Before I received an e-book reader as a gift, I was completely against them. I was among those paper book fundamentalists that considered e-books almost as a heresy, and reading them almost a mortal sin.
Gradually, reluctantly, I began to use my e-book reader, and to my surprise, I got used to it. It clearly has a lot of advantages over paper books, so I decided to take advantage of both worlds. Before, I read paper books only. Now, I would say that I dedicate 50% to e-book reading, and this percentage may increase in the future.
Below you will find the reasons that made me change my mind about e-book readers:
1. Portability
My e-book reader is small and light. It fits easily in my handbag, so I take it with me everywhere I go.
2. Capacity
In the past, I had to take three or four books with me every time I went on holidays, just in case I found one of them boring, or I read more quickly than expected. Now, I can take more than 200 books without needing extra luggage.
3. Foreign language learning
Before, I was reluctant to read in languages other than my own. I had to stop reading and stand up to search the dictionary for a word I did not understand. Now, I just click the word and a window from the integrated dictionary pops up, displaying the definition of the word.
4. Better reading
One of the steps reading experts advise for better reading is to underline and take notes. This is very easily done in an e-book. At the end, you can export your notes and you will have a personalized resume of the books you read.
5. Reading and eating
Have you had the annoying experience of not being able to read and eat at the same time? I did, but not anymore; the e-book will remain ‘open’ on the page you are reading as long as you wish.
6. Avoiding annoyances
Do you frequently lose the last page you were reading? This often happened to me in the past, but again, not anymore; the e-book reader saves your place and keeps it in memory for you.
7. Free books
There are thousands of free e-books on the Internet. You can save a lot of money and time using an e-book reader; there is no longer any need to go to the book store or the library anymore.
8. Discretion
Are you reading a steamy book like Sade’s novels or the Fifty Shades of Grey series? This is no problem–you can read these kinds of books in public, and only you will know it.
9. Gain of space
Forget having tons of paper books. Your library will only take up megabytes on your computer. There are actually some free programs that help you organize your books like a pro. You will never lose a book again.
10. Avoid traveling
You do not have to go to the library to get e-books. In fact, a lot of libraries have integrated e-books in their systems so that you can borrow them online. You do not have to return them either. Once the book is due, you will lose your “license” so that somebody else can read the e-book.
Keep in mind that you can also use your tablet to read, or even your computer. There are a lot of free programs out there for reading e-books.
A final piece of advice: EPUB is the best ebook format. It is lighter than pdf, and it allows you to turn the pages very quickly. I recommend giving it preference over other formats.
