Kindle vs Paperbacks

Hello besties!

Missed me? I missed you!

Quote of the day: ACOTAR – "Only you decide what breaks you."

No matter what happens in life you are the person who decides what truly breaks you

This week is book week, our favourite week if I do say so myself!

Let us talk a bit about paper books vs Kindle, personally I am a paper book reader, but my

best friend is a kindle reader.

I have tried both—I really have—but I keep coming back to paper books. Let me explain

why.

So first, let us talk about Kindles.

I totally get the appeal. They are ridiculously convenient. You can carry an entire library

around in something thinner than a notebook, which is kind of wild when you think about it.

Going on holiday? No need to choose which three books to squeeze into your bag—you just

take them all. Plus, buying a new book is instant. No waiting, no shipping, no wandering

around a shop trying to remember the title of that one book you saw on TikTok three weeks

ago.

And the practical stuff? Also, great. You can change the font size (amazing if your eyes are

tired), read in the dark without a lamp, and some models are even waterproof, which feels

slightly unnecessary but also kind of impressive. There is also usually a price advantage,

EBooks tend to be cheaper than paperbacks, which definitely adds up if you read a lot.

But… and this is a big but… something about it just feels a bit… flat.

Like, when I read on a Kindle, I am reading the words, sure but I am not really experiencing

the book in the same way. It is almost like scrolling through social media, even though I

know it is not the same thing. My brain just does not switch into that deep, immersive mode

as easily.

Now, paperbacks? Completely different story.

There is something about holding a physical book that just hits differently. The weight of it,

the texture of the pages, even that slightly weird but comforting smell of paper—it all adds to

the experience. It makes reading feel intentional, like you have chosen to step away from

everything else for a bit.

And I love the visual aspect too. Seeing how far you have read, physically feeling the pages

shift from right to left, it gives you a sense of progress that a percentage on a screen just does

not match. Like, when you are halfway through a thick book, you feel it. There is something

really satisfying about that.

Also, I do not know if this is just me, but I remember stories better when I read them in

paperback. It is like my brain attaches memories to the physical object, the cover, where I

was sitting, how the pages looked. With a Kindle, everything kind of blends together.

But okay, paperbacks are not perfect either.

They are bulky. If you are commuting or travelling, they can be a bit of a pain to carry

around, especially hardbacks, which are basically bricks. And if you are someone who reads

multiple books at once (which I occasionally do, even though it is chaotic), juggling them

physically is not ideal.

They are also more fragile than people think. Bent covers, creased pages, accidental coffee

spills… once it is damaged, that’s kind of it. And do not even get me started on losing your

place when a bookmark falls out, it is a small tragedy every time.

So yeah, both have their pros and cons. Kindles are convenient, efficient, and modern.

Paperbacks are tactile, nostalgic, and just a bit more… human, I guess?

And that is really what it comes down to for me.

I prefer paper books because they make reading feel like an experience rather than just

another thing I am doing on a screen. In a world where we are constantly looking at phones,

laptops, and TVs, picking up a physical book feels like a break—not just mentally, but

physically too.

It slows things down. It gives you space to actually sit with a story instead of rushing through

it.

Do not get me wrong, I am not anti-Kindle. I think they are great for certain situations, and I

can absolutely see why people love them. But if I had to choose? If you told me I could only

read one format for the rest of my life?

I would pick paperbacks every time.

There is just something about turning that final page and closing a real book that no screen

has ever managed to replace.

I will read both, but I prefer paper all day. What is your preferred reading method?

Love,

Your autistic bestie

Book of the week: House of Earth and Blood