Both my friend and I brought a kindle to our much-needed summer vacation on a small Greek island. Usually, I prefer books, but I wanted to test the long-forgotten, dusty kindle that my parents gifted me some years ago.
After reading the first three Harry Potter books again, I wondered: Should I continue reading on the kindle or stay with the old-school, hard-copy, paper books?
Why Reading on a kindle Is a Good Idea!
The kindles convenience and compactness are its obvious advantages. It is lighter and smaller than a book, takes up fewer space in the suitcase and doesn’t need an external light source. Yes, a books battery can’t die, but a fully charged kindle will last you quite a while.
Also, imagine holding a 1000-page book, flipping the pages on a windy day, and getting it all sandy on the beach. It’s just annoying! A kindle won’t have these issues.
E-books are often less expensive than their physical counterparts. But if you decide to switch to Jeff Bezos’ alternative, you will have to make an initial investment of around 90 bucks (cheapest version). Still, you’ll probably save money reading eBooks – who are also easier to get…
With a kindle you have the biggest bookstore in the world in your pocket at any time. Buying eBooks is not only cheaper, but also easier and more time and energy saving. Although let’s be honest, amazon makes book ordering quite pleasant too – so at the end I guess no matter what you read on, it’ll most likely come to you from amazon.
One neat feature of a kindle is the progress report. It can show you how far you are in the book/chapter and how much reading time you’ve got left. This feature stresses me out though – so I turn it off (which is also a neat feature). That way I have no idea how far I am, which I find quite relaxing. With a book it can sometimes feel like you’re battling against the pages that still need to be read – it’s a constant reminder of how much is still to come.
Additionally, if you are not used to reading at all, an e-Reader might offer you a familiar, cellphone-like feeling. Your motivation to read could therefore be higher than if you would start reading on paper directly.
So what about Books?
Reading on Old-School Paper
When choosing your personal reading device, you should keep in mind that the device can impact how you read.
You might for example feel that you approach a book with much more attention and desire to understand its content than an eBook. Other studies conclude that reading comprehension is the same for both media, but that book readers are better able to “locate events” of fictional stories after reading them. Maybe test this out on your own. How does it feel reading a text on your computer?
Everybody Loves Tangibility
One consequence of switching to eBooks is that your bookshelf will stay empty – only the kindles storage space will fill up slowly. Most people love the look and feeling of having a bookshelf. It acts as a constant reminder of what you have and are still going to read. I fear that switching to eBooks will lead me to forget what I have read – it becomes completely intangible. A book comes with an ownership feeling. An eBook just feels like you are using something and once you’re done, it’s gone.
Furthermore, the physical nature of books makes note taking much more convenient. Going through my notes on books that I have already posted would have been a nightmare on a kindle. Yes, the kindle has note taking, ear-marking and other related functions but they just feel wrong.
What I honestly hate about eBooks is their lack of the social aspect. I can’t see what you are reading on your kindle – You can’t lend the book you are reading to me once you are done! It sucks!
eBooks eliminate the entire conversation and debate that happen after the reading and make sharing thoughts and ideas much more difficult. It holds the threat that we go through one book after another without any thought, just like going through Netflix series. Ever felt like you listen to CDs more intensely than to Spotify? Or watched a DVD with greater attention than a Netflix movie? I reckon, it’s the same story for books and their digital versions…
Harry Potter and the Kindle of Amazon
J.K. Rowlings fantasy novels are a classic. I read my first one when I was about twelve (in German). Let me tell you it’s still as good as it was back then – seriously!
To make it a little different I decided to read them in English this time, which I could do for free with an Amazon kindle Unlimited trial. Time went flying by during sunsets on the Mandraki Beach and it made the vacation truly feel like one. My mind turned off!
Book or eBook – What Is Better?
Let’s not finish this article with the too often used, boring phrase (that really doesn’t help anyone): “It depends”. We’d like to have a proper conclusion.
My bottom line: I like the hard copy, paper-smelling, space-taking, shareable, heavy and good-looking books way more than their digital counterparts. And I mean a lot more! Physical books just have a thing to them that eBooks don’t.
I like my books to occupy space that’s not measured in gigabytes!
(Except if I am on vacation – here I do prefer reading on a kindle. So, I guess we can’t avoid the “it depends” after all…)
Joe