Subdued Rage for eReaders

When eBooks really began to take off - I was 115% against the idea. I would rant and shake my fist at the whole concept. I imagined my future as a crazy book hoarder, the last holdout in the tablet craze. I would not give in; ereaders were nothing shy of evil. I feared that if books became available only to those with expensive tablet devices, then reading books would become an elitist activity, setting civilization back 400 years to when only the wealthy owned books. Books should always be accessible to everyone no matter the state of their bank account. And not to mention the scent of an old book, ereaders give off no enchanting aroma.  I even made books the centerpiece at my wedding. There is nothing romantic about a Kindle.

But somewhere along the way, there began a subtle shift. First the Borders across the street from work went out of business. I used to spend my lunch breaks reading (my own books, I'm not a total freeloader) in their cafe. I grew tired of calculating how many books to pack in my suitcase when I would go on vacation. I didn't want to run out of reading materials, and when traveling in a foreign country, the book selection in English can be pretty bleak. I eventually grew weary of my rage, and gave in. Last Christmas my partner bought me a nook. He watched with some anxiety as I opened it. He was pleased I said thank you rather than lobbing the device at his head, a reaction which would have been inevitable the year before.

I do see both pros and cons to ereaders, and overall prefer a more organic reading experience. Maybe I'm less idealistic; maybe it’s my age. Life was more black and white in my 20s, there were idealistic absolutes, and I felt more passionate. Now that I've transitioned into my 30s my black and white world has changed into a lovely rainbow of grey.

I am not 100% onboard with ereaders even though I now have both a nook and an iPad. I'm just less angry about their existence.