E-Readers vs Paper books

I have to confess I am a traditionalist, when it comes to a lot of things.  It took me a long time to get my first mobile phone.  I resisted for quite a few years, until my husband finally bought one for me.  I never wanted to be contactable 24/7.  I still don't!

Similarly, I resisted getting an e-reader for a long time.  I love books.  I love book shops.  I love the whole reading experience.  I love the smell of a book, the feel of a book, the versatility of a book. You can take a book with you anywhere, and there is nothing more luxurious than running a bubblebath and reading while you soak.  That is my idea of bliss.

I could quite happily spend a whole day just browsing in a book shop. For me, one of the most exciting things about a trip to Sydney is visiting the big Dymocks store on George Street.  And they have a cafe, so you don't even have to leave to eat!

I love second hand book shops too.  One of my favourite memories from childhood is visiting the "Swap Shop" with my mum, who is also an avid reader.  The Swap Shop was a second hand book shop, tucked away in a little run-down arcade in my hometown.  It was absolutely packed full with books, magazines and comics.  To me, it was a treasure trove.  Not only could you buy cheap books, but you could take books that you no longer wanted and get a credit for them, that you could then buy more books with.  It was run by a little old lady (she must have been in her 80's) and she recorded all transactions in pencil in an old fashioned exercise book.

As a child, I would often read well after "lights out", using a little torch I had just for this purpose.  I have always loved hopping into bed and reading for a while before going to sleep. When I married though, I stopped doing this.  My husband suffers with insomnia, and to have any chance of sleep he requires the room to be dark.  So, no lamp for reading.  I tried using those little clip on book lights, but they are quite expensive and most are of dubious quality.

Then my sister told me about an e-reader which had a built in light, and my interest was piqued.  I did some research, and then went to the shop to have a closer look, and bought the Kindle PaperWhite e-reader.  I honestly didn't think I would use it all that much, other than for reading in bed, but I use it constantly.  It is so light weight, and versatile.  It has settings which allow you to choose different fonts, text sizes (fantastic for those who like a larger print book) and a range of different light settings.  It is easy to hold and very easy to use.

You can easily adjust the light setting, from dull to very bright

One of my main concerns was having to recharge the battery constantly, but I find that I only need to do this every couple of weeks and, as you can monitor the battery level, I just charge it when I'm going out and don't need to take it with me.

Some of the different settings available

It took a little while to adapt to swiping in order to turn pages, but I now prefer my e-reader over paper books.  I can buy books on special, or even pick up free books with Kindle daily and monthly deals.  I've discovered new authors too, because I don't mind spending a few dollars to trial a new author, but probably wouldn't pay full price at a book store.

An added advantage I have found, is that I can use the Kindle Paperwhite as a night light if I need to get up to  my daughter in the night, so don't need to turn on a bright light.

The only disadvantages I have found are that you can't pass a book on to a friend after you have finished with it, it's probably not wise to use it in the bath 😉, and you don't have that beautiful book smell.

I would love to hear your thoughts on e-readers, so please share them in my comments.