eBooks & eReaders

Fifty years ago( way before my time), families were sitting at the table with each other for dinner, computers haven't been invented yet, and people read more than anything else. Nowadays people are watching television, spending countless hours on the computer (not that I think computers are wrong), and thanks to the recent creation of the eBook, people are purchasing books online and reading them onscreen. But are eBooks good or bad? Well it depends on your view.

I personally, do not own an eReader. But I have heard a variety of opinions on them. Some people  think they will replace actual books, others can't stand the idea of them. My oldest sister has a Kindle, and she loves it. My younger sister vows to never buy one, and seems to detest anyone who has one.

If you are on the fence about eBooks and eReaders, I have a few suggestion before you go out and purchase one or burn them in your back yard.


 Before you decide which side you are on, I feel I should lay out some pros and cons to eBooks and eReaders.

Benefits: eBooks are a lot cheaper than regular books, and they are easy to obtain online. The eReader's allow you to contain several books and save space at the same time. eReaders are also easier when you travel and like to bring several books with you. Since eBooks do not need paper they are eco- friendly.


Disadvantage: eReaders prevent one to one contact with books. When you show off your library to your friends the only thing they see is pictures on the eReader. eReader's make it difficult to flip to whatever page you wish. If you fail to charge your eReader, you have to wait to read your books. And it may be a possibility that viruses can affect your eReader.

If you decide to buy an eReader, you have to determine which type of Reader you want. There are several brands and some are better than others. Some are touch screens, others have Wi -Fi, and they all come in different sizes.

From various sources ( all family members and friends) I have heard the best eReader brand is the Amazon Kindle. The screeens are not touch screens, they do not have a card reader slot, and the older models do not contain a whole lot of memory. They do however have integrated dictionaries, Wi-Fi, and web browser.

Another model, put out by Barnes & Noble, I hear is NOT worth buying. The Nook has almost every ability out there, including touch screens, 2 GB of memory, and library compatibility. However, from friends, I have heard that the Nook causes trouble. Some say it is slow, others claim that their books keep getting lost, and quite a few tell me that it isn't worth your money( the new color is about 250 dollars).

So if you decide to purchase and eReader, I ask you to check out your options first.There are a lot of brands out there and I wouldn't want you to buy the wrong one.


For those of you who prefer good old paperback books, I say GOOD FOR YOU. To me there is nothing like holding a book early in the morning, with a cup of hot coffee next to you. I don't plan on buying an eReader until I get to college, and I am only buying one then because of the discount prices on eTextbooks.

I hope this post has made it easier to determine if you are going to buy an eReader, and which model you plan on purchasing.