Maybe it's because I'm old-fashioned or maybe it's because I liked to rebel against my own generation. Either way, I will always read books in their physical form and never on a device.
Don't get me wrong, you do you girl (or guy, or whatever you identify as). If you want to read on a device, go ahead! More power to you. But for me, and I'm sure for many other people around the world, I prefer the experience of holding a book in my hands and reading.
Ever since I was a kid, I've been an avid reader. I used to get yelled at for hiding a flashlight and book under my pillow and reading under my covers as soon as my parents turned the lights off for me to go to bed. I was that person who read on car rides when it would give everyone else headaches to attempt such a feat. I read books at every available opportunity. Sure I grew out of it a bit once I was made to read books in school, but there's nothing like the feeling of holding a new book in my hands and looking over the printed words with my own eyes. And yes, I'm also that terrible person who folds over the ear of my book. Sue me, it's my book.
I don't know what it is about reading books on a device but for me, it defeats the long history and purpose of books. Okay sure, printing books cuts down more trees but I can't help myself! I love the new smell that comes with opening the pages and seeing the words fly by as you flip through. I like making notes in the margin of a book I'm researching ideas from or highlighting the words of a script I'm studying for class. Being able to physically interact with the book makes me feel connected and focused to the story I have in front of me.
When I'm reading from a device, I feel a disconnect from the story I'm supposed to be engrossed in. However when I'm reading from a physical book, I can almost see images of the the story dance across the pages. The flipping of pages and sound of paper turning is a comforting sound and feeling that bring me back to learning to read with my parents or having stories read to me by other family members. It's a familiar and comfortable feeling and it's something I will encourage and pass on to my own family when I am older.
Technology is incredible and I would be a hypocrite to say that I don't like it. I love all the advances technology has given us throughout my life so far. But if there is one thing I will not give up on, it is buying books from a bookstore and enjoying them for their original purposes. You can keep your Kindles; I'll settle for a nice, old-fashioned book.
