All right, I’ll say it. E-readers are the best. I actually prefer to read books on an electronic device now than to have to carry around big slabs of dead trees. What’s more, if I hear one more person say, “But I like the feel and the smell of the paper,” I’ll scream. There are two distinct types of people in the world. Some of them think women’s panties are for wearing, and the others … catch my drift? But to me, the advantages of an e-reader far outweigh any nostalgic notions of paper books (except, perhaps, longevity).I’d been in the mood for reading some new books, so I did a little research and I found about four that I’d be interested in reading. I wasn’t so sold that I wanted to shell out money for them, though. So you know what? I checked them out from the library. Yes, on the e-reader. That’s a thing. Now I walk around with all four of them in my jacket pocket. When I finish one I can pick up the next one, just like that. I can read them in the dark, no flashlight necessary. And to repeat, I did not steal them, I checked them out from my local library and thus supported the authors.
All the same is true of your phone, of course. Anything I buy from Barnes & Noble shows up on my phone automatically, so I can read it when I don’t have my Nook with me. But I really prefer the old e-ink screen. If you haven’t tried it, you should. Way more comfortable on the eyes than a phone or tablet screen.
Say what you will about music formats — and yeah, I pretty much only listen to music on vinyl lately. But for books, I think the electronic format rules. There are some exceptions, of course, where only paper will do — some particularly arty books and what-not. But just for example, everywhere I go I carry with me two fat dictionaries, style guides from the Associated Press and Bloomberg, three of my favorite books on writing and a bunch of my favorite novels. And if I lose my phone, all I have to do is bring the new phone online and I’ll still be carrying around all those same books. Weighs about six ounces. I think that’s pretty cool.