Books in the Digital Age

As an avid reader, the introduction of books in digital form a few years ago was naturally appealing. The initial cost of an e-reader and the knowledge that future generations of e-readers would only get better meant that I could put off buying one for a few years. I read the reviews and monitored the popularity of various e-readers, but I wondered if I'd find reading a book on an e-reader as satisfying as reading a traditional book.

I was actually close to making a decision to buy an e-reader when I was given one for a birthday present. Now that I've had a few months of using it, I've got some initial thoughts about reading a traditional book vs. reading an e-book.

On the most fundamental level, I've found that reading a book on an digital device and reading a book in a traditional published form are equal. I can enjoy (or not enjoy) reading the story on either format; my response to the writing, the author's words, the message of the story is the same regardless of how I read it.

I like my e-reader and the efficiency of buying books on-line. The fact that I can carry many titles around in a thin, light e-reader is an attractive bonus. It's nice to be able to increase the text size and take a little stress off the eyes. (It's easier to adjust the text size than the length of my arms) The e-reader automatically remembers where I stopped reading; no more folded-over corners as bookmarks or losing my place because the scrap of paper I had used had fallen out.

But other aspects of digital books are different than a traditional book.

Going to a book store, whether it is a mega-chain like Barnes and Noble or an independent book store located in a small store, is a shopping experience that isn't possible with e-books. Being able to physically wander through the store and peruse titles-finding books that you might not have considered except the title or cover caught your eye; looking at other related reading matter the bookstore has to offer is a very different experience for me than looking on-line for a book. Stores that sell e-books only exist in the virtual world of the internet. When shopping for a title to download to my e-reader, I tend to go on-line and have a specific book that I'm looking for. It's harder to pick up an electronic book and read the cover and skim a few pages trying to decide to buy it. I know some on-line stores have tried to mimic this browsing experience, but I haven't found it nearly as enjoyable as wandering through a real book store.

The cost of an e-book is less than a traditional book when they first go on sale. But not as much as one might think. Also, e-books are always the same initial price. Traditional books sometimes are reduced in price or you can find them on sale tables. But e-books never go on sale.

Another way that e-books are more expensive than regular books is that when you buy an e-book, it's really not yours like a traditional book. One of the neat things about traditional books is that they can have long life and be passed along from person to person. A traditional book can have multiple owners over its life. It's a great joy to pass a book along to a friend (or to receive a book from a friend). Although some e-books can be shared; that process is not very refined and is not easy to do. And you'll never be able to go to a garage sale and buy an e-book for $.25!

Traditional books have other aspects that e-books can't duplicate. Books can be collected; first editions actually become more valuable. How do you get an author's signature on an e-book? It's hard to look at some pictures in an e-book. Books can be different sizes; coffee table books t are great to explore. You wonder how Libraries will evolve over the years. Our library has a process to "lend" e-books; but I've found the process not user friendly and some e-readers do not allow sharing and lending.

I know I'll continue to use my e-reader and come to rely on it and find other advantages to having one. The system of distributing e-books and sharing them will evolve, and, hopefully, improve over the years. I will continue to adjust to this aspect of the digital age and accept the fact that traditional books are slowly going to go the way of vinyl records, cameras that take pictures with film and handwritten letters sent through the mail. But there will be aspects of traditional books that I'll miss.

Whatever the format, I know reading will always be one of my favorite things to do.

Eating the Heels

One of the many memories of my father was he also always ate the heels of the loafs of bread. Kids never like the heels and with three kids, it seems like we went through loafs of bread fairly quickly. None of us wanted to eat the heels I remember dad was always asking to eat the heels and, so I always assumed he liked the heels. It was many, many years later; that dad revealed that he didn't like the heels of the bread and once we were gone from the house, he would avoid eating them also.

I relate the story on this father's day because I realize that his eating of the heels was a model of being a great father. A good father is selfless, willing to make sacrifices, and doesn't complain or boast about those sacrifices. He had demonstrated those qualities to us regularly as a father.


Happy Father's day to all those who eat the heels.