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If you’ve been around Readers Gotta Read for very long, you already know one thing about me – I love physical books.
I love holding a book in my hands, turning the pages, and watching my progress as the bookmark slowly moves toward the end. Out of all the book formats (see my post comparing different book formats here), trade paperbacks are easily my favorite. I’ve also read hardbacks and listened to several audiobooks, and I honestly wasn’t looking to expand my reading horizons.
Then an opportunity came along that I couldn’t pass up.
I recently saw a post in a Facebook book group looking for people to join a book launch team and read an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of an upcoming novel. The book summary immediately grabbed my attention (you can read my review here), and I’ve never been a part of a launch team before, so I decided to give it a try.
There was just one drawback (for me).
The ARC was only available as an eBook.
I almost backed out right then.
I don’t own a Kindle or another dedicated eReader, and I had no desire to read an entire novel on my desktop computer. I completely understand why publishers distribute ARCs digitally – printing and shipping physical copies is expensive – but I wanted to read this story badly enough that I decided to step out of my comfort zone.
Challenges Experienced
SMALL SCREEN
Without an eReader, I had to use my phone. Compared to even a standard paperback, the screen felt tiny, and I found myself turning pages much more often than I would with a physical book.
FEELING DISCONNECTED
Reading on my phone felt very different from reading a physical book.
Maybe it’s because my phone is connected to everything else in my life – messages, social media, reminders, and emails. A physical book has one purpose: reading. That difference made it harder to fully settle into the story.
MISSING MY READING PROGRESS
One of my favorite parts of reading a physical book is seeing how far I’ve come and feeling the weight of the book in my hands.
I love feeling the growing stack of pages in my left hand and watching my bookmark inch toward the back cover. While eBooks display your progress as a percentage, it just wasn’t the same for me. I missed that visual and physical reminder that I was making progress.
BOOKMARK PROBLEMS
This may have just been an issue with the app rather than eBooks in general, but every time I reopened the book, it started back at the beginning instead of remembering where I’d left off.
I quickly learned to remember my chapter number so I could use the table of contents to find my place again. It wasn’t a huge problem, but it did interrupt the reading experience.
CONSTANT DISTRACTIONS
I found it distracting to read on my phone.
Notifications popped up. Text messages arrived. I remembered tasks or appointments I wanted to add to my calendar. Since I was already holding my phone, it was too easy to stop reading and do something else.
When I read a physical book, I intentionally leave my phone across the room. That allows me to focus entirely on the story in front of me.
Adjusting to the Format
Early in the book, I told my husband that I hoped the story would become so captivating that I’d stop thinking about all the things I didn’t like about reading an eBook.
Thankfully, that’s exactly what happened.
Some of the challenges never completely disappeared, but as the story unfolded, they faded into the background. I became invested in the characters and simply wanted to know what happened next.
In the end, the story became more important than the format.
Final Thoughts
Will I start choosing eBooks over physical books?
Nope.
I’m still a physical book reader at heart, and I don’t see myself regularly reaching for eBooks anytime soon.
That said, the experience reminded me that sometimes the story is worth stepping out of your comfort zone.
What about you?
Do you enjoy reading eBooks, or do you prefer physical books? I’d love to hear what make you choose one format over another.
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