10 Truths Only Print Book-Lovers Understand

For a book-lover, there's nothing better than holding the print version of a book in your hands. If you're like me, you hold on to the belief that this e-reader business is a phase and that paper books can never truly be replaced. For those that cry out the demise of the paper book and hail the new tech-friendly versions, listen up: 70 percent of readers aren't willing to make the switch from paper books to ebooks. And just a friendly reminder: in 2014, two-thirds of all book sales still belonged to print books.

Print book-lovers know it's not always the convenient or smart choice to keep lugging around our hefty books. Sure, sometimes it's a chore, but we wouldn't trade our beloved hardcovers for anything in the world. Not even if every single book went digital. (Okay, maybe then. Reluctantly.) If you are stubborn like me and refuse to give in to the e-reader, then you know the struggles, joys, habits, and annoyances that loving paper books can bring.

And you can totally understand and relate to these 10 truths below:

You Love the Smell of a New Book, and Would Totally Wear It As a Perfume If It Existed

No e-book can beat the way it feels to get a whiff of those pages. It's part nostalgia, part excitement about the book to come, part soothing, all awesome.

You Always Need a Bag Big Enough to Fit Your Books... Which Means Sometimes You Look Like a Bag Lady (But That's Totally OK)

You're always in the middle of two to three different books, and your day consists of a lot of waiting around (aka reading time), so you've got to be well-prepared.

You Think Nothing Is Sexier Than a Well-Stocked Bookshelf, and It's the First Thing You Look For When You Go Into a New Date's Place

As John Waters puts it, "If you go home with somebody, and they don't have books, don't f*ck them!" Vice versa: Let your kick-ass book collection be your sexy secret weapon. What are you going to do, awkwardly leave out your Kindle so your date might catch a glimpse of the latest book you're reading? No. Display your collection proudly.

You Get to Do Amazing Things Like This:

BECAUSE COLOR COORDINATION IS AWESOME.

You Feel More Enraptured In a Story When You're Reading a Print Book

And, hey, I don't blame you! Researchers have proven that comprehension while reading paper books is higher than while reading their digital counterparts. “All those cues like what the page looks like, what the book felt like, all those little pieces help you put together the whole thing— unlike the simulated pages of an e-reader," says Marilyn Jager-Adams, a psychologist at Brown University. So, if you get lost with your nose in the pages... it ain't your fault.

You Know That Books Are More Durable (Er, Most of the Time)

There's a reason paper books can last hundreds of years. No worries about a cracked screen or a dead battery! No threat of heat damage if you leave it in your car! A good book can follow you anywhere. (Just, um, avoid the rain.)

You Pretend Not To Be Bothered By How Easy People With E-Readers Have It At the Beach

OK, so you got a little sand and water on a few pages of your book. It just adds character. Ignore those "I told you so" looks from your friends. At least you're working your arm muscles by holding those pages open.

You Know The Instant Intellectual Prowess You Feel Reading Out In Public, Especially That Time You Tried To Read Infinite Jest

Hooray for not staring blindly into an electronic device like everyone else! Also, you've got a shiny, interesting book cover that can be a great conversation piece with the attractive personal sitting next to you. (Said person also told you it's impossible to finish Infinite Jest if you're not reading it with two bookmarks. Oops.)

You Know That Reading In Bed is Better (and Way Cozier!) With a Print Book

It's true: Using an e-reader at night can cause trouble with sleeping and affect alertness in the morning, which is basically the opposite of what you want reading in bed to do.

You Get Tired of Having to Defend Your Choice to E-Book Fanatics. THIS ISN'T A WAR, OK?!

Sure, e-books are great for a lot of reasons. Doesn't mean we all have to trade in our paper books for them. Let's coexist peacefully, amirite?

Images: Juan Sonin, Jon Silver, Musgo Dumio_Momio, Haceme, Seth Sayers, Paul Bence, Henti Smith, Kodomut/Flickr; Getty, Giphy