Instant Gratification or Slow-Burn Anticipation?

Book Hugging GirlAsk anybody who knows me how I react in front of a dessert tray and you’ll know which one I prefer. I love dessert and I love it now. Banoffee pie, lemon cheesecake or ice cream, whichever flavour. Yum. I think of reading books in much the same way as eating dessert—something I can never get enough of. When I find a novel I like, I want to devour it immediately, let its characters and setting flavour my imagination and transport me to another world. Time was when I lived in a large city and could walk into a high street book shop and take my pick of stories on offer. Not so easy when you’re in a remote area of Scotland, so when I looked out the window and saw a bunch of sheep I knew it was time to buy a Kindle. Sure, I could order books online, but I had to wait for them to arrive – sometimes for more than three days. My ice-cream would melt! Like I said, I’m unapologetically into instant gratification.

Still, I resisted buying a Kindle. For me one of the joys of reading is holding a book in my hand and turning the pages. The smell, the colour, and the heaviness of bound paper give me a little buzz every time I read. And there’s nothing as enjoyable and practical as reading a new novel on summer holiday. If the sun gets too hot and I need a siesta, it comes in handy for protecting my face—not something I can do with a Kindle.

In spite of the e-reader’s weaknesses in the sunscreen department, I took the plunge and forked out for a Kindle. Suddenly I didn’t have to check the tracking feature on my ‘Accounts’ page, or wait for the postman to know when I’d be reading my much anticipated books. In less than sixty seconds I could leap into the next instalment in a series or start something entirely new. Chocolate éclair paradise. Of course I still love reading paperbacks, just as I still lust after that dessert tray. But now, having my pick of what’s on offer is only a click away.

What about you? Do you prefer reading books with an e-reader or holding a paperback in your hand? Or, like me, do you enjoy both? Leave me a comment and your details for a chance to win my debut e-novel from Carina PressHate To Love You.

Winner to be announced on my blog on June 16th.

Comments (4)


  • Elise Alden wrote:

    Hi Jennifer Some glitches in my website meant I didn't see your post until now! Grrr. Thanks for taking the time to answer. Last night I was at a pub and instead of discussing the referendum on Scottish independence everybody spent their time arguing back and forth between e-readers and paperbacks. I love my Kindle--and let's face it my book it out on Kindle so I want people to get over their prejudice--but I don't want bookshops to disappear. I don't want to loose that great, eager gasp of anticipation when I see a room full of books. Like Beauty at the Beast's castle, though she soon has something else to gasp over...oh yeah. But I derail.

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  • Jennifer L wrote:

    :( Just wrote a whole big comment and it got deleted :( I love both paperbacks and my kindle. I love my kindle because it is so portable and great if you are just about to finish a book when you are not home. the light is also great for when reading in bed. It is also much lighter when you drift off to sleep and the kindle hits you in the head.. not that it ever happens ;) I still love paperbacks - the feel, smell and love to display my favorites.

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  • Elise Alden wrote:

    Hi Helen Good point about not disturbing your partner when you e-read in bed! The light function has stopped many a row as he can sleep and I can read. Bliss!

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  • Helen Bleck wrote:

    Great website - the 'For writers' section looks very useful for any other budding authors. Very impressed you've got three books coming out this year, when just over two years ago you'd never written a thing! On the Kindle/paperback question: I'm with you - both are great, ebooks for quick access and paperbacks for when you haven't any way of charging up your ereader or need a sunshade :-) I'm a great library borrower so until my library started lending ebooks I would have said that was a great drawback for the ereader - the choice is a bit limited and the browse function too linear, but that's meant I've ended up choosing books I'd never have read otherwise, which has often been a v pleasant surprise. Another thing I like about ereaders is that you can read them in those sleepless hours at night without having to turn on a light and bother anyone who might be sharing the bed with you ... (that seems a bit wrong on a site about romance books! Not so sexy ...) But I'll never stop being a paperback reader.

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