E-Reader

E-Reader

E-Reader

In college I majored in English literature and, as a result, I own a lot of books. Each time I’ve moved in the 10 years since I graduated, I’ve gone through the extended and exhausting process of packing and unpacking several bookcases’ worth of books. I don’t necessarily treat them all that well – I’ve always been likely to make extensive notes in the margins and dog-ear pages that contain my favorite passages. I like to say my books are well-loved. There’s something comforting about having a house full of bookcases and, for a long time, I thought I would never be willing to give up purchasing physical copies of books. I couldn’t understand the appeal of e-Readers. Sure, they seemed convenient and could store a ton of books at once, but how could they ever replace the feeling of holding a book in your hands? How could they replace being able to scribble notes beside interesting passages? How could they replace that smell of a new book? How could they replace my bookshelves? Finally, this past summer, I gave in and bought myself an e-Reader. I’m a chronic over-packer when it comes to vacations, so I thought it might be nice not to worry about the extra weight of a few hardbound books shoved into my suitcase. I didn’t expect that one vacation to change my mind. Not having to carry heavy books in my carry-on was kind of great. Being able to download a new book while I was on my layover was even better. Having a full selection of titles to choose from over the course of my entire vacation was eye-opening. It only took a week, and I was a convert. So while I won’t be getting rid of my bookshelves anytime soon, I’ve certainly seen what the fuss is all about. While e-Readers may lack that new book smell and don’t have any pages for me to dog-ear, I can’t help but be charmed by a piece of technology that has made it so much easier for me to read every day. I have actually found myself reading much more often and finishing many more books since I bought my e-Reader, and that has made the change well worth it.