Does anyone else miss print books?

E-books are wonderful, they really are. There's nothing like seeing or hearing about a great book and then with just a few clicks having it downloaded to your iPad, Kindle, or Nook. Then again, think about the last time you were strolling through a bookstore, a cup of coffee in hand, and picking up books to examine the cover and read the back cover. Isn't that a nice memory?  So I started to wonder if there are other bibliophiles like myself out there that really miss print books. 

What's the problem with e-books?

There's nothing wrong with e-books. As someone that spends a great deal of each day communicating with authors and book promoters, I understand the joys of e-books, especially for self-publishing and Indie authors. As a book reviewer and blogger, about 1 out of every 40 books that I receive for review is a physical copy of the book, otherwise, I receive ePub, Mobi, Word document, or PDF.  Although I love getting print books in the mail, I get this. It's faster, cheaper, and easier. In the mood to browse and buy something new to read? E-books have made this incredibly simple and efficient, and the customer pays much less for an e-book than it's print counterpart. Furthermore, a Harris Poll indicated that people that use e-readers are likely to read more books per year than those that strictly read print books. As long as people are reading, then why does it matter. 

I could go on and on about the benefits of e-books such as no shipping fees when ordered online, easy storage of all of your titles on your e-reader, and  no heavy book boxes resulting in back injuries during your next move. Like I said, e-books are great. 

Print is my preference

Think of a time you went to a friend's home for the first time, or maybe it was your first time going to your new boyfriend or girlfriend's place. This may just be me, but when I see books on display, I have to at least take a few quick glances to get an idea of what they read. If your new boyfriend has endless volumes on serial killers or how to get away with crimes books, this could be a red flag. Same goes if your new girlfriend has endless titles about how to snag a man in two weeks or shelves of baby-name books, you may want to clarify that you all are on the same page in life goals. 

Why else do I love print books? The nostalgia of looking at a worn-out paperback that I've read countless times and the tangible reading experience itself. Some of my favorite memories of when my kids were little involve reading. Both of my kids first learned about textures and properties through books that had little scraps of fabric to represent shiny, fuzzy, bumpy, etc. And what's better than (yet, sometimes frustrating) than their little, chubby hands excitedly turning the pages because they can't wait until the next part? Last but not least, sharing is caring. When I finish a print book, I can pass it along to my friend if I think she'll enjoy it, then she can return it and I can put it back on my shelf. Someone else comes along, sees it, wants to read it, and repeat. Not so with my e-books. 

For the rest of you print book lovers out there, the good news is that that digital sales started to calm down in 2015, demonstrating that there are still people out there that want to hold and touch their book as they read it. Maybe they miss the print book as much as I do.  Author friends that graciously forward me ARCs for review in digital format, I still love you and keep them coming! However, my heart will always be with the print copy.