I started my book collection freshman year of high school when I spotted a copy of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard at the Denver International Airport before leaving to go visit my family in California. After our trip was over and our returning flight landed, I ran to order the rest of the series online, and it only unraveled from that point on. I would end up buying a new book every week, excited to continue the series I was currently reading or start up a new one.
About two years ago, I was given an Amazon Kindle for my birthday. As my collection of physical books had grown to almost a hundred, I was ecstatic. I figured this Kindle would solve the bouts of reading slumps I had been experiencing, and make it much easier to read whenever I wanted to.
Prior to getting the Kindle, with physical books, I felt connected to each story itself, as if I were actually there with my favorite characters each time I turned the pages. I could smell what they smelled, feel what they felt as my fingers touched the paper. Reading with a Kindle proved to be a bit different. Most of the time, they have hyperlinks at the beginning of each book so you can skip to any chapter youâd like, squashing that feeling of flipping through all the pages. With a Kindle, you can simply tap one side of the screen to go forward or back on the pages. You can also customize a progress tab on the bottom left side, choosing from percentage, pages left, time left in chapter, time left in the entire book, and more.Â
Something I also find fascinating about Kindles is that you can upload library books to them simply by registering it with a library in your area and connecting it to a mobile app called Libby (at least, thatâs what I use). That way, you can read pretty much any book you want for free while also supporting your local library. While you may need to wait in a queue to access books on Libby, youâre able to loan them out for three weeks at a time. Youâre also able to suspend your hold on specific books in case you arenât ready to read them yet but want to keep your spot in line.
Similar to a physical book, you can make as many annotations on a Kindle as youâd like â though, if you borrow it as a library book, they may not be yours forever. You can even look up the definitions of words as youâre reading. Sometimes, Kindles will also display how many people have highlighted certain sentences or pieces of writing, so if you come across one of those, you know youâre at a good spot. Kindles can calculate your reading speed and apply that to how fast youâll read each chapter, too, which I think is pretty cool.
I definitely find myself reading faster with a Kindle. You can customize the font sizes, which makes the Kindle e-books easier to read. Plus, when you only have to read a little screen, itâs just as easy to get lost in a Kindle book because it hones you in.Â
With that said, I think a lot of readingâs magic comes from turning the page myself and actually holding the book in my hands. Somehow, it feels more important if I do it that way. Thereâs no doubt about the fact that all the different features of a Kindle were interesting to learn about, my love for reading stemmed from being able to see my collection grow. Iâm glad I was able to apply it to other formats, but nothing compares to flipping to the end of a book to see how many pages it actually is or analyzing every minute detail on the cover.
There is no right or wrong answer for the question of whether physical or digital books are better. My Kindle taught me it depends on my dedication and how much time I actually have to read, not the format of what Iâm reading itself. But at the end of the day, books are still books, and you read them whether you did it on paper or on a screen. No matter your preferences, reading can be fun and fulfilling and something everyone should at least try to do more. If a Kindle can make that easier for you, go for it!