E-Readers vs Books

For a few years now, many people have contributed to the classic argument over which is better: the e-reader or the real, physical book?

But I have a better question. Which is better for YOU?

I personally don’t see anything wrong with choosing a book over an e-reader or vice versa. Things like these are all a matter of preference and what an individual person wants at a specific time. That’s how I look at it. What’s most convenient for me right now?

If I can afford a physical copy of a book, I do like to read them. There’s no straining of the eyes after looking at a computer-like screen for hours at a time, and the smell and feel of a new (or old) book is a really great thing. But what if I NEED THE NEXT BOOK and the bookstore closed an hour ago? Am I really supposed to wait until TOMORROW to get the next in the series? Let me answer that for you: N-O NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

E-readers can be so unbelievably convenient when the above-mentioned situation is happening to me. When I read the Selection series a few weeks ago, I went to B&N to grab The Selection and once I finished, I was like “I GOTTA HAVE THE NEXT ONE NOW NOW NOW!” but I didn’t want to wait. So I was like “Hello Nook, you look nice this evening. Fancy buying me a book?” And it ever so politely obliged to my wishes, giving me access to The Elite within minutes of finishing the first book. So sometimes it’s really great! And all my books are in one spot. Which is also great.

On the other hand, I don’t like relying on a wire to keep my book from disappearing a few hours after I start it. The biggest downside to an e-reader, in my opinion, is that sometimes I’m too lazy to charge mine, or my cord doesn’t work and I can’t use it. However, if that’s the case, I usually end up going on my B&N account on my phone or my laptop and it works just fine.

So the answer to the question is basically… whatever you want it to be. If you want to read an e-book, you READ that e-book! And if you prefer to go to the bookstore and get a physical copy, do that! The choice is always yours, so if people tell you that e-readers are lame and you wanted to use one, stop listening to these people and do your own thing.

Apparently I feel more passionately about these things than I was aware.

Thanks for reading! See you in two weeks with my review on The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, and come back next Thursday to hear from Marissa!

--Alyssa