EYE 2 EYE: Should you buy physical books?
The door opens, and air conditioning sends chills down your spine. The smells of parchment and coffee waft in your direction, and you immediately feel a sense of calm. As you walk around Barnes & Noble, you pick up a few books that pique your interest. But instead of buying a book, you convince yourself it’s smarter to put it back down because of the cost, your already long TBR, etc. People praise you for your self-control; instead, I will tell you five main reasons why you are actually better off purchasing the book.
1. Owning books gives you the freedom to read whenever and however you want.
In an attempt to check out books from a public library, you may run into challenges. Maybe the library doesn’t have the book you want, the book was checked out by another person, the check-out window was too small or you were hindered by a limitation on how many books you can take at a time. When you own the book, you don’t have to worry about public censorship and can re-read the book as much as you’d like. If you keep the book, you can pass it down to your kids or other family members as part of your legacy, especially if they are special editions or contain your personal annotations.
Moreover, owning the book means you can annotate directly in it without being limited to flimsy Post-it notes that get destroyed or fall out constantly. Many teachers use annotation checks to ensure students get the most out of their reading.
“I describe [annotations] as a letter to your future self, reminding you of what’s important,” Oak Park High School English teacher Jessica Wall-Smith said. “If you’re reading actively, then you’re anticipating the text; you’re interrogating it and questioning decisions the author made. You have to preserve that thought process in some form, else you lose it forever.”
2. Having books at home motivates you to read.
If you’ve chosen to spend your money buying a book, you may be more inclined to pick it up and read. Owning a book creates a sense of ownership, and when you read it, you can proudly display your accomplishment. The World Literacy Foundation states that kids are more encouraged to read when they have a home library, which often leads to more academic success and exposes them more to the skills they are currently learning (e.g., empathy).
3. Reading a physical book feels good.
The National Library of Medicine found that electronic-reading causes eyestrain and can increase irritability. Whether you read on a Kindle, Nook or computer, reading on a device emits blue light that has negative health consequences. The most notable effect for readers, given many individuals enjoy reading before bed, is that blue light interferes with the body’s melatonin production and disrupts sleep cycles.
Choose to buy the physical copy instead, as Psychology Today notes that reading physical books increases retention rates six to eight times more than e-reading. It may sound like an exaggeration, but the act of flipping through the pages creates a visual map in one’s mind, which strengthens memory. Furthermore, using a physical book is a multi-sensory experience. Hearing the rustle of the page and feeling the weight of the book is part of what makes reading so enjoyable.
4. Buying the book supports your favorite authors.
If you read free or illegal PDF versions of books, the author does not receive any royalty fees, which could potentially discourage future sales. Authors who make more money are able to produce more books and have access to more resources to improve their writing. Not to mention, digital content is easier to alter or remove than physical content.
5. Spending some money on a hobby that is fun and educational is more than justifiable.
Owning a physical book means that you can take it with you when you go out and read it if you’re bored, without worrying about your phone or Kindle dying. Buying books from a place like Barnes & Noble can be expensive, but cheaper options exist as well. If you still want the experience of going to an in-person store, you can go thrifting or see if local bookstores have used books on sale.
Worst-case scenario, you can always donate the book. Amazon’s prices are typically more affordable, and you can buy the book second-hand at an even lower price. I personally love browsing through a bookstore to determine what books I want, then buy them from Amazon. The only exception to this rule is my beloved Barnes & Noble special editions. Those sprayed edges and gorgeous covers get me every time.
Do NOT buy a Kindle, Nook, Audible or other book subscription with the idea that it will cost you less. In some cases, it may even cost you more than simply buying a physical book. For instance, a specific book that you want can only be read at an additional cost to purchasing the e-reading device or app.
For every single argument there is to refuse buying a book, there’s a reason to indulge or a workaround to the problem. When you’re cuddled up with a good book in the comfort of your home, the purchase will have been worth it. Remember that.
You click on Instagram or Youtube and start scrolling. You see multiple videos of influencers with bookshelves overflowing. The captions include words such as “big book haul” and the number “100.” As you watch video after video, reel after reel, you become fascinated with the idea of owning your own huge library. However, when you see the receipt height for yourself, you quickly return to reality.
Despite the obvious financial and environmental effects of book purchasing, do not crush your dreams too quickly. There are many alternatives to the traditional model of a Barnes and Nobles that will allow you to have a Library of Congress in your own home.
1. Who said you could only buy books from a bookstore?
Though I love Barnes and Nobles as much as any reader, my wallet cowers whenever I enter through the stromboli double doors. However, an affordable alternative to conventional bookstores are libraries. As I pass through the Mediterranean-style doors and glance among all the books, both myself and my wallet are beyond ecstatic: a whole treasure trove of books, all for a net price of zero! They host many literacy programs, children’s storytimes, and tutoring. They also provide free access to WiFi and public computers. In less than ten minutes, you can sign up for a library card and gain access to a collection of countless novels, textbooks, and magazines, for no money whatsoever. Though you have to return the books, it is a built in deadline to ensure that you finish your book instead of letting it collect dust on your shelf. All these benefits have made libraries fan favorites among the literary community, including English teachers.
“I’m a big fan of public libraries,” Oak Park High School English teacher Jennifer Hankins said. “I feel [they are] probably the most democratic way to promote reading because as long as you get a library card, it is free to borrow something. Local libraries are also promoting the idea of book clubs to make reading a more shared experience.”
If there are no libraries near you, do not fret! More chances than not, you can find a public bookcase on a walk through your neighborhood. These boxes, like libraries, offer books to the public for free in exchange for a book. Unlike libraries, once you take the book out of the bookcase, it is yours. These sidewalk libraries help promote recycling and community bonding through literature.
2. Like all aspects of life in the modern age, reading has been digitalized too.
As the invention of the phone revolutionized communications so people no longer needed to send postcards, e-readers have likewise modernized how people consume books. However, it never hurts to send a postcard to a loved one and similarly, nothing beats the nostalgic feel of a paperback.
If you have a Kindle, NOOK or Kobo, they will come with subscription plans that allow for instant access to millions of books on a single device. Instead of carrying a suitcase filled to the brim with hardcovers, a simple tablet can hold an entire library’s worth. These subscription plans are perfect for avid readers and will save them more in the long run than purchasing each book individually. If the cost of a subscription plan is too pricy, an inexpensive option is the app Libby. With Libby, you can borrow digital books, audiobooks, and magazines from your local library using your library card on your preferred e-reader. The best part is the books are automatically returned after a certain amount of days, completely eliminating late fees.
E-readers are also easily customizable, which proves beneficial with people with visual impairments or other disabilities. By adjusting font sizes, line spacing, or margins, readers can customize the pages to what works best for them instead of purchasing one type of book they may no longer be readable in the future.
3. If you are booked from nine to five, try an audiobook.
A 2018 study found that 60% of American adults are too busy to enjoy life with their work lives and other responsibilities. As a result, reading is left on the backburner. If you are also busy and want to continue reading, listen to an audiobook. Though there are people who attempt to deny “audiobooks” as reading, you are reading a story through auditory cues. Next time you hop in your car, put on a fantasy novel on the speaker as you drive on the freeway.
With climate change and overconsumption as one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century, alternative reading methods can relieve environmental pressures. Through these methods, book borrowers, auditory listeners and digital readers can reduce their carbon footprint by preventing books from ending up in landfills. Environmental conscious readers also protect the environment by avoiding emissions of cutting trees and reducing packaging waste. Instead of junkyards filled with paper, your electronic bookshelf can be instead.
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