There’s nothing like reading a real book. Flipping the pages, following the words and lines with your finger, even the smell of a book. Nothing can replace these attributes. So why would I even try to convince you to switch to a piece of electronic plastic? There are many advantages to using an E-Book Reader, but these ones should be enough to get you interested.
Convenience – E-Readers are compact, slim and light. They slip into a handbag or satchel and take up next to no space. And there’s no risk of bent pages either. You can buy cases and covers to protect your E-Reader. The major E-Book retailers sell them but you can also opt for a custom or 3rd party compatible case from sites like Amazon, eBay and Etsy. If you are a sewer you can also make your own.
Battery Life – E-Readers can last for weeks on a single charge. This means that you won’t be fighting to find a spare charger every night.
Storage – you can store shelves and shelves of the largest bookson one E-Reader. If you are that person who routinely reads several books at a time, your E-Reader will keep them all under control and even keep your place on each one.
Readability – Once you are used to reading books on an E-Reader, you’ll enjoy being able to adjust the font style, size and page layout to suit. Being able to increase font size is incredibly useful if your eyes struggle to read the small print on paper books. E-Readers have a group of lights built into the screens so you can read at any time day or night. Some models allow you to adjust the ‘warmth” of the lights so you can read at night in the dark without causing eye strain. Most of them also allow you to invert text so you can read white text on a black background (my personal favourite setting). The base models have a 6 inch screen which is ample for reading comfortably, but the more expensive models have 7, 8 or even 10 inch screens.
Availability of E-Books – E-Books are often much cheaper than a traditional paper book. Why pay over $30 for a book that you might not even like, when you can purchase the same book electronically for less than half of that? E-Book websites also offer a sample chapter for free, which allows you to make an informed decision before you part with your hard earned cash. The initial cost of an E-Reader starts at around $100 which will pay for itself after only a few book purchases.
You can purchase more than just bestsellers. E-Books are a huge part of the online reading community and many independent authors publish exclusively to sites such as Amazon and Kobo. I have discovered so many awesome E-books that I could never find in a bricks and mortar bookshop. Amazon and Kobo both have subscription models where you can read unlimited books for a monthly fee. While you aren’t going to find the latest bestsellers here, the subscriptions usually provide the first one or two books in a well known series to whet your appetite. The subscriptions also have a huge range of independent gems available.
Kobo E-Readers have the ability to connect to your local lending library. Amazon Kindle readers can only access library books in the US. You can use your library card to borrow E-books and place a hold if the book has already been borrowed. If saving money is important to you, this is a very useful feature.
Where to buy - E-Readers are widely available at most department stores and electronic shops. Here are a few Australian links where I have purchased many of my E-Readers -
Kindle, now with a built-in front light - Black : Amazon.com.au: Amazon Devices & Accessories - The home of Kindle readers and books.
Kobo eReaders and Apps | Rakuten Kobo - The home of Kobo readers and books.
Buy Best eBook Readers - Kindle + Kobo Reader - JB Hi-Fi (jbhifi.com.au) - Offers readers from Kobo and Kindle often at discounted prices. JB offers a range of payment option as well.
wwwKindle eReaders and Accessories | Officeworks - Sells Kindles, often at discounted prices. Also offers a range of payment options.
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