Although on the Internet many people love to hate on e-readers, they are actually very popular. On Amazon the sale of e-books has surpassed “real” books. While I happily read paperbacks, hard backs, e-books, and listen to audio books, I admit that there are some things that make e-readers better (hence their impressive sales figures).
- E-readers hold thousands of books. I first got a Kindle during my junior year abroad in Scotland. Instead of weighing my suitcase down with books, I could take the complete works of Jane Austen and Jilly Cooper and still have room for my rain boots. Which came in handy, considering the climate.
- No one knows what you’re reading: very handy when you’re reading Jilly not Jane.
- You can share e-books. When we got the fourth Harry Potter book, my sister and I had to alternate chapters. Now that we have the family kindle account, I have more books available, and we can all read the same books at the same time.
- You don’t have to choose just one book. Gone are the days where only one book fits in your purse. If you decide you don’t like a book, you can just go into your archive or download another one.
- Books are cheaper. Many classics are free, and new books aren’t as expensive as buying hardbacks. Less money equals more books, which equals more smiles.
- You can make the type bigger. This is mostly a benefit for people who’ve misplaced their glasses, but even I adjust the letter size when the lighting is low.
- It has opened up the publishing market through self-publishing. This means a lot of bad books, but it also means more writers are publishing.
Alison Doherty 
I am so lazy reading with anything but an e-reader is almost impossible for me – love the change the type size, love the multiple books, love no one knows what I am reading …just love my kindle.
Nice list! I was resistant to e-readers because I like to highlight and take notes, and it seemed cumbersome on them. But once the Kindle Touch came out, I caved. I probably read an equal mix of e-books and physical books now.
One benefit not on your list: a search feature! I love this because I have frequent lapses in memory, especially when reading a long book and thinking “who is that character?!” I can type the name into the search box and figure out they mentioned him 200 pages ago. That greatly helps my understanding and enjoyment of a book.
I haven’t played with the kindle touch yet, but I’m guessing it is kind of like the kindle app on the iPad … but with more sole. I completely agree about the search feature being essential.
I have to say, I like the search function on an e-book. I have wished for it in some other books when I am flipping back to find a reference because my memory is fuzzy. It would also help if it did not take me weeks to read one book 😉
I will also admit an e-reader is nice sometimes when I want to read a particular book on a trip, but am reluctant to take the hardcover version for weight or fear I will damage it by carrying it around. But, as I mention in my reply to Alison L, I still have a mental hang-up about paying full price for a book and then an e-version. Change is good – you go first!
I also love your conclusion, that the key is the reading, not the media!
You also wish the radio worked like TiVo. Skip all the commercials!
As for your mental hang-up, if you want two copies of the same book, you would have to buy the book twice. It’s kind of the same thing with wanting a digital copy and a hard copy. Although I agree that it would be cool if books came with an e-book download. I would probably actually use my iPad as an e-reader if that were the case.