Jeannette Hynes' Book Club, etc.

I think I’ve had enough time to play with my electronic book reader to make a fair judgment on ebooks vs. real books.  If I had to pick a winner, I’d vote for the real books. The race, however, was a close one, and I’m not going to give up either format over the other.   I plan to embrace both for I see advantages of both.

I talked about this reading experiment a few posts ago, and time has not helped me, frankly.

I love reading books in the dark with my children. My sister-in-law does the same thing with her kids using a head lamp and real books. Frankly, the effect is hilarious and it puts her children into snuggle mode instantly. My glow-in-the-dark e-reader is fun for my children, too, but they have to take turns turning the virtual pages… which can be hard for me to remember whose turn it is.

I love the fact that I could store a lifetime of books in the space of one book on the electronic device. I don’t have to go anywhere to get new books, either. Pretty awesome for the spatially-impaired, and I can see it being a big advantage for those hefty college books. I would have much preferred to have sat in my dorm room and downloaded all of my textbooks rather than lug them all back from the bookstore. However, I don’t think I’d be able to sell back my ebooks at Christmas time for extra money to buy my family gifts.

I also love sharing books with my friends and family. We like to trade what we’ve read and talk about our favorites. I haven’t found anyway to do that with the electronic book reader I have, unless I were to part with it for a few weeks (or in some cases, months).

The e-reader is easier to hold, and it always holds my place. If I need a larger font, I can make it as large as I need to. However, reading in the tub is not an option (not that I have time to read in the tub anymore). Also, I get nervous when I try to read with my e-reader while drinking any kind of liquid (did I buy the extended warranty for spills?).

I still like the smell of new books and old ones for that matter. I like being able to flip pages, and flip back to a previous chapter to look at something. That’s very hard to do on these electronic books, because I’m not as aware of how far I was into a book when this or that happened (unless I happen to notice the page count on the bottom of the screen – a slightly annoying feature I try to remember to turn off when I can).

I haven’t noticed differing eye strain for the electronic reader versus a normal book. I think I’m getting older anyway, and my eyes get tired no matter what I’m reading – screen or no screen.

I will continue to download books. I will continue to check out books at the library. I will continue to buy paperbacks, hardbacks, and an occasional leather-bound book.

Simply put, I enjoy my reading experiences, no matter the format.  I’m just after a good story.