The Sway of E-Readers

When e-readers first started making a big impact, I was skeptical. I was of the opinion that a book in print is ten times better. I love the look of them, the feel of them. I think covers look so stunning in person.

But, I was also having a hard time keeping up on all the 'new stuff.' Most of the books I was reading were a year old or more because I had to wait until they were released in paperback. Paying almost $20 for a hardcover book? Not possible more than once every other month or so. My wallet was really hurting.

Ultimately, the price difference is what made me decide I wanted an e-reader. After doing my research, the Barnes and Noble NOOK Color is what I chose. I've had my NOOK for a few months now, and have discovered a few other things that I greatly like about e-books.

1. Shopping From Home
I'm pressed for time. Between a demanding job, a family, and sharing a car with my wife who also has an extremely demanding job, we don't have time to make weekly (or even biweekly) trips to the book store just to browse around. From the comfort of my home, when I have a few moments to spare, I can browse around online and pick up a book that looks interesting.

2. Free Samples
I know. "Why not go into a book store and read from the actual book," right? Again, this goes back to time as well as my own personal comfort levels. While I would love to spend hours in a bookstore, browsing around and reading the first 30 pages of every book that catches my eye, it simply isn't logical for me. I can load up on a slew of free samples, and read through them in the rare instances I get throughout my work day that I can take a break. Chances are, if I'm not still thinking about that book when I get home, it isn't one that really caught my attention and made me want to read.

3. More Space!
Between Wife and I, we have a lot of books. And I mean, a lot of books. Two full five-shelf book cases, nine or ten boxes in the garage, and others stuffed in various places. We've reached the point where it really is ridiculous and we don't have limitless amounts of space to store everything. My NOOK solves this problem.

4. Picky, Picky
Despite my attempts at not doing so, sometimes I end up reading three or four books at once. I might be really into Book A, then happen to flip through Book B and get wrapped up into it. I might occasionally slip over to Book C if my mood calls for it. Having all three books on-hand at any given time is far more convenient than shoving three paperbacks into my purse.

5. Reading More Often
I'm not sure what it is, but since purchasing my NOOK I've done a LOT more reading. Maybe it's the ease of having my page bookmarked and only a button press away. Maybe it's that even if Wife is sleeping, I can read for 30 minutes before bed without disturbing her by having a light on. Whatever the case may be, I'm discovering that I'm now reading a book or two a week as opposed to one a month.

6. Lending
NOOKs have this handy feature called Lend-Me. (I'm sure Kindles and other e-readers have similar functions.) Of course, I can lend my physical books to friends...but only if I a.) trust them to return my books and b.) see them in person. The Lend-Me feature (which sadly isn't available on all books, but a lot of them) for those who don't know, works like this: Friend sees a book of mine they want to read and puts in a request. I approve the request. The book is removed from my NOOK for 14 days and placed onto theirs so they can read it. At the end of 14 days, it vanishes on their reader, and voila! It is back on mine. Handy feature to have, especially when most of your friends live several hours or states away.


I'm not trying to convince everyone to rush out and buy e-readers. I truly don't believe they'll ever be something 'for everyone.' However, I do think e-readers will become the future for a lot of types of books. (Non-fiction and textbooks, especially, but that's a post for another day.) I would definitely encourage anyone who hasn't to give it a try. You might be like me and surprise yourself.


What say you, YAtopians? For e-readers? Against them? Were you adamantly anti-e-reader that eventually changed your ways?



ALSO...I hope everyone knows that our very own DJ begins his Blog Tour on Wednesday in preparation for the release of HUNTED! You all should definitely check out his stops, and be ready to pick up a copy of HUNTED.