Kindle conundrum

John Grisham is the latest of many authors who have made their titles available in electronic format. Grisham’s 23 books will be converted into e-book format, publisher Knopf Doubleday announced last Tuesday.

E-book readership is growing, and it’s becoming an ever-larger share of book sales, though still nowhere near that of hard copies. E-books are a big enough deal that several companies, such as Sony and Amazon, are coming out with their own e-readers, and Amazon and Macmillan recently had a spat over e-book price control.

I’ll admit, the idea of an e-reader attracts me. I’m a huge bookworm, and I carry at least one book everywhere I go (and intentionally buy purses large enough to stick a paperback in). The idea of carrying around an e-reader instead and getting to choose what I want to read at any given moment, instead of picking up a random book that might or might not still be interesting after an hour-long break between classes, is appealing. Plus, there’s the whole environmentally-good-because-it-uses-less-paper thing ...

Okay, I’m not kidding anyone who knows me. I just want instant access to all my books.

But every time I think about mentioning this to my parents in a nudge-nudge-birthday-present way, something holds me back — the book that’s sitting on my desk, whatever it happens to be at any given moment (right now it’s Sharon Shinn’s “Mystic and Rider,” if you’re wondering).

I love books. I love the way they catch my eye sitting on a shelf in the bookstore (even if the cover art sometimes leaves a lot to be desired — but hey, I can’t draw, so who am I to talk?). I love walking out of a bookstore or library with something (or somethings, as is usually the case) I’ve been waiting for. I love the way they feel in my hands and look on my bookshelf. I love my copy of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” which has a spine so broken it’s almost falling apart but is the sign of a well-loved book.

And if I had an e-reader, I’d be giving all that up.

What would I gain by having an e-reader? For starters, paying more for books. E-books, especially after Macmillan forced Amazon to cave, could cost up to $15. Even now, they’re at $9.99 each. Regular paperbacks, though expensive (especially considering the page count of many of the new releases), still cost less.

Then there’s the screen business. It might be easy to read, but reading a screen for hours still takes a toll, and I already spend hours a day obsessively checking my e-mail, writing papers and being a Facebook addict.

And the idea of having textbooks on the Kindle, as Amazon is trying with several colleges? While I love the idea of not having to carry around textbooks, current e-book prices suggest that these expensive purchases wouldn’t be bargains. And it’s pretty hard to highlight a screen.

So although I may look longingly at articles about e-readers and crave the space savings, I think I’ll wait — at least until they cost less than a car payment.

My parents already know I want a Borders gift card for my birthday anyway.


E-mail: hanns@indiana.edu