Surprisingly, I do not have an e-reader. Yes, I read voraciously. Yes, I majored in English. Yes, I've had a lifetime love affair with books. But no, I have not purchased an e-reader.
Despite periodically looking at ads for Kindles and Nooks to compare prices and read reviews about e-readers, I cannot bring myself to buy one. I almost think I'm ready to do it, but I pull back at the last second. I have the money, so it's not a financial problem. I love computers and electronics, so that's not an obstacle. The reluctance seems to stem from a deeper source.
Friends, and even strangers, will tell me when I ask why they like e-readers, that the e-reader is easy to stick in a pocket, briefcase, or pocketbook. I'm sure they are. I usually have a paperback stashed in my purse, however, and often either carry a hardback or put one in my tote. Carrying a book is not a problem for me. But then again, I also worked in several academic libraries for a few years.
Some people think e-readers are an excellent choice because e-books cost less. E-books by major authors generally cost $12.99 -- 14.99. I can wait until the same title is out in paperback for an even better price (Amazon's current Best Sellers in paperback start at $7.12 and range upward another dollar or two, for most), or I can even shop sales, bargain books stores, or purchase used copies on Amazon if cost is that important. As far as the e-books on sale for $.99 or $1.99, it's not that I'm a book snob, but I'm usually not as interested in reading those (and yes, I realize you can find wonderful selections where you least expect them).
Another reason people recommend e-readers stems from the fact these folks use them as notebook/i-pad/laptops. These people tend to be excited over their Kindle Fires and the Nook Tablets because they tell me they can check their e-mail, search the web, and play games, too. Being the mother of a computer geek, and a quasi-geek herself, I already have a netbook which does all of those things, and does them better. I can download an e-reader and access a "cloud" from my sweet little Asus if I choose, and it, too, fits into my tote.
Logical (to my brain) as these reasons for purchasing an e-reader above may be, I have discovered they are not the only reasons why I don't have, or even want, an e-reader. The issue is more complex. It's almost primal. Holding a book in my hands brings me pleasure. I'm a touchy-feely gal. Some books are breathtakingly beautiful, and some contain an inner beauty and maturity beyond their covers and pages. I find it more satisfactory to actually turn the pages in a book rather than to read and scroll online.
Book reading for me is like a real-time, face-to-face, personal relationship as opposed to a non-physical, virtual, on-line relationship -- one is far more pleasurable, satisfactory, and intimate than the other. You all can have a limited relationship via e-reader if you like, but as for me, give me the physical, emotional, and spiritual one. I choose love and the book.
