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I've had several conversations with friends lately about how much they love their Kindles. They download their books instantly, can carry many books around at a time, and have all kinds of convenient options (like increasing the font size for easy reading). These friends are early-adopters, leaders in their industries, and I have huge respect for the innovations they deem worthy of their time and money. There might be a hundred reasons to get a Kindle. But I have ten reasons why I like my paper books better (in no particular order):
- A good bit of my reading (especially in the winter) is done in the bathtub. No further explanation needed.
- My reading ritual includes leaving the bookmark in the spot it was when I picked up the book and then moving it when I'm done. That small chunk of pages in-between marks my progress. Sounds silly, but I love that feedback.
- I like bookshelves. I have bookshelves in my home office, the living room, and my bedroom. I refer to books I've read all the time to pull quotes, refer to reference materials, and find authors. I also like that my kids are surrounded by books and just might see one that looks intriguing and pick it up.
- I leave my book on the seat of the bike/elliptical/treadmill at the gym to save my spot when I go to the bathroom. I would never leave a Kindle.
- I have enough devices that require electricity.
- I loan a lot of books to friends. What if they don't have a Kindle?
- I lose stuff. I don't mind if I lose a $10.00 book but I'd be super mad at myself for accidentally misplacing a $150 Kindle.
- I like color.
- I can kill a spider crawling up the wall with a paperback and never leave a mark.
- There is a visceral feel about books that no electronic device can match.
11 comments:
Holly, I'm the same way. There's just something about holding a book in my hands! I actually even like the smell of books. (I know...weird!)
Mary, not weird at all - I almost included that as one of my reasons!
I've been tempted to buy a Kindle especially with the lower price but ... It would be handy for traveling. I think it's not an either/or. If I end up getting one I think I would still read hard copies too.
Funny. I just announced on Twitter the other day that it was either time to commit to my book collection or go ahead and buy a Kindle. Everyone was pushing me to go Kindle. Go electronic and you'll never look back they said. But there's just something about a real book made of paper that I can't quite let go. You really touch on that here. It's nice to find someone who can relate. I mean - there's a reason why I could spend an eternity roaming a good book store...between the smells and the covers and all of that...the Kindle takes all of that experience away from you. While the Kindle is exciting...after borrowing one for an hour or so while on vacation I fell in love with it....there's something so very sad about the fact that we might be moving away from books in print. For now - I want to keep that alive for just a bit longer. I'm sticking to paper as archaic as that may be. :)
My husband wasn't into reading books. I bought him a kindle last year. He was finally hooked. As for me, I love the feeling of something hot in my hands like a cup of tea, the Seattle rain pattering on the windows and a book. Holly, I couldn't agree more with you. I will never buy me a kindle.
I totally get it.
I was never in the market for an e-reader, but when I got an iPad I tried some of the books on it just to see how I liked it. I HATED IT! I much prefer a "real" book! Then again, I'm also a HUGE fan of the library. Why should I purchase a book when I will only read it once?
I could not agree more. I like the smell and feel of a book, it's something I would surely miss with an e-reader. In fact, the whole e-reader device makes me sad. Kind of like e-mail cards vs handwritten ones.
WOOOHOOO! Ditto! i love books and their pages and everything about them
This is my first visit to your blog and this post grabbed me. Most of your points could be mine...especially the bathtub. I'm an avid book hoarder and held off as long as I could. My husband decided I needed a Kindle though, so I finally took the plunge. Of course, I prefaced the purchase with, "Don't think this is going to keep me from buying "real" books, because it's not!". While I do think the Kindle is neat, I've only downloaded one book and have yet to finish it. I keep grabbing others I have laying around the house. For all those who think enjoying the smell of a book is weird; they're the odd ones! I think that's part of why I haven't read on it more, it's a little weird for me. It will come in handy during track season though for the 3 hour long meets when my child only runs one event!
Sometimes I pass a book to my sister, and we she is finished with it she gives it to my mother. Eventually it winds up in a charity shop. How do you do the same with ebooks? At what point do we all safe money? I don't see it.
Isn't it a great feeling to know this book had been printed somewhere a hundred years ago, and been read by kids who are now ancient? To imagine the printers ink-stained hands, the book binder? To imagine others held this very book in their hands, looked after it, took it with them on journeys, to bed, and then put it back on a shelf, or handed it to a friend? The smell of the paper, the scribbles, the dog ears are all unique to my copy of a book.
I'm just now reading this post, but I agree..I used to work at a bookstore and am a huge collector. I also love the library. I love the feel of books. I love the non electronic feeling and knowing that it's okay if I accidentally ruin it, it's paper but I can't imagine ruining a kindle...too expensive. I find I am on my phone and computer enough. Reading a book on a kindle or any other device is hard on my eyes..I've done it a few times on my iphone with the font larger and I get a headache from reading on a device with a bright screen. Does that make sense? I know that I want an iPad but honestly I don't know that I'd use it for reading books unless I was traveling. Great 10 reasons!
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