"Do I love books or do I love reading?"

Ann Kirschner writes in the Chronicle of Higher Ed about reading one book (Charles Dickens' LITTLE DORRIT, currently enjoying something of a renaissance because of its Madoffian plot elements and Masterpiece Theatre presentation) in paperback, audiobook, on Kindle and on iPhone. Result: Audiobook is more convenient than paperback; iPhone beats Kindle no contest.

I've never really gotten into audiobooks despite being a regular podcast consumer. (Current favorite: The Bugle, by "The Daily Show"'s John Oliver and fellow British comedian Andy Zaltzman.) I own two, downloaded from the iTunes store, one by a performer reading his own -- John Hodgman's THE AREAS OF MY EXPERTISE -- but I rarely listen. My unscientific theory on this: I organize information better when presented with it visually, down to sometimes being able to call up various quotations by their placement on the physical page. Great trick for studying off an outline, and it doesn't handicap me on shorter, discrete audio pieces, but would be crucial to enjoying a novel like LITTLE DORRIT.

The iPhone-with-Kindle-app vs. Kindle battle is not personally applicable to me, but I still think it's interesting. Kirschner argues Amazon has actually undermined itself by making books you buy on the Kindle available on the iPhone, because you're more likely to take your iPhone everywhere already, and the smaller screen isn't a dealbreaker for younger readers. I disagree on that latter point, but consolidation of devices is an issue -- I ruefully considered the benefit of an iPhone a few weekends ago when I left for Michigan with iPod but no cell phone. A paperback or two aren't arduous cargo until you add cell phone, wallet, iPod, day planner and notebook, at which point the unbookening of my tote bag looks slightly more enticing.

(Chronicle link via Ed Champion on Twitter.)