Digital Reader or Physical Book: Which is Better?

In my opinion, a Kindle or different type of digital reader is better than a physical book. This is of course always a decision that has to be made by each specific reader, but these are a few reasons why I believe this. In this article, I am going to be arguing specifically for a Kindle because that is where most of my knowledge and experience is centralized.

The main argument that people make against Kindles is that they don’t “feel” like a book when you’re holding it. Honestly, I don’t have a great argument against that. Yes, it doesn’t feel like a book and there is no paper or physical pages. It feels a bit weird at first, but I adjusted to the feel pretty fast. If you’re not someone who can get used to a different feel, then a Kindle might not be for you. For me, the different feel was positive. I can leave my book open on the counter while I’m doing other things and I know I won’t lose my page if the book accidentally closes. It is very light and thin, so you can just throw it in your bag without it taking up a lot of space and weight as a normal book would. Along with that point, there is no worry about your Kindle breaking if it is jostled or squished into the bag because Kindle Paperwhites are very strong and are much more hardy than a phone. The outside of a Kindle is sometimes said to be slippery, and to solve that problem, I bought a strap online that connects to the corners. It is great because I don’t have to put in any effort to hold my book, so I don’t accidentally drop it off my bed or on my face when I’m reading. So, the external features of a kindle are great, but what about the internal features?

I think that Kindles are an excellent choice for older people especially, because they are very user friendly and there are many features that can be helpful for older people. One of those features is the possibility to adjust font size, style, and color for any book you are reading. For an older person with bad eyes, this is a great advantage that can make reading possible for them again. But, font adjustments aren’t just for older people, I personally make my font size very large when I am reading while working out, so it is not a strain on my eyes to see the words while I’m running or walking. 

Another of my favorite features is the dictionary feature. If you are reading a difficult book with big words, you can press and hold on a word and a dictionary definition, wikipedia page, translation site, and online search engine comes up for the word. This feature makes reading more challenging books a more positive experience for me because I can easily look up words I don’t know and gain a complete understanding of the book. 

Some people love to annotate their books, so they think that a Kindle isn’t a good choice because of that, but Kindles also easily let the reader annotate. Tapping and holding on the passage will highlight it, then you can make a note if you want to add a sentence about your thoughts on the passage. Then, you can go to the book and find every single highlight and note you made while reading the book. You can also look up words that are in your highlights and notes if you are looking for something specific. And, if you want to come back to a page you find interesting, you can bookmark the page and easily find it again. Another thing I find interesting about annotating is, if many people highlight the same passage, it will show up to you with dotted lines and the number of people that highlighted it. I personally find that this feature helps me gain a greater understanding of the text because I understand what some important phrases are. 

Another argument people have against Kindles is that they’re no better than a phone. Why would we want another screen in our life? Honestly, I absolutely understand that point, but there are a few key factors about a Kindle that make it different. The first and most important is that a Kindle is front lit, instead of back lit like most phones. That means that instead of the light shining directly into your eyes to light up the phone, the light actually shines back at the screen so you are not being exposed to as much light. Therefore, if there is less light shining into your eyes, you’re being exposed to less blue light. Blue light is the chief cause of disrupted sleep cycles and retina strain. A Kindle exposes you to a very, very small amount of blue light, so you can use it at night without fear of not being able to sleep.  

Some people make the argument that you can’t use the library or check out books for free with a Kindle, but that, too, is incorrect! The user can easily download an app called Libby and input their library card. From there, the app connects to your library and allows the reader to browse electronic books that they can immediately download to their Kindle, if available. If you want to buy books instead of checking them out, that is also available through Amazon or the Kindle app. If you want several hundred books free from Kindle I would suggest subscribing to a Kindle Unlimited membership, which I absolutely love. 

I find the many tracking systems of a Kindle to be incredibly thoughtful and convenient. First and most importantly, you never have to worry about losing your page because it automatically opens to the furthest read page. Even if the furthest read page was on a phone, different device, or an audiobook, Kindle will always sync to other devices, so reading different styles can be painless. Not only can Kindle keep track of your position throughout different styles of reading on one book, but it can do that with any number of books that you want to read at once. And if you ever come back to a book that you didn’t get around to finishing, Kindle offers a quick summary of the book or series on the information page (according to how much you have already read). You can also sync your Kindle account to Goodreads, which tracks when you make progress or finish books without any extra strain. 

There are many more features about a Kindle that I find incredibly helpful, but they don’t necessarily fit into a distinct category, so here are a few more reasons that might sway your thinking. There is a clock displayed at the top of the screen (which can be turned on or off) that helps me to not lose track of time when I’m reading. At the bottom of the screen there are several options that you can use to display your progress through the book — time left in the book, time left in the chapter (based on your reading speed that it tracks), the Loc position, the page number, the percent finished of the book, or completely off. I personally love the time left in the book setting because I find it very interesting. You never have to worry about losing your page because it automatically opens to the furthest read page. You don’t need the internet to read on your Kindle. The only time you need the internet is to download new books.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get a Kindle! It will be the best decision you have ever made in your reading journey. 

-Marina