I used to be anti e-reader. Nothing, I swore, could make me give up the smell of a new book or the mysterious scribblings in the margin of a used book. Nothing.
And then my dad gave me a Nook. A free e-reader, it turns out, was the thing that could make me give up that new book smell.
When next month's book club pick was announced (Love in the Time of Cholera) I was actually kind of cranky when I realized I already own it in actual book form. Gosh, I'm going to have to turn a lamp on to read? What if I don't know a word? Am I going to have to use an actual dictionary? The horror!
However, as much as I've become dependent on my e-reader, there are still things that make me think that it's quite possible that books are better:
There's the obvious argument that a real book will never run out of batteries.
Never, when reading an actual book, have I opened a title only to find the contents were that of another book. When reading an e-book? It's happened.
I've never turned the page in an actual book, mid-sentence, only to find that the next page is blank. You can bet it's happened in an e-book.
Sometimes my e-reader will want to take me from page 108 straight to page 111. I've actually had this happen in a real book, but it was a textbook, and let's be honest - I wasn't really reading it.
And, most importantly, my actual books have never been locked. After loading up my e-reader with a carefully curated plane friendly reading list (no plane crash plots; mindless, happy love stories that make me forget I'm suspended mid-air for hours at a time), I reached my cruising altitude and turned on my e-reader only to discover that MY BOOKS WERE LOCKED. I was livid.
The happy ending was that I got to buy a book from the airport at my layover. A real, live book, that came complete with new-book smell and the rustling sound of pages turning and, thankfully, was unlocked.
As Y said when I showed him this post, "mo e-readers mo problems."
What do you think? Pro- or anti- e-reader?
Oh boy - this is a tough one for me. I love having an actual book in my hands. Turning the pages, the smell, the creases that develop...all of it.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, some books are so heavy/bulky that it becomes an annoyance (especially when traveling). So can I say that it depends on the situation? Because when I'm at home I definitely prefer the actual book but flying or traveling long distances it's just more convenient space-wise to have the e-reader.
-I realize this is like me wanting a cake and eating it, too.
I agree with Corinne. I love real books, but my Kindle is helpful for a traveler like me that doesn't want to carry a heavy book around.
ReplyDeleteI think some of the Kindle prices are a little high though, especially for older titles that I can get on Amazon for $1 used but on the Kindle - if it's available - it's $12.
I've never paid for a book for my Nook - I download them all from the library. But I agree, when you actually try to buy them, it's ridiculous.
Deletecan't do the e-readers. i go to grad school online, constantly writing papers on the computer and reading articles in the online library...when i have a spare moment to actually read a book, the LAST thing i want to stare at is another screen. i want pages. real pages that i can run between my fingers, dog-ear, etc. there's nothing like it.
ReplyDeleteThat was one of my main reasons too - I sit at a computer ALL. DAY. But I think I've come to accept that screens are slowly taking over my life..
DeleteI'm a lover of both. . .I hate to admit it because I adore books. Buying old books is a bad habit that my husband is going to have to learn to live with if we ever get a damn apartment that's big enough.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the ebooks are so easy, convenient and (most of the time) cheap. Also, it doesn't hurt that they sync to all of my wireless devices so I always have something to read when I'm stuck waiting on hubs at the hospital.
I'm solid supporter of both old and new fangled reading. :-)
P.S. What is a "locked" book??
I have no idea! I got a message saying I wasn't activated with a picture of a padlock. As soon as I plugged it back into a computer and unplugged it, everything worked fine. Which is great and all...when you're not in an airport.
DeleteHonestly, I'm not against eReaders... I love to read both ways. When I travel I take this great device with me, because I can have so many eBooks on it and I don't have to carry those heavy books. It's great that there are sites like All you can books, where we can download so many titles with just one click.
ReplyDeleteI also love both! I used to say I would never buy an eReader. No way! I love the musty smells of old books. I love seeing scribbles. And mostly? When the book gets REALLY GOOD, I like to skip to one of the last pages and read one (just one!) sentence. Isn't that just sick?! Anyway. Then my husband bought me a Nook, and I love it. The eReaders are great for traveling, but also for things like lounging in the pool, where you only need one hand to read! (PS: They sell waterproof Nook covers for this.)
ReplyDeleteAhh the thought of me bringing any kind of device near water makes me nervous. Waterproof cover or not, I feel like it would DEFINITELY end in disaster.
Deletei prefer real books.. for starters they're cheaper and you can buy them used than on the kindle or whatever... but for traveling i thin kindle is great. i can download books and not worry about trying to find an english book store in spain
ReplyDeleteI prefer my nook when I am traveling, reading a book on my lunch break at work, or reading in bed because it's much easier to hold/read on my side. Sadly, those are the only times I am actually reading which means it's e-reader all the way but I do still have all my romantic connections to books. The smell, the pages, a beautiful cover, the joy of finding a tattered copy of your favorite book in an old book store...sigh. These days books on our shelf are more for decoration.
ReplyDeleteThese pictures cracked me up. As a former English major and a long time lover of owning books, I have to say that I was always against e-readers - but I am actually starting to consider one, especially as my library offers e-books for borrowing and as I have run out of room for anything new to fit on my bookshelves. I generally read 4-5 books on vacation, and how handy would it be to carry them all along in one little device rather than weighing down my suitcase? On the other hand, then I couldn't feel superior to those suckers who have to put away their e-readers between takeoff and cruising altitude, all the while I am turning pages through my real book. HA.
ReplyDelete