Thursday Thoughts #3: E-readers

Thursday Thoughts is a weekly discussion meme hosted by Ashley on her blog Ok, Let's Read.

Join in on the discussion and check out Ashley's blog for the discussion topics and dates.

This weeks topic:

May 15: eReaders - Do you own an eReader (or a tablet that you read on)? Do you prefer eReaders or physical books and why? Do you think it is wise to invest in an eReader? If you could only read physical books or an eReader for the rest of your life, which would you choose and why?

I have a 1st generation Kindle Fire, my parents got it for me several years ago for a combined birthday/Christmas present.

I LOVE it.

I love both my e-reader and physical books for different reasons. So I don't really prefer one over the other. I read both forms a lot. 

Kindle:

• Easier for me to read using 1 hand. When Pooh Bear was a baby, she was very clingy. She slept best when I held her. I spent a lot of time rocking and soothing her to sleep. And there were a lot of nights that I would just let her sleep on me while I sat in my chair and read my Kindle. It is also easier for me to read when I eat...because I sometimes do that.
• I like being able to make notes and highlight my favorite quotes and parts of the book without messing up my book. I LOVE quotes. And I love that I can easily mark them without fear of messing up my book. (since I don't write or mark in my physical books). 
• I like the search option. Sometimes there is something I want to look up, and sometimes I just want to see how many times an author used a certain word, and I can easily find that in my e-book using the search. 
• I can read in the dark with my Kindle Fire. 
• I can have several books at my fingertips when I travel without having to pack a bunch of books. (Yes, I still usually bring one...or more physical books with me, but it is nice being able to have a bunch of books without having to carry around a bunch of books.)

Physical Books:

• The smell of books. 
• The feel of the pages. 
• Being able to hug the actual book. 
• It is easier to lend to someone, if I would choose to do this. I am pretty picky about letting people touch my books. But there are a few close friends that I have lent books to, and it is easier for me to force them to read the books when I have a physical copy to shove in their face. 
• There is just this awesome feeling that I get from holding and reading an actual book. Not sure that I can really explain it. 

I think that investing in an e-reader is up to the individual. For me, I am happy that I have my Kindle, and I can't really imagine not having it. But some of these posts about how we only own the rights to the book, and that it can be taken away from us does have me worried at times. But it hasn't kept me from getting books on my device. But I usually only buy e-books when they are on sale. If they want the price of a paperback book or hardcover book, then I would rather just buy the physical book. 

What a mean thing, making me have to choose between my Kindle and physical books. I love both for different reasons.

But since I can only pick one or the other...

If I could only read from my Kindle or from physical books for the rest of my life, I would have to choose physical books. 

I love holding a physical book.

I love the smell of books. 

(source)

And I can't feel the pages or smell the book smell if I read only from my Kindle. 

And like I said before, there is just this feeling that I get from holding a book in my hands, and I don't want to not have that feeling because I decided to not read physical books anymore.

But, I do like that is just a question and I don't really have to choose. 

I will continue to read both my e-books and my physical books. 

How about you? Do you like e-readers? Would you ever give up physical books? Why do you like e-books or physical books?

Do you get that feeling that I am talking about when you hold physical books? (Or maybe I am just crazy...)