I thought eReaders were silly, until I started using one!

So, I've never been an avid reader, but I ran across this quote one day and it was something along the lines of: “the average CEO reads about 60 books a year”. Yeah, that’s a lot of books, but it actually motivated me to want to read more. Because when I had spare time, I was wasting it doing a lot of unproductive things like watching Netflix or scrolling through my phone. So, I made it one of my personal goals this year to read more. Long story short, it was a bit of a struggle. I bought books, left them beside my bed but for some reason I could never get into a reading routine. 

Growing up, my brother had an e-reader that he loved and would always carry around. I never got the appeal, I always thought I would rather read a physical book and if I was going to read off of a screen, I might as well use my phone or a tablet which offers way more functionality. Basically, I thought e-readers were kind of silly, and just another piece of tech that companies were trying to sell us on. But you know what? I’ll admit it, I was wrong. Ever since I started using this eReader, I’ve read more in the past few months than I have in the past THREE YEARS! It’s crazy because I always thought I was a physical book type of person. I guess I really didn’t know myself because it turns out an eReader suits my lifestyle so much more.

“Ever since I started using this eReader, I’ve read more in the past few months than I have in the past THREE YEARS!”

VS PHYSICAL BOOKS

I think the biggest difference is the convenience. As much as I love the idea of holding and reading physical books, it always felt cumbersome and slightly uncomfortable, not to mention carrying books around is no fun. I find an eReader to be so much easier to handle. They’re lighter, easier to grip and the process of flipping pages is as simple as a single tap. Because the experience is more pleasant, I just find myself reading way more often. 

A common response I get when I try to recommend a good book to a friend or family member is “Oh, I’m too busy. I don’t have time to read”. I’m not going to lie, I’ve used that response plenty of times myself. But if I’m being real, there’s so many moments throughout the day when I’m just trying to pass time or distract myself and the first thing I do is whip out my phone. Even when waiting at the doctor's office, I'll  usually grab whatever magazine they have lying around and 90% of the time it’s not even something I’m interested in. These days, when those moments come up, I’ll pull out the eReader which fits perfectly in my bag and read something I’m actually interested in. I’m also a little shy about reading in public, because I don’t really want people to know what I’m reading (since they can usually see the cover of my book). Well, an eReader is way more discreet and solves that problem.

Besides that, there are a few other benefits of an eReader that I personally appreciate. First thing, way less clutter. I own a good amount of books, and although I like owning them, they do take up a lot of space vs an eReader.

Having a built-in dictionary is another bonus. If there’s a word I don't understand, I can easily look up the definition with a few taps. If I was reading a physical book, I would probably just ignore the word and go on never truly knowing what that word means, which is kind of sad actually. 

Or maybe... you don’t like the font or size of the text in the book you're reading, well with an eReader, You can actually change it to something a little more comfortable for your eyes. 

Speaking of your eyes, reading at night and early in the morning is something I found myself doing a lot more with the eReader. This one I've been using has a front light, so I can read without needing to turn on a lamp.

BORROWING EBOOKS!

The Overdrive app allows you to borrow eBooks from your local library.

The biggest thing for me is when I discovered I could borrow eBooks from my local library through an app called Overdrive. You’re telling me I have access to millions of books that I can have in my hands almost immediately without leaving the house or spending a single dollar? Yes, please! For someone who likes to learn, that’s like discovering a gold mine. Obviously, some of the more popular books, you’ll need to place a hold on until it’s available but if you’re patient, you won’t have to spend a single dime on your eBooks. If you don’t want or just can’t afford to buy eBooks, you should definitely check out the Overdrive app. I’ve always been on the fence about spending a lot of money on books because you know, they might not be good. So being able to borrow eBooks is something I love. If I end up loving an eBook, I'll go ahead and buy a physical copy to support the author and share with friends and family.

VS TABLETS

Like a lot of people, I always thought: what's the point of an eReader if I already own a tablet that can do everything an eReader can do, plus way more? Of course, if I had to choose between the two, yeah, I would probably choose the tablet for its capabilities, but ideally, I'd want both. I really like having a dedicated eReader for reading books, it's just a better experience to me.

I don’t know about you but when I stare at a tablet screen for too long, my eyes start to hurt and I'll get headaches. Even though there’s a blue light filter and dark mode on most tablets these days, if I use it at night to read, I’ll struggle to go to sleep afterwards. Since using an eReader, I haven't had that problem, thanks to the e-ink display. I’ve been reading almost every single night for the past few months and it hasn’t messed with my sleep routine at all. I use to suffer from insomnia, so thank goodness! 

E-ink is also less reflective and more visible when outdoors. So, if you’re carrying it around with you or just like reading on  sunny days in your backyard, this works much better. 

The battery life is something else to think about. Typically, tablets will have a few days worth of battery life whereas an eReader can go for weeks if not months per charge. I also know myself and I'm a notorious procrastinator. There’s just way too many distractions and apps on my tablet that If I tried to read on it, I’ll probably end up doing something else.

CONCLUSION

If you already own an eReader, you're probably sitting there like - What took you so long?! I also know that for some, it’ll never beat the experience of holding and reading an actual book. But hey, that’s fine, do what works for you!

Now, If you’re trying to build a habit of reading more, but have fallen off or struggled to make it stick like me, you should try an eReader. Believe me, I was just as skeptical too, but honestly.. It's now one of my favorite things, period. It’s made reading so much more enjoyable and more importantly it’s helped me build a regular reading habit. Having a dedicated device just for reading, really allows me to focus more on actually reading and nothing else. Borrowing eBooks from my local library is also a game changer for me. Even if you’re not sold on the idea of an eReader, you should check out the overdrive app on your phone or tablet.

Check out the BOOX Nova 3 Color E-ink Tablet HERE (Affiliate Link - As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Honesty is key on my blog, thank you for supporting me)

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