All the Reasons I Will Never Break Up With My Kindle — Here’s Why (It’s on Sale!)

published Nov 19, 2022
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Young student using e-book and bookshelf on background

As a teenager, I would take a stack of a dozen books out from the library and spend hours browsing Barnes & Noble for the latest YA releases. I read every spare moment I could, after school and soccer practice. Although that isn’t entirely true anymore (being a working adult is tiring), I do still read at least a few pages of a book every day. I still do, when it comes to reading, bite off more than I can chew. My TBR (To Be Read) pile is always much higher than it should be. Unfortunately for my reading appetite, my apartment is not big enough to accommodate my love of fiction and non-fiction.

I have space for one book shelf, which can hold approximately 70-80 books. The shelves are literally bending under the weight. And as someone who just moved in the summer, I can tell you that hauling boxes of books from one apartment to another is a back-breaking labor of love. I will never ever part with physical book completely — I am just particular about what makes it onto my book shelf. My criteria is that I have to be 80 percent certain that I will reread it again. But many of the books I want to read, don’t fit these qualifications. So when that is the case, I turn to my Kindle Paperwhite.

After evaluating my e-reader options two years ago, I determined that the Paperwhite would be the best for me (and my eyes). I bought it during Amazon’s Black Friday Sale, ironically. Amazon has already begun rolling out deals this year, so the Kindle Paperwhite is currently $45 off.

Despite the profession I chose, I do not read very well on screens, so I knew that I didn’t want a tablet with a computer- or phone-like screen. I stare at screens for at least 10-15 hours a day; I did not need to add another harsh one to my rotation. The Paperwhite’s screen looks like paper, so it’s much easier on my (probably) strained eyes. The pages flip easy, the Kindle is remarkably lightweight, and the store is easy to navigate to buy more books. It feels like a book, but without the weight and heft of a book. It’ll also survive an accidental plunge into the bathtub, according to Amazon (though I have not tested this, luckily). A charge will last for weeks — I usually leave my Kindle on airplane mode after downloading new books, and it reaches a full charge within a few hours maximum.

Credit: Alicia Kort.

I’ve bought over 100 books on my Kindle, which has saved me so much space in my apartment. I’ve read books on planes, trains, subways, in my home, on beaches, and in all kinds of lighting. I haven’t ever said “Wow, my eyes are getting tired. I need to put this down.” I’ve never experienced eye-strain with this Kindle, even when I’ve read on a flight for four hours straight, and it has a glare-free design to make reading outside in the park —one of my favorite fair-weather activities — easy. It’s the perfect travel companion. My dad used to get annoyed with me for stuffing my suitcase with 10 books, and now I save my (and his back) some pain by traveling with my Kindle.

As someone who never thought she’d love an e-reader, I do swear by this. I chose to buy it with the fabric case (which now costs $110.97, though it’s usually $189.97). I honestly do not use Kindle Unlimited, because I’ve never been interested in the books that they offer. This is a bookworm-approved gift, and I think the best time to snag it is when it’s on sale. Although, after two years with this Paperwhite, I think it’s definitely worth the money either way.