During the pandemic, I had a lot of free time. Once I had finished high school and the usual vices for boredom had gotten old, I felt like I needed something new to stay busy or at least somewhat productive. That’s when I turned to books.
High school had practically killed any time or desire to read just for pleasure. When I was younger, I would essentially read a shelf full of books every year; but, when school started to get more demanding and smartphones and other technology took up more of my attention, reading became assignment-based. However, with lots of time to spare, I decided to rekindle my love of reading.
For a few months during the pandemic, I would go buy used books from a local bookshop. Then, in December of 2020, I decided to get a Kindle Paperwhite. The following is 5 reasons why you should and should not purchase a Kindle.
Should:
1. Buying physical books impacts the environment
Every time a new book is printed, paper has to be made. When you add up all of the millions of books that have been printed, it’s a lot of paper. It’s estimated one tree produces enough paper for around 62 new books. One tree equalling 62 books sounds good, however the 626,000 tons of paper used to produce books every year, in the United States alone, makes this a terrifying statistic. Although a good portion of the paper is recycled, this is still requiring lots of trees to be cut down each year to sustain the demand for new, printed books.
On top of the paper required, the amount of clean water necessary to process this paper is staggering. The book, Your Water Footprint, claims that to print its 150 pages, 1,000 litres (260 gallons) of water were used. Over a lifetime of purchasing new books, this is a lot of water that could have gone towards other uses.
Finally, if you purchase your book online, the shipping method and packaging could also be harmful to the environment. Recently, I have noticed that companies like Amazon have tried to reduce the amount of plastic used in their packaging for items, which is a step in the right direction. But, the greenhouse gas emissions created from the trucks, planes, and boats shipping the book to your doorstep are still detrimental to the environment.
2. Using a Kindle removes friction in picking a new book
You’ve just finished a great book, and setting down the novel, you wonder what you might read next. A book someone recommended comes to mind after a couple of minutes of reflection, and you research what the book is about. You finally decide to buy the book, but only to have to wait until you can make it to the book store, or the fateful 3-5 business days of shipping that always feels more like 3-5 business months. The book finally arrives, but rather than diving right in, you set it down on “the pile” because the original zeal is lost.
Instead, with a Kindle, the waiting period after making the decision to buy a new book completely disappears. Rather than waiting for a physical copy of your next book to make its way to your home, you have the text in your hands in a matter of seconds (depending on your wifi speed). You can jump right in and immerse yourself in the world of the author.
3. Portability
Have you ever attempted to travel with a backpack full of books to satiate your reading habit? It is heavy work and quickly becomes uncomfortable. On top of all the other things you need to carry, you also need to add several pounds of paper that you can’t live without. A Kindle’s slim and lightweight size makes it ideal for mobile people. With the Kindle’s digital library, you can carry an entire bookcase worth of reading material in a package that is smaller than sandwich.
4. Delight of use
Buying any new gadget, such as a Kindle, will make you want to use it more often just because it is new. It’s something new to figure out and to enjoy the wonders of learning all of its secrets. In doing so with a Kindle, it will lure you into reading more. The delight in using this new device can help fast track your new desire to read into a consistent habit for years to come.
5. Better experience than reading on your phone, tablet, or computer
How often do you read articles, books, or magazines on your phone? I do it quite often while riding on public transport. The problem is that when you’re trying to destress and wind down at night before going to sleep, you don’t want to have blue light affecting your sleep. Essentially, the blue light from your device’s screen is similar to blue light from the sun, which sends signals in your brain to wake up like it’s the morning. If you put away the phone to eliminate blue light, you can continue reading, even in the dark, with the Kindle’s backlight. While not perfect, it can reduce the intensity and effects of blue light on your sleep.
At this point, I would be thinking that I Kindle is a valuable investment into my reading goals. However, there are some drawbacks for why you might not want to buy a Kindle.
Shouldn’t:
1. Lack of individuality
When you pick up a book, what’s the first thing you notice? It might be the attractive artwork that wraps around the book or it could be how the book smells of that certain aroma that sends you back years. It could be how the rough edges of the pages and the smooth binding feel against your palm as you flip the book over in your hands or the way the spine creaks as you slowly open the cover. All of these little details which make your copy of the book feel unique give the tangible hook for memories to be made and relived.
A Kindle’s exterior is always the same. No matter what book you are reading, it is the same plastic-wrapped feeling. The physical feeling you get while reading one book is the same as the next is the same as the next and so on. There’s no individuality in your other senses while reading different books, something that trigger memories. This brings me to:
2. Lack of Sentimentality
Because of the tangibility of holding a specific copy of a book in our hands, we’re able to attach more emotions to it. Each time we pick up that book, the flood of memories and emotions we’ve felt washes over us. Remembering where we got that book, how it got that weird-looking stain on the back cover, or what the markings in the margins were for. It’s often like time travel into another part of your mind.
Like its lack of individuality, the Kindle also lacks sentimentality since it’s always the same. Was that mark on the case from when I was reading this book or that book? I can’t remember.
3. Requires internet and battery
This one goes without saying too much. Obviously, books don’t require an internet connection or to be recharged at any time. Kindles unfortunately do. Even though books are downloaded on to the Kindle and can be read offline, you still need a Wifi connection when you want to read a new one. Typically, the battery can last for a month of reading regularly, but every once in a while, your Kindle will be tethered to a charger for a few hours. While not a big problem for most, if you are spending a lot of time outdoors or in areas with limited connection or unreliable electricity, you might run out of things to read or power.
4. Connected directly to Amazon or some other large online retail company
Whether you have a Kindle, Nook, Kobo, or some other e-reader, you’ll be buying books from some large online retail company. It might not be important to you and it could be a lot easier than buying local (See “Should” Point 2), but small businesses struggled during the Covid-19 pandemic. By buying from local bookstores, you can help support the businesses that have had the hardest time in the past year.
5. Lack of some niche books
While not applicable to everyone, trying to find a very niche book or one that wasn’t published widely on Kindle might be difficult. If there’s a local author that’s not very well-known, it’s unlikely their book will have a Kindle version. It’s unfortunate not being able to get it on Kindle, but you’ll also be able to directly support smaller authors rather than going through a massive company like Amazon.
My Thoughts:
In short, I like both physical books and reading on the Kindle. The aesthetic and feeling of a physical book is great, but I’m often on the move going back and forth to the university and other places. In those times, it’s much more conducive to bring a light Kindle in my backpack.
I got my Kindle Paperwhite while I was in the process of reinvigorating a lost of habit of reading for pleasure. I think that having a Kindle definitely accelerated the revival of my habit. So far I’ve read books like Persuasion, The Hobbit, and North entirely on Kindle.
I still enjoy going to local bookstores and looking around for books I might like, and sometimes I take one or two home with me.
Final Verdict:
It depends on what you want.
If you enjoy reading, then a Kindle may elevate how often you read to the next level.
If you don’t read very much, but would like to read more, then a Kindle might be the right choice to help you start reading.
And if you don’t like reading at all, then a Kindle would be a waste of money if you never use it.