I Think I’m Done Reading Physical Novels

My mom visited me over the weekend and she brought her iPad. I been thinking about getting an  iPad so I played with hers. One of the main reasons why I wanted an iPad is to read novels and comic, but ever since I graduated college and got a full time job back in 2014 I only finished reading one novel since.

Back in college I had all the time in the world to read and I always carried a backpack with me so it was easy to manage. I always went to places where reading was the norm like the library, a coffee shop, or my dorm room. Now that I work a 9 to 5 I no longer carry a backpack so it’s easy to forget books at home. When I do bring a book to read I usually leave it in the car with the plan to read during lunch, but I don’t like a quick 30 minute read. If I’m going to invest time to read a story then I want to know that I at least got the next hour or so to do it. During the summer time it’s hard to read because its too hot outside to sit in the car.

It is easier to carry an e-reader around than a novel. An e-reader is thinner than a novel which takes up less space. If I want to read a book as big as Stephen King’s IT then it will be a struggle to travel with it and it would be a hassle trying to make elbow room reading a book that big on a plane.

Comic books are usually well compact unless you’re reading a graphic novel. But I like to read multiple comics at a time so carrying a few comics can add up weight. It’s a lot easier to have a tablet where I can keep a bunch of comic books stored in an app. Unless you’re a comic book collector, having a bunch of comics laying around is a waste of space. I actually don’t like buying many comics just because of the space they will take up when they accumulate.

E-readers save energy. With novels you always have to have good lighting around you if you don’t want to strain your eyesight. With e-readers you have good lightening no matter the time of the day especially since most e-readers have antiglare technology if you want to read outside. 

From my time in college I’ve collected like two large containers worth of books. Although, it’s fun to look through all the books I read throughout the years it’ll still be better if I had all those books stored on an e-reader. At the end of the day my parents sold all those books thinking that I didn’t want them anymore. Thats one benefit of physical copies is that you can make some of your money back by selling books to a used bookstore. 

So, no you can’t resell e-books but you do have the benefit of reading samples of books before you buy them so you get to read books you know you’ll enjoy. For some people reading the description of the story on the back or inside flap isn’t enough to tell if they’ll like it enough. 

I currently have two physical novels that I’m reading but I struggle to finish them because I just don’t bring myself to sit still and read. Maybe it’s that I’m not really into the books, or maybe I just don’t feel like making the time for them anymore so it would be better to have them stored on an iPad and I can read a page or two whenever I feel that spark to read.