I had been reading ebooks for about 3 years on my iPhone. I enjoyed reading in this format because it enabled me to have a book on hand at all times even when I didn't have a book with me. I enjoyed reading on the bus, which I couldn't do with a physical book because of travel sickness. I enjoyed reading while standing in lines. The list goes on.
An iPhone, however, is not an ereader. Reading the ebook on my phone felt different somehow. It was a stop gap. Something I did on occasion to fill my time. It was always an old book I had dowloaded on some random app that I had usually read before and could therefore go some significant period of time between readings without having to worry about losing track of the story line.
Where my ereader differs from reading an ebook on my iPhone is that the ereader actually takes the place of books.
I had been a little... suspicious of ereaders in the past. I love books so much I doubted that an ereader would be the same. You've heard it all before. I like the feel of a book, the smell of a book. How could an ereader possibly be the same?
Fortunately for me I was given the opportunity to find out.
My wonderful partner purchased me an ereader for Christmas last year and I have never looked back.
What I love about the ereader
I live in a 2-bedroom unit. Already I have over 500 books. They are on two bookcases, in one chest and now heading into a third bookcase. My point is, I am space poor.
And yet, within 4 days of being given the ereader I had over 500 new books to read, waiting just at my fingertips. All of them are books I want to read. All of them are books that I couldn't purchase because I don't have the space to keep them anywhere. I could borrow them from the library, but the difference is that here I can access them right away when I need them, without having to reserve them and then return them by a set date (something I fail to do almost every single time).
I don't need to find shelf space for all these wonderful titles and within days I have doubled the number of books I have right at my fingertips.
I also have to admit that I enjoy looking for new books to download. It's like being able to go book shopping any time I want, without having the leave the house.
Finally, I have to say that with a newborn baby, I spend a large proportion of every 24-hour period (day and night have ceased to have much meaning for me) breastfeeding. Although I am becoming an expert at doing almost anything one handed, I just haven't managed to learn how to hold a book, turn the pages and breast feed at the same time. An ereader on the other hand doesn't need to be held, it can just be rested in front of me, and I can use a single finger to turn the page with a single swipe across the screen. Perfect.
Can an ereader provide the same reading experience as a book?
I think that most readers are suspicious of the ereader is because they love books. I am one of those people. I have a large collection of books. I love seeing them in my house. I love holding them in my hand. I love the idea that a second hand book has its own story (aside from the story it contains). I love the smell of new books and the feel of their new pages turning. The book itself, as well as the story inside it, has captured my imagination.
I couldn't help but question whether an ereader could give me the same experience.
It can't, but what I have discovered about myself if that no matter how much I like the book itself - it is the story it contains that is what really captures my imagination and speaks to me. Personally, I haven't lost anything of the reading experience by swapping from physical books to the ereader. If an author has produced a piece of work that speaks to me, it speaks to me equally regardless of the medium through which I read it.
I still love a book, don't get me wrong. But what I love most is what it contains. The characters, the setting, the storyline. I can access those regardless of how I read it.
Why I am an ereader convert
So, in short, I am an ereader convert because of the convenience it offers me at this time of life. Also, because it has allowed me to increase my book collection twofold without taking up any extra space in my already crowded unit. If I respond the story, it doesn't matter to me in what form I read it. The physical book doesn't contribute to the story for me. It might contribute to my sensory experience, but ultimately, I am primarily after the story it contains.
The point of this post? Really just to share my own experience. But also, just as a reminder to people to be open minded. We all love books, but sometimes you can be surprised when we try something new. Sometimes we even learn something about ourselves.
Originally posted 9 April 2012 Page Turners
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