Okay friends, help me out.

I think I want an e-reader.

The thought of all those free public domain books just there for the downloading! The portability. The clutter reduction. The instant access. The saving of trees! And yes, I admit, the novelty of a new gadget.

But then, there’s the electricity consumption – minimal though it may be. And the purchase price. And the complication of gadgetry (it could break or crash or I could lose it). And the piles of books I already own that I have not read. And the many more used books I could buy without any more trees needing to be cut.

Not to mention the library, a beautiful building just blocks from my house where I can get many of the books I want (though not all, not even through the magic of interlibrary loan).

But now even the library has digital books available!

What would you say to an one such as I? Fire away.