It’s the biggest question readers are asked: Ebooks or print? Which do you prefer? I'm a writer, yes, but I'm also a reader. And my answer to this question may surprise you.
You often get those traditionalists who talk about the smell of books, the tactile experience, the bindings and spine, the art, and sometimes the leather. We even romanticize the dust, those particles that look like glitter floating in one ray of sunlight, instead of the sneezes, a lazy day in bed, with a book in one hand, and a cup of tea in the other. If not tea, maybe a pen to mark up the margins with hearts and annotations, smiley faces and exclamation points. That one passage we underline several times and earmark, so we can come back to it like that kiss we’ll never forget. But I’m here to confess. I recently cleaned out all my bookshelves and gave them away to libraries, schools, and the swap shack in town. Oh! What a Philistine! I mustn’t be a “real” reader. I kept my favorites. All my Shakespeare. Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 and Brave New World. The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill A Mockingbird. All the poetry books I have from Dickinson to Cummings to Plath to Poe (and yes Ted too—sorry) and so many more. I even kept the 50 Shades trilogy and Twilight. Stephen King classics. Lolita. Hemingway. But it’s one bookcase now, vs six. I love going to bookstores and libraries, leafing through bookshelves and sale racks, remembering where I was when I read, Are You There, God, It’s Me, Margaret and Anais Nin and The Story of O, a cappuccino in one hand, a book in the other. But when I want to read—on a beach, by my pool, in the quiet moments at night when I’m alone with only the moon and stars as my witness--my kindle is my companion, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I love late-night reads, with the font as big as I want it and the lights off. I love marking up the pages with my fingers and having a record of where I finished. I love bouncing from thrillers to romances to poetry to classics to smut, all at the swipe of my finger, depending on my mood. And I love that I can rest it on my lap and not lose my page. For me, ebooks let me read more. I don’t have to remember to carry eight books or worry if, while poolside, I’ll ruin the pages. Put simply, I love to read. And ebooks give me words. What else do I need? I want to taste and smell the words. Not the book. I want to transport myself to places in my mind. Meet new people without having to go anywhere. And I want to do them often and at the same time sometimes. I’ve kept the paper books that mattered to me, that show me where I was or what I was thinking when I lived with them. I like to reread them and see where I was then and where I’ve come now. Virginia Woolf when I was 16 is not the same as she is in my thirties. Kate Chopin makes sense to me now. I will never stop collecting books, I just do so differently. But I still collect them. I collect moments that are my moments, housed in a mind that will forever love to read.
31 Comments
Kevin J. Ryan
9/29/2022 23:30:19
Reply
Melanie Hull
10/1/2022 21:22:29
I love all the books equally I am planning on getting myself some of your print books for myself for Christmas though
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:03:47
Oh. wonderful, Melanie!
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:03:15
Love your comments so much!
Reply
Sheri
9/29/2022 23:36:13
As long as I can read it, I’ll take either. There are certain authors and books that I need dot physically own but with limited space books are kept to a minimum.
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:04:34
I am with you 100% on this!
Reply
Beth C.
9/30/2022 08:59:21
I am the same! How do you think I sneak your books!!!!!!!
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:05:20
Haha.
Reply
9/30/2022 16:28:02
When I left home at 17, returning when I was 24, I was horrified to find my mother had given away almost all my childhood classics – Heidi, Black Beauty, Little Women etc. But I found I didn’t really miss them because, in my five years living in London, and two years abroad, I built up a whole new collection by all the great writers of the day. I swore I would never part with them. As you know, I recently left my family home for the last time, last year, and have moved into a much smaller house. My brother and sister-in-law were quite strict about my de-cluttering, and in the process, about two-thirds of my books headed for charity shops. I mourned the loss briefly, but then decided that keeping so many belongings was a burden I could live without. I kept the ones that were precious to me, and let the rest go.
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:06:44
You make some points I hadn't even thought of! The "weight" of books! And there really is something about decluttering too that figuratively lifts that weight as well!
Reply
Ann
10/1/2022 10:30:28
I can't hold the paper books anymore and just love the convenience of my Kindle Voyage.(of which I own 4) I however did just donate all 300 of my books to our local volunteer fire department for their garage sale fundraiser. It broke my heart to do it because it took me so long to collect and organize them in author and publication order. (ocd much) lol
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:08:19
Another person commented about this very thing too! Books can get heavy, and why should we have to stop reading??
Reply
Marie
10/1/2022 19:17:52
I love the convenience of ebooks. Plus with poor eyesight, digital is my go to. Not to mention books take more space..
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:09:27
Agree on all fronts! In fact, if I can't find my reading glasses, I can't read print books anymore. I think being online so much during Covid really affected that. I hear you!
Reply
Debra Price
10/1/2022 19:23:12
I used to love the real books, the smells, oh and book stores. Unfortunately where I lived they have all closed down and I don’t seem to be able to visit the library, and having moved into a house that house no storage for books anymore. Ebooks for me have opened up a huge world of variety’s that was not available before.
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:10:56
All have closed? Now that is sad, but yes, it does free up space and clutter, and do the words really change if electronic?
Reply
Michael Joseph Myre
10/1/2022 19:42:02
E Books, I can see it them a in lot better than print books
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:11:36
Me. Too!
Reply
10/1/2022 19:48:57
Hey Rosemary, I prefer both formats, I read both a paperback (occasionally a Hardback) and a Kindle edition.
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:12:17
You fence sitter, you! Ha!
Reply
Catherine
10/2/2022 02:29:01
I would much prefer print. I cannot do audio because of my deafness and I REALLY HATE Ebooks. Only reason is because I cannot afford ebooks even when .99. That is why I do ARCs because they are free. I just promise to get them done when I can but I always warn authors that I am never on time for anything lol. Now back to prints....Its almost guaranteed that they will be around forever...which I know they won't be..but prints are my salvation because of my deafness. I treasure them to the point where I almost cannot get rid of them. My sunroom is packed full of books and my little boy's room is filled with books. I cannot be away from books lol.
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:14:06
If ARCs is what it takes you to get to read, then keep getting them! Reading is what is important.
Reply
Catherine
11/3/2022 10:36:48
I an my 4th kindle lol. My deafness has nothing really to do with kindles. Just affects audiobooks. That I cannot do. I am always afraid that books(print) will be obsolete. I cannot have that. Love books more than Ebooks, if I could afford it. Cannot even afford .99 ebooks.
I promised myself when I retired that I would go e-book only, but have still bought far too many 'real' books since then. But nice though it is to have them, the ease and simplicity of an e-book is hard to beat. I have two iPads and a Kindle Fire and the way they synchronise my reading is great.
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:17:38
Haha! I'm sorry about the London fog.
Reply
Jennifer Welgush
10/2/2022 08:09:10
I lost the use of my left arm in a car accident and ever since then I only ever use e-readers. Before the accident I was over halfway using E readers, but after my desire to read as much as I can, and as many options as I can even at the same time, so an e-reader, it is for me
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:43:06
Wow!
Reply
DeeSee
10/3/2022 16:30:19
One of the reasons I prefer the electronic versions is their ease of portability. I can carry around hundreds of books on my phone or laptop or pad, but not the paper all of it is printed on. I do love the aesthetic of a lush library, but it is unimaginable that I will actally read it all ... my tastes do wander a bit ... so being flexible when and if I have a moment, I can choose!
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:43:56
Yes!
Reply
Amy Butterbaugh
10/7/2022 06:50:41
I love print books. It gives me time to sit and read and hold them in my hand. I don't have to worry about a battery dying on me in the middle of a good scene
Reply
R.B.
11/3/2022 08:44:50
Oh yes!
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Details
I LOVE to write and read. I particularly enjoy reading erotic romance that has tons of emotion in it. I hope you will ask me questions and share your favorite authors and novels. I welcome all feedback.
Categories
All
Archives
November 2022
|