Monday 27 February 2012

Physical Copy or E-book?

So e-book or physical copy? That is a question that a lot of people are asking and to tell you the truth, I don't know the answer. But, I do have points about them which I'd like to discuss. And, I don't know if I've written about this before, but if I have, I'm sorry.

So, let's start with the pros of a physical copy. Now, one of the main pros is that it's harder to destroy a hundred physical copies than it is to destroy one e-book reader with a hundred books on it. And I know that the books on an e-reader are normally saved on a computer, but still. I personally have had my e-reader destroyed, and though I have the books on my PC, I doubt I'll read them again because it's not practical. And  you might point out that physical copies are not as durable as e-readers, but I'm talking about a hundred books vs one e-reader with a hundred books.

Another major pro is that I like the feel of books. You'll find that this is almost everyone's reason as to why they don't like e-books. Something about holding a book makes reading better, although I don't exactly know why that is. (A side note: I also like the smell of books, which you might say is weird. And obviously, e-books don't have a smell, so smell is also a pro.)

Now, let's talk about the pros of e-books. The first one is that you can have a hundred books available to you in your bag without taking any space. This is really practical for travel, obviously. I remember when I travelled to America and I had my e-book and how much easier it was than the previous time I had travelled and had to carry 3 heavy books. (I ended up carrying more than 3 at the end though because I bought books during my stay and by the time I came back home, my shoulder was hurting me.)

Another pro is that they're cheaper, which is always a plus. Also, a lot of the time, I find it hard for me to find books here in bookstores. They have to be very popular books for me to find them and even then sometimes the stores are out of stock. With an e-reader, I don't have to worry about that. And I know that many books aren't available as e-books, but most of the books I'm interested in are, so that doesn't bother me.

So, what's the conclusion? Which is better? I don't know which one I think is better. All I know is that either way, whether it's physical or electronic, it's still a book and I'll enjoy it all the same. So, it doesn't matter how I'm reading something as long as the actual book is good.

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(The more I write the more I feel I've written a post like this before...)

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