e-books make reading even more convenient, but there are many choices of e-book readers in the market. Find the right one for you and read, read read!