Yep, I am one of the few people still alive and kicking (well, some days) that still buy print books. I know. I am really old fashioned. I still call cds albums, too. And yes, I do still buy cds as well. I am technology challenged, and I am not afraid to say it. If I need new entertainment technology, I go to work and hit up my boys. They really aren’t my boys. Everyone just calls them that because I haven’t killed them yet and I enjoy talking to them. I tell my boys what I want it for, and they get together and pick out what I need to buy. Then they tell me how to use it. See, I have set up a vast network of nerds and geeks for all my tech questions. That way I don’t have to learn what anything is because it is just going to change in six months. I am smart like that or dumb, depending on your point of view. Now that you have my lack of technology down pat, I can move on with the reason for this blog.
E books vs Print books. Now that is the question. I like both. Most people only do one or the other, but I am a book whore. Yep, you now know my secret. Okay, it really isn’t a secret.
Let me start with print books. I love them. I like being able to hold them and have the weight in my hands. It makes me feel like I am really reading. I know it is stupid, but I love it. Then there is the smell. Yep, I smell my books. There is something about the ink that leaves a smell. I feel like when I open a new book and smell it, I am going on an adventure. I don’t care what kind of book it is. I am going somewhere away from my real life.
I know I am freaky, but I am sure that there are others out there that have done the same thing. One of my favorite things about print books is the covers. I totally pet them. Yep, I am sick like that. But I love being able to run my fingers across the book. I look like I am molesting them, but it is okay with me if people see me enjoying my books.
Wait. Does that make me an exhibitionist?? I guess that question will have to be answered in another blog. Damn it. Now where was I??
Oh yeah, the petting. After I pet them, I like to sit and peruse them. I look at all the information on the author and all the copyright dates and strange things they put in the front of the book. I, also, like reading the dedications and acknowledgements. Those tell me a lot about the author. But none of that is here nor there.
I eventually decide whether I am going to buy the book or not. Normally, I buy it right then and there. Now, I buy a lot of my books from Barnes and Noble. Why, you ask. Shouldn’t I buy from a local store? I would. But there are none around here so B&N is my only option. After I pay for the book, I go and get a hot chocolate or water—depending on the season. I pick out my comfy chair or the table with the chair to the wall (yep, I am paranoid too).
What does most of this have to do with print books vs ebooks? I am getting to that, I promise. Now, as I sit there reading, I get the feeling that I am actually getting more out of the story. It is all about the atmosphere. I see others sitting reading and enjoying their books. It makes me feel like I am part of what is becoming a smaller and smaller club. You know the one I am talking about—a readers club. The one where people use their imagination instead of waiting for the tv show or movie to come out based on the book. Now, before I get smacked around on that comment, I do love to watch movies and Lord love a duck, I love television. I just think sometimes you get more from the book.
But again, that is another blog. Damn it. Now I need to move on before you get bored with this blog. Shit, I probably lost you about two sentences in to it. Oh well, I might as well give my betas some more to read—just for fun.
Now, ebooks. I am not sure what I feel for them. I do not yet own an e-reader. Yep, I heard all the gasps from everyone. I read on the computer. I understand why people like them. There is the fact that you can carry it around and not dislocate your shoulder. You have hundreds of books at your disposal. The joy of being able to read your smut without anyone knowing what you are reading and why you have that dreamy look on your face. I get all of that. Then there is the convenience of not having to leave your house to buy a book. Some days I love that. My personal favorite is that most of the authors I have been reading get their books out in ebook form first. I love not having to wait endlessly. I do not have patience at all. I read that a book is released, and I want it asap. That is the most important thing about ebooks to me. As I get older, I notice that with the computer, I make the print bigger too so that is another point in favor of the ebook.
Yep, those are about the only things I can say that I like about ebooks. I guess, at heart, I am still a physical kind of woman. I like the feel of books. I like being able to carry the book and show that I am a reader. I want to be able to go to book signings and actually have the author sign a book that I can put up in my library (yep, my bookshelves do not really qualify as a library but you know what I mean). If you take me to a big house, the first thing I look for is a library. I love walking into a room and being able to see all the books. The option of pulling one book out and going on a trip around the world, snagging a different book and falling in love, yet another book will break my heart when I read about someone’s hardships. I guess I will always be a 19th century kind of woman, one who loves the atmosphere of a library.
Sinfully Sarcastic,
Shmuttmeister
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