When I turned five years old, my parents gave me a Bible. I had it re-covered a few years ago. Otherwise, though, I’ve read the same Bible my whole life.
So I never thought I’d say this, but I might be moving on soon.
When I was 15, I wanted to build a large, personal library, like at least 5,000 volumes. I love reading. I love the look and feel of books. I love the atmosphere they create when they fill a room.
Still, I gave up that collection idea a few years back. As much as I appreciate books, I’d rather feel light. Instead, I started giving my books away. Read and share – that felt right.
So I never thought I’d say this, but I might be moving on, again, soon.
I’ve been skeptical of e-readers. Why not just read on my computer? Especially with the Kindle, which has a browser version, why get a dedicated reader?
Well, here are a few reasons I’m pretty sure I’m moving in this direction:
- Many books, one product: I love the idea of having one device to carry my whole library. Even if I pare down all my possessions, reading only online, I still think I’d keep my physical Bible. With a Kindle, though, I’m not sure I would. Thus, the Bible to Kindle trade.
- Anywhere: Living in Korea, it’s hard to find books. I guess I could order them through Amazon, but it’s harder to get good shipping rates. With a Kindle, I could get books anywhere Wifi’s available. And that’s the cheap version.
- Disposable: I also like the idea of having my library in the cloud and not having to worry much about the actual device. If it gets lost or stolen or whatever, I can still access all my books online or just get a new Kindle.
- Easy on the eyes: As much as I don’t want to admit it, e-readers are just better than computers for long-form reading. I wouldn’t get an e-reader to read what I read online, but I think it might be worth it if I’m trying to replace what I read offline.
- Portable: It sure beats lugging books around. I could fit my whole library in my messenger bag, or in one hand.
- Speed: It’s awesome to be able to click a few buttons and get access to hundreds of thousands of books.
- Inexpensive books: Ebooks are generally cheaper than their hardcover cousins. I won’t be buying used books, which will jack up the price, but I’ll gain the benefit of being able to buy other books I wouldn’t buy otherwise, like the self-published, $.99 books I’d like to try out.
- Free books: There are literally millions of classics available for free since their copyrights have expired. I wouldn’t have the patience to read these online, but I might with an e-reader.
Last but not least, the price of the device is attractive, especially with some of the predictions that it’ll be free by the end of the year. Yeah, free.
What do you think? Do you have an e-reader? Would you get one? Would you give one to your five-year-old instead of a Bible?
