Paperback Vs. eBook

I'll tell you right now that I am a fan of books in whatever format they come in. I have a whole room full of paperbacks and hardcovers. Six bookshelves full of books in my library for everyone from infancy to 99. I LOVE being able to get books for 50 cents at library and yard sales and being able to lend books to my friends indiscriminately.

BUT, I also love that when I have my nook with me I am carrying almost 700 books and some music too. I love that I can get tons of free books from project Gutenberg and BN.com. I love that it's easier then ever for authors to get their name out there.



I got a free 499 page ebook from BN.com titled Home Lost by Franz McLaren which is the first in an 8 volume series. The catch was that only the first book was free :) The other seven books were $2.99 each. Personally, I liked it enough to buy the second one, but it would've had to be a REALLY exceptional series to get me to read more then the 1,059 pages that the first 2 books covered.

So as far as the paperback vs ebook debate I enjoy both. I love the feeling of having 20 more books instantly at my fingertips and not having paid a cent for them, but bookstores are almost the only places I enjoy shopping in. I want both options.

My thoughts on the subject can be summed up nicely: Enjoy your ebooks, but support your bookstores; We will miss them if we let them disappear.