Benefits to using an ereader
I received my first Kindle at the age of 14 as a holiday present. I have loved to read since I was young, but almost equally as important to me, was gaining a collection of books to be displayed on my bookshelf. There is just something about seeing all of the books I’ve read on a shelf together that fills me with excitement. Almost as if they are each a sort of trophy I’ve earned for completing them.
This, and the price of the Kindle, are what I believe are most people’s deterrents from purchasing a Kindle or ereader of sorts. I too had this dilemma, but I will share with you how all of the overwhelming benefits of an ereader have led me to value my Kindle as one of my favorite possessions.
1. It’s like carrying your entire bookshelf with you everywhere
If you purchase your books on your Kindle and own them, they will all remain in your Kindle library unless you remove them. This means that you can go back to read any of your previous books at any time. Let’s say you are on vacation and only brought one book with you, but you finished it early and don’t want to buy another. You can just go to your Kindle library and reread any of your favorite books.
2. The public library is your Kindle’s best friend
Most public libraries have digital books you can borrow if you sign up for your free library card. A lot of the ebooks are compatible with a Kindle so you can send them to your Kindle to read instead of in your phone browser. There are many ways you can use your library card to access free ebooks, but my favorite is an app called Libby. With the Libby app you just log in using your library card (or cards if you have more than one) and you can browse digital books in various formats and languages. You can filter books by categories, author, genre, etc. You can also borrow audiobooks! Some books will be available right away and some will require you to put a hold on them, but there are thousands of options to choose from. If Libby doesn’t work for you, there is always the app Hoopla and the option to just go on your library’s website to browse.
3. The prices for books are cheaper
Many books you buy at a store will be anywhere from $5 to $40 in some cases. On a Kindle, the highest a book ever usually is is around $15, although I never buy ones that are that much. I would guess that the average price is around four to seven dollars in my experience. While it’s still more expensive than the free library books, it is considerably cheaper than buying books at a bookstore. This has just been my experience with browsing prices so make sure to check yourself before committing to buying a Kindle.
4. You can buy the next book in the series and read it right away
There have been many times when I have finished a really good book with a cliffhanger and then wanted to immediately start the next in the series. It is in these times that I am glad I have a Kindle. With my Kindle, I can just purchase the next book right away and continue on reading.
5. You can read in the dark
Reading in the dark is a very big plus for me with my Kindle. I don’t have to worry about using a book light or waking anyone up. I can just curl up and read my Kindle in the dark.
6. It makes reading comfortable
Very similarly to how a Kindle allows you to read in the dark, it also allows you to read in whatever position is most comfortable to you. This is probably one of my top reasons why I love my Kindle. When I read a paper book, I often find myself shifting all of the time to try to get comfortable and just wishing I could lay on my side and read. With my Kindle this problem is significantly easier. I rarely ever read my Kindle while sitting up and I believe this has allowed for some of my most comfortable and productive reading yet.
I don’t regret the purchase of my Kindle, though I would like to address an important note. There are many ways you can read and purchase digital books without buying a Kindle. There are many different brands of ereaders and many sites where you can read books for free or for payment on your phone. I know that public libraries also often have the option to borrow and read their ebooks on your tablet or phone without having to purchase a Kindle. All of this is to say that while I love my Kindle, there are other ways to read ebooks without having one.
I hope you try out ebooks, whether that’s on a Kindle, other ereader, or just on your personal tablet. I know that it isn’t for everyone, but there are a lot of great resources out there that are worth a shot.
With my Kindle I read as many books as I want and save my physical copies on my bookshelf only for my favorite reads. This is what works best for me, but I encourage you to find what works best for you. Happy reading!