This review/article will look at the advantages and disadvantages of owning a Kindle vs buying/using paperbacks in an easy to read, dot point format. Strap on in, grab a snack..this will probably be a long one.

*Please note this is biased by my own opinions and I’m aware not everyone has the financial availability to afford a Kindle

Stay tuned for a funny cartoon at the end.

What is a paperback book?

A paperback is a type of book characterised by a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover or hardback books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth.

Basically, it’s an average, everyday book…

Advantages of Paperbacks

• Easily obtained through bookstores, libraries or other means,
• Recyclable
• Can be given to charities or second-hand shops when you’re ready to part ways
• The covers are usually super pretty
• The feeling of actually holding a solid form in your hands
• Being able to identify just how long in the book you have left with a glance (Only 100 pages left? Better slow down because I don’t want this to end)

Disadvantages/Negatives of Paperbacks

• Hello, the environment?
• Bookstores make them hella expensive
• Libraries won’t always have what you want
• Buying furniture to store them
• Carrying them everywhere (my arms hurt thinking about it..)
• Losing your place when your bookmark fails you
• You’re unable to adjust light, font, text size etc

What’s a Kindle?

The Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy, download, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines and other digital media via wireless networking to the Kindle Store.

So all those big words simplify to it’s like an iPad, but for reading.

Advantages of a Kindle

• Simple, lightweight piece of technology
• Easily stores hundreds of books
• Adjustable settings concerning lighting, font, text size etc
• Stand alone novels or short stories can be purchased by themselves
• (Usually) e-books are cheaper than ordering the paperback version (I have 99 problems and postage is 80% of them)
• You can categorise books in whichever way you want – alphabetically, newest to oldest, not completed/completed
• When you click on a book you fancy, Kindle will automatically search reviews, ratings and similar books
• Privacy – ain’t no one looking at the cover and judging me
• Built in dictionary, synonym searcher and thesaurus
• You can highlight passages and make notes on different words used by an author
• ‘Go To’ function allows you to find the beginning, epilogue or page you desire quickly
• ‘X-Ray’ function allows you to focus on a paragraph, character or quote and then search notable clips, relating people, terms used and images
• Tells you what page your on, how long the chapter will take you to finish, how long the book will take you to finish and the percentage of the book you have read
• Words highlighted can be sent to your ‘Vocabulary Builder’ to further enhance your experience
• Translates every book to different languages for the readers enjoyment
• There is a savings strategy available called ‘Kindle Unlimited) where for $13.99/month you can read hundreds of thousands of books that would normally cost you $4-$10 each
• Most importantly (for me), protects the environment by using bio-safe materials

Disadvantages/Negatives of a Kindle

• WiFi/Internet connection is required to download and search for books
• Can run out of batteries (although one charge means my Kindle lasts two weeks even if I’m constantly on it)
• Not every book is available in e-book format
• Grammar mistakes and spelling errors from first time authors are prevalent, but not to great extremes
• The actual Kindle (depending on the type you want) can be expensive

Overall

I honestly enjoy my Kindle better. Before I obtained it, I was running around different libraries trying to find the novels I wanted and then I kept forgetting to return them in the week (my librarians love when they see me because then they can stop texting me to bring them in). I read fast, but when you take into account school, work and sport, my time for reading is limited to on the bus to and from school and before I sleep. My Kindle (the Paperwhite) is light, easy to use and the perfect size to fit in my handbag. I can easily monitor where I am in a book and take notes so that I can write reviews for you guys later on. I still use paperback books (I’m not a monster), but I find myself reaching for my Kindle more often due to the price difference and availability of books.

In all honesty, I think it’s just important that we encourage teenagers and adults alike to continue reading – the format doesn’t really matter.

Tell me what you think in the comment section!

-E