It’s time for another vs post! You can check out some other vs posts here. Today, however, we’re discussing e-readers vs Print Books.
For the longest time, I had zero interest in using an e-reader. My argument was that holding a book is something that connects us to the monks of the 12th century, holding a book binds us to history, reading from a screen just isn’t the same – you’ve heard these arguments before.
But then I received a Kindle for Christmas a couple years ago and I started dabbling. The online bookstore was a strange new world, monochrome but far more vast than my local bookstore.
Since then, I’ve been reading from both my e-reader and Print books, so now it’s time to compare the two experiences.
E-readers
E-readers are a great way to support indie authors. Sometimes their books just don’t make it to your bookstore (especially if they live in a different country from you), so buying the electronic version of their book is the next best thing. I’ve also shown support to authors by pre-ordering their books on my e-reader.
Convenience is the name of the game with e-readers. If you’re travelling and are a voracious reader, you can have ten books ready to go in your e-reader library without having to carry pounds of books. Another convenience that comes with the e-reader is that you can read in the dark. This is particularly great for nighttime – if you’re a just-before-bed-reader, you might try reading with the lights out, and all you’ll have to do when you’re finished reading for the night is close your e-reader and it’s night-night!
Related posts:
- Favourite Books of 2019
- Is Reading Fiction a Waste of Time?
Print Books
I mentioned this in my introduction and I’ll say it again. There’s something special about holding the physical copy of a book! It’s a completely different experience to feel the weight of the book and to feel the pages in your fingertips. The book is a thousand year old technology that hasn’t changed until the e-reader came along. So there is a little bit of nostalgia involved when you compare print books with e-readers.
Because of the physical nature of print books, they are easier to maneuver. If you want to go back to look at a different page, all you have to do is quickly riffle the pages. If you want to write a note in the margins or highlight a section, that’s very easy (this is probably possible in an e-reader too, I just have yet to figure out how).
Each physical copy of a book also has its own history. From looking at the torn spine of a book, I can see that book received a lot of love. From the marker scribbles in another, I know that this book has been in our household since my siblings and I were young children who didn’t realize that marker scribbles in a novel is absolute sacrilege. From the handwritten card written on the inside cover, I can see this book was a gift to another child over thirty years ago. A print copy is just a little more personal.
Looking for something short to read? Check out this short story I wrote!
What’s your take on e-readers vs print books? I think I’ll always have just a little more love for print books, but am willing to admit that there is a time and a place where e-readers get the job done.
Enjoy the journey,
Heather
The post E-readers vs Print Books appeared first on See Heather Smile.
