Books vs Kindles

     "I'm a purist. I love the smell and feel of of a book. I have to have the tactile sensation of turning the pages. I'll never get one of those Kindle thingamabobs."
     I think that pretty well sums up most of the arguments against reading on a Kindle, or a Nook, or a Sony eReader, or an iPad. I have a confession... I was one of those people a year ago.
     I've been a book lover for as long as I can remember. I have a clear memory of climbing up to the kitchen table where my Mom's old manual typewriter was and copying Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham word for word. I was very proud, but Mom gave me my first lesson on plagiarism.  My first rejection letter, I guess.
     In the 80s, I decided to collect every Robert A. Heinlein book ever published. I was stymied by a lack of funds and the fact that eBay hadn't been invented yet, but I gave it a good try. I still have a few of those favorite books sitting on the shelf in my living room.
     I will always have books in my life... the paper kind, not just the electronic kind. There is something essentially pure in sitting in a comfortable chair with an old favorite book and something hot to drink. The distinct smell and yellowing pages of an old book add to the experience.
     But then, there's the other side of things. A  year ago I was anxiously waiting for Stephen Kings 11/22/63 (a fictionalized take on the Kennedy assassination) to be released. I had just taken the plunge into the e-reader market by buying a Kindle Fire. 11/22/63 was the first e-book I bought.  Because I tend to read a lot in bed, flat on my back, one huge advantage immediately became clear. It didn't matter that the book was over 800 pages, my Kindle was as lightweight as the latest Katy Perry song. 
    And there's this... I'm travelling on business this week. I finished the book I was reading the night before I left, and I wasn't sure which book I wanted to start next, but I knew I would need something to fill the hours on the road. Pre-Kindle, I would have either had to just guess what I would be in the mood for, or bring an extra suitcase for my books. Instead, I brought several hundred books with me on my Kindle. 
     That doesn't even begin to take into account that before I roll over and turn out the light, I can check my email and Facebook, all without putting my Fire down. 
     The first few weeks that Feels Like the First Time was out, I sold a few more e-book copies than I did the paperback, but it wasn't a significant amount. I thought that maybe what I'd been hearing about the dominance of e-book sales was wrong. After those first few weeks, and after friends and family that wanted a copy to hold in their hands had already purchased, things changed. Over the last two weeks, as more and more people who don't know me have been buying the book, Kindle sales have been beating paperback sales by ten to one.
     I guess I am no longer a purist. I will always keep and love my favorite books. But, I will never again be without a Kindle if I can help it.  How about you?  Are you still holding on to your paperbacks and hardbacks, or have you made the switch?