In the past years, the digital world has given birth to the digital books and, with it, a big debate has emerged in the reader world. Are digital books better than physical books? Everyone has their own opinion, and of course it all depends on your preferences, but I thought I would chime in and give my opinion on the subject.
First of all, let's talk digital. Probably the one thing that I like most about this format is that it's very convenient since you can easily bring it everywhere with you to read anytime. You simply need your phone or your kindle device and you're ready to read anywhere. Also, since all the books are in your device of choice, they don't take up any room in your house! No need to buy a million bookshelves to put your books in. It's also way easier to take with you to travel. No need to find space in your bag for your book or worry that you'll need more than one book in case you finish the first one. Another good point for digital books is that they cost less to buy. The biggest investment you'll need to make is buy a device to read them on if you don't already own a cellphone.
On the other side, the one thing I love to do is curl up on the couch with a blanket and a cup of a hot drink and read a good book. Sadly, it's not the same experience curling up with an electronic device in your hands instead of a physical book. On top of that, it's bad for your sleep to stare at a screen right before bed, so no reading in your bed before going to sleep. We also can't ignore the more obvious downside to digital books. The device you're reading them on has a battery life. If you forget to charge it before leaving, you risk running out of battery in the middle of reading your book! You could argue that you can bring the charger with you, but then you would need to find somewhere to charge it, which is not always easy, and then you'd be stuck at that spot until your device finishes charging.
Now let's talk physical books. The obvious plus side of physical books is the smell. I have yet to meet an avid reader that doesn't like smelling his books. If I could find that smell in a candle, I would buy it instantly. I'm also a big fan of the look bookshelves give to a room. I've always dreamed of having a wall full of bookshelves filled with books. I always imagined I'd have a library in my home. It's one of the best things to be able to look at a wall and see all your books and choose one to read. The covers are just so beautiful! If you're the kind of person that likes to highlight your favorite parts and jot down your thoughts, it's definitely easier to do this with a physical copy.
On the downside, books do take a lot of space. It's not everybody that has room in their home to store a thousand books. It also makes it harder to bring them everywhere since you'd need a purse or a bag big enough to fit the book. There are some big books out there! It also takes up some room in your luggage when you go on vacation, which means you can bring less stuff with you or leave with less souvenirs. Also, physical books are sadly quite fragile. Those pages filled with wonderful stories are easily rippable.
With all of that said, I do have to say, I am a reader that prefers a physical book. I used to refuse to buy digital books because I prefered holding a book in my hand. Now, I see the appeal of a digital book, and I do own a lot of them. But, if I'm a big fan of a series I will buy the physical copies and I will always prefer reading a physical book than a digital one. The experience is just so much better.
Now tell me which one you prefer: physical or digital books? I would like to hear your opinion.
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