Why I Switched to E-Books - Sort Of

I was in Barnes & Noble the other day, and I bought a book. Yes, it was an honest-to-goodness book. It had real ink and real paper and occupied real space. 

Nowadays, I almost exclusively buy e-books. Every so often, though, I love rummaging through the shelves in a real bookstore. Holding a physical book in my hands makes me happy.

What convinced me to switch over to e-books?

I switched over to e-books when I was moving from Phoenix back to Dayton about eight years ago. Our shipping bill doubled from when we moved to Phoenix only two years earlier. Surely the shipping company was ripping us off. Someone was taking advantage of me. 

I nearly jumped out of my skin. How in the world could that have happened? Did we get new heavy furniture? Did we buy some extra lead flashing? Did I pack the limoncello? Were we shipping stuff that wasn't ours? Did our neighbors sneak some of their stuff in the truck?

I had to scratch my head. Then it finally hit me. 

What caused the big jump in shipping costs? I had to put it down to the books we bought over the previous two years. We had bought tons of books. Okay, maybe not tons, but a lot of books. 

Why was I paying to ship something I might never use again? I could donate the books and save shipping costs. Then, I could buy new books on the other end. It would have been a net win. 

But, it is so difficult to get rid of books. You have time, money, laughter and tears invested in them. When you read them, they become a part of you. If you give them up, it's like giving up a piece of yourself. Would you want to lop off even a finger or a toe? 

It was then that I decided I would only buy e-books. There are advantages to owning e-books. Like:

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1. You can take them just about anywhere. (though I wouldn't advise reading them in the bath or at the pool)
2. They weigh about as much as an electron. (plus the e-reader)
3. You can look up words you don't know. (really valuable for me)
4. You can search inside them for particular quotes. (no more fumbling through books to find a cool quote)
5. You can change the font sizes and formatting. (this becomes important when you're starting to get old people eyes) 
6. No more dog-eared pages. (you can drop a bookmark anywhere without ruining the page)
7. If you lose your e-reader, the books aren't necessarily gone. (recovering your books can be easy as pie) 
8. You have a selection of books available wherever you go. (you can carry as many books as you want on a plane.) 
9. E-Books don't take trees to make. (that's the tree lover in me)
10. They take up much less space in your home. (though I love the look of a well-arranged, well-stocked home library!) 

So, I've made the switch. I'll stick with e-books for most things, but when I need indulge my emotional attachment to paper and ink, I reserve the right to head down to the bookstore to entertain my tactile nature. 

Like life, I am full of caveats. 

Until next week, I wish you peace.