One of my resolutions for 2021 was to read more books.

I used to read a lot of fiction when I was a kid. My mom used to say I burned through novels so quickly that we always hit up bookstores, and it was challenging to keep up with me. Unfortunately, I seemed to have lost my touch ever since I went to university and got overwhelmed by everything else. But with social distancing still in full swing for 2021, I needed something to keep my mind venturing outside (and brush up my English). Hopefully, it will come back soon enough with a bit of practice.

You’re probably thinking, Kindles have been around for a decade already… Why now? The truth is, I’ve always struggled to kickstart things in fear that it doesn’t turn out perfect or I won’t be able to finish what I set out for. So lately, I’ve been trying to break down big targets into smaller, actionable goals. Why am I not reading enough? Is it a cost issue? How long is the average book, and how much will I have to read every day to get through a book per week? I feel like I’ve been struggling to stay focused. Do I even know how fast I can read now? Turns out, there are online tests you can take to find out. I figured out my reading speed was around 400 wpm, which means that if I read for 30 minutes each day, I could read 58 books (of the average novel length) per year.

Okay, 30 minutes less daily screen time doesn’t sound too hard. But I don’t have space to store 52 more books at home (hopefully 52 more every year if I manage to keep up the practice). So I revisited the notion of buying a Kindle that I have shot down many times in the past. Finally, after a few days, I caved and waited excitedly for my delivery of Kindle Paperwhite 4 to come.

Let’s jump straight to it.

1. All Your Books in Your Hand

I admit there will always be books I treasure and want to own physically—books whose covers rival their contents and tend to paint a state of mind with their physical presence and weightiness, books from small local publishers that are a joy to hold—and I will continue to purchase them in paperback/ hardcovers. But most of the time, I don’t need a tangible form I will grow sentimental feelings for and get attached to. Try decluttering your home and dealing with boxes of books stuck within the grey area of wanting to donate and secretly hoping you would reread them.

Fast-forwarding to post-Covid times where everyone will be able to travel safely again, having a Kindle means you won’t ever have to worry about in-flight entertainment or struggle with which books to fit into your luggage again.

An 8GB Kindle will yield about 6GB of actual storage, and with Kindle e-books averaging under 2MB each, it translates to 3,000 books stored. And that doesn’t even consider the books you can remove from your device storage. So yes, I would be stoked if I ever max out the capacity on my Kindle.

2. Made for Occasions on the go

Try planning an outfit for the day, only to be dismayed that your latest book does not fit into your handbag. And so we go back to scrolling through our phones aimlessly on the train. After thinking long and hard about why I don’t read enough, accessibility became my biggest excuse. This brings in the Paperwhite 4, which measures 6.6” x 4.6” and is probably slimmer than your pinky finger. It weighs only half of most paperback books—about just as much as an iPhone 12 Pro. It fits into most of my bags and even my winter coat pockets, which leaves no excuse for not reading on the road anymore.

Assuming an average book length of 90,000 words and reading speed of 300 words per minute, if you spend an hour commuting to and from work daily, you could just about get through a book every week. This means your brain could walk away from the year 52 books richer, which is very promising.

3. Physical Comfort for your Eyes (and Hands)

I’m not a fan of hardcore reading on iPhones/ iPads, and part of the reason I’ve been trying to cut down screen time so hard is that it’s been taking a toll on my eyes. However, one of the bestselling features of e-readers across the market is their stellar reading comfort, and I can now attest to the Kindle experience being superb with the Paperwhite 4 featuring a 6” matte screen glare-free.

Even on more basic models, the text always appears high-contrast and reader-friendly thanks to E Ink technology (read: millions of electrically-charged particles containing black and white pigments that rearrange to form grayscale displays). In addition, by reflecting available ambient light, the display remains fully readable like actual paper even in direct sunlight, unlike liquid crystal displays that may appear washed out. And as with other e-readers, the front-lit display designed for low-light conditions provides even light distribution by shining light across the screen, instead of from the screen, directly into your eyes.

I opted for the latter between the basic model and the Paperwhite 4 due to its better display and quicker response time. For reference, pixel densities are 167 PPI and 300 PPI, respectively, loosely translating to screen displays for an iPhone 3GS (163 PPI) and iPhone 4 (326 PPI). Paperwhite 4 was marketed as having “laser-quality text”, and reading on it feels more natural, probably because 300 PPI is already on par with the ideal pixel density used in printing. Given that the price difference wasn’t substantial (around HK$200-300), I preferred a better model I wouldn’t outgrow as quickly.

Ever tried reading while commuting with your hands full? Or in bed struggling to alternate between hands to keep your book up? Kindle allows for an easy turning of pages single-handedly, especially with the new flush-front design on Paperwhite 4 that makes swiping all the easier. If you have something to prop your Kindle against, you could even go hands-free without worrying about weird shadows being cast on pages.

4. Environmentally Friendly in the Long Run

According to a study conducted by The CleanTech Group in 2009, it takes 168 kg of carbon dioxide to produce and consume a Kindle throughout its lifecycle versus 7.46 kg of carbon dioxide for a book. And users will be able to fully offset the carbon footprint of a Kindle by reading 22.5 books over the device's lifetime.

Considering that the Kindle DX produced over a decade ago is substantially different from the models currently offered, the study still serves as a solid benchmark to gauge whether an e-reader might do it for you. My target is to get at least 100 books out of my Kindle, so anything below that would already be a win. Obviously, the more you read, the more this becomes true.

5. A Learning Companion

When in university, I stuck to buying e-books. Not only because I feared lugging 400-page textbooks around campus but also because I was very particular about organising my notes in a way I could review and go back to quickly. Similarly, Kindle can do all that, and I was pleasantly surprised at how seamless the features were integrated.

There are numerous learning aids, like the new feature Word Wise that toggles short definitions of pre-selected vocabulary or prompts for suggested highlights in popular books, which would be very helpful for learning readers. While learning to use features like notes, bookmarks, Wikipedia searches, and translations were all pretty intuitive, I tend to use the built-in dictionary the most, as having definitions one tap away does remove a lot of the friction with reading. But really, I was most impressed by the note exporting functioning that can instantly serve up a CSV plus PDF copy of all your annotations for a particular book to your email. It’s brilliant and helps me keep track of things I learned. See features in detail or view your annotations.

6. Some Books are More Challenging to Find IRL

There have been instances where books unavailable on Book Depository (which has a HUGE book catalogue I love) were found on Amazon, e.g. The Cafe on the Edge of the World by John Strelecky, The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (translated from German). While far and few between, I’ve found that this was more of a case for books in foreign languages, as Amazon has a more extensive translated collection. Because paperbacks are always cheaper from Book Depository than my local store, I haven’t gone hunting in person, but I imagine these books might not be readily stocked either.

7. Customisation for Optimisation

I love how Kindle makes the reading experience focused on words; everything else becomes secondary with customisation options to suit your needs. There are multiple font types, sizing, and margins available. Reading progress and clock options can be toggled to remove distractions. If you share your Kindle with family members or have specific preferences, you can save your settings as themes.

8. Purchasing Books has Never been Easier

Since your Kindle device is synced to your Amazon account, it automatically syncs your saved book lists and payment information. Buying a book takes 1 minute. No more last-minute dives to the bookstore, no waiting for unforeseen deliveries during Covid-19.

9. Potential Savings

This is likely true if you regularly purchase books from your local chain store. Comparing the listed prices of a paperback vs Kindle e-book on Amazon, the latter is often priced at a hefty discount. But if you look to other book dealers like Book Depository, which offers fantastic value for books, it can be shocking how expensive Kindle e-books can be. They are often on par with, if not slightly more expensive than, physical books.

Nevertheless, Amazon offers deals irregularly, placing e-books on sale for as little as a few HKD. And if you’re just looking for something to read with nothing, in particular, Kindle Unlimited could be a sweet deal, with 1 million titles being rotated on-shelf for a monthly subscription of US$9.99. But unfortunately, none of the 50 books on my to-read list was featured on Kindle Unlimited, so I’m giving it a pass now.

If we drill down to numbers, I purchased a Kindle Paperwhite 4 for HK$900. Even if I could get, on average, HK$5 savings for each book I read, it would take me 180 books to break even over 4 years (which is fine). But once I start thinking about the physical space, it takes to store a book (cue insane property pricing in Hong Kong), the peace of mind and value I can squeeze out of a Kindle keeps going up. If I could get a dollar for every time I struggled to dust off my books or find a good cause once I’ve outgrown them, I would be filthy rich by now.

10. Always Ready for a Splash

According to Amazon, the Kindle Paperwhite 4 is “protected against accidental immersion in up to 2 metres of fresh water for 60 minutes”. So while I would advise against any deliberate dunking of electronic devices in water, it’s reassuring to know that you can take it with you to the beach or your bath without worrying about slippery accidents. And you can always wipe it down without being too delicate about it.

11. Won’t Die on you Easily

Per Amazon, “a single charge lasts up to 6 weeks, based on a half-hour of reading per day with wireless off and the light setting at 13”. The long battery life is attributed mainly to the E Ink screen, as it only consumes power when refreshing the screen to change displays. I would suggest going on aeroplane mode to prolong the battery life for a single charge. There’s no need for Wifi unless you are looking to make new purchases, utilise Wikipedia and translation features, or export your notes. 2-4 weeks is a more realistic recharging timeframe for me, and charging is a breeze as it only requires a USB 2.0 cable.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you prefer books to e-readers, whatever floats your boat. So long as you remember…