I Can't Give Up My Paper Books

Don't get me wrong, I can totally see the value in investing in an e-reader.  The convenience factor is really high.  Instead of schlepping 2 or 3 (or more) books on vacation with me, taking up suitcase space, I could literally bring hundreds of books with me, all saved in one portable and handy space.  If we move to another house, it would make packing my books a breeze.  E-books are clean and you don't have to worry about other people writing in them or destroying the spine or cover.  I could check books out of the library without having to actually go there in person.  And as a blogger, it seems like there are more opportunities to receive advance copies of books in e-format rather than paper.

But I just can't seem to do it!  I can't get into e-books.  I love my paper books and don't want to give them up!  I thought my husband bought me a Kindle for our anniversary a couple years ago, and I was panicking for days, wondering how I was ever going to figure out how to use it.  Fortunately, the gift was not a Kindle - crisis averted!

Technology is a big part of why I don't want to convert to an e-reader.  I'm a millennial, I should be adept at all things computer-y - but I'm not.  I don't use Twitter or Instagram.  I don't even have a smart phone!  It makes me so nervous to think about having to learn how to use something new.  I know, I know - it's probably super simple and I'm worrying for nothing.

Another reason I stick to paper is because I work in an office and I stare at a computer screen ALL DAY.  The last thing I want to do is look at more screens when I get home.  Sometimes I just want to unplug (and not worry about batteries running out when I'm in the middle of a chapter).

And of course, I just love BOOKS.  Physical books.  I love the way they look, I love the way they smell.  I love picking up a book and just flipping through the pages.  I love carrying a big stack of books out of the library and declaring to the world that yes, I love to read!  I don't know for sure, but I imagine it's easier to skip around a paper book as opposed to an e-book; I have a bad habit of always skipping to the end of a chapter or reading the last page of a book first.  Through blogging, I've picked up the routine of using Post-it notes to mark important places in the text that I may want to come back to when I'm writing my review.  I think there are ways to do that on a Kindle, but to me it seems more visual to have the little flags sticking out from the pages.  I can share paper books with my family and friends.  Plus, there are the advantages of re-selling or donating old books instead of just deleting them, putting them back out into the world for someone else to enjoy.

So what do you think - should I join the 21st century and get an e-reader?  Do you prefer paper or e-books?  (Incidentally, the New York Times had an article in September about Americans preferring paper books.)