It's hard to believe now, but I held out on getting a Kindle. For years. I didn't feel a single pang of jealousy when my friends would pull out their sleek, six ounce ereaders. I was perfectly happy with my paperbacks. It just felt more real, holding a physical book in my hand. Besides, I had to look at screens all day for work. Why let the hand-held/ touchscreen phenomenon take over yet another part of my life?
Over time, my stubborn opposition to ebooks dwindled away. When I had to rearrange the contents of my purse three times to fit the book I was almost finished reading alongside the book I wanted to read next, I knew. It was time.
In 2013, I got a Kindle. I don't feel like I'm exaggerating (much) when I say it changed my life.
Turns out I love ebooks.
Seriously. My Kindle has solved bookworm problems I didn't even know I had. Stuck in a long checkout line? No problem. I just read three more pages in my current book. Need to look up a line from a favorite story? Easy--instead of going home and getting lost in a sea of books, I can find the passage I want with the flick of my finger. And did I mention that I can even highlight and make notes on my Kindle? I hate to take a pen--or even a pencil--to my paper books. Now I can jot down notes to myself whenever I want!
Not to mention that this little thing can house almost as many books as my living room. Beat that!
Probably the best (and most dangerous) feature of ebooks is the price point. When your family reads as much as mine does, things like "new books I had to buy and read immediately," become a regular line item in the budget. We love the library and we also have awesome bookish friends that are happy to trade books back and forth. But sometimes, I still see a new book on Instagram or Goodreads and the need to get my hands on a copy is almost compulsive. An ebook on sale for $.99 or even $3.99 isn't too bad for an impulse buy. I mean, it's less than a cup of coffee!
(Listen to me, justifying my book habits to myself.)
Thankfully, there are several awesome discount ebook sites. They're kind enough to send me daily emails of ebook deals I might enjoy...and more often than not, they're right! These are two of my favorites:
(Click at your own risk, fellow bookworms. Don't say I didn't warn you!)
That's not to say that I've abandoned my paperback and hardcover books completely. There are still some things that an ebook will never be able to replace for me. Special fonts, white space, and decorative chapter headings don't translate well onto ereaders. For example, the paperback version of Every Last Minute has two slightly different fonts to differentiate between regular text and the news articles that are sprinkled throughout the story. That can't be replicated for an ebook and I kind of miss the effect!
Favorite books and classics are almost always purchased in hard cover, too. If I truly love a book I read on my ereader, I'm pretty likely to buy a hard copy--especially if it's signed by the author! (Hmmm...maybe reading ebooks isn't saving my budget after all!)
I also make an effort to put all the screens away when I'm winding down for the evening, so paperbacks are my first choice for bedtime reading. Besides, there really is something wonderful about holding the weight of a real book in your hands. Ebooks have a big place in my reading life, but they'll never replace hard copies for me.
Which do you prefer--ebooks or physical books? Let me know in the comments!
Speaking of ebooks...today is the last day to enter the Amazon giveaway for Every Last Minute! Enter here for your chance to win one of five ebook copies!