Friday Five: Why I Don't Have an E-Reader

I do plan on doing a Friday Five defending e-books, but for right now:

Five Reasons Why I Don't Have or Want an E-Reader:

1. Things break easily

This morning, I accidentally stepped on my cell phone charger and broke it. Things happen and an expensive e-reader is not something I would want to own and accidentally break.

Also, when I'm reading a book and something happens that upsets me (something horrible happens to a character I love - Harry Potter - or the book is just terribly written - Twilight) I have a tendency to either a) drop the book in surprise; b) slam the book shut in disbelief; or c) throw the book in disgust. This may be a sign of anger issues and also may be an exaggeration.  Regardless, I can always pick the book up and keep reading.  Maybe some pages get wrinkled or torn a bit, but the words all remain and nothing stands in my way of finding out what happens next.

If I throw an e-reader (or drop it accidentally on the floor or in a puddle), there's less of a chance that I can pick it up and just keep going.  Not only would I not have the book that I was reading, but I'd lose everything else on there too.  So I'd have to replace the e-reader and then load everything back onto it.  #Hassle.

2. I'm a traditionalist

I just prefer turning physical pages. Plus, I often like to flip back to previous passages and having tried doing that on an e-reader and getting frustrated, I know that it's in my best interest to have a physical book in my hand for my page flipping compulsiveness.

3. My Bookshelf

I love staring at my bookshelf. I love organizing/reorganizing my books and I love knowing that they're there.  Yes, they take up space, but they are a part of my life and I don't feel the need to have downloadable files on an e-book be a representation of what I've read.

4. Choosing Books

Unless you know exactly what you're looking for, or you're one of those people who will read whatever is on the bestsellers list, it is so difficult to digitally browse for books.  I like to actually flip through a book to get a feel of how it's written, and you only get a smidgen of a preview to do that online for e-books. 

5. Money

Yes, e-books are technically cheaper than buying new physical books. But if you're buying used books, those prices always win.  PLUS, after I shelled out all the money for the actual e-reader, I would still need to spend an exorbitant amount of money to buy electronic versions of the many, many books I already own.  People often say that e-books are easier to travel with, which I don't dispute, but I often reread my books and I would rather  carry the extra weight than have to repurchase everything.