In this video, I'll tell you why I prefer Kindle or ebooks to hard copy or physical books. Please subscribe and leave comments below! **** A full transcript can be found at www.marblejar.net. **** Hi, everyone. This is Lara Hammock from the Marble Jar channel and in today's video, I'll tell you why I prefer Kindle or ebooks to hard copy or physical books. This is obviously a super personal decision. And by that, I mean -- everyone has preferences and it really shouldn't matter to anyone else how you read your books. That said, I've gotten this question about which reading format I prefer, so I'm going to attempt to answer it. The one thing I will say is that most people have a natural resistance to change. Like when, unbeknownst to you, one of your apps is automatically updated and you have to spend a bunch of time figuring out where everything is again in the new and "improved" version? That's annoying, right? Well, I think the same could be said for how we read. I remember (and this is going to date me), in undergrad I used to write out my papers and essays by hand on many pieces of paper with scratch outs and inserted lines and all. Then I would type them all up once I was completely finished with the writing AND the editing process. I remember sitting in front of a computer screen with a blinking cursor and thinking -- "There is just no way that I will ever be able to write as fluidly without doing it long hand". I really thought I would never be able to do it. Fast forward many decades later and I now type ALL of my writing. It was a matter of getting used to the new method. I used to prefer reading hard copy books, but time has passed, I'm used to ebooks, and this is the way I now prefer. By far the main reason I read on my Kindle is - Lighting - basically, my husband generally goes to bed earlier than I do. I used to read with the light on, which was not great for him. It's so much less intrusive to have the subtle glow of the Kindle light rather than the big side table light. AND when I inevitably fall asleep while reading, I just have to put my Kindle on my side table rather than feel around to turn off a side lamp. Another thing I love is the ability to - Export Highlights - Particularly when I'm reading non-fiction, I highlight passages copiously as I read. With a physical book, this would allow me to pick it up and flip through my highlights, but on a Kindle, I can export those highlights into a note or document which then acts as a summary or shorter digest of what I've just read. It's also great for textbooks for grad school since I can study just my highlighted notes without all of the extra text. I keep these highlights in Evernote or a Google Doc so that I can search through these notes later on. Which brings me to the - Search Function - This is fantastic. You can just keyword search within a Kindle book. Here's an example of how I might use this feature. Say I'm reading a Tolstoy book where there are 150 characters and each one has approximately 7 names and nicknames and appears infrequently in the text. If a new character appears named Sasha and it seems like this character was already introduced, I just have to search for "Sasha" and voila! Now I know when I he originally was mentioned in the text and every subsequent reference of his name. This is generally super annoying with a physical book. The next benefit is the Kindle is really - Light - Remember that Tolstoy book I was just talking about? Well, if I got it from the library at almost 900 pages, it would be heavy and unwieldy and awkward! And holding the pages open is a real chore, but not with the Kindle. It's super light and you don't ever need to hold pages open. In addition, I've placed a couple of pop sockets on the back of my Kindle to make it even easier to hold. And with the pop socket, i can read with just one hand. Try doing that with a giant Tolstoy book! But even though the Kindle is light and small, you can still have - 100s of books on it - I love this particularly for travel, when I used to fill up half of my suitcase with books. Now, I just bring some magazines and one Kindle. In addition, if I run out of books to read, I can order a book and it will arrive - Immediately - The immediacy of digital content is fantastic for those of us who like instant gratification. Unfortunately, digital books can be pricey, but the good news is that most libraries now carry digital books in their collections for free. I have a whole video series on the app that my library system uses if you are interested. So, those are all the reasons that I prefer reading on the Kindle to reading a hard copy book. Are there some negatives? Of course, but there are fewer for me. First of all . . . .