There are plenty of hot debates out there on whether reading physical books or using an eReader is the way to be a real reader.

As a life-long library girlie, I have mixed opinions. I love my eReader, I don’t go anywhere without it. I even once drove back to work in order to pick up my eReader because I couldn’t go a night without it. That being said, I love the smell of a new book. The sound and feel of pages turning is something that can’t be replicated on an eReader of any kind. I also can’t look at where I am in the book and gauge how much further I have for the author to completely destroy my world from an eReader. The percentage completed in some epub files just doesn’t hit the same! Physical books are easier on my eyes and have an added nostalgia factor that makes them the best option for me in most instances.

Now, if I prefer physical books in so many ways, why do I have an eReader that I take everywhere? At any given moment I am reading 3-4 different books. Some of those books are epub files and others are physical hardcopies. I often leave the physical hardcopies at home and bring the eReader along with me. The eReader just travels better, honestly. I travel and don’t have to worry about the size of the books taking up room. I don’t have to worry about water at a pool or in a hot tub with an eReader like I do with paper. My last major trip was a cruise and I decided I wanted to relax in the hot tub with my book. If I had been reading a physical book, I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere near water. It makes me nervous enough that I won’t enjoy reading while anxious about water splashing up or dropping the book. With my eReader that is much more water proof than the average book, I could move to the hot tub and enjoy my time there without being stressed and anxious!

I can download multiple stories and don’t have to worry about not bringing enough to read. I am certain I am not the only one with that crushing fear. I don’t have to worry about the paperbacks that I love getting obliterated in my backpack with everything else in there. With a case, eReaders are secure and small to travel with. They take up miniscule room but can carry 300+ book files in their memory at a time. I keep mine on airplane mode majority of the time and the battery lasts for weeks!

I know it sounds like I read more on my eReader than from my personal library at home, but I truly read more physical books when I’m home. I am an avid Book of the Month BFF and love receiving my beautiful hardcopies every month. I treasure each one. I treasure them so much, I only read them when I’m at home. I’ll take physical books to the office with me sometimes to enjoy on my breaks, but I don’t like to travel with them much further than that. I’ve had too many get stained or damp and never recover. I am not a reader that likes to abuse my books. I want them to be beautiful and pristine for many re-reads.

All in all, eReaders have their place in this world, just like audio books. As much as I prefer a wonderful paperback with cream pages to an epub file, I will continue to carry around my eReader religiously in case the opportunity to delve into a book arrives at any moment.