E is for E-reader

Bookshelf from here

I love many things in life and books are high on the list (just below people...and cupcakes).  I fell in love with reading in 1st grade and the love has just kept growing.  I enjoy having a collection of some of my favorite books that I go back and read over and over again.  To buy or not to buy an e-reader has been a long lasting debate inside my head.  Here is my list of pro's and con's:

Pro's

• Carry all my books with me in one sleek, stylish, compact e-reader
• If I'm not feeling the romantic novel I can easily switch to something different
• They are super cool
• Some have internet capabilities so I could check my email, or blog
• Many free books
• Share books with other e-readers

Con's

• It's not a book, and I would miss the feel of a hard backed book in my hands
• While there are many free books it still does not compare to the list of free books at the library
• New books would always be available at my finger tips and the temptation to buy would be great. 
• The list of people I know with e-readers is very short, so there would not be a great opportunity for sharing

My thoughts on e-readers have been all over the place.  I remember when I first heard about this new fangled electronic device that would replace books and I thought it was crazy; kind of cool, but crazy.  Would people actually buy this?  Did I want to buy one?  I was intrigued, but didn't think that it was for me.  I even checked it out as soon as it came to my local Target and was quick to decide that it was a waste of money.  Only the rich people with money to throw away would buy such a thing!  Little did I know...

Now they are everywhere.  I went through a must-have-it phase about a year ago.  It was at the top of my wish list and I started figuring out how I would come up with the money for one.  I researched the different brands and even added some to my online shopping carts along with some fancy accessories.  I told Troy that if he was secretly saving money to surprise me with a present (he's never done that, but a girl can dream) then this was the present I wanted. 

I never got my e-reader and as time passed I realized that I was not willing to pay the price for a piece of equipment when I would still have to buy the books to put on it.  I guess I am cheap, but I'm ok with that.  I let my dream go and I got a new library card.  If I ever have a job that requires me to do lots of traveling then I may revisit the dream. 

I think that e-readers are perfect for some people, and I do envy their ability to carry hundreds of books inside their purse, but we can't have everything we want in life.  The library is not as convenient because I can't click a few buttons and have a book delivered to my lap instantly, but it's free.  I'm saving a ton of money and that makes me very happy!