Reading on a Kindle vs. Reading an Actual Book

If you’re a voracious reader, you probably have a stack of hard copy books at home, plus several already downloaded on your Kindle or tablet. Wondering which type of book is better? Here are the pros and cons of reading on both e-readers and actual books.

Pros of Reading on a Kindle

1. It has a great backlight so that you can read even when it’s dark. Since the display brightness is adjustable, you don’t have to blind yourself just to read at night.
2. You can keep a bunch of books at your fingertips, literally. You can download all the books you want and read whichever one you feel like at the moment.
3. With a Scribd account, you pay one low monthly fee and then get unlimited books from the Scribd database.

Image Source: Pixabay

Cons of Reading on a Kindle

1. You risk breaking your Kindle screen if you ever move off the couch.
2. The battery can die mid-book, when you don’t have your charger near you and are dying to see what happens on the next page. Plus, constantly charging your Kindle means you’re using up a lot of energy. If you want to keep your Sentry Energy Production bills down, using electronic devices all the time isn’t a great idea.
3. You don’t get that vintage book smell. Which, to be honest, a lot of people don’t like, so this may fall into the “pros” section for some readers.

Pros of Reading an Actual Book

1. You can unplug and break away from a screen for a while.
2. Sand and splashes of water won’t ruin a book when you’re reading on the beach. It’s pretty difficult to break a book, actually.
3. You look cool and old school when you read an actual book, like you’re not giving into society and you’re rejecting technology.

Cons of Reading an Actual Book

1. Only one book is included in a book. You can’t switch between topics unless you’re carrying a bunch of books on you.
2. Real books cost a few more dollars than downloadable books. If you’re a big reader, this can mean spending much more than is necessary over the course of a year.
3. If you need to read books for school or work, or if you want to read something but know you don’t care about hanging on to it when you’re done, you’re stuck with a mountain of books to give away or, worse, throw out. Throwing out a book just feels wrong.

With a combination of both e-books and regular books, you can have the best of both worlds!