EBooks
By Robin Shin
Ever since I was a child my mother and father bought me collection of books ranging from science to fairytales. To this day, I have those collections in South Korea and some here in California. I love to read books. They give endless possibilities to another world.The only problem is that they take up a lot of room and have their boundaries in physical form.
When the first ebook was released I was against the idea of buying it due to the fact that I personally have signed books from authors and like to hold and read them with the feeling of self-satisfaction from it. As much as they gave me satisfaction, they also gave me dissatisfaction, or rather my mother to be exact.
Every time I went to a bookstore, I would come back with another book, comic or even manga. I currently have at most 200 mangas in my room and at least 100 books under the roof my family’s home. Be it a bargain, or new for a book signing, I would buy it. That was until my mother told me to stop buying books while presenting me a KindleFire for Christmas.
At first I was against using it and only played games on it, but then my friends online told me of cheap bargains on varieties of certain genre of books. I was hesitant at first, but then I began to fill up my KindleFire with over 300 books in less than an hour.
I used to carry at least one book in my backpack so that I could read it in my spare time. Sometimes the books were small and portable, other times they were so big that they made me look like I was going out for a day trip in the woods. With my KindleFire now holding over 300 varieties of books in my backpack, it is a light travel.
It wasn’t just the size and the capacity that made me convert my reading life to an ebook, it was also the possibilities. I was able to read in the dark without the need of an external light. It also didn’t collect too much dust as my books did. You can call me lazy, but my books really did collect a lot of dust, especially when I was reading a long novel. Ebooks didn’t just give me comfort, but also privacy and access to the Internet to broaden my reading range, such as online works from fans to amateur authors.
It also didn’t make me paranoid about ruining the pages. I ruined quite a number of books due to the fact that they slept in the same bed as I did. I rolled over them would end up losing them through the bed cracks and not find them for days. So having an ebook has its advantages being one form instead of multiple.
Overall, I believe that ebooks have changed the way many people read due to the fact that they are easy to use and portable for anyone who loves to read in the comforts of their own time and place.
Books
By Hannah Breeland
Ebooks are a cold, lifeless, steely contraption compared to books. Sure I love technology, but I would choose a book over an ebook any day.
When you look at how far mankind has come with technology it’s amazing. It seems every other year something better comes along.
Right now people can get books on their Kindle, Nook, PC, Macs, Kindle Fire and iPads. That’s great, but who’s to say how long those will last. Books have been around for centuries, and they will never be outdated or obsolete. Sometimes newer doesn’t always mean better.
To even get ebooks, you need one of the ereaders I mentioned before. There are a lot of families that don’t even have a computer to start with. Instead of wasting hundreds of dollars on a Kindle or Nook, people can just get free books from the library, and as many as they want.
Even though I have a job, I still prefer the library. I don’t want to spend money if I don’t have to. Books are cheap and they can come from the thrift shop, yard sales, or borrowing from other people. One thing you can’t do with an ebook is share it. After spending almost $200 for a device, would you really share it? I love my friends but I would have to give it some thought before I start loaning it out to people.
With an ebook you can’t share it, mark on it, or have the author sign it. I have a couple of books, which have been signed by the authors. How could that be done on an ebook?
There are so many down sides to an ebook like my computer crashing or my Kindle getting stolen. I don’t have any fear of losing my books beside fire or water and those are highly unlikely. Even if something happens, they’re cheap to replace. If you drop a book, it’s no big deal, but if you drop a Kindle or Nook more then likely it’s broken or severely damaged. Then you’re out that much money.
For me, my books hold so much meaning; they really make the story come alive. My favorite books are worn out and have dog-eared pages, but that’s what I love about them. No ebook could ever replace the memories it evokes whenever I pick up that book.
For example, my mom used to read me stories from a book she had when she was growing up. I’m in college and I still have that book. Granted, it’s a little more worn out, but it’s still usable. I plan on holding on to it until I have kids. Which brings up another point. In 20 years, could I pick up a Kindle or Nook and read my kids my favorite story? I highly doubt it.
Just because ebooks can be convenient doesn’t make it better. With books, I’ll never need to worry about battery life, plugs or Internet connection to read, all I have to do is pick it up and enjoy. Now that is what I call convenient.