E-Book Readers, Can they really replace the real thing? Options

[superstitious]

A friend of mine and I were talking this morning about Sony's E-Reader and Amazon's Kindle. I was surprised that he wanted one. His loft style apartment is full of bookshelves, most of them completely full of books. He LOVES books. How could he want a reader?

See, I love reading but for me, it goes beyond the text. I love the smell of books. I like the sound of pages turning. I find the dog-ear folds charming.

I don't know why I'm having such a weird time with this.

Any other paper sentimentalists out there?

[brooklyneast05]

Any other paper sentimentalists out there?

yeah all the way. i love books. i like to own them and i want them to be new when i read them. i don't like the library for that reason. returning and touching f*cking nasty old books. i'm a sentimentalist about all paper stuff though from books to newspapers to magazines. i want tangible stuff to read. i spend so much time looking at a screen the thought of having to look at one to read a book for enjoyment makes me feel sick nearly.

[superstitious]

i spend so much time looking at a screen the thought of having to look at one to read a book for enjoyment makes me feel sick nearly.

I get that same sickly feeling when thinking about giving up paper. To this day, I prefer news on print over reading news online.

In the long haul, staring at a screen for just about everything (computers, cell phones, e-readers, etc) can't be good for your eyes. It also seems so cold. Part of the allure of reading is the physical character of the book itself. At least for me it is.

edit: haha Teesa. I was typing about eyes as you were, I guess. :)