Books Vs. E-Readers

With the bankruptcy of Border's and with e-books expected to be 50% of book sales in 2015. I rethought my position of e-readers. The cons of e-readers are:

They put people out of work  (book binders)

I miss the smell of paper

I miss the texture of paper

Author can't sign the book

Can't loan a book to everyone I know

The pros of e-readers are:

Environmentally friendly (saves trees don't use paper)

Light weight

Stores in my book bag (purse)

Can store multiple books on it (an entire library)

If I don't like a book that I'm reading I can easily switch to something else.

I actually read faster

Not all e-readers are the same and they have different features and apps so definitely do your homework. Kobo and Nook use Adobe DRM and can share files. The Nook offers Free Fridays (you can download a selected book for free).  My mother recently purchased a Kindle it is very similar to the Nook her complaint was she has to purchase books. 

Many libraries offer e-books that can be loaned out for 7 to 21 days. My experience is that most of the books available have a waiting list around 30 others in front of me. If I don't finish the book on time, I can't renew because of the waiting list (others behind me). I then have to put my name back on the list and wait. So don't be sold just because you can check books out on line. What has been your experience with e-readers?

What's In Your Book Bag?

 

Currently in my book bag I have... How To Write Your Personal or Family History (If You Don't Do It, Who Will?) by Katie Funk Wiebe published by Good Books; 1st edition 2009; 222 pages;

This book starts on the premise that everyone has a story to tell; discovering our stories brings meaning to our life; helps us make peace with our past; accept the life cycle with hope; and to pass on our family history, folklore, values, and wisdom.

I found the book to be informative and full of helpful hints for pulling our stories together and putting them down for others to read.

This book actually ended up in my bag due to a discussion with my mother.  Mom was telling me that my grandfather is concerned about forgetting the stories that he has been telling family members for years. There was some discussion with one of my aunts over the best way to preserve those stories. Ideas ranged from investing in an ipad so he can record them digitally ... to using dragon speak on his computer. He doesn't use the computer much any more mostly out of fear that someone will steal his personal information or he will download a virus.  I suggested to my mother that we need to keep the technology simple and something that he can easily use. Simple tape recorder with a bunch of tapes. He can than mail them to family members or I can transcribe them for him.