Monday, September 21, 2015

Paper is Permanent, Digital is Temporary

You are sitting at a café and having a nice cup of coffee. You have your kindle
on your lap trying to finish the first chapter of a book by your favorite author that you waited six months for. You look at the screen trying to read the last bit but something keeps you from getting into your reading zone. Exasperated, you lift your face and look to your side and see a book shelf with a number of books of on it. They catch your attention, you get up to see what is there. You spot a book by the same author and take it to your table and open the first page. The next thing you know two hours have passed and you have read half of the book and you don’t want to put it down. It is late so you leave the book and go to the nearest bookstore and get the paperback version of it. Then you realize that the paperback took you to your reading zone. That is the beauty of a physical book!

There has been a huge ongoing debate since the invention of the E-reader about the difference between the paperback and the digital book. Many people have chosen their sides but many are confused. A study from Scholastic revealed that the percentage of children who have read an e-book has almost doubled since 2010 to almost half of all kids aged 9 to 17, while the number who want to continue to read books in print instead of electronically declined from 66% to 58%. This points to the decline of the paperback but that is not always the case.(http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/kfrr) Although the digital book is in fashion but it is just temporary as nothing can beat the traditional feel of holding and reading a book in your hand. Many different online portals such as Kaymu have a wide range of books available that avid book readers can choose from and enjoy!

Why the physical book is better than the online one?

1. They give the experience!
Paperbacks give you the real feel of reading a book. You can hold it in your hand and flip the pages with your own will. You can even earmark the pages the way you want and feel them with your own hands which enhances the tactile feeling. When you read a paperback you can get really engrossed in it and get the sense of the characters and the situations in it. You can keep the classical value that it provides and gain a wholesome experience.
  

2. You can collect them!
Printed books are collectible and they last with you through the ages. Every copy that a person owns has its own level of uniqueness. Some of the books in people’s collections are so rare that there are no other copies. Another additional factor is that you can loan your book to a friend but you would never lend your e-reader, it is an obvious fact.



3. You can save and spend elsewhere!
Printed books always cost a fraction of what the e-books cost; and paperbacks are even cheaper than the hardcovers. Also you don’t have to charge a printed book as compared to an e-reader. You can take it anywhere you want and use it anyway you want to. 



Nothing can beat the physical beauty that is present in a book or the feeling that it gives the reader. That will always remain eternal. It might seem old fashioned to read a paperback but it gives the overall satisfaction of actually reading something worthwhile. 

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