I genuinely think that you don't get the same experience when reading a kindle as you do when holding a tangible, literal page turner in your hands. It's about the smell of the book for me (especially if its an oldie) and it's a bonus if it comes complete with squished bugs amongst the pages from reading outside or coffee spillages too, its about feeling the weight of the book in your hands, it's the memories that you have of carrying your cherished copy around the world with you, it's about seeing your progress marked with a bookmark- all of which I feel are lost when it comes to digital reading.
That being said...
...when you're travelling around the world with only a backpack for company and you find yourself sacrificing clothing because you can't bear to part with your favourite literature, an e-reader seems like a bloomin' good idea regardless of how reluctant you are to conform to this new technology.
I try and buy as many books as I can, either brand new or second hand, especially from an actual, real-life shop, because I know that they're a dying trade and I feel like I can do my bit to help. Sometimes this habit can be expensive however or is unsuitable if you're maybe trying a new genre for the first time and are unsure if you'll enjoy it. This is where libraries come in and you're allowed to borrow to your hearts content (well... within reason) and you can experiment with new authors and maybe even uncover an entire new world of words that you'd have never considered before. Perfect right?
But then you have to return them and your book shelf remains empty.
What I'm trying to say is that there are pros and cons for every which way that you choose to get your reading fix and because I am a obsessed with all things listy (as interestingly discussed in this BBC article) I have complied a wonderfully succinct and totally pointless list of my thoughts on the matter:
E-books:
Pros:
1. Easy to transport
2. Easily accessible- you can buy books on the go from anywhere in the world (as long as there's internet)
3. Price efficient- e-books are nearly always cheaper than hard copies
Cons:
1. Nothing to show for it once you have finished the story- you can't lend the copy to your friend, you can't place it on your shelf in your lounge, you can't keep a copy lying around for when you might stumble upon it in a decades time.
2. I personally struggle with the actual process of reading something not written in print.
3. There is always the risk of breaking it, they are expensive to replace and if you're in the middle of nowhere and your beloved e-reader breaks well....you're stuffed
Book shops:
Pros:
1. You can create your own collection, you can physically have it on show and you can talk people through your book shelf when they come to your house (sounds like a cool party huh!).
2. So you've read the last page of the book, you've closed it and then you've just taken a second to think 'holy shit sauce, my life is never going to be the same again'- I need to lend this to my BFF 1, 2 and 3 because it's going to change their lives too and I want to be able to give them that gift. Yeah...you can't do that with words written on a fancy tablet.
3. Do I need to mention again that you can smell the book? That you can hold it? THAT YOU CAN PHYSICALLY TURN THE PAGES- 'that books a real page turner' wasn't always just a saying folks (who were born from 1995 onwards), we used to actually turn pages, like physically turn them.
Cons:
1. At £10+ a pop, brand new books can take a wee toll on the wallet
2. Again as pre-mentionned, they can be bulky to travel with and take up valuable space in the suitcase which could be used for inhumanely large Toblerones or litre bottles of vodka from duty free.
3. You read a review on this up and coming author and you find the hype surrounding it insatiable. You run to your nearest Waterstones, buy the book and ohhhhhh dear. You hate it. You don't get it. Did you miss the point? Why did nobody else find the protagonist so irritating? Well that's a tenner down the shitter that you'll never see again ay?
Libraries:
Pros:
1. If the previous happens but you've only borrowed it from your local library then happy days my friend. You can move on with your life with relative ease because you haven't paid a penny for it!
2. On the flip side, you've taken a complete risk, you've perused the section in the library that you would never consider in the book shop and its paid off. Maybe you always stick to chicklit when you're going to spend your hard earned moolah on a book but how about you break with tradition and hang out with the emo looking teenagers over in the graphic novel section at the library?! Who knows, you might find a new niche of literature for yourself.
3. You get the same buzz as buying 10 books at a time from the shop!
Cons:
1. You get that same buzz until you have to lug yourself back to the library return said books and come back to your empty, dust laden shelves.
2. Availability- You've decided that the new Jodi Picoult is going to change your life, you've been waiting to read it for months and have read all the extracts that have been made available to us mere mortals during it's pre-release, you skip merrily to the library to be granted with a six week waiting list for the one copy to be returned by Dorothy in the next village and you're raging!
3. Time constraints-You finally get your hands on the coveted new book of the moment but need to hurry the hell up with it because you've only got 3 weeks to read it until Dorothy wants it back off you. She'll be back on the waiting list having not had enough time to read it the first time round.
Hello and welcome to This Ruth Is On Fire, a UK blog which is a haven for random thoughts and sarcastic observations.
I'm also into books, clothes and visiting places too.
