Books: Print versus Digital

Image via Ugly Dog Books

In recent months, there have been murmurings about the return of print books. I mentioned it briefly when I observed a majority of readers holding print books during some recent trips. Sales figures, as noted by the NYT, are citing the hard facts... ebook sales have slipped, while print book sales have increased.

As someone who was very slow to convert, returning to print books is not an easy transition. I am now accustomed to reading on an iPad and enjoy dropping the one-pound device in my purse, as opposed to cramming a 500+ page tome into my delicate bag.  Also, I enjoy having the lit screen and eliminating the need for a hot, beacon lamp.

Recently, my mom and I shared the story of our attending the last Iron Bowl at Legion Field. While we have always been Crimson Tide fans, my ability to follow football has waned at times, and this particular game occurred during one of my less interested times. But, I had been gifted with some free tickets at work, and since it was the last Iron Bowl at the fabled stadium, my mom and I prepared to go. Anticipating some downtime because we arrived early, I took a book to the game. Since I was about 75% of the way through the book, I was anxious to read the conclusion, i.e., this was at the can't-put-it-down, sweet-spot of the book. As I quietly slid the book out of my purse, my mom looked askance and immediately asked, "Are you reading War and Peace at a football game???!!!" Obviously, when  your own mother implies that your actions are nerdy, it's time to slip the book away and enjoy some people watching before the game commences.

Obviously, had there been e-readers in the late 90's, that would have never occurred. For one, people would have assumed I was updating my status on social media or possibly playing a riveting game of Candy Crush. If text had been detected on the screen, I could have said I was reading the Tide's message boards to get a sense of the soon-to-start game. Tolstoy would have been my little secret. That's the thing about books... often what one is reading doesn't completely complement the setting, i.e., Tolstoy at a football game, or -- the opposite -- Rob Lowe's books in a more literary setting. Also, carrying around a book is a lot like having a bumper sticker on your car. While I am never secretive about what I am reading (see the "What We're Reading Section" in the right upper corner of the blog), it's never intended to be defining either.

As a family, we are shifting toward digital books, although I continue to be somewhat conflicted. The trio still enjoy physical books, and as a frequent patron of the library, I must accept the limited number of titles available in e-format. Even with such a strong predilection for the electronic format, I remain romantic about book stores. Skip is ready to write them off entirely, but I still like the idea of going through a very well organized and managed Barnes & Noble. I long for the Books-A-Million's upscale Books & Company that was here in the 2000's.  With shifting sales figures, we are probably not alone in being indecisive about format.

What is your current preference? Are you remaining steadfastly pro-book, or did you adopt early and never look back?