My inner battle with eReaders

Yesterday, Kobo announced a new touch-screen version of their eReader. Today, Barnes & Noble revealed their new Nook eReader, also a touch-screen. Sony has had a touch-screen version for some time, but Amazon’s Kindle has yet to put one out. According to Amazon, eReaders and digital book sales are out-selling print books 105-100 (not including free ebooks.) I read an article about the new Kobo eReader this morning and was quite intrigued. Okay, the sheer number of titles it can hold (30,000) is what really hooked me in, not the touch-screen; although the touch-screen would feel more fluid and natural to me than pressing buttons. The price of the new Kobo is also enticing - $139 Canadian – not too bad. I have an obsession with books. Everyone who knows me knows that a gift card to Chapters is always a safe bet. I love the feeling, even the smell of books – old and new. I have to stop in at any bookstore I find. There is something about reading from print that I find comforting, and they’re always dependable (except that one book I tried reading and just couldn’t finish because it was so bad…) For that reason, I’ve dismissed eReaders since they were put on the market. Things are a little different now. eBooks are cheaper than print books and having many books without taking up as much space is practical. In the car yesterday my mom poked fun at my collection of books in my purse/tote bag/storage compartment (I only have 2 – Eugene Onegin and other Poems by Pushkin and Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje.) She asked if I was planning on pulling over to read. I had said you never know when you’ll have spare time to read. Having more choices available, which take up less room in my bag, is a nice idea. It would also save my books from getting the odd bent page or pen mark from stray pens that lay at the bottom of my bag. I’m warming up to the idea of getting an eReader, now that I’ve learned a few things about them, but I’ll never turn down a physical, page-turning, print book. Do you use an eReader? Has it changed how you read?