Oh, finals... I forgot how fun you were! In actuality, I don't have any final exams; just quite a few final papers and presentations. They're about as fun as they're not stressful, so it's been nice reflecting on the ease of my mom and sister's visit :). Now though, I'm all out of recent distractive memories; or rather, I no longer have the time to share them with you. I need your help.
As I consume more caffeine (and sugar) than necessary at my favorite Parisian coffee shop, would you mind helping me with one particular research paper? All you have to do is please answer the following question: Would you be upset if e-books replaced books? Why or why not? Thanks so, so, so much for sharing.
I would. Nothing compares to a hardcover book. I think eBooks are a great option, not a replacement. An entire industry would close its doors if we moved to eBooks.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate your thoughts! Thank you!
DeleteAbsolutely. Both have their own merits, but I would hate to lose the warmth and depth of a book.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Thank you for commenting!
DeleteYes! First of all, the romance behind bookstores would be forever gone. No wandering aisles and coming across titles of books you otherwise would never have heard of, no personal recommendations from booksellers and strangers, and one less thing to do on cold, rainy days. Second of all, libraries would be gone and because of such, so would accessibility to reading materials for lower income citizens who can't afford an e-reader (those things are expensive!). Finally, my parents both have e-readers, and they are impossible to flip back and forth if you want to go back and reread a section you may have breazed over earlier...good luck finding it!
ReplyDeleteWow. I really appreciate the time you took to think about my question and articulate your answer. Thank you!
DeleteDevastated is more like it! The act of holding a book in my hands and diving into the story are inextricably linked. As much as I've tried to read e-books or even test drive a kindle, I don't feel the connection I crave.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean. Many thanks for commenting!
DeleteI think they both have their place to be honest. The feeling of curling up and diving into a good (physical) book is purely magical, and big bookshelves make a home feel so cozy! Furthermore, I love wandering around bookstores and discovering new titles. However as a person who tends to carry wayyyy to much at any given time, my back is thankful for the e-reader. I have also found it quite handy for travel. That beeing said, I have tried to read books for class on an e-reader and it hasn't worked for me. I don't find the note taking to be adequate and I seem to learn best when highlighting/writing notes on the side of the page.
ReplyDeleteInteresting perspective! Thanks so much for sharing.
DeleteI wouldn't be sad, I can see the cost benefits of it especially in a college setting. However, paper books are a piece of our past and I wouldn't want them to disappear just because e-books are becoming the new norm. It's like how artists still release records in vinyl in addition to CDs and mp3s.
ReplyDeleteGreat analogy, Natt. Thank you!
Deletegreat question (and probably too late for my answer?), hmmm would I be upset if e-books replaced books?
ReplyDeleteYes. It kind of depends on the book though. There are books that I love reading in hardcopy form, that I like having on the shelf, and that I like being able to loan to people. I especially like being able to stick multiple fingers in certain textbooks or reference books and flip back and forth easily.
There is also something much more tangible about seeing how much of a book is left to complete than just an e-reader progress slider. and a book is a book, something about that...
And I like browsing bookstores, its much easier to thumb through a book to decide if I want it than to view the first sample section of a book in e-form.
But, I also really like certain features of e-books: easy to carry multiple books or heavy books when traveling, easy to review all of your highlighted sections without having to thumb through every page, and I really like being able to look up words easily on the spot in a dictionary as I read along, easier to read one-handed, easier for some interesting authors to share a book that either wouldn't exist or wouldn't be found in the world of physical books due to the high cost of printing/distributing small runs of books.
I like both formats and would miss either form if one or the other was to disappear. Since getting an e-reader, my fiction reading has increased significantly -- its more likely that I will always have the "book" with me than with hardcopy, and I just churn through them.
Not too late at all! I really appreciate your comment, thank you!
DeleteYes, I would be upset if e-books repaced actual textbooks. While I do think its nice to have the option I personally like to mark in and tab my books.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for sharing your perspective!
DeleteThat photo pretty much summarized my life right now - it's all about coffee and papers (sadly not in Paris, though) :)
ReplyDeleteI would be really sad! I love books, and haven't even given in to even touching an e-book-reader so far...
Ha, it's not any more fun... promise ;) thanks so much for commenting!
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