I guess I'm not a steriotypical twenty-first century teenager in that I don't like the whole move to technology. Although I know how to use the current tech and I have plenty of items that I use on a regular basis, I don't entirely enjoy it and the way it runs some people's lives. My feelings on the technology movement also apply to the discussion of books vs ebooks. Unlike many people, I prefer tangible, paper books over ebooks. Why? Well, for various reasons.
First is that I enjoy having a book in-hand when I am reading. It gives me more satisfaction so see my progress physically by the pages I've turned rather than a digital number. I also like the way books look. I don't read often, but the books I read and enjoy I like to keep in a small shelf on my bookshelf. I like being able to see all the spines of the books lined up right in front of me.
Another reason for me is that I don't read often. I can understand those people who read a book or two a week wanting to have all their books consolodated in one place (ebook reader). I, on the other hand, do not read often. If I'm lucky I'll read a couple of books I want to read every year. So for me, the cost of those few books and the space they take up is not really significant. I am a proponent for those people who read very frequently to get an eReader and download their books there (if they want to buy them).
Another reason for me (and this is very specific for me) is that I enjoy the act of buying a book at the bookstore. Theres something about going there and searching through all the thousands of books just to find the one book that I want. I guess since I don't do it much it is still a fun thing to do for me. I also enjoy the feeling of a new book. The perfect lines of the pages and the uncreased spine are something that I really enjoy. Weird, right? I am a collector at heart (I'll collect pretty much anything) so I like having a little collection of books. I especially like reading and having all the books in a series.
For me, having paper books is just as practical (and more enjoyable) than using an eReader. I'm not saying others should follow in my path. I think you should do whats most practical for you and what you enjoy most.
When it comes to genres of the books I read, they do not vary much. I usually like to stay in the crime/mystery realm of literature. I like these books because I like wondering what will happen from page to page. I like the suspense. That means, I will like a book of a different genre if it has aspects of suspense in it. My interest in a book is more about the topics discussed rather than the genre it is in. For example, in class we just read Something Like Normal which is not a book I would typically pull off the shelf and start reading because it is a touchy feely book. But, since I had no choice and had to read it for class, my mind was changed. Although the book discussed feelings in depth, it was also about war and soldiers coming back from Afghanistan. That was the part of the book that interested me. Similarly, The Art of Racing in the Rain was a book that I thought I would not like at all. Instead, after reading it, I thought it wasn't too bad because it discussed topics of racecar driving and legal trials. This is what I'm saying about books that aren't in the crims/mystery genre that I enjoy reading. I also see that there is a lot of overlap between books in different genres. Just because a book is in sci-fi doesn't mean it can't have aspects of mystery in it and appeal to someone who likes mystery novels. I can't say that I like one specific genre because there is overlap between the genres. I can say, though, that I prefer books with aspects of mystery and suspense in them.
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