A few Christmases ago, (I was probably 19), I got something I really didn’t expect as a gift. A few days prior to that Christmas, I had been in the car with my dad, just the two of us. He asked me if I had ever considered getting an E-Reader. I scoffed at the idea. I said no, that I would miss the feel of a book too much and that I couldn’t check out books on an E-Reader like I could at the library. My dad started telling me about some of the benefits of E-Readers, and we had a good discussion about it.

A few days later, on Christmas, I opened a box and sure enough, there was a Kindle Fire HD inside. I felt terrible for telling my dad I hadn’t wanted one, since he had probably already bought it for me when he asked me about E-Readers that day in the car. I assured him though that I was excited, and I soon began to download books.

There is so much controversy in the reading world about whether or not E-Readers are a good thing or a bad thing. Everyone has an opinion on it. While I don’t personally think one is better than the other (I switch back and forth from my Kindle to paperback books) I have come to realize how beneficial E-Readers can be.

The first cool feature about E-Readers is how many books it can hold on it. Not only are you carrying around your library with you wherever you go, but you can store books on the device’s cloud or straight onto the device itself. Also, electronic versions of books tend to be cheaper than the hardback or even paperback copies of books, so you can buy more books.

One of the benefits of the Kindle specifically is that you can have apps on it. One app that I have on mine is called “Overdrive.” This app lets you check out audiobooks and Ebooks from your local library, and puts them straight onto your device (also works with Androids and iPhones). This way, you don’t even have to buy the books on your E-Reader, you can simply borrow them. However, if you have a different version of Kindle or a Nook, you will not be able to download apps and therefore can’t get Overdrive.

E-Readers also offer different kinds of reading material. Not only can you buy books, but you can get magazines, audiobooks, newspapers, and more. Kindle also offers an experience called “immersion reading” in which you can read along while a book is being narrated to you. It usually only costs a few dollars extra to get immersion reading books.

When I think back to that Christmas, I am so grateful that my dad got me an E-Reader. I have come across some of my most favorite books through the online bookstore on my device, and I have actually started listening to audiobooks as well, something I never did before. At the end of the day, whether you like E-Readers or not, the only thing that matters is that you keep reading!