After my visit from Barnes and Nobles, I never thought that reading the actual book in front of me could feel so relaxing and so pleasant…
Ever since I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 3, I have been reading e-books from my phone. At first, it felt so great reading it from the phone but the more I read from my screen, the more the screen strained my eyes. Even if I adjusted the text size, I still felt so tired reading from the screen. Sometimes, I find myself skimming through the pages, making reading less enjoyable for me. I always thought having e-books will make our lives easier. Instead, e-books make me slow and so fatigued.
After picking out "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde in Barnes and Nobles and reading it in my hand, my eyes don't feel so tired at all. In fact, they kept on moving on to the next page, anticipating what was going to happen. I take more time reading, absorbing every detail and analyzing each and every word. If I have to choose between e-books and print books, I am going to choose print books. Other than pointing out how print books are more convenient for the eyes, let me share you the reasons why I prefer print books over E-books.
1. Print books can become one's possessions
Other than being simply a book with information or stories, print books can be used as decoration. After purchasing a print book, you can put them on your bookshelf for display where people can see that you are a book-lover. People can also see your taste in books as well. Most of the time, print books on display are also kept as personal souvenirs or keepsakes. I remembered winning two books from a free book giveaway and each of these books were signed by the author herself. After I finished reading them, I kept these books on the desk of my bedroom as a representation of my winnings from a free book giveaway.
2. Print books last longer
One thing I realized about electronics, especially tablets, is that they don't last long. Anything can go wrong with electronic devices. They can either malfunction or sometimes self-destruct. Therefore, there is a chance that the e-book will be lost if anything happens to your Kindle or any electronic reading tablet. On the other hand, when you place print books on bookshelf, they stay there forever and just collect dust. Plus, even if you get water on the pages of a print book, they can still dry with its pages intact and preserved.
3. Print books help you sleep better
Reading from electronics makes you stay awake and makes it harder for you to sleep because you are being exposed to the bright glare of the screen, which stimulates your senses and makes you more alert at nighttime and during bedtime. That is why the next day, you feel groggy and weary. However, when reading a print book, you only stare at the printed words of the pages where you are not exposed to any bright glare and you find yourself yawning more than the time you read an E-book.
4. Print books are a source of a child's love for reading
There is a huge difference between print books and e-books. E-books have limited fonts and have dull black and white pages. Print books, however, have a variety of colorful fonts and beautifully illustrated pictures along with pages decorated with page borders and embellishments. I remember when I was little and I read Grimm's Fairy Tales. It was so fascinating to see the world of fairy tales come to life before my very eyes through its fancy illustrations and beautifully designed fonts. Thereby, it inspires my love of reading.
5. Print books are battery-free
What's very troublesome about e-books is that they are stored in rechargeable electronic devices. Whenever you bring an e-book for travel, you have to worry about the battery! Therefore, you bring its charger and you have to carry more stuff with you! Unlike the print book, you only bring just the hefty weight of print book along with you, and that's it. When reading a print book, you can just relax and even saves you the trouble of finding an outlet to charge your tablet.
To conclude, reading e-books will never live up to the thrill of reading the physical hard-copy book in your hand.
