The Need to Read, and the Allure (or Not) of E-Book Readers

I always have a book going. Always. If I go a few days between finishing one book and starting another, I get antsy.

Most of what I read is fiction. I read nonfiction occasionally, but most of all, I love a good story. It’s like reading stories is not something I want so much as it’s something I need. I feel somehow impoverished when I don’t read a lot.

I have a feeling that this need to read is true of most professional writers and editors. Is it true for you?

E-Book Readers

I may one day own a Kindle. But I doubt I’ll ever stop reading paper books or get rid of the ones I own. As useful as technology is, I hate to be a slave to it. I don’t have to charge a book’s battery or learn any programming for it. And if it gets lost or stolen or falls into a puddle, oh well, I paid $10 for it, not $300. Know what I mean?

Since e-readers are so trendy, I thought I would see a ton of them when I recently started commuting on public transportation again (Chicago’s El train). But mostly, what I see are paperback books, with a few Kindles here and there. Of the people that I see reading, probably 50% are reading paperbacks, 10% are using e-readers, and 40% are reading who-knows-what on their smart phone.

What have you seen? Do you love your Kindle? If you have an e-book reader, has it caused you to get rid of books, much like people are getting rid of CDs once they rip all the tracks into their computer?