When was the last time you read a paper book?
In Russia, paper books still remain a big thing, but I hardly get to go any further than simply holding a real book.
Ever since I left St. Petersburg where I grew up surrounded by shelves and shelves of books – which I only topped up with more – e-books, either on an e-reader or on the phone, became my everything.
A friend of mine recently moved to a different country, and she actually looked into moving her library with her. Most of the books she's read and liked, but the chance she would read them again was low. And the price of transporting the heavy but somewhat useless load was unjustifiable.
For the same reason, even though I like the feel of real, well-published books, I didn't even try to move my personal library. Instead, every year I ask my family to send me a book or two as a birthday gift to build a new collection here.
Sometimes I also get a new paper book amid having quiet time alone, but then quickly life picks up and I never get to read most of the real books I already have.
At the same time, e-books seem to be too convenient, and there are hardly any excuses that I can come up with once I purchase a new one. And thanks to technology, even during the busiest times I tend to read quite a bit.
I always thought that there wasn't much difference between an e-book and a paper copy, and in the end, it was a matter of personal preferences. However, it turns out that in the reading world the electronic vs. paper dispute is as sharp as the confrontation between the Bruins and Red Wings, just on a way larger scale.
Within the world of paper-book adherents and even non-readers, there is definitely some bias against e-readers. They are viewed as those who don't take reading seriously.
Reading is a personal activity, and there is something very strong in holding a real book in your hands, especially if it's nicely made or pretty old. Making notes on the margins, underlining insights, flipping through pages, folding corners … All that turns a mass-production book into a mirror, which tells the personal story of the one who read it.
It is a thing when it comes to an e-book. Many would say there is no spirit and no spirituality if the words of the best novels digitally appear on a screen. And I partially agree with it.
But the flexibility the electronics provide is hard to compete with. E-books are awesome on the road and during the short waits. They allow you to read no matter where you are and usually during any kind of a day.
It always takes people a lot of time to adapt. While e-books have been around for a while now, paper books count for thousands of years. There are some tricks our brain doesn't like about e-reading. For example, if we are reading something on our phones, our brain doesn't distinguish a book from other informational gunk we pick up from many other sources.
The e-reading process is also often interrupted by messages, notifications and phone calls coming through the same device, which makes this time less distinct in comparison to real book reading.
E-books are also more difficult to share. In my childhood, borrowing books was one of the great joys. My first conscious feedbacks and recommendations were about books I read. I would put my name on the book, and got upset when they still went missing. It was a part of communication, which is not the case in the digital world, where if not for breaking the copyright, e-books only allow to verbally recommend something to read.
However, while there are some cons to e-reading, the convenience of it goes far beyond just having books on a smartphone. You can search through an e-book, you can have three, four or 24 books at your fingertips at any given time. You don't need to wait. Once you order your book, it's there.
Unlike real libraries, e-books hardly take up even virtual space. Moreover, even though it's not the best for the eyes, you can read an e-book even when the lights are off. Besides, e-books don't waste paper.
I've read hundreds, maybe even over a thousand paper books in my life, but these days I do most of the reading in an e-format. At the same time, I sincerely appreciate the small collection I built over the past eight years. Some of them are real art-works, while others are just filled with nostalgia to me.
And I still appreciate both formats as I believe that it's more difficult to develop a habit to read when you are not surrounded by intriguing backbones and beautiful covers. But once the habit is established, e-books are way more convenient to keep on with reading.
