More and more of us are reading every day. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re reading more newspapers or great works of fiction. Instead, we seem to browse the web for information and entertainment. Fewer of us are using our downtime for TV viewing, and more of us are hungry for articles, stories and tidbits of trivia to satisfy our appetites.
Most of what we read is digital. We may be happy to read a text, but few of us are keen to pick up a book to do it. Instead, we want the information now, in our hands. We’ll take it on whatever we’ve got. Laptops, e-readers, smartphones, and tablets are all being used to soak up information. These platforms are more dynamic than traditional paper pages. We expect more illustrations, photos, and images to support what we’re reading.
That doesn’t mean we’re not still reading novels. But the advent of e-readers like Kindles means that we can have thousands of books, magazines and newspapers with us wherever we go. And nobody ever needs to see what we’re reading. You can change your Kindle cases as often as you change your book, but it will never reveal the title of your text. Perhaps this privacy is part of its appeal?
If you are a big reader, you’ll be pleased to know there is an app for that. PDF is the preferred format for most text documents now. Amazon publishers are uploading their literary works in this format. Academic papers, user manuals, bus timetables and more can be found in PDF. This means you can download any document you like for reading offline and on the move.
Other formats work across platforms and devices too. The great thing about some of the better reading apps is what can be done with the text. Some will read out the text for you. Others allow you to make notes and highlight passages. You can increase the font size. You can change how brilliant the whiteness of the background is. All of these adjustments make for a better reading experience.
So which device is the best for avid readers? Some literary lovers would say ‘the one you have in your hand.’ Perhaps it is true. So long as you’re reading you’re doing it right. But the e-readers continue to be popular for a reason. They are the most book-like. They are about the same size and weight as a regular paperback. And the display is very much like reading from paper. Many e-readers have enough internet functionality to allow you to check your emails and do a little research too.
It is all down to personal preference. If you want to read something right now, then you’re going to use the device in your hand. Almost all mobile devices have the ability to be used in this way. Perhaps the most comfortable way to read is with an e-reader. But for those who never normally handle a paperback book, it won’t necessarily strike the chord. Check out some of the best works of fiction on your mobile device today.