10 Reasons Why I’m So in Love with My Ereader

If you’re avid readers who socialize with other book lovers, you must have noticed the trend to have an e-reader among your circle.

What is it all about, you wonder? After all, it’s another electronic device that looks similar to an iPad, except much less attractive. What makes all e-reader owners so obsessed with their devices?

via GIPHY

As the owner of a Kindle Basic, I can tell you a thousand reasons why I’m crazy about the e-reader, and why it is an integral part of my daily life. Here are 10 of them 🙂

 

1. It saves space in the suitcase

You want to read all of those books during your vacation, but it’s hard to decide which ones to bring along. It’s no fun to lug around 10 paperbacks at once.

With an e-reader, I never have to make the difficult decision. I don’t even have to have the books available beforehand. I can always go to an online store and purchase them whenever Internet connections are available.

All I have to do is to give my e-reader a full charge, and that’s it. As my Kindle can last for at least a couple of week, I don’t even have to bring the charger with me on short trips.

 

2. It saves me tons of time

While I love the activity very much, I don’t always have the time to stroll around in the bookstore to find a book. Also, while it feels awesome to spend time browsing in the library, it’s not always efficient. Sometimes I just need that information from that exact book quickly.

All of that is much easier and faster on an e-reader. I can go on to browse books and buy them while on that bus ride. I can read the sample pages like you do in a bookstore. For books that I’m already owning, it takes only a few seconds of searching and skimming to find the exact line I’m in need of.

via GIPHY

3. It leaves one of my hands free

Ereaders are so compact and lightweight. A typical ebook reader is much smaller than a real book. It should weigh slightly more or less than an iPhone 7, which you can so easily use with one hand.

That’s what I do with my 6” Kindle Basic. It’s extremely easy to hold the device, to turn pages and work on the settings and searching with one hand, while the other holds a coffee mug. Never the case with a paperback or hardcover – even if they’re small and light, you’d need both hands if you want to turn pages.

Some advanced devices, the Kindle Voyage for example, have buttons or sensors on both sides so you can use them with either hand. The Kindle Oasis even has a screen that rotates depending on the position you read in. That would give even more freedom to your hands!

4. It makes reading so much easier

Really. It’s so much faster to read on an e-reader, thanks to the tools it offers.

When not so sure about the meaning of a word, I can simply touch to find it. I can also play with flashcards to memorize them better.

I’m a slow reader who keeps forgetting who’s who in a book and when they first appeared and what their relations with other people are all the time. And I really appreciate the ability to do a quick search throughout the book and find my answers right away.

In this way, my Kindle Basic, while being an average e-reader, can improve my reading speed and comprehension to a great extent.

5. …and with much more comfort

When was the last time you brought a book closer in order to read because the font size was not the right one for you?

On an e-reader, things are much more flexible. Most devices offer dozens of font sizes and styles for your choice. Even my super-cheap Kindle Basic has 8 different font sizes, which is more than I ask for.

While that doesn’t sound like something fancy, it’s extremely useful since I won’t have to adjust my posture or wear my glasses in order to read. No more neck pain or eye strain after the long hours of reading!

6. Book sharing is so simple

Most e-readers allow you to lend, borrow, and share your books.

When using my Kindle, I can register with a book mate to share our books together. Only one of us have to buy the books, and both can read at the same time.

If you’re a family, you can also have a “family library” and read with your children too.

That is even better than a physical book!

via GIPHY

 

7. It’s better for the earth

While the idea of reading a physical book is lovely, it actually does more harm to the earth than we bookworms would like to think. That’s one of the reasons I bought my Kindle in the first place.

If you’re an avid reader who cares about the environment we’re living in, opt for reading on an e-reader. You alone could save dozens of trees every year. Multiply that by the millions of people who read, and you will have a picture of how many forests would be saved for the simple choice.

 

8. It’s much more pleasant on my eyes

Why not an iPad instead though? You can browse the library and read ebooks and it’s small and portable too.

A huge difference between an e-reader and a tablet, such as the iPad, is that the e-reader is no LCD screen. It uses e-ink screen instead.

So while not looking so sleek, the screen of an e-reader is much better for the eye. It minimizes eyestrain and headache even after long hours of reading.

In addition, front lighting is used on an e-book reading device as opposed to tablets which have a backlit screen. This softens the light that travels to your eyes while you read and reduces the negative impacts on your sleep hormones.

My Kindle Basic does not have built-in lighting, and I have to use an additional book light to read at night. It feels exactly like reading on a physical book, and I’ve never had problems falling asleep afterwards. Except when I read with a big cup of tea.

9. I can read without distractions

My Kindle Basic, like all other professional ebook reader, helps me read all kinds of ebooks, except Facebook. While I enjoy my bookish adventures, there is no email notifications, no friend requests, no invitations to bother me. It’s just like when you’re reading a real paperback, except I never have to pause halfway to browse a dictionary whenever I come across a new word.

It keeps me focused on what I am digesting and helps me complete my reading goals much faster.

10. It only needs charging once a month

Thanks to the e-ink technology, which needs no energy to display the pages of a book, ereaders last extremely long on a charge. Some high-end ones can last several months. Most, mine included, last for weeks. That allows me to bring my Kindle on my month-long trips without ever worrying about not having a socket or electricity to charge it. I will bring it with me on my hikes on the Himalayas someday.

 

About our Guest:

Hi! I’m Anitya, the proud owner of a Kindle Basic (and quite a pile of old paperbacks and hardcovers). I’m a total nooblogger, having just joined this journey with Hooked To Books since October 2016.

I seriously got a lot of catching up to do when it comes to YA books and I’m still learning how to give an English error-free and spoiler-free review, but I’ve madly fallen in love with the blogging world so far.

I’m also a yogi, a cat and dog lover, and language enthusiast. Email me at anitya@hookedtobooks.com to talk about ebook readers, books, yoga, animals, languages, or just anything else!

Subscribe to Chapter Break posts.