I finally did it, I switched completely from paper books to eBooks. The last time I bought a physical book was over 6 months ago, and I´ve grown accustomed to digital versions.
Before moving to Mexico I wasn´t planning on giving up my book hobby, so I brought as many books as the airline allowed me to. Soon I was running out of stock, and I found an English bookstore in Guadalajara. I couldn´t be happier.
But then I realized that it was of course ridiculous to keep on adding weight to our few belongings. What to do with all those books when we move again? Switching to eBooks was the smart thing to do. It will save me a lot of trouble in the future.
As a daughter of a librarian it almost hurts to advocate eBooks, but my life has changed and I have changed so old habits have to make room for new habits. If you like reading as much as I do, purchase an e-reader or tablet for your readings.
Reading is good for your health
Sceptical Librarian Daughter Converts to eBooks
I basically grew up in the library. My mum always took me and my siblings to her bieb (short for bibliotheek which means library in Dutch), the place where we learned to walk and talk. So you can imagine how I favor holding physical books over the fake page-flipping of eBooks. Simply entering a bookstore makes me happy.
“Books continue to be “state-of-the-art technology” in that it requires no batteries, is portable, tactile, durable, collectible and quite decorative.”
Booklovers, Don´t Be Too Hard on Yourself
Now I can be all sentimental about books, go on and on about the smell of the pages, the touch of the cover, the lively colors carefully chosen by the publisher and the way it accompanies you like a friend to brighten up the daily rut… But let´s be honest, the main aspects that makes us so thrilled about books is our curiosity for content and the experience of diving into somebody else’s world. And hey, exactly those aspects stay the same whether you read paperbound books or eBooks.
The Advantages of eBooks Abroad
So you have to get over the loss of some things, but you enjoy the same content while also gaining several other advantages. The obvious ones: unlimited portability, digital storage, lower prices, instant purchase, font adjustments, night reading, reduced use of paper, etc. And there are several more that improved my reading pleasure abroad tremendously, what about…
- …no need anymore to pass by the small bookstore that´s on a walking distance from my home, filled with hope for new English books that the lady at the checkout promised me at least three times already…
- …no need anymore to fight with the bigger bookstore´s owner to give me more accurate estimations of English book arrivals to spare myself a disappointed return home, again…
- …instead having access to eBooks at any given time which saves me from planning ahead to get books delivered on time by overseas online stores…
- …instead having access to eBooks in all the languages I master which gives me the opportunity to read for pleasure again, rather than struggling through local (mostly easy-level) books with a dictionary at hand…
- …and making foreign language reading much more fun with the terrific feature to look up a word’s definition quickly.
You can imagine that it´s been a relief and it saves a lot of frustration in the purchasing process. And you know what, even the fake page-flipping becomes real! 😉 The only real disadvantage of using eBooks is the exposure of value. For safety reasons always be well aware of the place and timing you pull out your device in public.
Which Do You Choose: A Tablet or an E-Reader?
Whether you should use an e-reader or tablet depends on your personal needs. Read more about this on the website E-Reader or Tablet? or do this short questionnaire to find out which device is better suited for you.
We´ve been very satisfied with our new tablet, the Google Nexus 7. It offers a good price/performance ratio, and the size and weight are perfect to read for longer periods of time. I have the Kindle app on my laptop, iPhone and tablet to have access to my eBooks whenever, wherever. When I switch devices it knows exactly where I stopped reading the time before.
So far I´ve used the Amazon Kindle Store to buy new eBooks. You receive them in your Kindle library instantly with literally one single click. I love it!
An Homage to Books
Although I´m very convinced of my transition to ebooks, I can´t help feeling like I´m betraying all the bookstores and libraries on this planet. So therefore I´d like to conclude with a small homage to traditional books in name of myself and everyone else who will convert to ebooks after reading this article 😉 The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore, a film of William Joyce dedicated to the wonder of books and stories in general. Not new (won an Academy Award in 2012 for best animated short film) but absolutely adorable. Enjoy!
You can buy the HD film on iTunes.
Feeling much better now! 😀
