The convenience of having only to press a button as oppose to turning the pages is a definite plus for me. To the addition of being to able to browse online is also a bonus. Needless to say the advantages are endless but I do secretly miss being able to read the ending which often determines whether I continue reading the book and nothing can replace the fresh smell of a newly printed paperback.

Although I am sadden by the recent and rapid decline of printing books with the emergence of ebook. Considering they’re often free, half the price of paperbooks and often released much earlier than paperbacks it isn’t any wonder they’re now the preferred medium for most readers.

The best part is that I can organise and catalogue all my favourite ebook in my kindle. The only and biggest downside is that I never can be stranded on a desert island with kindle

I’ve also been realizing, as I further explore my Nook and eReading, that browsing is big advantage that paper has over digital. I wanted to reread a good passage in Joan Wolf’s “The American Duchess” (which is much more freely available thanks to digitization), but what do I have to do? Scroll. Scroll scroll scroll flip flip flip. I can’t just do the zip-and-skim that you can with paper.

Trade-offs.

I’m not such a bibliophile that I collect and crave first editions; I read for pleasure, and I like the physical feel of it, but I’m nowhere near the bibliophiles in, say, that book by Arturo Perez-Reverte (maybe the first Alatriste book?).

If my NookColor died tomorrow, I’d be sad, and a bit peeved that I’ll have to return and exchange it, but I’ll still have the books. And I realize that my attitude is more or less the same with books – I’ve gone through four copies of Robin McKinley’s “The Blue Sword”, and all the old ones have been donated, because the content is what matters, not the cover.

EBook = convenience and speed. Bookstore = atmosphere. That’s a draconian way to put it, but it’s more or less how I see it. Like I said: best of both worlds.

And for what it’s worth, there are still kids coming in with those Scholastic order forms, and asking if Chapters has them. So they’re still buying books. I love working at the bookstore, mostly because I can approach it from a consumer’s point of view, and try and avoid doing things that caused ME frustration, a gazillion times over.

More than just the service I love to look – often I find books I knew nothing about by a trip through the bookstore. While I learn about a lot of books on line I also pick up books through browsing. That is how I found my last years favorites Sarah Sundin’s WWII romances. I also found a recent YA buy just by shopping at Walmart – I had a gift card, they had an interesting looking book I had heard nothing about and voila! – “Wither” comes home with me and I really liked it.

I also love the convenient carelessness of a book. Unlike my kindle, most of my books cost under $10.00. If I drop them or forget them, no harm done. And of course nothing beats the joy of being able to hand a book to a friend and say “I just finished this. You’ve got to read it.” Verbal recommends have a lot less impact.

I hope books are around for a long, long time.

maggie b.

We have two ereaders and enjoy the convenience, but prefer print books. I like being able to go back and forward in them, skimming and finding places I need to reread, or to clarify something. I enjoy picking up books I’ve read and opening to favorite passages or just randomly reading/skimming. It’s like visiting an old friend. And it’s like seeing an old friend to see them on the shelves. I lose that visual comfort with the Kindle book.

I don’t know how long print books will be around, although I think it will be for a long time yet. Eventually, though, I think they’ll be phased out for practical reasons. Here’s to hoping that’s decades away.