Every Thursday, Booking Through Thursday asks a book-ish question. This week, the question was:

Up until recently, people could browse your bookshelves and learn a lot about you–what your interests are, your range of topics, favorite authors, how much you read (or at least buy books).

More and more, though, this is changing. People aren’t buying books so much as borrowing them from the library. Or reading them on their e-readers or computers. There’s nothing PHYSICAL on the shelves to tell strangers in your home, for better or worse, who you ARE.

Do you think this is a good thing? Bad? Discuss!

For the longest time I couldn’t understand why anyone would want an e-reader. Wouldn’t they miss the smell of a new book? Or the feel of the book in their hands? But then I got an iPad2 for my birthday and my entire opinion changed. Using Stanza or the Nook app from Barnes and Noble, I am able to read any book I want within minutes.

What I like best about owning an e-reader is that if I finish one book while I am out, I can start a new one! I don’t have to wait until I get home. It makes everything much more convenient. But — as the original question asked, do I think that it is preventing people from knowing my personality because my books aren’t displayed? Absolutely not. Because e-readers are becoming more mainstream, it usually attracts attention when you are using one in public. People always want to know what you’re using and what you’re reading. That gives me the opportunity to rave about my iPad2 and then about my Stanza app, which allows me to read and download any format (.pdf, .mobi, .prc, .epub, .doc, .text, .html). As I am showing people the application they usually browse through my books.

My selection is quite varied but it’s quite obvious the type of books I like (YA, Dystopian, Paranormal). I almost don’t even want to call the YA genre “YA” because adults read the books just as much as young adults do. (Random thought, there.) I really think that ebooks are bringing more people into reading. I know quite a few people who like to read, but don’t particularly want the clutter of books. For book hoarders, such as I, an ebook reader is the most organized and space efficient way to read without drowning other people in the process. I am still able to share my personality — even if it’s on an electronic device. For those that come into my home, you still can tell a lot about me; that I love my children, love electronic gadgets, clothes, and sewing. My personality is not limited to my book choices.