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!

Comments

  1. Fellow A to Z'er stopping by to say hello. Love the photo of the bookshelf! I resisted e-readers, until I downloaded the Kindle app to my iPod. Then when I bought the iPad, I continued to download ebooks. I still love the feel of a book in my hand, but the convenience of having so many titles in one place is hard to beat. Great post!

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  2. This is the second blog today I have seen about e-readers... and I have only looked at 2 blogs!!!!
    I understand you on this one. I wanted an iPad so bad before the came out, but not to read on... but it is great for audio books, and my blog looks pretty sweet on it. :-) I could not justify pay that amount for one, even though I planned to use it for our photography business as a portable portfolio. But I held my dream, and I won one. Yes, I won an iPad on line, just like you won cupcakes. (people say i'm so lucky all the time, I'm going to blog about that next week) Hold your dream, and your eReader will come. You may not know how... but it will.
    T

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  3. I really prefer books, but I told Hubby that when I graduate in May with my MFA, I want an e-reader as my graduation gift. I like the idea of having an entire library at my fingertips. It's convenient for when I travel, or don't have access to my bookshelves, or whatever. I don't think it has to be either or...it can be a balance!

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  4. I dunno, I would kind of like one. I'm a book fanatic and I won't stop reading books but when I travel it would be nice to be able to read without breaking my back carrying them. I think I'd like something that did more than one thing though. In the meantime I'll dream...
    Jan Morrison

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  5. They are so nice, and so convenient, but I just can't convince myself they are worth the money. It's still on my wish list, but it has moved down many spaces. The library is working out great for me at this point.

    How lucky to win an iPad! I better start entering some contest ;)

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  6. Misty- I too am a lover of books, but I never read a complete one until the 8th grade. (#1 Reason why I am an 8th grade reading teacher today). I also spent many summers and weekends working in a bookstore and vowed I would never have an e-reader. When I finally decided that my 10 year old laptop was knocking on death's door, I bought an iPad... needless to say I love my iBooks. (Plus, nobody can tell when I'm reading my teen fiction, which makes up the majority of my reading these days.) I still do love the feel of a book in my hand, and I do think it's sad what eReaders are doing to the livelihood of bookstores, but... eBooks are pretty fantastic... and I love that I can download most of the classics for free.
    Bonus:iPad runs iBooks, Kindle, and Nook... I'm just saying.

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  7. I weighed the pros and cons of getting an e-reader for several years. Finally, I decided...

    http://www.word-nerd-speaks.com/2011/03/dirty-little-secret.html

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