Day 19: My Favorite “Book”

Ok, so it isn’t really a book, but instead an e-reader. This thing has a lot of miles on it. The one I use is an Amazon Kindle Oasis. I have had it for almost four years now. I have a Paperwhite as well, that I kept in a bag for when I got stuck places. It is a smaller size and easy to put in a pocket.

I like the Oasis because it fits in your hand right and gives you the ability to use buttons to advance pages. The orientation changes depending on what side you want the buttons on. Also there is a light sensor that adjusts the screen brightness based on ambient lighting conditions. Lots of great options for the avid user. One thing I can’t figure out is why Amazon still uses a micro-USB charger port. When I travel it is one more cord to bring along (although if I take Aftershokz headphones, it also requires micro-USB).

What’s nice about a Kindle is that you can carry a large volume of books, download books immediately, you can read at night without needing lights on, and it takes up almost no space. I find if I have my Kindle with me, I am more likely to read during downtime. It has also become a nightly ritual for me to read a chapter or two before falling asleep.

I find myself reading far more now than I did before. I have read through several series of books, something I didn’t used to do much.

With a Kindle, you also have access to Goodreads, an app that keeps track of what you have read and gives you statistics. You can know how many pages you have read this month, or week. Also the same with how many books you have read in a month or year. It is a type of social media app, so there is a chance for followers and following people, making reading a social event as well. (Don’t worry, you can hide books you are reading too. Not everyone will know you read 50 Shades of Grey).

Now a downside of the Kindle is that as a naturalist, field guides just don’t work well on an e-reader. Either apps with algorithms or good old fashioned paper books are still the best field guides for identifying plants and animals.

What do you think of e-readers? Do you still like the smell and feeling of paperbacks?