Me, Myself, and my kindle

Written by Hailey Kroll

Art by Aleks Carney

Growing up, I was in my head. A lot. I was the typical overly independent, shy, and anxious eldest daughter that always had her nose shoved in a book. My safe haven was within the four walls of my local library, surrounded by a myriad of new adventures residing between the pages of a good paperback. Organized so perfectly, each story awaiting my arrival with the plan to rip me from my own reality into their vast worlds.

Somehow along the way, I lost that side of myself. Throwing myself into coursework, I stopped reading almost all together between the ages of 14 and 19. Half a decade of my life without a major part of my identity and mental escape, I’d forgotten just how much books mean to me. That was, until summer 2023 when I stumbled upon a local bookstore I’d never been to in my hometown. Looking for an easy read to accompany me at the beach, naturally, I picked up “Beach Read” by Emily Henry. From then on out, I discovered the wonders of bookstores, now going in one every opportunity I get. Even when thrifting, I end up by the books for longer than one should ever spend in one section. Obsessing over cover design, the smell of the pages, and the ability to choose cute bookmarks, I would never give that up… right?

The answer, I found, is yes. There is a world in which I would trade my paperbacks, and that is for the Kindle. After the boom of “BookTok,” it felt as though everyone and their mother began turning to e-readers for the convenience and cost-effective features. Over the course of a few months, and the help from a multitude of my friends recommending the switch, I gave in. I found myself obsessively searching Kindle reviews online for a week straight before remembering I gifted one to my mom just a year prior. Due to her reading rut, I had the privilege of borrowing it. Boy was I skeptical, but I decided to give it a shot anyway.

It's now six months since that moment, which finally puts me in the position to confidently give an accurate review of my experience. Plain and simple, I love reading on a Kindle. It’s a bit more nuanced than that because I will always have a soft spot for re-reading childhood favorites in the form of a beaten down paperback, annotating new discoveries along the way. Collectors editions will also have a special place in my heart— and more importantly, my shelf.

As for the Kindle, however, the first thing I noticed is readability. Not only are there various customization features that increase general accessibility, but the electronic ink used in Kindles are easy on the eyes, especially in combination with dark mode and the adjustable color temperature system. I typically need glasses when reading or working on any electronics, but I found that I can often skip my glasses completely when using the device. Together, these features create for the perfect cozy reading experience, as it allows for reading in bed without an extra light, sitting in weird positions to hold the pages open, or uncomfortably laying sideways on my glasses.

The other major factor in my adoration for the Kindle is convenience. As someone newly interested in fantasy novels, the books are so damn big I can barely carry them around in my bag every day. Recently finishing up my first large series on the e-reader, I decided to switch back to print as an experiment. I immediately became frustrated by the sheer inconvenience of carrying around a 600-page novel, which is not the thickest book I’ve read in even this month alone. I will always love print. But for now, at least, it’s me and my Kindle against the world. Her cute little green, hardcover, book-like case, and not my glasses against the world!