Ebook Readers Vs ‘Real’ Books: Kindle Voyage Review

There seems to be a constant war brewing between bibliophiles. This is because some prefer printed books over electronic books, while others like the convenience of an eBook reader.

Audiobook lovers are criticized that listening to audiobooks isn’t actually reading. eBook lovers are said to love the art of reading less. Printed book lovers are called Luddites. I say whatever mode of reading you use is your choice. There is no need to put down others.

I was one of those people who refused to buy into the Kindle hype, saying I already spend too much time in front of electronic screens. Once I heard from a friend that it is great, I had to try one out.

After 8 months of usage, I wanted to share my experience with my Kindle Voyage 3G.

Pros:

1. It never strained my eyes. During weekends, I read for 12-16 hours straight with short breaks in between. I had no sign of eye strain that comes with seeing an electronic device for a prolonged duration.
2. The syncing between my Kindle device and my Kindle Android app is charming. I don’t have to carry my Kindle to work every day because I can read from my phone on the commute and continue where I stopped from the device when I’m home.
3. It holds a lot of books, so I don’t have to carry a bundle of books whenever I travel. With my Kindle in my bag, I’m never in dearth of choice.
4. It’s light-weight and easy to hold it in one hand, so reading while eating is a breeze.
5. It makes night-time reading extremely comfortable. I don’t need to turn on the light for reading it, which means I can just curl up with my Kindle and close it the moment I feel sleepy. No need to get up to switch off the light.
6. Rain + Book + Coffee/Tea is my favourite combo. Reading a paperback near a window sill when it’s raining can be tricky. If I used a Kindle instead, I could slip it into a zip-lock cover and read without breaking a sweat.
7. I can highlight passages and look up all highlights in a single location.
8. It has a built-in dictionary. Just tap on a word and it pops up the meaning. Also, all the looked up words are noted and there is an option of testing your memory through flashcards.
9. A lot of Classics eBooks are available for free on Amazon.

Cons:

1. I can’t share my Kindle books with friends because they don’t have a Kindle.
2. The books don’t take physical space, so I keep forgetting how much I bought and what all I have left to read. Because there are a lot of free eBooks, I tend to download a lot and forget about them.
3. My wish to have a huge bookshelf and show off my personal library will not be fulfilled.

Note that I used to think that Kindle doesn’t have the same feeling of holding a printed book. I took about a week to get used to it and after that, I’m finding paperbacks hard to hold.

If you are a Classics lover, an electronic reading device is apt for you. You could download the books from Project Gutenberg, use a software like Calibre to convert the format and read it on your eBook reader. The cost of purchasing books will be drastically reduced.

What is your preferred choice? Printed books or eBook Reader. Comment below!