If I were to compile a list of things I love, a good sale and a good book would probably rank high. But when I encountered a combination of these two things last week, my reaction was bittersweet. I was at a Borders closing sale—you know Borders, the second largest chain-bookstore company that was forced to close after filing bankruptcy at the beginning of the year?

The shelves were practically bare, but I continued on with my normal bookstore routine, walking up and down the aisles glancing at every shelf to make sure I didn’t miss something worthwhile. This is usually how I like to experience bookstores; it’s almost a hobby. Sadly enough, it seems that this hobby of mine isn’t going to last much longer.

It pains me to say this, but the book industry is rapidly declining. At first it was slow, but now it’s just spiraling down into a deep black hole of nonexistence. The book industry used to be about paperback and independent bookstores.

According to The New York Times article, “The Dog-Eared Paperback, Newly Endangered in an E-Book Age,” their first competition was the fancy hardcover (which, I admit, I have no problem with), but with the introduction of these fancy hardcovers, meant the introduction of fancy bookstores such as Borders and Barnes & Noble (another thing I have no problem with).

But that is only how the book industry’s decline slowly started. There are two things I put to blame for the rapid decline: Amazon.com and the e-reader.

In the beginning, I didn’t think Amazon was a threat. The goal was to only order from Amazon when I absolutely needed a book. If I could pick one word for Amazon, it would be convenient. This is where the problem starts. It seems that in our society, convenience is key. Everyone wants everything as fast as possible, even books. So, the ever so wonderful people at Amazon came up with the Kindle, and then a parade of other e-readers followed.

As a book lover, you would think I adored the idea of this sleek little contraption that could hold a library-size collection of books all in one place. I didn’t. What I love about books is completely stripped away by the invention of this device.

As I said earlier, going to the bookstore was like a hobby to me; to be able to discover new books on my own was like a game. With an e-reader, I can’t do that anymore. This gadget is all about instant gratification. Given the option to get in a car and drive to the bookstore or to sit on the couch and order a book off an e-reader, I’m sure most people would pick the latter. But I refuse to.

I despise e-readers. I literally have this feeling of disgust when I see one. You can call me an over-exaggerating nerd, but I’ll just take it as a compliment. The only things that these contraptions have in common with books are the words.

What about when you refer to a book as a “page-turner?” You can’t do that with an e-reader, because it has no pages! What about those special edition copies of the classics? I adore my leather-bound copy of Pride and Prejudice. It feels sturdy and strong like it’s ready to be read a thousand times.

Those e-readers are so tiny and wimpy. What if you break it? Your whole collection of “e-books” disappears. You bring a book to the beach and it gets a little wet, it can dry and the crinkled pages add to its appeal. Bring an e-reader to the beach and it gets wet, what do you do? Stick it in rice and hope for the best? It’s almost sad that something so minute could harm something as large as the book industry.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that the e-reader has its advantages. The lower pricing of e-books is actually appealing to me. I can see why someone would rather buy two e-books for the price of one hardcover book. There’s no more scrounging for shelf space either. You can have a library’s worth of books fit into a device that can be held in one hand.

My issue is that you have to shell out around $100 to get the e-reader and only then can you start buying the books. What’s worse is that, just like other electronic devices, there will always be new models with cool updates. So, you end up spending hundreds of more dollars just to keep up with the latest technology.

I know it sounds silly to be unleashing all this hatred on an inanimate object, but if it weren’t doing so much damage, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. Who knows, at the rate that things are going, I might be forced to buy one in the near future. But for now, you can find me at Borders, still single-handedly trying to stop it from closing.