Book vs E-Books

With the advance of technology, e-books have become a more preferred choice among readers. It is much cheaper to download an e-book and it is definitely much less bulky to lug around. In fact, e-books can be downloaded as apps into iPads and smart phones which makes it even more convenient for users. However, I will always love books more. The smell of old and new books, the sound the pages make when u flip them, the joy of filling your shelf with a million books.

Pros and cons of real books. Pros. Firstly, they look classy. Look at all the tumblr pictures! Rooms with shelves lined with real books always get reblogged even if the user doesn't really read. Also, there is a joy in flipping through the pages hearing them scratch against one another. Real books also gives you an excuse to buy pretty bookmarks since you would actually use it. Besides, you never have to charge battery to a book  to read it. Since it doesn't shine off a bright screen on a device that radiates constantly, as weird as it sounds, I actually think books are healthier. Both for the eyes and your body. After all, I have never heard of  book with radiation. Have you?

However, sometimes books get too bulky and take up a lot of space. Plus, they aren't exactly very friendly when you are trying to fit it into a fully packed bag. They aren't as compact and portable as e-books. When a gust of wind blows, you might lose the page you were at as well. Books are considerably costly too. They are usually twice the price of an e-book.

Since I stated the pros and cons of paper books, I should be fair and and share the pros and cons of e-books. With e-books on slim and compact devices, they are not only convenient to bring around, you could also store a lot of books into one device. It takes away the burden of carrying a lot of books since they are condensed into a simple gadget. E-books are also much cheaper and more affordable. You could afford 2 e-books for the price of one paperback. Isn't it such a good deal? It would save avid readers a lot of money.

Cons. There is always  flip side to technology. Radiation form the devices can be quite harmful along with our constant usage of technological devices. I love technology but it can be a cruel mistress. Or whatever a male version is. With e-books you can't keep it forever or donate them. I don't know if this sounds really weird but I save all my books since the day I could read. I always believed I would have children and passed them down and read stories to people. Also, it is much easier to flip pages around with paper books to re-read and gain new insights. E-books also take away the fun in reading. I know it is the same but it just feels so different. There won't be the same dog-eared pages, smell of old books and the joy of picking the best read you found off the shelf.

Therefore that being said, I'd pick books any day. To be honest, I like the feel of a paper book in my hands no matter how bulky it is. I have sociology as one of my modules. We had an e-textbook. It is pretty much the same as a real paper textbook. Same texts, notes and quizzes. However, studying with it was never friendly. I couldn't scribble notes all over it like I love to do so. I couldn't study without searching for internet and sometimes it "hangs". That would never have happened with a real paper textbook.

With paper books, I could give them away to people I care about because e-books are never forever. Besides, what fun is it to read stories with and for kids using e-books. They don't make pop-up and 3D e-books. I loved those. They never get old.

I have a lot of ambitions. One of which was to open a book cafe. Where people could come in, sit on bean bags, comfy chairs with tables, order coffee or hot chocolate with cakes and just read a book off the shelf. I even had the whole concept of it in my head. The walls would be lined with books, comfortable chairs and beanbags along with little tables. In fact people who were members could borrow the books like a library. I could also use another section to sell books as well. It would be a place people could spend hours cuddling with a book or studying while enjoying a cup of coffee and some cake. At least I have dreamed of it more than once.