When I say that I have an obsession with books, I'm not even exaggerating. Not in the tiniest bit. Don't believe me? Ask my friends who helped me move once and never again because they couldn't deal with the 30 or so boxes of books that I have.

Some women collect shoes, others figurines. Not me. I collect books. Well, 'hoard' is probably the proper word to use. You see, I grew up in a military family and we moved all the time and so I was constantly having to make new friends and get used to new things, but my books were my comfort zone- my friends. They never left, like everything else in my life did.

A lot of people have asked why I don't just donate my hard copies and embrace e-books. I just can't do it. There's something comforting about holding a well worn book in my hands and feeling the pages between my fingers and inhaling the smell of the pages that you can only experience with the real deal.

According to The New York Times, e-book sales haven't been doing so great this year. While scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how digital reading affects us differently, here are a four ways e-books might be inferior to actual hard copies of books.

  • 1

    E-Books Reduce Comprehension

  • 2

    We Remember Less About the Timeline

    A study of adults finds that e-books can be hard to absorb, particularly when trying to put events from the story in chronological order.

  • 3

    They’re Not Great as Textbooks

    While e-textbooks are cheaper (and easier to carry), the majority of college students in some surveys say they prefer print books.

  • 4

    They’re Tiring

    Staring at a lit screen can be tiring for your eyes and your brain. A Swedish study has found that reading digitally requires a higher cognitive workload than reading paper.

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