E-books lack emotional connection

Reading books electronically is the future of reading books. E-book sales have been exploding, and last year they surpassed the sale of traditional print. Buying a book online and reading it on your Kindle is faster and easier than grabbing a physical copy. And the best advantage e-books have over print is the space they don’t take up. You can have an entire library held in your hands and can access any book easily. E-books may be the future, but they can’t ever replace print. I want to have something physical in my hands. When I’m on the toilet, I want to feel the physical pages of the book I’m reading. I want to have a connection with the content, a connection that helps me feel like I’m actively taking a part in the story when I flip the pages. Can you imagine reading your favorite childhood book in an electronic format? On an e-reader, forming a deep bond with a story is impossible. Sure, the physical words are the same, but the experience is not. Reading from a tablet, a cellphone or a computer screen feels lifeless, sterile and detached. Yes, electronic books are easily accessible, but why should reading be convenient? If I’m reading a book that challenges my mind, I want to be touching the physical pages those before me touched. In other words, I don’t want to read War and Peace on the same screen I use to type “stop feeding you stupid nooob” to my friends. The idea is absurd, and so is the idea that physical copies of books are going to disappear.