Back in November, I got myself a Kindle. I had been refraining for a while; pure and simply, I prefer ‘real books’. But a couple of things convinced me to part with my money. Firstly, I wanted to have unpublished short stories and future books available to me for readings without the need of bringing print-offs. Secondly, I wanted to read Stephen King’s new novel.
As much as I love ‘real books’, I absolutely despise lugging bricks of books around with me. And King’s newest tome is a real brick of a book. So I could either wait until it came out in paperback (as I had done for his past few works) or I could invest in an e-reader. I chose the latter.
Since then I have been alternating between reading my Kindle and reading a ‘real book’. I prefer the feel of a paper book, I love turning the pages and then adding it to my bookshelf when I’m finished. But the Kindle is convenient for other reasons. As already stated, it’s a sound bit lighter and smaller to hold than the 700+ pagers that King et al put out. It’s also great for encouraging me to read more classics; the vast majority are available to download free legally. A few years ago I bought a hardback omnibus edition of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers series. I read the first two books and never got around to finishing. But I just downloaded the same omnibus edition onto my Kindle and it’s been proving very convenient to have all the books in one place. Likewise, I have already read Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. Last year he released an anniversary edition with extra scenes. I thought about reading it again but the idea of lugging around the thick book again put me off. Now I can read it easily on my Kindle.
Essentially what I’m saying is that I like my Kindle. I don’t love it, like I do real books; I like it. It gives me another option for reading and enjoying books.
But all that said, I can’t help but feel guilty anytime I read it in public.
I know; that sounds strange, right? After all, the Kindle is surely made to be more portable than most paperbacks.
Hear me out.
Whenever I’m reading the Kindle in a cafe or on a bus, I’m always worried I’ll bump into one of the wonderful booksellers I’ve met over the past year. Understandably many booksellers aren’t the biggest fans of Kindles and I don’t want to offend them.
But I don’t see the Kindle as a replacement for the bookseller. To me, Kindle is an extension to my book collection; it’s an extension to what bookshops all over the world offer. I still buy the majority of my books in a shop. I much prefer to go in and browse and chat with the bookseller. These people have a real passion and love for books and it shows. This is something Kindle can not and will not ever offer.
It’s hard to tell if Kindle is the future of books. This Christmas saw the biggest jump yet in reader and e-book sales. So far, children’s titles tend to be underselling in the e-book market. My theory is that kids like to have their collection of books on their shelves; they like to have a physical count of what they’ve read. To be honest, I’m the exact same!
So I embrace my Kindle. But I also embrace real books and bookshops. For me, it’s not one or the other. It’s both.