As someone who grew up loving books, and as a writer who hopes to one day see one of her novels published, I’ve admittedly never been a fan of devices like the Kindle. I love the feeling of holding a traditional book in my hands and turning the pages. That being said, I recognize the growing popularity of these devices, and wanted to get a better understanding of them, their draw, and their potential benefits. In order to do this, I interviewed a friend of mine who is an avid reader like myself.
R.B. owns a small library’s worth of books, but also owns and reads from a Kindle, too. These were her responses to my questions!
1. Why (for what reasons) did you buy a kindle and/or request one as a present?
I neither bought a Kindle nor requested one as a present. I got my kindle my freshman year of college in an auction through our dorm. In the dorm I was in (Kohl Hall) we earned what was called Kohl cash. Throughout the semester we collected the cash and at the end they auctioned off different items. After first semester the Kindle was one of the items up for auction. I had the most Kohl cash and therefore got the Kindle. Winning the kindle though was so exciting for me as I am a complete book nerd!
If I were to ever buy a new one or request it as a present the reasons would be that I have had one so long and enjoy it. It is a great way to have many books with you at one time without having to feel the pain in ones back or shoulders. If the one I currently have were to break, I would probably buy a new one because I definitely like my actual kindle over using the kindle app on my devices. I love traditional books and my kindle both!
2. What do you feel are the benefits of having a kindle compared to a traditional book?
What would you say are the drawbacks, if any?
The benefits of having a kindle compared to traditional books are: 1) Space, when I am packing for a trip I can put a bunch of books on my kindle and it is one thing I have to take compared to bringing along all of the books I potentially want to read while gone. 2) It was nice to have in school because I not only have an actual kindle but I have the apps on my other devices and I can access books I might need through a different means. 3) My kindle is small and lightweight which is a lot easier to carry around than several books which is what I did before. 4) Sometimes there is a book I want to read but there is not an actual copy I can get rather just a kindle version so I can easily still read it through this means.
The drawbacks are: 1) I don’t get the feel of an actual book in my hands. 2) The kindle tells you percentage wise how far into the book you are, but unless using the app I don’t know how many pages I actually have left. 3) At times I feel like I don’t comprehend what I am reading as well when using the kindle versus reading an actual book. It depends on what I am reading.
3. As someone who both owns a kindle and has (a lot!) of books, which do you prefer and why?
I would say that I don’t really prefer one over the other. I use both the same amount and for different reasons. I really love that I can access both through my public library. I do not buy kindle books because I can get them from the libraries website. I would say I like buying traditional books more because they can be signed by the authors which for me authors are my celebrities. It is so much fun to meet and talk to them about what they have written. Either way both are great and allow me to enter the many worlds that authors have created. In my opinion as long as you are reading it doesn’t matter the means with which you are reading!
R. B. brings up what I feel is a valid point. I still cannot imagine myself ever owning a Kindle or similar device. However, if they help encourage people to read more, then that is definitely a positive thing. Rather than viewing them as a threat to the books that I love, R. B. has inspired me to view them in a new and different light. So, whether you're a reader of traditional books or Kindles, I wish you happy reading!
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