Books vs. eReaders

I love books. I love the smell, the feel, the sound of books. Books have always been an important part of my life. I remember going to a bookstore when I was very young and thinking, "This place is special. This is where the stories live." Since I've always wanted to be a story teller, a writer, I was completely taken by the place. I still am enthralled with bookstores. But times they are a-changin', and we're moving into the electronic age. I'm sure years ago there was someone who was still in love with the record store, hated the mp3 player and vowed to always feel that way who are currently re-buying their favorite albums from the iTunes store because of the convenience and the decline of the record store. And like record stores, bookstores are disappearing, starting with the small and precious ones. There's a new book in town: the eBook and its unwittingly malevolent counterpart, the eReader.
I was hesitant about ereaders because they don't have any of the things I love about a book, apart from the story. (When I say hesitant I mean I damn near refused the idea.) A few friends of mine had tried them and said good things, but I wasn't convinced. To me, it seemed that it would feel like holding a piece of plastic, cold plastic, and there'd be no pages to turn. I would just click. It was too different from what I loved. I wouldn't be able to carry it in my back pocket like I did with Still Life With Woodpecker and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It was a machine, not the simple gathering of paper that books have been since the beginning of books. (They've really never evolved, except for their bindings.) Then, something different came along. This one had a soft back, not like the rigid plastic I'd seen so far. Said to be more like a book, the Kobo made me reconsider my rejection of this technology.
Borders carries the Kobo and being a fan of bookstores, (this chain satisfies me better than most) I was happy to go into the store and touch it. It wasn't there at first, but eventually, they built an entire display of ereaders right in the middle. Okay, I thought, maybe this technology isn't some monster made up by Amazon.com. Maybe this is actually something other stores are supporting too. And then I read a lot of articles about ereaders and ebooks and how they are starting to take over the market. And then the idea of publishing my short stories in ebook format comes to my mind. Okay, it's not that bad after all. I read a book on my computer and although it bothered my head after a while - stark white pages with dark black type can really tire the eyes.
And then I got to touch a Kobo. It doesn't feel like a really worn in paperback by any means, but it reminds me of a hardcover novella in it's weight and texture. It's one handed reading, which is excellent, and it sits on my knees just like a hardcover book does. Also, I don't have to worry about losing my place because it automatically bookmarks my page for me. And the cover won't ever get bent, I hope, because I'll never have to hold it wide open to read the inner edges. (Some books are too thick to be made into trade paperback.)
The Kobo isn't expensive and from what I've seen, it works about the same as the other ereaders out there. I like that the wi-fi is easy to set up and the download speed is decent for a gadget. It comes with 100 books already on it; titles like Great Expectations, The Iliad and Emma. Another neat trick: when it's powered off or in sleep mode, the cover of the book displays on the screen. It's pretty nice, not bad for grayscale really. I'm reading The Source of Magic currently, and I'm enjoying the experience.
So now that I'm swayed, does this mean I'll abandon my bookstores and stop buying paperbacks? No way man. I still love books so this means that I'll be buying the ones I really like more than once so that I have a real version and a portable version. Because although my Kobo does fit in my back pocket, I'm more comfortable keeping it in my purse and I'll be getting a case for it soon. It's delicate, but I can put more books on it than I could ever hope to get into my purse, by a long shot. In the end, I end up supporting both formats, which makes me happy.