I am a die hard reader. I read daily at least an hour, sometimes more if I can fit it in. In the days before the e-reader I had piles of books beside my bed, beside my chair and they filled a whole bookcase in the family room. Since I made the conversion to the e-reader my pile though invisible to RangerSir is larger than ever. I still keep one shelf of books in the case of a power failure. It is full of those lifetime keepers, but also a few books that are pulp fiction, because if was an apocalyptic event we would need some levity. My paper collection of books is more discriminating than the collection on my e-reader because I am limited to one shelf since I seldom read hard copy any more. This week for the first time in a long time I am utilizing my safety net of real books.
I am rediscovering the paper book right now because I am without an e-reader for the first time in many years. My current reader after years of daily use for at least an hour was starting to need to be charged more than once a week. It wasn’t at the end of its lifespan, but for the first time I was becoming aware that there will be an end in the future. As a result I was toying with upgrading, but nothing had gotten me off the dime to do so. E-readers are not like computers or phones, they are simple one use devices. There are few changes and most of they don’t make a big difference so we tend not to upgrade as often as manufactures would like us to do so. This week Amazon gave me the push I need they were offering to buy my device and give me an additional $20 e-reader credit. For me that was $55, more than half of the price of a new one. The sucky part was that they did not give you all this wonderful credit until they first had the old one in there hands. This was major stupid. I sent my old one back last week and now I wait for it to arrive at Amazon, credit to appear on my account and then I can get my new one. I suspect I will be without an e-reader for a little over a week. I realized the inconvenience already when I was in a waiting room and realized my reader wasn’t in my purse and I had not brought my book along because it would not fit in my purse. Last night I put a paperback in the Goodwill box because the font was just too small. The book had potential but event with cheaters reading was a struggle. I did not realize until I was holding a book again that the Kindle really was much easier to manage than an 800 plus page book.
I am hoping today my UPS tracking tag tells me that Amazon has received my old e-reader and I soon get a new one. I knew how much I liked my e-reader, but never as much as now.
Looking Out the Window 
I love my Kindle but I still read hardcover and paperback books, too. I especially like paperbacks that fit easily into my purse. The Kindle might, but it is heavier. I did appreciate the Kindle several weeks ago when we were without power for seven hours and I was able to read because it has its own backlight. Fortunately, it was sufficiently charged! I also like the Kindle because I can read books by new authors and also purchase books that I would otherwise have to order and wait to receive. We only have one bookstore in my area and stores like Walmart that only carry books by the most popular authors. I guess I really don’t care how I read a book, but only how much I enjoy it.
I’m re-discovering paper books again, too. I’ve been using my ipad mini as an e-reader for the past three years, and I love the convenience of taking five or more books with me wherever I go. Plus, I can check out digital library books for free, and they automatically return themselves when due, so no more late fees! I was notorious for late fees. But lately, I’ve been getting headaches when reading on the ipad – perhaps my nearly forty-year old eyes can’t handle the screen anymore – so I switched back to paper. I have heard that an e-reader has a different type of screen than an ipad, which makes it easier on the eyes. I may have to try a kindle next.
I have never gotten into e readers. I really like the feel of a paperback in my hands. I have a kindle app on my tablet, but I rarely use it. It is convenient to bring to the waiting room, but other than that I will take a library book in hard copy any day.
I had a Kobo…until I sat on it in the hay truck. I missed it so much that when I was in the US I bought a Nook….big mistake as it won’t let me buy digital books to put on it. I do use it for library books but next time I find a deal here in Canada….I’m buying a new one. In the meantime I use my iPad which I hate as it runs the battery down and it too bulky and heavy.