I have always been a bookworm, reading every change I got. I read during class in elementary school, on car trips, in airplanes, during family gatherings and in my free time. My mother even threated to ground me outside without a book when I got in trouble!
When e-readers came out, I was solidly against getting one. Nothing could replace the feel of a book and turning pages one by one. Being able to see how much of a book was left with a bookmark was impossible on an e-reader. Then, people I knew started getting them and loved them.
“Sarah, do you think you’d ever like an e-reader?” people would ask me.
“No, I don’t think I’d like reading on one,” I’d always reply.
Then, one entered my house. My husband got one and I decided to try it out for a night. There was no going back. I have one and I love it! Here are the top five reasons I love my Kindle!
It has a backlight that lets me get sleepy.I have a Kindle PaperWhite and it has a backlight that can be adjusted. It’s a yellow light, so it doesn’t keep you awake like other electronics that use blue light. I actually often fall asleep (or get very close) reading on my Kindle at night. (And I don’t need to use a book light!)
It lets me highlight passages and make notes. I didn’t often highlight or write in paper books as I didn’t often have a pencil with me when I read. On the Kindle, I can highlight passages that strike me and even add a personal note. When I’m done with the book, I can email a PDF of everything I’ve highlighted and noted to myself. I’ve done that to keep quotes or create documents of points in books that I want to reference, like the tips from Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People.
It holds a lot of books.I have folders on my Kindle to sort through the numerous books I have on it. I have a have-read folder, a to-read folder, a books-to-review folder and a reference folder. I even have books that I read daily and the Kindle makes it easy to reference them each day.
I can check books out from the library.While some ebooks are less expensive than paperback and hardback editions, I can often get books for free from my library. There are various programs depending on what your library uses, but I use Overdrive, Libby and Hoopla to check out books for 2-3 weeks at a time. You can even put books on hold and it will let you know when they are available. The books are automatically returned when they are due if you are connected to WiFi.
I can take it everywhere.My Kindle fits in my purse, so I take it with me everywhere and that alone is worth every penny. I can read anywhere I go and the size of the book is the same every time. I don’t have to worry about the book’s size or my bookmark falling out.
If you have not tried reading on an e-reader and you love to read, I would highly recommend asking someone if you can borrow one and try it out. It is the best way to find out if it’s something you would like. If you love to read, though, having an e-reader will only give you ways to read even more – and that might be dangerous …
Have you tried an e-reader? What do you like/disklike about it? Share on the blog!