It was inevitable. A post about e-readers.
I'll say flat out that I don't like them. You know, for the usual reasons: I like the feel of a book, the smell of a book, the sensation of turning the pages, having well-stocked bookshelves, etc. Then there's my greatest fear: what if the e-reader were to run out of batteries in the middle of the climax? I'd probably throw it at the wall, and then I'd be in big trouble.
But I'm considering buying one. I don't want to, but I might have to. It's either e-read or don't read, and I'd have to choose the lesser of two evils.
You see, two days ago I found out that I'm going to Spain for six months. I'll be living in Seville (or Sevilla) in the southernmost autonomy of Andalusia. It's a beautiful city that dates all the way back to the Roman Empire, and frankly, I can't wait to live there. While Seville will be my "home base," I plan to travel all over the place: France, Greece, Morocco, Italy, and Turkey for sure, but also perhaps Germany, England, and Portugal.
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| From the top of La Giralda (2009) |
Back to the e-reader issue: I can't bring a whole library, and I'm afraid I won't have access to many of the books I'll want to read. I'm not against reading in Spanish (in fact, I hope to read in Spanish), but 1) If I purchased the books, I'd have to be careful about how many I could bring home with me, and 2) Will there even be Spanish translations of recently published works I want to read? Forget finding English versions. And what if I decide to go on a backpacking adventure? Then I really won't be able to bring a lot of books. So the question remains: should I get an e-reader?
I don't know, but I still have two months to think about it. Gosh, two months! That's not long at all.
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| The city of Sevilla, taken on my last trip to Spain (2009) |
I don't own an e-reader myself, but I am an Amazon prime member, and I have noticed if you own a Kindle there are loads of books you can read free of charge if you have a Kindle and are on prime. Not sure how things would work in Spain, but it's Amazon, I'm sure they can find a way to reach you. If you get the traditional Kindle, it really does read more like a book. You notice for about the first 5 pages and then you forget you're using an e-reader. When I read books on my smartphone though, I always notice. That's my two cents anyway. Best of luck. Spain sounds like a blast!
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