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Paper vs Screen: The Best Way to Enjoy Your Favourite Read

Date : 15 April 2024

Are you struggling to decide whether to buy a physical book or an e-book? This is a common dilemma faced by many book lovers. You may be browsing through a thrift store, a bookstore, or an online marketplace, and wondering whether you really need another book in your collection. Perhaps you already have a large collection of physical books, or you prefer the convenience of digital books. Whatever your situation, it's important to weigh the pros and cons of each option before making a decision. With some careful consideration, you can choose the option that best fits your needs and preferences.

The Great Divide 

Maybe the Great Divide is a bit dramatic but, as Rebecca Lee stated in her 2018 article Pros & Cons of Physical and Digital Books since the introduction of e-book readers, a lot of people have stopped purchasing physical books. We take a look at some of the pros and cons she has listed for each.

Physical Books 

Pros

That book smell – very few things are as comforting or nostalgic as the smell of a new book or even the dusty pages of an old favourite.

Progressing page by page – it’s almost encouraging to slide your bookmark into the last few pages you’ve read and see how far you’ve got in reading your book.

Battery life doesn’t matter – a physical book is “always on”, ready for you to devour the next few pages without having to make sure that it’s charged.

A physical library – there are so many of us who dream of a cosy reading nook with rows upon rows of books stacked on our bookshelves to show to anyone who enters our home.

Cons

Physical Books are bulky – not all physical books carry the convenience of being travel-friendly. Some are quite thick or large, making it hard to take them with you wherever you go.

Easily damaged – I’m sure it’s happened to most of us, at least once in our lives, where a poorly fitted water bottle or pen cap has led to leaking in your bag and all over your precious book pages.

Expensive – whether we like to admit it or not, physical books are a lot more expensive, for the obvious reasons that the cost of printing, binding and shipping are all added to your final product.

Not loadshedding friendly – if you’re without any light at night, you definitely won’t be able to read your book to pass over the 2 hours, or more, of loadshedding.

 

E-Book Readers 

Pros

Affordable – the total cost of an e-book reader, an e-book subscription and purchasing e-books costs a fraction of what you would’ve paid for such an extensive library of physical books.

Space saver – you can still enjoy all your favourite books without needing a lot of shelf space like you would with physical books.

Portable and light – most e-book readers are the size and weight of a small tablet, which means you can pop it into your bag and take your latest read with you wherever you go.

Hands-free – well, almost. While you’ll still need a hand to scroll through your pages, you can still enjoy a snack while reading, because you won’t need both hands all the time and you don’t run the risk of damaging your pages if a few crumbs fall on to your screen.

People can’t tell what you’re reading – a bit embarrassed that you’ve been enjoying some of your teen’s fiction? No one will know that you’re lost in the world of Percy Jackson when you’re reading it on an e-reader.

Convenient to buy more books – now, you don’t have to make the trip to a book store and paying for your books is as easy as making a digital payment.

Cons

You might miss a physical book – whether it’s flipping the pages, smelling them or just being able to see how far you’ve gotten in your book.

Eye strain – staring at a screen for long periods can be straining on the eyes and can sometimes lead to sore eyes and even headaches.

Runs out of battery – unlike a physical book, an e-reader can switch off and, to keep you enthralled on every page, needs to be charged.

Conclusion 

Whether you prefer a physical book or an e-reader, the point is that you are still broadening your mind and imagination through reading. And, while we would never tell you to choose one over the other, we would like to the that Eveready would be able to enhance your reading journey, no matter which reading medium you prefer, with our LED lightbulbs and charger cables.