Earlier this evening I read this post by one of my favorite people ever about his first time downloading an ebook and it totally got the wheels turning.
I remember the exact day I bought and downloaded my very first ebook. It was Saturday, November 28, 2009. The book was Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I had read Kiss an Angel back in October while stuck in bed with the flu and it became one of my favorite books of all time. After that, I read everything by SEP that I could get my hands on.
On that day in November, we were in Utah, having just spent Thanksgiving with my sister and her family. We were preparing to leave and I was in desperate need of a book for the long drive home. Glitter Baby was the book I wanted and no other book would do. I made a quick trip to Walmart. They didn't have it. I was about to go in search of a book store, but was quickly running out of time. That's when I decided to try downloading it.
Had you asked me even a day prior, I would have told you with a resounding no, ebooks are not for me. I like books. Real books. With pages. That I can hold and smell and look at. I shuddered in disgust at the thought of electronic books.
The very first thing that caused my tumble into love with ebooks? The fact that I was able to keep reading the entire 8-hour drive home from Utah. In the dark. And later, the fact that I didn't have to keep a light on while reading in bed.
Real books aren't backlit.
Then it was the fact that I could lay in any position and still read comfortably. Turning the page required nothing more than the gentle tap of my thumb.
(Um, have you tried reading a hardback book while curled up on your side? DOESN'T WORK.)
And I only had to use one hand to hold my iPod. (These days, my phone.) And my fingers didn't ache from holding said device.
It was the fact that I no longer had piles of books stacking up around the apartment. And therefore I didn't have to listen to a husband who threatened to donate them. (Get rid of my books?! Why don't you just stab me in the heart while you're at it!)
And I could read while walking the dog.
And while I was supposed to be working. ('Cause, apparently, being on my phone is fine, but reading a book is frowned upon.)
And then, the kicker, knowing I had all of my books with me wherever I went. (To date, I have 200+ books right in the palm of my hand.)
And, most recently, discovering amazing authors and stories that I wouldn't have found in a bookstore. Since I gave myself over to the ebook way of life, there hasn't been a single book I haven't been able to find and download. However, many of the books I've read and loved in the last (nearly) two years wouldn't have been available at my local Barnes & Noble.
And, well, let's face it. It's a lot easier to carry around my phone than it is a book with one of those covers.
raising my hand. i was a devout only BOOK lover. until i got it in my head to minimize the clutter in my abode. and then i received a kindle. i'm very finicky about what books i buy, but amazon has a 100 free books list and the smut i have read these past months? amazing. my kindle is also on my android, but recently i downloaded an ebook app to it, cus you know, the kindle just wasn't enough or something.
ReplyDeleteit's sad that the physical book is possibly going to die out but it is what it is.
I love the feel and smell of paper and books. I love the heft, the solidness, the I'll-be-around-for-a-long-timeness of a hardcover, the promise of a good story well told and cradled.
ReplyDeleteBut, yeah, I think they're going the way of belly-button rings.
At least we still have hip huggers and bikini's.
Life's still worth living, right?
[...] I know what you’re thinking. This wouldn’t have happened to a real book. [...]
ReplyDelete