Electronic verses Leather…Plastic verses Paper

For Christmas my husband had considered getting me a “Kindle” for a gift. Luckily, he asked me first and I told him I wasn’t interested in one.

Since then I have been doing a lot of thinking about books verses Kindle’s or other types of electronic reading objects. Here is what I have decided.

I love books. I love reading books, I love ordering books, shopping for books, talking about books, and especially I love looking at beautiful books on a bookcase. So what would I need a kindle for? I can see the advantage of having one for traveling. My friend Kim has blogged about how nice to have several books on her “Kindle” and not have to pack the books, thus making her luggage lighter. I think traveling is about the only time I would use a “Kindle” type device is for reading.

However, if I was to read a new book on a “Kindle”, and I loved the book, I would end up buying the same book as a hardback copy for my bookshelf. I look at them almost as a friend that I always want to have around more than I think of them as "works of art". I want to know that friend is here if I need to read it again or just re-read my favorite parts. For example, can you EVER get tired of reading Captain Wentworth’s letter to Anne Elliot in Persuasion? Or the scene in “Our Mutual Friend” where Bella Wilfer realizes how much she really loves Mr. Rokesmith? Another example; any of James Herriot’s stories… I could read those over and over again and still laugh or cry at the same stories.

I also would need to get a copy in paperback so I could lend it out. I don’t like to lend out hardback books in case they get lost and I have to replace them, so I have a hardback and paperback of all of my VERY favorite books, if possible. That way I can lend them out and know I will be able to talk about the book with another friend after they are finished reading it.

I have had to put myself on a “no buying another book” diet until I have read all the books in one of the stacks of books that have built up on my shelves. I have been pretty good too. It has been almost 2 weeks since I bought a book!

So I think I will stick to paper and leather instead of electronic and plastic.  At least until they come up with an affordable device that I could use just for traveling.