Editor-in-Chief Leya has always been a bookworm until she ran out of time to read. However, since she got the Kindle, she has devoured a few books again.
As my older sister is as clever as a fox, she taught me how to read early on. I was not even five years old when she was already going to elementary school.
Even today, I see us both snuggled up on her bed, in front of us a book about teddy bears. Letter by letter, we struggle through until I can read all the words on my own. From then on, she regularly had me read her books aloud.
Since then, I have been addicted to books. I loved reading to my sister from them. Even today, I feel a joyful tingling in my neck when I hear the special crackling of a book when it is opened for the first time.
I read everything I could get my hands on. I especially loved rummaging through my mother’s treasure, which consisted of old legends and fairy tales. I quickly fell in love with fantasy and science fiction, devouring the entire Discworld by Terry Pratchett in one go. I must have been around 14 years old.
I read, read, read. Until I stopped.
About my reading fatigue
At some point in my twenties, the relentless reading diminished.
I bought books less frequently, and in my free time, other things took priority. Then I started studying, and there was already so much to read.
What I read during my studies was much drier and did not inspire my imagination. Still: As much as I tried, the otherwise beautiful act of opening a new book suddenly felt like a burden. I rarely managed to finish a book.
This was surely also due to the fact that I had read so much and accumulated experiences with stories that many books suddenly left me cold. Little surprised me anymore. Especially in fantasy, almost everything today seems formulaic.
When I started working at MeinMMO as a freelance author in 2017, I even read more for work. Just not books, but forums, discussions, articles about games. Since I’ve been in the editorial department, reading for work has increased even more because I now edit more, research broader, read specialist articles, and read everything across our site.
This makes me sad because I love stories and the inspiration they give me in life – including the escapism.
The digital path back to books
In my early thirties, I had almost given up reading as a hobby.
That changed with a gift. In 2020, my siblings and I gave my mother a Kindle for Christmas, which she had been eyeing for some time. Over the holidays, I had time to try out her new Kindle for myself, and lo and behold: Suddenly, I was no longer tired of reading a book for a long stretch!
During the next sale, I put a Kindle Paperwhite in my shopping cart and now own one myself.
There are different models of Kindle, some of which are cheaper than the Paperwhite. The regular price is 189.99 euros. However, the Paperwhite has a 300 ppi display without glare effects, simulating real paper and making it easier on the eyes. It also has a battery life of up to 10 weeks, and it was important to me not to have to charge it constantly.
Since then, I manage to read a book every month again.
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Why do I read more with the e-reader again? I explain it to myself that over the last 10 years, I have gotten used to digital reading because I consume almost everything digitally now.
Instead of reading a book, I would take my phone in hand at night and read various forums or articles there. With the Kindle in hand, I have a similar feeling to holding my phone. The transition from the phone to the e-reader was much easier for me than reaching directly for a book.
I also enjoy the lightness. If I want to read a tome of over 800 pages, my arm does not get heavy with the Kindle. Reading in bed at night is much more comfortable.
As a gamer, I have a penchant for gamification, so I’m also motivated by the fact that the Kindle shows at the bottom how much percentage of the book is left to read until the end. This is similar to a book where you can flip through to see progress. But the percentages hit me differently.
When I read English books, a dictionary is integrated. This prevents me from reaching for my phone to look up the translation of a word when I don’t know it. Then I get distracted again by my phone and end up scrolling through TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter.
A bonus for me is that I save a lot of space by having everything digitally. Currently, I live in a one-room apartment in Munich, where I already have to play Tetris to fit my belongings.
Why the Kindle and no other e-reader? It’s simply because I am already deeply invested in the Amazon ecosystem. I have been a Prime customer for over 10 years and have several advantages within this ecosystem, such as credits for Audible to also use audiobooks. The audiobooks can also be played directly on the Kindle.
It was easy for me to link my customer account with the Kindle.
Another e-reader was never an option for me.
Here, everyone has to research for themselves what suits their individual needs. There are, for example, e-readers that allow you to browse the internet as well. That would have been an absolute no-go for me because that risks only surfing the internet again.
Here are two alternatives to the Kindle for you that might better suit your needs:
- PocketBook: Performs well in many tests and has the so-called “Color” models that can display colors. This makes the e-readers particularly suitable for comics, which is a weakness for the Kindle.
- Tolino: Considered the biggest competitor to the Kindle and offers cheaper models than the Kindle’s regular price.
The fact that I read more again is mainly due to the e-reader itself and not the Kindle. The Kindle is simply the most convenient for me.
I have to say that I am very satisfied with the quality of the Paperwhite model. I can read on the Kindle super well without the need for additional light, without straining my eyes. However, I lack the comparison to other products.
In case of doubt, do what I did and borrow an e-reader from someone and see if it has any effect on you.
Do I sometimes miss books? Not really. I found a good solution for myself to still enjoy the magical moment of opening a book!
In recent years, I have started reading more graphic novels. They are a nightmare on the Kindle! So if you mainly read comics or mangas, I would strongly advise against the Kindle. It’s not a pleasant reading experience because the artworks are hard to see, and the speech bubbles are very difficult to read.
I really enjoy holding a coffee table book, where I can examine the artworks sharply and large.
Otherwise, I don’t want to miss my Kindle anymore and am gradually turning back into a bookworm.
Have you had similar experiences with reading? To all you bookworms out there: I would be very happy to receive some reading tips in the comments!
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