E-Readers VS Physical Books

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you probably know I’ve recently acquired a Kindle. I got the Kindle Paperwhite* from my parents as a gift since I couldn’t move all my books to Guildford. I wanted a Kindle because of the moving issue, and the space issue as my flat is small. Also, I use Netgalley and reading on my phone isn’t great. The screen was too small and I would get distracted by notifications.

Recently in particular, I’ve seen a lot of people state they hate eBooks. They refuse to buy them. ‘They’re not real books’ etc. Now this is a very narrow-minded way of thinking. Most physical books will also be in an eBook format. The author will have put in all the same work to write an eBook as they would have for a physical book. Just because it’s a different format doesn’t mean they’re less than physical books. So I thought I would write a post about the positives of both formats.

E-Readers

• Books are often cheaper to purchase as an eBook, if not completely free. I regularly check free books on Amazon for my Kindle, even when I was using the app on my phone. I’ve seen some eBooks that are free or £1 and the paperback version is £10+ so if you want to read more for less money it’s a great option.
• It’s easy to carry. My Kindle is smaller in height, width, depth and weight. Carrying a hardback around can be one thing too many in my overly cluttered handbag. My Kindle on the other hand is a lot more portable and fits nicely into my bag.
• With my Kindle, I can read lying down. Have you ever had that struggle with a book where you want to lie on your side, but you can’t read one side of the book because it’s too difficult to manoeuvre? Well with a Kindle, the flat screen is perfect for when you’re lying down.
• Not all e-readers have a backlight, but mine does. So if you get one with a backlight you can read in the dark. In my new place I don’t have a bedside table so if I read a paperback in bed, I have to get out of bed to turn off my light before I go to sleep. With my kindle I just press the button, close the cover and fall asleep.
• It’s so convenient. I already have 100+ books on my Kindle. I could not have moved 100+ books to my new flat. The car was already full of all my other things that I cant strip down and digitalise.
• You don’t lose your place. My Kindle automatically bookmarks my place for me. No more scrambling for that scrap piece of paper. No more waking up and realising you’ve dropped the book off the side of the bed. This is even better for me as I never seem to have a bookmark but I want to read like 5 books at a time. My Kindle has my back at keeping me in the right place.

Physical Books

• Personal preference is a clear option here. Loads of people I’ve seen on my Facebook book group dislike eBooks. I don’t get the full on ‘hate’ for eBooks, but I do understand the love for actual physical books.
• E-readers do not have that new book smell. I love the smell of books. I also love the feel of a book. My leather kindle case doesn’t have anything over the feel of a well bound book. The turning of pages are almost meditative at times. I just love holding a real, physical book.
• Getting away from technology is important to do. Sometimes you’ve got to stay away from screens for a while. If you’re working on a computer all day, you probably want to give your eyes a break from the light.
• The price isn’t always cheaper for eBooks. A lot of the time it is, but if like me you get second hand books it might be cheaper to get a physical book. I’m always on the look out for the penny deals on Amazon. 1p plus £2.80 for shipping has been my lifeline since I started buying books. Charity shops are also a godsend for cheap physical books.
• Having physical books on a shelf for you to read makes it a lot easier to pick what to read next. On my Kindle I have to flick through different pages on my home screen, whereas on my bookshelf I can browse quickly through the whole collection. I feel like I’m also going to forget which books I have on my Kindle more easily than physical books.
• I feel like this point may be more personal to me. For digital copies of books, films, music etc. I feel like I don’t ‘own’ them. When I have a physical copy of a book, I own the book. I’ve spent my hard earned money on the book. I’m quite materialistic in this sense. If I was to count up all the books I own, I probably wouldn’t include my eBooks. Therefore if I read an eBook and loved it, I would go and buy a physical copy as well.

Are there any points that you agree with? Any that you don’t? Also, which format do you prefer to read your books on?