Forum: The Future of Reading?

I was talking to one of my best friends the other day. He was telling me about his new i-Pod and how it held his entire music library. "D, I have all of my CD's on this thing and it fits in my shirt pocket. I take it with me everywhere and there is room for some more music" I can  see where he would be excited. He is a music junkie and he now has everything he has ever listened to and enjoyed at his fingertips.

Then we started talking about the new e-readers like the Nook and the Kindle. "They look like a data pad from Star Trek. Just imagine having your entire library on one of those for you to call up at your leisure. This is the future of reading my friend."

The future of reading?

On one hand I can see it. The thought of my library of books on an e-reader for me to call up at any time does excite me. As does the thought of being able to change the font size so reading is more comfortable for my eyes. Let's face it, I am not getting any younger and small print hurts my eyes. If I travel anywhere I have my books at my finger tips. And from what I understand of these e-readers, you can buy books anywhere. The world is basically your bookstore as long as you have wi-fi or 3G coverage. Yes, the thought of this is truly exciting.

On the other hand, there is also a lot I would miss.

 I can feel some of you pulling away from me, but please bear with me. Hear me out.

I am one of those people that enjoys the entire experience of reading. I can feel some of you asking "What experience? You are just reading words on a page. What more is there?"

What more is there?

My reading experience starts in a bookstore. To me, going to the local bookstore is a lot like going to church. No, books do not replace God in my life. But the bookstore is like my fortress of solitude. I am among people who are a lot like me. Browsing the shelves looking for their new reading fix. And just to be super thoughtful to their customer, a lot of bookstores have coffee shops inside. So, there is also the smell of the bookstore to consider. The very atmosphere of the book store puts me at ease. In a bookstore you get to pick up the book and read the back cover, feel the book in your hands as you consider buying it.

Next is the anticipation of reading this book gigging you at the back of your throat as you take it home. Dinner first then some music as you get settled to read? Or are you like me and you show your wife/partner/mate what you have and they share the experience with you? My wife is as avid a reader as I am, so we have our own little show and tell.

Then there is the book itself. The sound of it as you open it for the first time. The smell of it as you go to the fuirst page. The feel of the paper in your hands. Let's face it, not all paper is the same. Compare the paper in a hardcover as opposed to a soft cover. Then compare both of those to the paper in a Bible. See what I mean? Then, you get to mark your progression through the book with a book mark. You can tell when you are half way through, or if you are just one more hour away from finishing it.

One concern I have for an e-reader is if I drop it and the screen breaks, how screwed am I? If you drop a book, you just pick it up and move on. If I drop and possible break my e-reader then thats it. I have to wait for a replacement to finish my book. I also don't like the idea of losing my entire library to an EMP. (I mentioned this to someone and they got really sarcastic and said "As opposed to losing your books to a single match?" Just try getting the match near my book and see what happens.)

Does this mean I am against the e-reader? No. I know I will eventually get one. I am merely pointing out all that I will miss when I get one.