Heathens! Its not about what you need, it is that you can
Seriously, I've ran into people who've asked me the same thing at times.
And unfortunately, I'm the only one in my group of friend who actually enjoys reading. So I can fully sympathise with you, in trying to explain the utility of a library in you pocket to people whose idea of reading (in my case) consists of facebook.
My Answer? (whatever good it does)
I read 3 to 4 pages a minute. So I end up finishing most books in a couple of hours.
I used to around 3 to 4 books in my backpack daily, so that I would have something to read on my downtime.
So If I can carry around a small library with me in my pocket, I can read whatever I'm in the mood to read whenever I want.
And don't ask about International flights. On 20 hour journeys, I've carried 8 to 10 books a few times.
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Still, with E-book readers, seeing is believing, and most people don't get it until they actually sit down and use it.
A good example of this is my mom. While she barely uses a computer , once i explained the concept of the reader, and showed her how to use it, she fell in love with it.
Now I can't get it away for her even if I wanted to. And when I do need it so I can load some new books for her, she will be waiting so that she can get back to her reading. And she does enjoy the utility of being able to several books at the same time.