Books vs Kindle: Is Traditional Reading On A Downward Spiral?

I love books and have grown up being surrounded by them. The feel, touch, smell of old and new books still intoxicate and comfort me. I grew up reading books and they are a favorite and special pastime. Nothing can compare or replace the sitting by a crackling fire, turning the pages of a leather bound book or lounging on a beach or sunning in a hill station with a good dog-eared paperback.
The birth of ‘Kindle’ or “E-Books has brought a new world of e-books to book lovers all over the world and as much as one may love holding a book, turning its pages etc, today is definitely the world of Kindle and E-Books. E –Books makes buying books easier, but was disturbed by thoughts like’ what if getting a Kindle turned me away from my loved books?’, ‘would reading become an irresistible, convenient and somehow less joyful experience?’.

Pros of Kindle & E-Books

1. Portability: Kindle and E-Readers can jam pack as many books they want. They can be carried from place to place easily be it a plane, train car etc.
2. Convenience: You are given a choice of reading all your favorite books in one place without having to go to a bookstore or wait for delivery. As long as you have Wi-Fi connectivity, you can read whatever book you want right there and then. New releases tend to be cheaper on Kindle and you get a varied choice of classic novels which are free of cost. E-Books are convenient as you can purchase a book directly from your laptop, cell phone and It appears in minutes on your device. There are no shipping expenses, but at the same time we give up the joy of discovering our favorite books in a book shop.
3. Storage: Reading an E-Book has a lot of advantages over traditional books, the biggest being that you can adjust the size of the text, change the font and color to your liking.
4. Ownership: When you buy an e-book you are, you are not really buying a book in a traditional way, you are instead renting it out, you have no right to bequeath or sell it.

Cons of Kindle & E-Books

1. There is no such thing as ‘used book’, so if you are an avid second-hand book shopper you may end up paying a lot more for some titles.
2. Lending books to people is a lot harder. The biggest drawback on kindle is that you need to purchase a device to read them on and you must keep that device charged as E-books use electricity.

In the end, reading a ‘real book’ is just much ‘nicer’. There is something about turning the pages, holding the book that just feels right and perfect. Hugging a book can make you feel happy and comforted. A book is much nicer to take to bed than an E-book, and if you love books enough to keep them, they stay on your shelf like an old friend that you can always stop by and visit whenever you feel like.

For me , I still love and  treasure my old fashioned books, and I guess it’s a personal choice because I still proudly keep my old traditional books on display and I believe they  will never disappear or become ‘outdated’.