I feel like the modern debate when it comes to reading is whether a physical copy of a book or an ebook is the better option. I decided I’d make a pros and cons list for both to figure out my stance. So here are my unsolicited opinions and thoughts on ebook or physical.

Ebook
- Portable: It’s easy to carry around the book, especially if it’s on your phone. Plus, you don’t look as strange (read: geeky) carrying around a digital device (not that us book nerds have ever cared about that!)
- Access to multiple: You can have so many books at your fingertips!
- Read in the dark: This is great for late-night reading. I love reading on my Kindle app at night.
- Always have the book with you: This goes a bit with portability, but no matter where you’re at, you can always have the book with you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to a boring birthday party to “show face” and “be nice” and ended up reading a book on my Kindle app. Always a life-saver.
- Annotations: Easily highlight or make notes without destroying the book.
- Easier to hold: It’s easier to hold your phone or other reading devices than to hold pages open.
Physical
- Smell: You don’t get the new book smell! Honestly, this is a big one for me even though it doesn’t seem very important.
- No screen: We’re on our screens enough as it is. It’s nice to just have something that doesn’t emit light for a change.
- Annotations: Sometimes, you want to leave pretty notes on your pages. You can’t add calligraphy to a digital book.
- Satisfaction: There is something so satisfying about seeing my little library of books. I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t feel that same amount of satisfaction looking at my digital book library.
- Experience: How does one describe reading a physical book?
- Cover: Seeing the covers in person is truly something to behold. Designers work so hard to make these covers what they are and I think they should be appreciated.
- Pictures: This one’s self-explanatory, but you just get better pictures with a physical book than taking a picture of a cover on your phone or Nook or whatever.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I love them both! There are so many benefits to both and, honestly, I didn’t even realize there were this many until I wrote them all down. I think I’ll always feel a little more of a pull towards physical copies of books, but I’ve really enjoyed reading more ebooks lately. What can I say? I guess I love them both!
Comment below which one you prefer!
I am team physical all the way on this one! Too much screens give me headache and nothing beats the feel of a book!
I agree. That definitely is a big downside to ebooks
Sometimes you just can’t beat a physical book! Although I have been obsessed with an online book during lockdown 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah. My love for ebooks has gone up significantly during this quarantine for some reason
I bought a kindle a few years ago and I hated it! I much preferred having a physical book.
That’s how I felt for years! Quarantine has done something to me because now I like them both. But I still have a bias towards physical books
They do both have pros and cons. I love the looks of my shelves bursting with books, but I prefer the weight of my phone for the convenience of hundred of books (Audible is pretty cool, too!).
Yeah. Totally agree with you. And I only recently tried audiobooks and I found they work great for me for books I’ve already read. I can’t listen to new books because I get too distracted and miss a whole part haha
Well tbh I didn’t really like ebooks before I started blogging. I usually read physical books but then I had to read a lot of blogs and subscribed to different ebooks to improve my blogging skills. Now I got used to them. So I am kinda like you. I like them both!
Love your post! 🙂
I was surprised by how many people completely loathe e-books so it’s good to see someone that doesn’t. Thank you for reading!