If you're a die-hard physical book lover, I feel you. Really, I do. I, too, used to be on the same "real books are better books!" bandwagon that I still see a lot of people on. Reading a book can be nothing less than a sacred experience. There's nothing like the painful-yet-satisfying crack of the spine when opening up a brand new book, or letting that sweet, musty smell waft up every time you turn the page of an old, well-loved one. Then, when you're finished, you can close it and put it up on your shelf and admire it among the others in your collection. That's exactly what I did.
Until I met my e-reader.
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(Okay, yes, I still read paper books too.)
In 2011, my parents gave me my first Kindle. I had been curious about e-readers for a while, and with a big trip overseas coming up, I thought it would be a great chance to try it out. Little did I know, I was in for an enormous surprise. Having a Kindle completely revolutionized the convenience of reading for me. My love for it still grows every time I use it.
A Kindle (or any other e-reader of your choice), in my opinion, is one of the best things you can get if you're not a big reader, but would like to be. If you like to read, and want to read more, I would highly recommend doing research on an e-reader. There are a lot of benefits to using an e-reader, many of which I think the most die-hard bookworms would appreciate:
Price: After the initial price of the e-reader, books are (typically) 50 percent cheaper than what you'd pay for in a bookstore. In short, this means you can get two books for the price of one. Uh... yes please! Thanks to websites like Project Gutenberg, thousands of classics are completely free and ready to download at your leisure. Not into older titles? More modern novels are available from independent authors as well! Even extremely popular books will go on $1.99-$3.99 sales at times. When was the last time you took a trip to Barnes and Noble and bought a book for less than $5.00?
Convenience: This is probably an e-reader's most convincing selling point — it's lightweight, durable, and you can store literally thousands of books on it. I love the look of overflowing bookshelves as much as the next bookworm, but if you're on the go often, it saves you the struggle of lugging books around. Not to mention, 24/7 access to instant downloading of any book! Gone are the days of having to drive to and wait for the bookstore to open to get your hands on the next book in a series.
Decreased Eye Strain: Most e-readers read like a normal book, meaning they have a special e-ink screen (no LCD here!) that doesn't strain your eyes a way any other tablet would. Some companies even have lit-up e-ink screens so you can read in the dark. Reading under the covers has never been so easy!
Library Access: Have no fear, library-trekking friends! Many libraries have updated so you can request to borrow copies of e-books through your e-reader. Most of these programs allow you to borrow the book from between two to four weeks so you have enough time to read it before it *poof* goes back to the library.
Binge Reading Accessibility: If you're like me, you can finish a book and start a new one in the same day. An e-reader allows you to instantly switch between a finished book and a new one, which is a lifesaver for those who read like their lives depend on it.
E-readers have made reading more accessible to people as a whole. For those who don't frequent trips to their local bookstore, it makes the books you are interested in available instantly. Personally, it has made me a more constant and diligent reader, as it's almost too easy to just pick up my Kindle and start reading. Nothing quite compares to your own library, but what book lover could refuse a library that fits in your bag?
