Miss Christy's Book Haven

For quite some time now there has been a debate over which is better; e-books or actual books. While some of us may be divided, there are many people who are set in their preferences. So what is my opinion? Read on to find out!

The first e-reader I ever heard about was Kindle by Amazon. I’ve always been a book enthusiast, and I’ve ordered from Amazon countless times. The first time I read about the Kindle, I was intrigued. It claimed to be light-weight, thin, and easy to read from. The best part was that it could store many books in one small package. The price was a bit expensive, and put me off a little. However, the main thing that made me shy away from e-readers was the idea of giving up my beautiful, tangible books that fit so perfectly onto my bookshelf. I’ll admit it! I LOVE collecting books, especially hardcover books! I don’t really collect anything, with the exception of books. The idea of not being able to have an actual copy of a book on my bookshelf was frightening. And I know I am not the only one who feels this way! 

There is something very special about reading a good, old-fashioned book! Curling up with a good book, is something a lot of people couldn’t live without! A collection of books displayed for everyone to see is even better! There is no place that fills me with enthusiasm and giddiness the way a library does! My favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast, the main reason being that Beast gives Belle her own library! This has been a fantasy for me every since I was a little girl! Forget Prince Charming and his white horse! I’ll take a Beast that gives me my own library any day!

Now, back to e-readers! One year for Christmas, I gave my parents a list of books that I wanted. However, my dad thought it would be better to get me a Kindle. Am I ever glad that he did!! E-books are very convenient for a number of reasons. Firstly, I am a university student and to get to school I have to take public transportation every day! Being in university means I already have a lot of textbooks to lug around. My Kindle is tiny and hardly takes up any room. It’s also makes it a lot easier to read when I’m on a crowded bus! 

The next great thing about e-books is that they tell you (in percentage) how far along you are in your book. I find this useful for the books that I don’t like as much. I’m not one to give up on a book, even if I don’t find it that good. With my Kindle, I can see how much longer I have until I’m done. And let’s not forget that e-readers hold a lot of books. This is convenient for people who don’t like the clutter that comes with having your own mini-library.

Back to my main dilemma about losing my book collecting ability. Even though I have an e-book, I still continue to buy actual books. Usually, if I enjoy a certain book I’ll repurchase it in order to have a hard copy. This is also useful because it allows me to show off the books I actually enjoyed. If I read a book on my kindle, and don’t absolutely love it, I don’t repurchase. This allows me to display books that have a special place in my heart. Another thing I do is I usually buy the first book in a series and if I like it I buy the rest of the books in hard copy (along with repurchasing the first!). Some of you might find this a waste of money, but I enjoy it and it allows me to get the best of both worlds.

Overall, I think e-books and regular books are equally great! If you have the means I really believe you should purchase an e-reader! Especially if you travel a lot or if you don’t like the clutter that comes with collecting books!