Book or Tablet... what would you do?

I dither, I doubt, I am undecided. 

I love reading. I will take something to read on most occasions if I travel, whether for a short or a longer period. If I don't take a book, I immediately feel bored. I am sure that is psychological since I am also quite capable of dreaming or chatting this time away. But still I prefer to have a book with me...just in case. I have tried out a bit of e-reading on my iPad. There are some good reading apps and it is pretty easy to get some mainstream books or classics that you always meant to read someday for free. My iPad, however, is not mini so it is pretty heavy to hold for a while and requires charging at regular intervals. A couple of friends have now recommended an e-reader that is generally light and has a long battery life and can hold thousands of delicious books. I still hesitate though. Not so much for practical reasons actually, for although I tend to go to wild places without electricity or internet in my holidays, these days there are plenty of options for solar or dynamo charging etc.

No my hesitation is about the different feeling that I get when reading an electronic or paper book. I love the sound of the pages turning. I love the smells of the different types of paper that are used, even the ones that smell musty and make you sneeze and wonder whether something alive has taken up residence in the pages... For some reason my black and smoothed finger after an orgy of reading gives me a satisfied feeling. I love it when the first letter of a chapter is embellished with a beautiful or funny drawing. Front covers, while sometimes horrible and/or inappropriate (I regularly wonder whether the 'artists' have actually read one sentence of the book), belong with the book. After a time in the bookcase, or maybe during a comfortable reread, the cover becomes a part of the story for me. Seeing the cover or the spine will immediately remind me of (a part of) the story in the book. Closing the last page of the book after finishing is immensely satisfying, if I liked the book that is... ;) With an e-book I am always a bit taken by surprise, the e-reader does not get thinner once you're almost at the end.

On my sort of holiday an e-reader means more books and less weight, but also taking along extra charging cable + charger and the faff of actually charging electricity. And what if it rains for a week? Next week I will take 4 (or maybe 5 ;) ) paper books with me on holiday. This holiday I don't actually have to carry my luggage very far which makes the choice a bit easier.

What are your experiences? What do you prefer?