Should You Read E-books Instead of Physical Books?

Almost everything is done online nowadays. Credit card payments, online shopping, you name it. As the internet and technology dominates our lives, we are given a choice as to whether we should or should not retain our old ways. This is particularly true for reading. Nowadays, even reading is done on our mobile devices and e-readers. Trips to the bookstore are now unnecessary as a click is all that it takes to order our books online, which is delivered instantly to our devices and e-readers. With that in mind, I will be discussing whether we should read e-books instead of physical books. Before you continue reading, do follow me and register for my newsletter so you won’t miss any of my articles.

My Experience

Two years ago, I got myself the Kindle Paperwhite 4. Before that, I was mainly skeptical of the fact that reading was reduced to just reading a screen. It just felt unreal. To get started, all I had to do was have a stable wifi connection and my collection of e-books would download in the background. Furthermore, e-books usually only occupy about 2-5 MB of storage, which pales in comparison to the mighty 8 GB of storage the Paperwhite possesses. Well, your mobile phones could have higher amounts of storage of up to 256 GB or more, but 8GB is more than enough for an e-reader. This means that you could hold thousands of books on your device without worrying about storage issues. This was very beneficial for a person like me who does not have much space on my bookshelves. Your collection of books are also completely accessible wherever you bring your device, as e-books literally provide you with a portable bookshelf. Finding a book among the thousands of books you have in your collection is as simple as using the search function on your device. Another function that I am most grateful for is the ability to use a pre-installed dictionary together with your e-book. Gone are the days where you have to separately search for the meaning of an unknown word on Google. All you have to do is hold your finger over a word and it’s meaning will pop up right away. All I can say is that e-books have brought me great convenience and provided me with a great reading experience.

So What Does it Mean For You?

If you are like me and have very little bookshelf space, e-books are going to be a huge life-saver. Furthermore, e-books are usually cheaper compared to hardcopy books and may have promotions from time to time on Amazon or other platforms. The instant delivery is also a huge game changer. There’s just no need for a trip to your local bookstore anymore. Reading books in the dark have also become easier as your device provides lighting, so there’s no need to get yourself a portable reading light anymore. Some e-readers also have warm lighting that filter out harmful blue light and make reading in the dark much more enjoyable. One such e-reader is the Kindle Oasis. Do check out my review of the Kindle Oasis at https://bestofwrite.com/2020/11/28/kindle-oasis-a-review/.

However, Physical Books are Fine Too!

Of course, the choice is ultimately yours. Some of you may be die-hard fans of hardcopy books. To you, nothing beats the smell of good-old paper and the feeling of turning a page. You could also be used to jotting down notes directly on the pages itself and underlining keywords with a pencil. On the other hand, physical books have no need for an internet connection or electricity. Last but not least, many treasure the feeling of ownership an e-reader or e-book cannot provide. So, in conclusion, there is no right or wrong answer to this question. It depends entirely on what you prefer and all you have to do is to follow your heart.

Do comment down below whether you prefer e-books to physical books, or vice versa. Also, if this article was in any way helpful to you, do consider giving it a like! Thanks for reading!