That’s the question that I have for you today.  E-books.  Do you read them?  If not, why? And on the flip-side, if you do, why?

I was perusing the new Romantic Times at work last night and they had an article about the “controversy” of e-books vs. print.  It seems (and I don’t know if the article said this – I got this from one of the blogs) that some people feel that only authors not “good” enough for print have their works in the e-book format.  I know for a fact that that isn’t true.  Both Sasha White and Jordan Summers, two authors whose works I enjoy have stories in both print and e-book format.  In this technologically evolving world, people are looking for both cheaper and more sophisticated means of reading.  Sure, the initial cost of an e-book reader may be high, but I also know from pricing that the actual “books” themselves are cheaper than print.  There’s also the tree conservation aspect. 

Why haven’t I switched to e-books?  Five reasons:  1) the price of the reader.  They run around $100 dollars, which is more than I make in a week.  2) it’s true that I can download them onto my computer (I have one of Sasha’s on the computer), but I do 90% of my reading in bed as relaxation before I go to sleep.  Sitting in front of the computer is not relaxing or sleep inducing. 3) Every place I’ve seen e-books you have to use a credit card to purchase them.  While I have a credit card just for books, I try not to use it too much.  I know that someday you’ll be able to go into a store and purchase the CD-ROM of an e-book right there in the bookstore.  Maybe then I’ll jump on the bandwagon. 4) Back to the computer thingy.  What if I download all of my e-books to the computer and then something goes wrong with the computer?  I know – save them.  There’s the other rub – without going into a long story, I can’t save to CD.  5) I love books – the smell of them, the feel of them – and I think there’s a part of me that is afraid that if we go to e-books, paper books will disappear.  There, I’ve said it!  I’m techno-phobic.  I’m hanging on to my old-fashioned love of books. 

Why use e-books?  Well, there’s the above mentioned conservation bonus.  Plus, I’ve read where you can download umpteen amounts of books onto one little device which is about the size of a paperback (or at least fits into a purse).  Makes going on vacation a lot easier.  I’m sure there are other good things about e-books, but since I don’t read them I’m not that familiar with them. 

So what about you?  Back to the questions in the beginning of the post.  What do you think about e-books?