I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been actively against getting a Kindle for years now. My husband has asked if I would want one as a gift for many Christmases and birthdays, and I always had the same responses: “I love my physical books too much” or ”Nothing beats going into a bookstore and perusing and bringing home a stack” or “I don’t want to read from a screen.”

Well, I’m here to say truly and honestly on the internet for anyone to read: I was wrong.

This isn’t to say that any of my above reasons aren’t true, but I’ve found a lot of enjoyment over the past few months of owning a Kindle. If you, too, are an avid reader and have had doubts about e-readers, this post is not to convince or influence you to change your mind. A huge part of my blog writing revolves around documenting moments and seasons of my life. So, do with this information what you will. At the end of the day, I encourage reading in all shapes and forms.

Breakdown of Costs

First things first, buying a Kindle is an investment. If you are an avid reader, travel a lot, have limited space to store books, don’t want to deal with long wait times at the library, or a combination of those things, it could be a good investment. But it’s definitely not a necessity.

The Kindle prices range from $100 to $339. I personally have the Kindle Paperwhite, which goes for about $150. I also bought a case and screen protector. Kindles come with three months free of Kindle Unlimited as well, but that regularly costs $11.99 per month.

Buying Physical Books vs. Kindle Pricing

Like I said, I love buying physical books. Like most bookworms, it’s my dream to have a library in my future house. However, books are expensive. I typically would buy 3-4 books per month with the total cost ranging from $60-80.

There is the library, of course (which I love dearly). However, popular books often have long holds on them. I also like to annotate and underline text in a lot of books I read, and I would never want to damage a library book like that.

Overall, books on the Kindle are usually discounted by at least a few dollars, and there are a ton of books included in Kindle Unlimited. I’ll probably save around $50 per month, and I have access to more books than before.

Favorite Things About the Kindle

So far, I have no complaints about my Kindle. Here are the things I love most at the moment:

• Portable & compact: One of the biggest reasons I made this jump was for travel purposes. As a fast reader, I usually bring two books with me on any given trip. Depending on the book(s) I pack, this takes up a lot of space in my carry on. I haven’t taken it on a plane yet, but I’m very excited for my upcoming trips. (Bonus: If you have the larger Lululemon belt bag, the Paperwhite fits like a glove in there.)

• Screen technology: I don’t really understand the technology, but I know that the Kindle screen makes me feel like I’m looking at paper more than a screen. This is great for any lighting situation, easy on my eyes before bed, and gives my poor brain a break from screen time.

• Highlight/annotation feature: As I mentioned before, I love to annotate and underline text in the books I read. The main thing I love about this feature is how all my annotations and notes are stored in one place. I also have the option to upload them directly onto my Goodreads page. As I start to actually review books, this is going to be such a helpful feature rather than looking back through all the pages.

Will I continue to buy physical books?

Short answer — absolutely. So much of what I love about reading comes from my love of not just what’s on the pages, but the books themselves. That whole “don’t judge a book by its cover” thing? Total nonsense. Beautiful covers, well-bound books, feather-edge pages, intricate illustrations, etc. all add so much creativity and wonder to stories for me.

My bookcase and shelves in my office are a huge source of pride and joy for me. When I see those stories sitting there, they aren’t just collecting dust. They’re everyday reminders of the magic you can experience in reading, of the secret worlds you can escape to by opening each one. I can remember what my life was like the first time I read something and then reflect on how I’ve grown since then. Each one is like a timestamp on my life that says, “Remember that time? Remember how this story carried you through to the other side?”

I’m also a big believer in the importance of physical media. My books, vinyl records, CDs, and photographs are some of my most precious possessions. Digital media is incredibly convenient, but what would happen if you suddenly didn’t have access to your favorite albums or photos or stories one day? (Not to sound too tin-foil-hat.) In a world where so much of our lives is behind a screen, I take great comfort in knowing that I have tangible things to hold onto in real life too.

All in all, I love my Kindle, but I love my real books too. At the end of the day, it’s the stories in each of them, the beautiful escapes into imaginative worlds, and all the lessons I can learn through books that I love most of all.

xo, Kristina