E-books are all the rage on BookTok right now. Everyone is obsessed with carrying a Kindle, customizing it, and just overall using it to its full potential.
I have a Kindle that doesn’t work and an iPad I don’t use—ok, I do use it; that’s my baby, but in this context, I don’t. I mean, I even have a phone I can use.
But something about a physical copy of a book is perfect for me.
Any bag I carry has a book in it. Whether it be my current read or a shorter one, I want to squeeze reading time into my day. I know I can easily do this with any of my devices, but feeling the weight of a book in my tote bag, causing a lean in my stance, is one thing I can’t give up.
I think it’s important to have screen-free time. So much of our day revolves around looking at screens. School and work are accessible through a few clicks of a mouse or taps of a finger. Even our free time is often spent endlessly scrolling the depths of social media.
It’s refreshing to have an activity that doesn’t require another screen. No notifications, no temptation to check another app, and no accidental hour lost to scrolling.
Just me, a book, and however much time I can manage to give in my day.
I know a Kindle can offer the same experience. I get that they are quite convenient to own, so I’m not here to convince anyone to abandon theirs. I completely get the appeal; I’m not going to lie to you, a new Kindle is on my Christmas wish list. Â
But I don’t think convenience should always win.
I like seeing how far I’ve gotten in the book, watching my bookmark move further along with every reading session. I like flipping back to find a passage I remember reading, finding the small foreshadowing details finally aligning in the way I guessed. I like lending books to friends, collecting them on my shelves (or, at this point, floors), and occasionally buying another one when I have a mile-long, or five-mile-long, TBR list.
And best of all, the smell of fresh pages. Nothing beats the scent of a new book’s pages. Never fails, I have to fan them in my face when they are finally mine.
Maybe it’s a little impractical. Maybe my tote bag doesn’t need the extra weight; I know my back would probably love that. But I think there’s something nice about choosing the slightly less convenient option simply because you enjoy it more.
So, while I’ll continue to admire everyone’s customized Kindles on BookTok (and maybe I’ll eventually have my own), I’ll stick to carrying around my increasingly heavy collection of hardbacks for now.