It wasn't very long ago that I reported that I was going to attempt to go as paperless as possible in 2013, and I have to say that I've managed to do well at it so far. I have collected tons of receipts, notes, and other papers to be recycled, I've avoided printed receipts at gas pumps, I've used my Nexus 7 in place of printing when possible, and I've taken fewer paper notes in my classes. I'm really proud of how well I'm doing.
That said, today I bought a book: not an e-book, but rather a thick, heavy, physical book, and I bought it in an real bookstore. I love everything about book stores. As fantastic as Amazon is, I love the atmosphere. I love the smell of books, the experience of browsing through all the titles, and the aroma of coffee floating around in the air.
I've read many books digitally. I've read them on an e-ink Kindle, an iPad, an Nexus 7, and my laptop. Out of all of them, I've enjoyed the e-ink Kindle experience the most. While I can read on a backlit LCD, it's never as comfortable and enjoyable as reading on paper or e-ink. My eyes hurt a lot, and those displays strain them even more with white backgrounds and dark text.
But no matter how I read them digitally, it's never quite as enjoyable as when I read a physical book. I love the attention to detail in printed books. I appreciate the lovely typefaces, the way the pages are laid out, and the overall aesthetic appeal. And, no matter how much I sniff my tablet, it's never going to smell like a book. Don't think I'm crazy, there are millions of fellow book-sniffers out there.
And there's also the issue of DRM (Digital Rights Management). I hate DRM, as you might expect. I hate the idea of licensing books rather than owning them. I hate locking myself into one system, too. With Kindle, the issue isn't as big of a deal- I can read the books on a Kindle, any iOS or Android Device, or any computer. If I were to buy iBooks, however, I would be confined to an Apple device, and if I purchased from Google Play, I couldn't read them on an iPad if I ever got one. With the printed versions, though, I own the books, I can sell the books, and no matter what happens, I can take them with me.
In all practicality, more often than not it makes sense to purchase a digital version of a book. It's usually cheaper, it's instantaneous, I can take it with me anywhere, it weights nothing, and it's better for the environment. But, on a cold night with a cup of ginger ale, I would rather snuggle up with a paperback.