Context
When I decided to buy a Kindle Reader back in 2010, I read an average of 1 book per week. I just didn’t know where to put all those books anymore. I like to play around with new tech. That made the decision to ditch the love of “feeling” a book for the digital world of the Kindle Paperwhite easy. Today I read 2 books per month which is quite a bit less. That however does not change my view on the Kindle Paperwhite.
What were my reasons to buy a Kindle?
As mentioned before, the initial reason was storage. After owning the Kindle for a couple of months I started to notice a couple of other advantages in using the Kindle:
- It is so easy to buy a book via the Kindle. You are done reading a book and forgot to order the next one? No problem, it directs you to books that might interest you, one click and there it is. Yes, I love browsing books in a store …. but it is 21:20 in the evening and I want to continue reading. I am sure you know what I mean.
- You can read everywhere, the device is so small that it fits easily in a bag or even your coat. Forgot your Kindle at home? No problem just continue reading on your smartphone, it even synchronizes the page you are at over all your devices.
- If you read one book per week, depending on what you read it can quickly become expensive. Ebooks tend to be cheaper, sign up for the Kindle Unlimited program and it gets even cheaper. (Amazon is not sponsoring me to say this)
- Highlighting, if you would have explained that function to me before I got a Kindle I would have told you that there is no way I would make use of that function. Well, what do you know? I use it a lot nowadays 😉
Conclusion
I still buy paperbacks every once in a while. I usually read two books in parallel. When I read during the day, I make it a pseudo-social activity and read in the living room with the kids or my wife around. Before the pandemic we had “boxes” put up at pedestrian high traffic locations where you could donate books, that solved my storage issue. When people ask me whether they should buy a Kindle or continue living in the “storage struggle” I tell them it depends on how you live and how you read. In the end, what matters is that we read books, no matter in which form. And who knows, maybe our children will pick up that habit and start loving to get lost in a good book.
Here is a link to the model I use for years now. (this is an affiliate link)