Our recent little poll on the bidorbuy page on Facebook revealed that, when it comes to reading, South Africans still prefer traditional books – you know, the ones with pages to turn (but not to fold in order to mark your place!)

Last time we checked, traditional books had 75 votes. Ebooks were trailing far behind with 22 votes, and audio books were in the rear with 10 votes.

Don’t get us wrong. We fully recognise the many benefits of non-traditional books.

Everyone who has had a tedious drive made not only bearable, but even enjoyable thanks to a nice audio book will never frown upon this form of “reading” again.

And where does one begin to enumerate the merits of ebooks! You can put a whole library of eBooks in one little ebook reader. You can search them. You can highlight passages. You can send your favourite quotes to a friend or to a social networking website…

Still, there is something about holding the real thing, about the soft rustle of the pages as you turn them… But you know all about that, as our little poll proves. It’s not by chance that traditional books feature so predominantly in the bidorbuy books category!

In any case, whatever the medium – paper, audio or electronic – the important thing is the book. So, keep on reading. As has been said many times over the ages, reading broadens our horizons, entertains us, teaches us, and in general makes living a more pleasant experience.