Kindle or classic? Should I invest in an e-reader or read books the old fashioned way?

By Ashlyn Messier Fox News

Published January 22, 2024 8:37am EST

The release of the Amazon Kindle e-reader revolutionized the way books are read.

Many avid readers read exclusively on the Kindle, while others only go with an old-fashioned book.

Some choose to do a combination of both.

There are pros and cons to both of these methods of reading.

This guide will go over the highlights of both, and help you make the decision to buy an e-reader — or stick with your physical books.

E-readers like the Kindle and classic physical books both have their own set of pros and cons.

Pros of Kindle

No additional light needed

One of the biggest pros of the Kindle is that you don't need any additional light to read.

For many, reading happens in the evening, right before bed. While having a lamp on the side of your bed can help shed some light on your physical book, the bright light can be distracting to your significant other trying to sleep on the other side of the bed. The extra light can also be a little too bright for you as you're trying to wind down for the night.

The Kindle projects very little light, but allows you to read, even in dark settings.

Books on demand

When you stumble across a book you want to read, you have one of two options.

You can either buy the book at the store, or get it at the library.

Buying books at full price can quickly add up, and securing a popular book at a library may take a while.

Many like the convenience that comes with reading off a Kindle.

The Kindle offers a third option that falls in the middle of these two scenarios. If you have a Kindle, you'll have access to Kindle Unlimited. There is a monthly fee associated with this service, which is $11.99 a month. There are usually offerings to get your first few months at a cheaper price.

Kindle Unlimited offers a large selection of books you can add to your device for no additional price. You can borrow up to 20 titles at a time with Kindle Unlimited as a part of your subscription and download them immediately.

One drawback to Kindle Unlimited is that there will be books that aren't available, so in that case, you'll have to buy them at full price or borrow from the library. You can also borrow e-books from your library, but again, those may take a while to deliver.

They're customizable

The Kindle itself is pretty bland, but you can choose from a variety of different covers to dress it up.

Amazon has many affordable designs you can choose from.

Easy to see how much you have left in a chapter

When you're reading a physical book, you can count the pages until the end of the chapter, but the Kindle makes this a lot easier.

Some people simply like the feeling of reading a book better than reading off a tablet.

The e-reader is able to determine how long it takes you to read, and will display at the bottom of the screen how long it will take you to get through the chapter you are on.

If it's getting late, and you're getting tired, you can easily make a decision and figure out if you should go onto the next chapter, depending on how long it will take you to read it.

The Kindle also provides the percentage in the corner of how far along you are in the book you're reading.

Easy to grow your vocabulary

When reading on a Kindle, it's very easy to look up the definition of an unfamiliar word.

To get a word's definition, all you have to do is press down on the word on your device, and a definition will pop up.

Kindles, due to their slim design, are easy to travel with.

Easy to travel with

The slim design of Kindles makes them very easy to travel with. They won't take up nearly as much space as a bulky book.

Pros of hard copy books

Borrowing from the library is cheaper than a Kindle

If you're looking for the cheapest option, borrowing from the library is your best bet, because Kindles can be on the pricier side.

Kindle Paperwhites, which many readers prefer as it looks more like a book than a tablet, run between $100 and $150.

Kindle Fires tend to be a little cheaper, but they have more of a tablet feel than a book.

The feeling of a book

It sounds simple, but some people just like the feeling of reading from a book, and a Kindle takes away that feeling.

Even with the Kindle Paperwhite, the e-reader at the end of the day is a device and many don't like that feeling.

No eye strain

Since the Kindle is a screen, it does cause eye strain for certain individuals. This can make reading a lot harder and a lot less enjoyable.

If you experience eye strain when reading off a Kindle, a physical book is the way to go.

Books don't need charging

Even though the Kindle does have a long battery life, it will eventually need to be charged.

Many people like to keep all the books they read to contribute to a large collection.

This is an extra factor you need to worry about that you don't have with a physical book.

This can cause frustration if you are outside reading a book and nowhere near an outlet, or worse, on vacation with no charger, and your device runs out of battery.

Ideal for the book collector

If you love to collect books, an e-reader probably isn't ideal for you. Book collections can make for beautiful decor in a household. Plus, if you ever want to reread a book, you'll always have easy access to it.

Easy to trade and borrow

One of the best parts about having hard copies of books is being able to trade with friends.

If you have a group of friends that all like to read, you can exchange books among yourselves, without having to buy them all.

Kindle or classic? Should I invest in an e-reader or read books the old fashioned way?

Kindle还是经典？我要不要买一个电子阅读器，还是用老的方式读书?

The release of the Amazon Kindle e-reader revolutionized the way books are read.

亚马逊电子阅读器Kindle的发布彻底改变了我们看书的方式。

Many avid readers read exclusively on the Kindle, while others only go with an old-fashioned book.

很多热衷的读者只在Kindle上读书，有的则还是用老的方式来读书。

Some choose to do a combination of both.

有一些则两者结合使用。

There are pros and cons to both of these methods of reading.

这两种阅读方式都有其利弊。

This guide will go over the highlights of both, and help you make the decision to buy an e-reader — or stick with your physical books.

这篇文章将会介绍两种方式的突出点，帮助你决定是否购买电子阅读器还是坚持使用实体书。

Pros of Kindle

Kindle的优点

No additional light needed

不需要额外的灯光

One of the biggest pros of the Kindle is that you don't need any additional light to read.

Kindle最大的优点之一就是你阅读的时候不需要额外的灯光。

For many, reading happens in the evening, right before bed. While having a lamp on the side of your bed can help shed some light on your physical book, the bright light can be distracting to your significant other trying to sleep on the other side of the bed. The extra light can also be a little too bright for you as you're trying to wind down for the night.

对很人多来说，通常会在夜晚，入睡前进行读书。虽然床边的台灯能够照亮你的实体书，但明亮的光线会让你边上试图入睡的另一半分心。而且额外的灯光对于想要在晚上放松的你来说也有点太亮。

The Kindle projects very little light, but allows you to read, even in dark settings.

Kindle投射的光线很少，但即使在黑暗的环境中也能阅读。

Books on demand

自选书

When you stumble across a book you want to read, you have one of two options.

当你偶然遇到一本你想读的书时，你有两个选择。

You can either buy the book at the store, or get it at the library.

你可以在书店购买，或者去图书馆借。

Buying books at full price can quickly add up, and securing a popular book at a library may take a while.

以全价购买书籍很快就会累积起来，而去图书馆借到一本受欢迎的书可能要等上一段时间。

The Kindle offers a third option that falls in the middle of these two scenarios. If you have a Kindle, you'll have access to Kindle Unlimited. There is a monthly fee associated with this service, which is $11.99 a month. There are usually offerings to get your first few months at a cheaper price.

Kindle提供了介于这两种情况之间的第三种选择。如果你有Kindle，你就可以访问Kindle Unlimited，这项服务每月收费11.99美元。通常最初的几个月会有较低价格的优惠。

Kindle Unlimited offers a large selection of books you can add to your device for no additional price. You can borrow up to 20 titles at a time with Kindle Unlimited as a part of your subscription and download them immediately.

Kindle Unlimited提供大量的书籍，你可以免费加到你的设备中。作为订阅的一部分，你可以从Kindle Unlimited同时最多借阅20本书，并立即下载。

One drawback to Kindle Unlimited is that there will be books that aren't available, so in that case, you'll have to buy them at full price or borrow from the library. You can also borrow e-books from your library, but again, those may take a while to deliver.

Kindle Unlimited的一个缺点是会有一些书没有，这种情况下，你只能以全价购买或从图书馆借阅。你也可以从图书馆借电子书，但还是一样，这些书可能需要一段时间才能送达。

They're customizable

它们是可定制化的

The Kindle itself is pretty bland, but you can choose from a variety of different covers to dress it up.

Kindle本身相当平淡，但你可以用各种不同的封面来装扮它。

Amazon has many affordable designs you can choose from.

亚马逊有许多价格合理的设计供你选择。

Easy to see how much you have left in a chapter

很容易就能知道一章内容还剩多少

When you're reading a physical book, you can count the pages until the end of the chapter, but the Kindle makes this a lot easier.

当你阅读一本实体书时，你需要数页数到章节结束，但Kindle让这变得容易多了。

The e-reader is able to determine how long it takes you to read, and will display at the bottom of the screen how long it will take you to get through the chapter you are on.

该电子阅读器可以判断出你需要读多长时间，会在屏幕的底部显示你当前正在读的这一章需要多久读完。

If it's getting late, and you're getting tired, you can easily make a decision and figure out if you should go onto the next chapter, depending on how long it will take you to read it.

如果比较晚了，然后你有点累了，你可以很容易地做出决定，根据你阅读下一章需要的时间来决定是否要继续阅读。

The Kindle also provides the percentage in the corner of how far along you are in the book you're reading.

Kindle还会在角上显示你已经阅读这本书的百分比。

Easy to grow your vocabulary

易于增加词汇量

When reading on a Kindle, it's very easy to look up the definition of an unfamiliar word.

用Kindle阅读的时候，很容易查询不熟悉单词的定义。

To get a word's definition, all you have to do is press down on the word on your device, and a definition will pop up.

要查询一个单词的定义，你所需要做的就是在你的设备上按住这个单词，定义就弹出来了。

Easy to travel with

易于携带

The slim design of Kindles makes them very easy to travel with. They won't take up nearly as much space as a bulky book.

Kindles的纤薄设计使其非常容易携带。它们不会像一本笨重的书那样占用那么多空间。

Pros of hard copy books

实体书的优点

Borrowing from the library is cheaper than a Kindle

从图书馆借要比Kindle便宜

If you're looking for the cheapest option, borrowing from the library is your best bet, because Kindles can be on the pricier side.

如果你想要最便宜的选项，从图书馆借书是最好的选择，因为Kindle会比较贵。

Kindle Paperwhites, which many readers prefer as it looks more like a book than a tablet, run between $100 and $150.

因看起来更像一本书而不是平板电脑而受到很多人喜欢的Kindle Paperwhites，售价在100道150美元之间。

Kindle Fires tend to be a little cheaper, but they have more of a tablet feel than a book.

Kindle Fires会便宜一点，但是给人的感觉是更像一个平板电脑而不是一本书。

The feeling of a book

一本书的感觉

It sounds simple, but some people just like the feeling of reading from a book, and a Kindle takes away that feeling.

这听起来很简单，但是很多人就是喜欢读一本书的感觉，而Kindle则没有这种感觉。

Even with the Kindle Paperwhite, the e-reader at the end of the day is a device and many don't like that feeling.

即使是 Kindle Paperwhite，这款电子阅读器归根结底还是一种设备，许多人并不喜欢这种感觉。

No eye strain

不会眼疲劳

Since the Kindle is a screen, it does cause eye strain for certain individuals. This can make reading a lot harder and a lot less enjoyable.

由于Kindle是一个屏幕，对一些人确实会造成眼疲劳。这会使阅读变得困难，也会变得不那么愉快。

If you experience eye strain when reading off a Kindle, a physical book is the way to go.

如果你用Kindle阅读会出现眼疲劳，那你应该选择实体书。

Books don't need charging

书本不需要充电

Even though the Kindle does have a long battery life, it will eventually need to be charged.

尽管Kdinle的电池很耐用，但它最终还是要充电的。

This is an extra factor you need to worry about that you don't have with a physical book.

这是相对于实体书，你需要额外担心的一个因素。

This can cause frustration if you are outside reading a book and nowhere near an outlet, or worse, on vacation with no charger, and your device runs out of battery.

如果你在外面看书，却找不到电源插座，或者更糟的，在度假时没有带充电器，而你的设备电量耗尽，这可能会让你很沮丧。

Ideal for the book collector

书籍收藏家的理想选择

If you love to collect books, an e-reader probably isn't ideal for you. Book collections can make for beautiful decor in a household. Plus, if you ever want to reread a book, you'll always have easy access to it.

如果你喜欢收集书，那么电子阅读器可能不适合你。书籍收藏可以为家庭增添美丽的装饰。此外，如果你想重读一本书，你总是可以很容易地找到它。

Easy to trade and borrow

易于交换和借阅

One of the best parts about having hard copies of books is being able to trade with friends.

实体书最棒的地方之一就是能够与朋友进行交换。

If you have a group of friends that all like to read, you can exchange books among yourselves, without having to buy them all.

如果你有一群喜欢读书的朋友，你们可以相互交换书籍，而不必全部购买