Mind Spill: Battle of the Books

eReaders vs  Paperbacks

With all the new release of various eReaders such as Kindle, Nook, Sony eReader and others it seems there is a whole new generation of technology aimed at your reading pleasure.

But how do we feel about this invasion of technology into our reading time? Is it practical, books take up a lot of space, but with one relatively small device we can store 100s and 1000s of books. Is it cheaper? It is rare that book shops give away books for free (if you know some shops that do TELL ME!) but if you search there are plenty of free ebooks out there for the taking. Books can be more easily accessible as well, how often have you gone into a bookshop and it either doesn't stock or has run out of stock on your latest book craving? Buying ebooks and that problem vanishes. So it all looks as though eReaders are set to take over our reading practices, or maybe not...

Although I am a proud owner of a Kindle (Kendra as she is affectionately known!) I find that having a paperback in my hands is much more comforting.  The solid weight of the book in my hands, the smell of the pages, the sounds it makes as you turn the page, admiring a particularly fine cover (Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole, you know I am talking about you!) for me these are all the very comforting sensations of the reading experience.  Something an eReader doesn't emulate.  And I must confess having the spectacle of a bookcase full of my precious books all placed in alphabetical order and everything grouped together does give an immense sense of satisfaction and pleasure (*sigh* sad, I know!) where as looking at poor Kendra doesn't evoke that reaction even though she holds 100s more books!

So I think this battle has reached an impasse, although I love my Kindle and it never leaves my side, I don't think I could ever give up on the paperback. When I pre-order the new J R Ward or Kresley Cole, I always order in paperback there is nothing more satisfying as holding the hot new release in your hands and diving into the sea of pages. The paperback has burrowed its way into my heart and it is here to stay!