Musings Monday

This is my first Musings Monday and it is hosted by Should be Reading. Musings Monday asks you to muse each week about bookish topics, what we are currently reading or one of your reading habits. I thought my first Musings Monday could be about: Ereaders vs. Paper Books.

For the longest time, I resisted falling into the digital trap. I flat out refused to get an ereader. There were a lot of reasons for this, mainly that I love the smell of books. I know that sounds weird, but there is something about the smell of a brand new book from the bookstore. I also love the process of going into a bookstore and wondering around, looking at all the pretty covers on the shelves. There were many times I would pick a book based on how it looked in the bookstore alone.

But I do read a LOT of books. I can remember going on vacations in the past and packing way too many books. I needed a book for every mood, plus backup books in case I finished those. And I am a very fast reader. I can easily read a book in a day. My husband's family lives in a small town in Alabama. When we go visit them, there is really nothing to do but read. Also, my husband's parents love to read just as much as I do. So it is not uncommon for all of us to sit around the living room and just read. (Best in-laws ever.) In a four day weekend, it is not uncommon for me to be able to read four or five books.

My in-laws were actually the ones who bought me my first Kindle (I told you: best in-laws ever). I was hooked immediately and last year, I upgraded to the Kindle Fire. I love that I can carry so many books with me at one time. I know I have over a hundred books on my Kindle. And yet, I keep buying more. I can't stop!

I am never without something to read and I have read everywhere: lunch breaks at work, at traffic lights, doctors' waiting rooms. And now that my husband and I are living in Naples, Italy a Kindle is even more important. We do a lot of traveling, by plain and by train. That is a lot of reading time. Another great thing about my Kindle: I can read in bed at night because of the screen light. My husband and I often read before we go to sleep. It is impossible to do that with a paper book without having the light on.

Now I haven't given up paper books completely. I still love going into bookstores. I can't pass one without going in. And now that we are in another country, the bookstores are even more beautiful. One of the best bookstores I have ever been to was in Venice, Italy (picture on the right). And I recently bought a hardcover 40th edition of Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (favorite childhood book and really, you can NOT outgrow Shel Silverstein).

Which books do you prefer? Ereaders or paper books? Why?