Four years ago, I got my first Kindle. And honestly? It’s the best thing I’ve ever owned in my entire life. Let me just quickly paint you my bedroom in the pre-Kindle era, the one in which I haven’t owned a Kindle, shall I?
My Pre-Kindle Room
The minute you opened the door (this doesn’t seem at all likely but for the sake of the story, let’s move on) and looked to the left, you would see dog-eared comics awkwardly piling up on top of each other.
Next to that would be my collection of the famous Harry Potter’s series. To say I’m obsessed with those magical novels would be an understatement given that I can dream-repeat certain lines in the books. Moving on.
I would be surprised if you could even make out the floor as it was occupied with Dan Brown series, Lord of the Rings, oh and Twightlight. I’ve long given up on organizing my books in any kind of coherent manner.
The Change
My room pretty much represents my love for paperback and comic books. I liked books, old-school printed ones. For me, that was the only and truly way one can appreciate the authors’ words. Also, who can resist the smell of new books in the bookstore and the way the pages touch your skin?
Man! I miss that mind-orgasm.
Books can be such a thoughtful gift as well. And once you finish with a book, you can share it with a friend or donate it to a thrift store. The power runs from new books to old ones but is never out of style.
For the longest time ever, I’ve been adamant that I would never get a Kindle, or any kind of e-reader, for that matter.
Yet, four years ago, I ordered my first Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon. I was tempted and honestly, I wanted to experience the “Kindle” other people were always talking about. Turns out it was a purchase I never regret.
After four years of using and experiencing, I have concluded the six reasons I should have bought it sooner and why you should purchase a Kindle when you get the chance.
1. Reading on Kindle is a Must-Have Experience
One of the main reasons to own a Kindle is that it’s way too awesome to be ignored. Amazon has done a terrific job with E-Ink. (In case you wonder, E-Ink is a display technology that aims to replicate the appearance of ink printed on paper.)
The delightful E-Ink screen, which can be referred to as a masterpiece of engineering, will bring you a reading experience just like that with physical books. Unlike in most computer and tablet screens, the display on the latest Kindle Paperwhite is specially designed to prevent glare, making it readable in the sun.
2. It Seems Like the Battery Never Dies
The battery life of Kindle is simply incredible. One single charge can get it running for three to four weeks (if you’re reading every day) and up to two months off-screen. So, yeah, you don’t have to worry about charging the Kindle frequently or finding a socket to charge it on when you’re out.
3. You Will Never Have to Carry Tons of Heavy Books Again
As lovely as it is to have an extensive collection of physical books, it’s a recurring nightmare to have to carry those books everywhere. The perfect size and light weight of the Kindle name it a perfect travel companion. It also helps that your entire library fits in this tiny little device.
For those of you who are learning English, the Kindle also has an in-built dictionary from the New Oxford American Dictionary and Merriam Webster to help you look up the meaning of a word instantly. All the words you look up will be automatically added to your Vocabulary Builder. Therefore, you can rid of your big-ass dictionary at home.
4. The Kindle is Perfect for Night Owls
I have a habit of reading at night when everybody else is asleep leaving me with a quiet and peaceful space. It was a bad habit because it only takes fifteen minutes on a physical book to give me an eye strain for the next couple of days.
Lucky for me, unlike phones and tablets, the Kindle is very comfortable to read in the dark as it offers a backlit screen of four tiny LEDs buried underneath its black plastic bezel. You can also adjust the brightness of the screen for your convenience.
5. Ebooks Are Generally Much Cheaper
Based on what I have observed so far, the Kindle versions of most books are considerably cheaper than their paperback and hardcover editions.
Take this Harry Potter set of the whole seven books for example.
It will cost you $79.99 for paperback and $130.25 for hardcover, but only $56.64 for the Kindle edition. You get to examine the ebooks before buying them so it pretty much represents a browsing experience like that in an actual bookstore.
Although one could argue that the price for a Kindle device is much higher than that of a normal book, you can save money in the long run and make up for its original price. Also, no shipping cost is applied here. Not to mention, there is a large collection of books available on the Internet which are entirely free of charge.
6. The Kindle Can Even Help You Socialize Better
In 2013, Amazon acquired the book-based social network, Goodreads, and slowly integrating it for the Kindle-user community. As a result, you can now see what kinds of books your friends or family are reading and even rate the books that you’ve just finished.
With Kindles, you can also lend your ebooks to other people who own an Amazon account. The ebook is loaned for a pre-determined period of time, during which you don’t have access to it, and then returned to you.
BONUS: You Can Now Read Embarrassing Books in Public!
Have you ever read embarrassing books you’d rather other people not know about, or books with embarrassing title or cover, in a train and got everyone looking at you like you’re some kind of a monster?
Now you don’t have to worry about it any longer as with Kindle, you can indulge in your guilty pleasures without anybody knowing. So, next time you’re riding a bus or a train, take our your Kindle and bravely read the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.
Which Kindle to Choose?
Like any other technology and gadgets, the Kindle isn’t perfect. But even at its most imperfect stage, its advantages still outweigh the disadvantages. So, if you’re still wondering whether you should get a Kindle or not like I was, I’d strongly recommend you go for it as Kindle is one of my most used and loved tech devices at the moment.
When you’re ready to get one, use this Kindle guide to pick the most suitable and cost-saving Kindle in Amazon.
Happy reading!