Thursday Question of the Day

Thursday Question of the Day

I found this question on Good Choice Reading today and I thought it was such an interesting question that I decided to post an answer on my blog. 

What would you do in a world where books no longer came in paperback / hardback and were only available as ebooks?

I have actually given this matter a lot of thought, and have read quite a few articles and posts on the value of paperback / hardback versus ebooks and I have to admit I don't know what to think about the whole evolution of ebooks.  At first, I really didn't like them as I found reading off the screen to be difficult and the short battery life drove me crazy.  But being environmentally conscious, it is hard to ignore the message of ebook campaigners to preserve our trees and our environment.  I also think there are many great authors who have greater access to promoting their books and their products when selling things digitally.  The market is amazing out there.   

And yet, I don't think I will ever be able to get the same thrill from downloading an ebook that I get whenever I walk into a bookstore.  I just close my eyes when I first walk in and absorb the unique smell and taste of a bookstore, knowing that thousands of titles are at my browsing fingertips.  I can quite happily plop myself down in front of a shelf and browse for a long time.  My husband refuses to go to a bookstore with my anymore because of the time I spend in one, and now he says I've corrupted our children as they love going to the bookstore.  In all the years I've been reading, there is still a part of me that gets super-excited when I see a new book, or one that I've been wanting to read on a shelf.  And I get to pick it up and flip through the pages.  And I get to look at the cover closely.  Yet, maybe I am being incredibly selfish by hanging on to books that I would only read once, just because I like the feel of print books and it is time to move on and get attuned to the world out there.  Do I really need to destroy thousands of trees just because I need to hold a print copy in my hand?

I would never want to walk into a store and see only computers where I can only order ebooks and there be no books at all. I would never stop reading as that is a huge part of me and I could never give it up so easily.  However, I really think it would break my heart to never hold a new book in my hands again!!!!