Books vs. eBooks

             I wandered through the store having a hard time not feeling sad.  Sure, I was disappointed the deals weren’t as good as promised, but mostly I was sad.  I’d spent many hours in the café sipping coffee while browsing through books and magazines.  Many Moms’ Nights Out had ended pleasantly over a hot beverage and good conversation in the café.  I’m going to miss them.  Of course, I’m talking about Borders.

 In case you haven’t heard, the chain of bookstores is closing down.  Supposedly, they’re even shutting down their website.  As an avid reader, it makes me sad to think that any place filled with so many wonderful books could go out of business.   Then again, as a consumer, with a Kindle in my purse, I’m not surprised.  Yet, my sadness definitely trumps my lack of surprise.  I can’t help but wonder what this means for our future generation of readers.

I love my Kindle.  I’ve found that I particularly love it at night when I can easily hold even the longest of novels with just one hand.  I love that a simple push of a button turns the page and I love that one device holds so many different reading options.  However, something is still missing.  Call me old fashioned, but I just don’t think an eReader has the same appeal as a bona fide book. 

Books encourage trips to the library or bookstore, while eReaders encourage a click of the mouse.  Books can be passed down to the next generation while new technology quickly becomes obsolete.  Good picture books provide illustrations worth lingering over, something that just can’t be replicated with even the best eReader.

 Perhaps these are mostly emotional reasons to be so attached to books, but I just can’t ignore them.  In fact, though I certainly won’t give up my Kindle anytime soon, I’m rather convinced my children should learn to love books, real books, before being given much access to eBooks.  What do you think?  Are you fully embracing eBooks or are you still loyal to good old paper books?  How do you feel about your children’s exposure to books and their electronic counterparts?