I’m writing this post in a rental somewhere in deepest, darkest Wiltshire. I’ve sold my house and crammed most of my stuff into a storage container – including my books. My most precious ones aka all my Discworld and related works, are stashed in my parents loft in case of disaster. All of which leaves me with only one option when it comes to reading – an e-reader.
Wait…you did what?
Ok, first to address the question of why I’m now homeless and devoid of physical reading material. I’m going travelling. The stars (and time and money) aligned at the end of last year, and my partner and I decided to finally do what we’d talked about doing on and off for years; see the world. Or some of it at least. we’re not a roving backpackers and don’t have infinite funds, so we’re focusing on certain places rather than trying to catch ’em all like Pokemon. And yes, I realise the world is…*gestures* but that just makes the term “if not now then when” all the more prescient.
Back to important things aka books
I’ve not used an e-reader before and the one I have is actually borrowed. This isn’t because I consider them a technical non-necessity, it’s just because I always had access to a bunch of actual books whenever I wanted them. Even if I went away for a couple of weeks, I could slip one (or two or four) into my luggage without much fuss. So an e-reader seemed surplus to requirements. Now however, I need one.
Thus far, I’m liking it. It’s easy to use, easy on the eyes and easy (maybe a bit too easy) to buy books on it. Of course it can’t be used in one of my favourite reading spots – the bath – but I’ll certainly use it on the planes, trains and buses we’ll be using on our journey. I also like that it enables me to easily read multiple books at the same time. I’m sure there’s some term for it, but I’ve always swapped between two or three depending on my mood. This is probably pretty common amoung readers I’d imagine. It’s one of the reasons our TBR piles are so big!
It did lead me to reduce my “travel tech kit” because a laptop, a tablet, a phone and an e-reader is entirely too much for someone wanting to see the world and not just stare at screens all day. So I ditched the tablet along with my Readly subscription and will use that £12 a month for books instead. Such a sacrifice.
An enhancement, not a replacement
The e-reader won’t replace my books or my bookcases. A home (once I have a new one) without them isn’t a home as far as I’m concerned. But for any trips I can see this being my go-to (so I’ll need to get my own). E-readers should be considered the same as audio books and the like. Anything that helps people read more is good.
Do you have an e-reader? Have you been on any interesting journeys (with or without it)? Please share your stories in the comments as I’d be very interested to read them!
Wordland 