Kindle vs. An actual book

Ever since the introduction of e-readers, the sales of physical copies of books has gone down considerably and when I look around now, the majority of people I see are using e-readers to get their fix of the latest read. But does technology prevail over the traditional book?

I first bought my Kindle about three years ago because I saw it as an investment. The books were cheaper, it was less bulky in my bag and I didn't have to wait for a book to arrive in the post or go all the way into town. In other words, I liked the convenience of it. As an avid reader, the thought of being able to read any book anywhere was great. But roll on three years later and I've converted back to the physical copy of books and I don’t see that changing again.

Whilst practically the Kindle triumphs, I feel like it did have an impact on my enjoyment of reading. I appreciate being able to see by the thickness of a book and how much I have read so far. But with the Kindle, watching the percentages go up at the bottom of the screen just isn't the same as physically looking at how much there is left to read.

From a price point of view, the majority of e-books are cheaper but I have a new found love for buying books in charity shops such as Oxfam and The British Heart Foundation for just a couple of pounds. The feeling of walking into one of these shops not knowing what I'm going to come out with is far better than just typing in a book on the Amazon search box. Especially when I leave with a book by one of my favourite authors for the price of a big bar of chocolate!

The only aspect of using a Kindle that I miss is that my bag is now a lot heavier with a book in it. I use public transport a lot and having a Kindle was perfect for this but I suppose you can’t have it all. What I do have though, is a bookshelf which I would choose any day.

Here is my summary table of advantages and disadvantages of both: 

	Kindle	Book
Advantages	Lightweight Easy access to books Readable screen Cheap books	Having a bookshelf Visiting book shops Being able to flick back to  certain pages Being able to appreciate the cover
Disadvantages	Temperamental Percentages at the bottom of the page Not all books available Expensive	Heavy Sometimes annoying to hold open

My verdict: An actual book. Some things are better without the influence of technology!