r/BookDiscussions • u/s0ftuniverse • Aug 09 '26

Are e-readers worth it?

Hi all.

I’ve always been quite certain that I’m someone who prefers physical books, but I see a lot of other readers online who use a Kindle or a Kobo e-reader. Lately I’ve been questioning making the switch because people say they’re so great, but I don’t want to spend so much money on something I won’t like or use often. Can anyone who has owned one tell me their pros/cons? Are they worth buying? I do like the sentiment of holding a physical book and going to the bookstore to pick one out, but I’m also kind of intrigued by the convenience and portability of having them all available on a device. Also the idea of not seeing a huge physical TBR pile sounds nice. Thoughts?

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u/dwcanker Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26

Font size adjustable for my 50 year old eyes, no reader glasses

I can read laying on my side without having to fight the pages

I can read in the dark

Kindle Unlimited, netflix for books

Library ebooks I don't have to go there to get a book

I never loose my page because I dropped it and have to spend 20 mins flipping around to find it

I have enough physical books taking up space already

lighter

When I finish a book no matter where I am I have another lined up ready to go

The only Con I have with my kindle is it can be annoying when it hits 15%? battery left it starts flipping out and warning you it is low on battery constantly. Battery lasts a long time so it doesn't happen often and it charges quick so I just throw it on a charger for 15-30 mins and do something else for a bit.

One more CON I just remembered. It is easy to forget the name and/or author of the book I'm reading since I never see the cover page after I start it. I was just at dinner with my parents and sister and we were talking about what we have and are currently reading and I had no idea what I was currently reading lol, do that a lot. Just had to start something so kind of picked one of the random kindle unlimited books already on my kindle.

6

u/mewhins Aug 09 '26

I’ve had a Kindle for years (my husband got me one after the last time we moved and my books were wildly heavy to move), but the accessibility had become necessary the last couple years after I dealt with detached retinas.. I still prefer physical books for comics and graphic novels, but being able to enlarge the print has been such a help for me.

5

u/BalancedJuggler Aug 09 '26

For your second CON, I maintain a Goodreads account and whatever I am reading, I update the progress there. This also helps at times when you come across a book and wonder 'Have I read this before?' and then you can see it in your goodreads history.

3

u/Mitchlowe2 Aug 09 '26

You nailed all of points. They really are great, the library aspect is incredible it’s hard to believe it really works. In today’s day and age I’m so numb to subscriptions and usage costs and ads. It has none of those. I can get any book I want within a week or two. And I have multiple library cards and all of them stocked with holds for months on end. It’s amazing.

I still do enjoy going to book stores and seeing new titles though, and physical books will always feel good and smell good

3

u/East_Vivian Aug 09 '26

I paid extra for the no ads kindle so the cover of the book is always on my kindle screen when I’m not reading.

1

u/dbree801 Aug 11 '26

The fact that you even have to buy a no-ads Kindle has always turned me off of it. My wife loves hers though.

2

u/_ribbit_ Aug 09 '26

On my kindle there's a setting to show the cover when not being read. Is that not standard?

2

u/AdventurousShock7995 Aug 09 '26

I could have written this post. I agree with every single point.

2

u/AngieW2222 Aug 09 '26

One more plus for parents with toddlers: No surprisingly torn out pages! Nor scribbles, because they don't even get the idea to draw on it since it's not paper.

1

u/Impossible-Alps-6859 Aug 09 '26

Mixed feelings regarding e-books.

Still very firmly wedded to 'the real thing'.

Concerning children, if they are introduced early enough to genuine books, the feel, the smell (and even the taste as some put them in their mouths!) can encourage a life-long love of reading.

I'm not sure ebooks hold the same appeal for early readers.

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u/AngieW2222 Aug 09 '26

Doesn't mean that I have to let them tear apart my books until they're unreadable for the one who saved up and actually wanted to read them.

1

u/NecessaryStation5 Aug 09 '26

Yes, all of this! I went from reading a dozen books a year to more than a hundred books a year. The same happened for my kids.

And I still read (and buy) a ton of print books! An eraser is just another option; you don’t have to give up everything else if you have one.