Why I Prefer Kindle Books over Paperbacks? The All-New Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle Oasis Explained (2019)

I finally published my own book! (LEARN TO FLY AND BECOME A PILOT!) Yay! 🙂 It’s something I have wanted to do for a long time, and I finally found the time and motivation to do it.

I have to say it was hard work to get it done… amazing amount writing, re-writing, editing, formatting, and marketing goes into publishing a book. But it was all worth it as I can now call myself a published author!

But something started bugging me… Several people asked me whether there will be an “actual book” available soon?

“Whaaat?” I was thinking. “This is an actual book! It’s just in Kindle format!”

“But yes, I have now published a paperback version of the book also. It’s available here: LEARN TO FLY AND BECOME A PILOT! (Paperback)”

I have to say though, that as someone who grew up reading physical books by the ton as a kid, and kept reading at least one book per month throughout my adult life, I haven’t read any physical books since I got my first Kindle device back in 2010! Although I like the touch and smell physical books, and I like to see them in my bookshelf, I find reading with a Kindle e-reader is simply so much more enjoyable than reading a physical book!

Did I mention I used to read at least one book per month? Well, that changed with the Kindle as now I read at least one book per WEEK!

In this post, I will explain what is a Kindle device, why I decided to get one, and why I think reading with a Kindle is much more enjoyable than reading physical books!

What is a Kindle Anyway?

It’s an electronic book reading device manufactured by Amazon. It’s only meant for reading books; you can’t play games with it or install any apps. The screen is black and white e-ink display that’s unable to emit any light. Because there is no backlight, the device doesn’t cause any more strain to your eyes than reading a paperback book would.  This is also why it’s mostly just good for continuous reading – books with many pictures or technical charts won’t look good in a Kindle device. Unless it’s a Kindle Fire tablet that is a completely different device than what I’m talking about. Kindle Fire devices are tablets, similar to iPads, that can be used for many purposes, but they are not as comfortable for reading books like a basic Kindle device is.

You can still use Kindle to read in the dark, thanks to the led lights mounted to the sides of the screen. Also, if you get a Kindle book with pictures you can open them in a Kindle app installed to a different device for better viewing experience. You can install a free Kindle app for any Android, iOS, Mac or Windows device, meaning you don’t necessarily need a Kindle device to enjoy Kindle books. Kindle is good to have if you read a lot of novels or other books, but if you just need an occasional reference book then, by all means, you should just download the app for your preferred device.

Books for the Kindle you can buy or download for free from Amazon. They will be linked to your Amazon account and made available in each device where you have the Kindle app. This way you can easily continue reading with different devices. For the Kindle the books are downloaded via Wifi or 3G depending on the Kindle model. You can also transfer Kindle docs or other documents to the device with a cable hooked to your computer.

Wow, was that a good decision! I started reading my first book with it while flying from Beijing to Xi’an for a job interview. The book was Larry Niven's "Ringworld" – a sci-fi classic that’s a real pageturner. Normally I read relatively slowly, get distracted, and then I need to find where I was on the page. But with Kindle, I found myself much more focused because there were no shadows on the page and I would keep flipping to the next page every few seconds! Increasing the font size made it easy to find where I was whenever I got distracted. I could place the Kindle on the tray in front of me and lean it against the seat and there was no need to hold it by two hands like would have been the case with most paperbacks.

I finished the book (351 pages) in just a couple of days while on a job interview trip. I got offered a position as an assistant chief flight instructor in a new flight school by the way, but I decided not to take it – my mind was in the Ringworld!

The next book I read was a nearly 1000 page post-apocalyptic epic: "Swan Song" by Robert R. McCammon. I read most of it while traveling by buses and airlines inside China. Swan Song is still one of my favorite books ever, and I can carry this 929-page book (among with library of hundreds of books) with me at all times with my Kindle! Let’s just say it’s much easier to take a Kindle with you than a 1000-page book when you travel.

My First Kindle

My first Kindle model had a physical keyboard and it didn’t have any kind of built-in reading light. Without light, it was like reading any regular book. The only way to use it in the dark was to purchase a separate cover for it that included a small reading light. The light was quite bright so I didn’t find it good for reading in public places when it was dark. Currently, even the most basic Kindle model has a touchscreen and built-in readding light.

Kindle Paperwhite

In 2013 I decided to upgrade my Kindle to a brand new Kindle Paperwhite . The Paperwhite is a touchscreen Kindle with built-in reading light. The light seems like a backlight but it actually shines the screen from the sides of the screen. So again, it doesn’t cause similar strain for the eyes that can be caused by the blue backlight of tablets or smartphones. The Paperwhite is a premium Kindle device with a more pixel-dense display than the basic Kindle.

Because of the touch screen, the Paperwhite doesn’t need a physical keyboard, making the form factor and the weight of the device smaller than my previous model. It’s an excellent device that in my opinion provides a far superior reading experience compared to a physical book. The text looks crisper and sharper compared to my previous Kindle thanks to a higher resolution screen and the adjustable lighting.

I still have my Paperwhite and my wife has one also; she uses her Kindle Paperwhite every day. There was nothing wrong with the device, but I just wanted something more…

Kindle Paperwhite is an excellent device that I used during my time as a first officer. I believe the book I was reading was: Writing Life Stories: How To Make Memories Into Memoirs, Ideas Into Essays And Life Into Literature.

Kindle Oasis

About a year ago I was doing frequent trips to Tokyo. We stayed in a Hilton hotel that had a pool area and a hot relaxation pool outside in the balcony. I used to go there in the evenings, sit there in the steaming hot pool and look at the city lights. It was so relaxing! Especially when it was cold and raining outside, but the pool was hot! I tried to read my Kindle Paperwhite while sitting there but I was always worried it might get wet and I might break it. …then I learned about a new Kindle Oasis that was the first waterproof Kindle. 

I wanted to get one while I was in Japan, but they didn’t sell it there. I also tried to find it in some other Asian countries without luck. Then I finally got in the summer of 2018 when I was in Florida. Coincidentally I started reading my first book with the Kindle Oasis when I was on a cruise ship called the Oasis of the Seas! Get it? Kindle “Oasis” – “Oasis” of the Seas!?? lol. And that’s where I first got to read with Kindle in a hot tub without getting worried about breaking it!

The new Kindle Paperwhite model is also waterproof these days, but I find the Oasis a better device in some ways.

My first time reading the Kindle Oasis in a pool was during a Caribbean Cruise with the Oasis of the Seas cruise ship! 🙂 

I like the Oasis better than the Paperwhite because of a few reasons. It’s slightly bigger; it has a 7-inch screen instead of 6-inch. It has physical page turn buttons. It’s nice to have the option to either tap the screen to turn the page or press the button. The physical buttons are especially nice you are reading in a hot tub and your hands are wet. The Oasis is also more comfortable to hold because of a thicker handle on one side of the device.  A last extra gimmick that the Oasis has is an auto-adjusting light sensor. With the other Kindle models, you have to manually change the intensity of the light based on your preferences. The light sensor is not a game changer for me as I normally keep in a manual mode anyway.

If you like to read by a pool or if you have large hands then I would definitely go for the Oasis. Otherwise, you might just as well go with the Paperwhite. – Both are good devices.

Kindle Oasis is a premium device that’s currently the best Kindle model and the best e-book reader money can buy.

Other Awesome Reasons to Own a Kindle

• Available Content: Another major benefit with Kindle is the sheer amount of content instantly available for them. Not all authors make their books available as paperbacks – at least non-fiction authors writing relatively short books. These days many books are only $2.99 in the Kindle store while the printing cost alone would be easily over $3 per copy, meaning the print copy would have to be priced higher.
• FREE Kindle Books: With Kindle, authors can run book promotions as low as 99 cents or even for free (as crazy as it sounds after months of work), which could never be done with physical books. …by the way the only reason authors give away books (for less money than a bartender gets tipped for handing you a beer) is to make some sales rankings in Amazon or by trying to get you hooked to a book series. While the free option in Amazon is a great opportunity for authors to do marketing, it’s also great for consumers. At any given time I could go and fill my Kindle with thousands of free books that would be enough reading for a lifetime! There are thousands of free books available for Kindle at any given time! Finding free books is not always easy but you can usually check out the Top 100 Free books here.
• You can read in the dark without disturbing your spouse. With Kindle you don’t need to keep your bedroom reading light on when you read. You can comfortably read books in a pitch black bedroom with the Kindle screen at the dimmest setting.
• Audible Books: Some Kindle models support Bluetooth headphones and Audible audiobooks. I got hooked to audiobooks quite recently. It’s nice to be able to listen to books while working out or walking. I normally listen to them from my phone, but it’s also nice to be able to continue listening to them from my Kindle device. Especially if I want to listen to something before I go to sleep I just listen from my Kindle. I never keep my cellphone in the bedroom overnight because I don’t need anything to disturb my sleep. Kindle, however, is always next to me…
• Easy to Read Anywhere: Kindle is such a light and thin device that you can easily take anywhere with you. You can hold it with one hand or you can lay it down on a table and read while eating breakfast for example. Or if you get a case such as Fintie Origami Case for Kindle Oasis you can read even more comfortable by placing it in front of you. You can lay on the bed and have it stand on top of your belly if you want! (that’s what I normally do!)
• Excellent Battery Life: You don’t have to worry about charging the Kindle battery constantly. I usually charge my Kindle maybe once a week if I keep the Wifi and Bluetooth on. If I keep it offline the battery could last for weeks. The e-ink display does not need much power!
• Customization and Notes: With a Kindle you can customize the device so that every book you read has the same margins, font type, font size, etc. It makes reading more enjoyable than reading a book that was originally published with fonts you don’t like. You can also write notes and highlight sentences right there in the Kindle – no need to take out a notebook and a pen. You can easily find all your notes later when you open the Kindle app in any device.
• Dictionary: With over a million words in English language alone you are guaranteed to see some words that you have not seen before if you read a lot. Kindle has a built-in dictionary so you can easily find the meaning of the unknown words you come by. It’s a function I use constantly, especially when I read historical novels or technical manuals.
• Easy to Access Links: Many non-fiction books, such as my book LEARN TO FLY AND BECOME A PILOT!, include links to different resources. While the internet browser in Kindle devices can’t access all websites (it’s kind of a primitive and slow browser) you can easily open books in a Kindle App with your computer and click the embedded links from there. When I read non-fiction guides (such as Kindle Bestseller Publishing (2019): Publish a 1 Bestseller in the next 30 Days! ) I usually read through it once with my Kindle Oasis, and afterwards I would open the book in my laptop and go through the links. It’s much more convenient than typing the links as they would be written in a paperback books.

Conclusion

This was not a complete review of Kindle devices or their specifications. Kindle devices have many more functions than the ones I mentioned here. The main point I was trying to make is that if you like reading books, you should give an electronic reader, such as a Kinde, a chance! You shouldn’t think of it as another tablet – when I tell my wife I’m going to bring my Kindle with me when we go out for a walk in a park, I tell her: “I’m going to bring my book in case we sit down somewhere!” I think of it as a book – not a gadget to play with.

Amazon currently sells three models of the Kindle: the all-new Kindle" ($89.99), "Kindle Paperwhite" ($129.99), and "Kindle Oasis" ($249.99). The basic Kindle is a good device, and an excellent choice for occasional readers or perhaps for kids as their first reading device. I would recommend the Paperwhite for most readers as it is not much more expensive than the basic Kindle, but offers some significant improvements in terms of waterproofing, pixel density, and storage. The Oasis is the most expensive flagship model that is the best device for serious readers! It’s good to compare all the devices and their configuration options before you pick one suitable for your needs. 

I like all kinds of electronic gadgets and devices. But if I were to get stuck on a deserted island and could only bring one device with me, it would be the Kindle!