Opening a book is like opening a box of exciting thoughts and creative imagination just waiting to be devoured… Many avid readers will tell you so. As for me, I couldn’t agree more. The pure joy of owning a freshly-bought and clean book with crisp pages cannot be replicated. Ever.
The sheer convenience and popularity of eBooks threatens this experience. And some of us are left feeling slightly silly for preferring this archaic option. But who’s right and who’s wrong? Which medium is the better one? Which is the one that fulfills the expectations and pleasures of reading, whether a book, magazine or novel? That’s an easy question to answer, actually. The better medium is the medium that you prefer. (Did I simplify this too much?)
Over the past month I’ve read about 3 eBooks on my iPhone and it has been an uncomfortable experience accompanied by headaches, eye aches, sore arms and a constant low battery power. The only reason I persisted with reading so many is because I have this urge to complete a trilogy once I’ve started with it (regardless of the medium).
I will always prefer print books over eBooks for a few easy reasons: the smell of the pages drive me crazy with excitement; tangibility – hold tightly or cradle lightly; safety aspect (if you drop the book it won’t break, right?); and accessibility – I don’t need to ensure the book has enough battery power to let me read it for hours on end!
While the biggest advantages of eBooks rest with convenient storage and the ideal option for travelling, I think there’s some kind of emotional journey and attachment that’s associated with a novel/book when you physically hold it to read it and are familiar with the scent of its pages. My personal experience is a testament to this.
Also, the thought of having my own personal library one day has been a dream of mine for a long time. And you can’t start filling the shelves of a library with eBooks 😉
Seshni
I love love LOVE the smell of books! But I now find myself much more glued to my eReader(Kobo Touch) these days – purely because of the convenience of it. It’s small, light, has no glare (AMAZING e-ink) and I only have to charge it once every 2 months with daily reading. Reading from a tab or phone is too painful.
I now buy collectors or hardcover editions of the books I love to add to my bookshelf 🙂
Saajida
Oh my gosh, that’s amazing (re:charging)! Yes, I don’t think I’m going to read from my phone again…
I’m now particularly curious to try out the Kobo Touch 🙂
Yay! Hardcover rocks 🙂
Andrew Harvard
I’ve gone the eBook route on a 10″ tablet and have read more books since Xmas than I have in the past two years. An iPhone is a little small 🙂
Saajida
That’s amazing! 🙂 What would you say is the biggest plus for you, when using a tablet for ebooks?
Yep, it is. Sadly.
Nicky
I absolutely LOVE books! I am also an avid fan of the tangible vs. ebooks. One of my most vivid memories is of my mom taking me to the library for the first time. I remember the smell of the wooden floors and the books, and how it looked. I also love the smell of a fresh book 🙂