This week’s Mind the Gap: How do you prefer to read, with an eReader like a Kindle or Nook, or with an old school paperback in hand?
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My answer: Paperback — nothing beats opening up a brand new book or rummaging through a bookstore.
This covers its all: Young adult, fantasy, fiction, mystery, mangas…
Call me old-fashioned but I have to go with paperback. I’ve considered buying an ebook reader before I got my tablet. At least it would beat having a crazy growing collection of books, that have not infested my bookcase to the point where I don’t know where to put any other ones. I even tried to test run that by reading the sixth and seventh Harry Potter novels on the computer. I did finish it but it took eternities. My eyes would ache after scrolling through 10 pages max. It takes away from the excitement of the text in front of me. That’s a feeling that I don’t particularly enjoy. Of course, you could argue that ereaders don’t have a glare and maintain the nice gentleness on the eyes because of that feature. That would make it more bearable than a computer (or even a tablet).
What doesn’t cut it for me is the experience of reading. That idea of going to the bookstore and browsing through a physical book in your hand. The feeling of the spine and the texture of the pages in your hands. When you bring it home, it can sit on the desk as a constant reminder to pick it up and read it to enter into another world that sucks us away from reality. As the book hits the peak and excitement grows, you can flip the pages. When you reach the end, you can close the book quietly (or loudly if you’d like) and hold it in your hands and reflect on everything you’ve read, the adventures, fun or not fun.
When you return it to the book shelf, you can look over days, months or years later and think about re-reading it again. It’ll bring back the good and bad memories of what you did read. And then if it was good, you can send it over to a faraway good friend, or lend it to a relative.
The satisfaction of reading a physical book is almost irreplaceable.
How about you-paperback or ereader?
Tranquil Dreams 