When e-readers first became a thing, I was adamantly against them. Half of the magic of reading is having the physical book in your hands, right? Being able to feel the pages between your fingers, feeling one side of the book getting thinner and thinner as you read, smelling the printed paper… it’s the experience of reading that you just wouldn’t get with an e-book.
Then I got a Kindle for my birthday in November, and became the person I never thought I’d be.
*To clarify, I asked for the Kindle. I’d recently joined my local book club and I was reading more and more books, so it made sense to save some money - not that I particularly want to line Bezo’s pockets.
And you know what? I really, really love it.
I was so apprehensive at first. I’d never understood the hype around e-readers and saw it as more of a convenience gift, but before long I realised just how amazing these things are. Let me talk you through my pros…
1. It’s easy to bring everywhere
Tiny bag? It slots right in! 700-page book? It’s all in that sleek device! Work bag stuffed to the brim? There’s still room for my teeny Kindle!
I’ve read so much more since having my Kindle simply because I can bring it to more places, and travel lighter while bringing more books with me.
My Kindle is also water-resistant and pretty hardy; next week I’m going camping in Wales and I know it’s going to be so much easier to bring it with me than multiple books I don’t really want to damage while reading on the beach.
2. I can read at night
One of my favourite things to do before I go to sleep is read. I have a very soft lamp next to my bed which makes it difficult to read physical books in a comfortable position because of the shadows.
With my Kindle I can read with the lights off, snuggled under the covers. It’s such a lovely way to wind down without an aching arm from propping up a book or readjusting myself so the lamp hits the page just right.
3. I can read in the car
Over recent years I have developed really bad travel sickness. It’s getting better with time but in 2021 I couldn’t go five minutes down the road in the passenger seat without feeling ill. I’ve never been able to read in the car without feeling woozy, so with this new nausea it should never have been possible…
But somehow, I can read on my Kindle just fine.
I never planned to find this out, but five hours into an eight hour journey home from Scotland we were in standstill traffic and I was painfully bored. I started reading to help the time pass, and at some point I realised we were moving again and I felt completely fine.
I’ve no intentions of trying my chances on windy roads or shorter journeys, but we regularly head up to Scotland to visit my boyfriend’s family and the drive can sometimes be up to 12 hours (I wish I was joking); it’s nice to know I can pick up a book when I want to without feeling sick.
4. So. Many. New. Books.
Thanks to Kindle Unlimited, “Stuff Your Kindle Day” and the Libby app I have accessed soooo many new books and authors that I wouldn’t have discovered without owning a Kindle.
A study from Texas State University shows there are huge CO2 savings when opting for a Kindle over a physical book. This was another reasons I asked for mine, as I was getting through so many books that I didn’t necessarily want to keep, reread, and/or pass on to others, so I was very aware of my wastage.
I know e-readers are by no means perfect (nor is Amazon, for that matter) but I’ve definitely saved money and paper since getting my Kindle, while reading more books from new authors.
I still adore physical books
This is not physical book slander.
recently shared a fantastic post about why we should keep buying physical books, and I stand with her.Physical books are magical. The way they feel, the way they smell, their weight in your hands… they are amazing.
If I read a book on my Kindle that I especially love, I will buy the physical copy of it for my shelves. My Kindle is simply an extremely convenient tool to prevent said shelves from getting overloaded. And of course I’m guilty of picking up a book (or seven) whenever I visit my local bookstore.
Nothing will replace the wonder of a physical book in your hands, but I’m now learning to appreciate how great an e-reader can be too
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