I Don’t Like Books, and Here’s Why…

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Written by Norrie

I don’t like books. There. I said it. I let that sink in for a moment…

I can’t remember a time when I was not reading. It is my one passion that has never faded away. Fine… Reading and cats. Although I can remember the time when I did not have a cat – a.k.a. the miserable years.

By now you are probably utterly confused and wonder whether I’m completely nutty as fruitcake. Well, I don’t think so (although if I were, would I know?), but I do have a few reasons why I’m so over printed books.

#I can’t just get them anywhere, any time
Unless I already have them on the shelf, that is… If you ever asked me what book I will pick up once I finished my current read, I would most likely start to squirm and tell you I have no idea and change the subject. I can’t always plan my reading ahead, because my mood changes with the weather, and I don’t like making commitments. So, if I want to grab a Swedish crime book at 10 p.m., I can’t possibly go to a bookstore and pick one up. Even if I went during the day, what if they don’t have one I like? I could of course order it online, but even in best case scenario it would only come the next day. That just won’t do. On my Kindle everything is there, whenever I want it, and I don’t even need to leave the house and mingle.click

#When it comes to lifting heavy objects, I prefer the gym
Walking around with a big book can be a pain in the ass. More so if you are tiny like me, and your bag is already full of essential items, like at least two types of snacks at all times, all your vape accessories, your brolly (because in England you don’t remove that from your bag, ever, except when it actually rains, duh…), your cat purse (it’s a normal purse, but has cat ears), and other weird shit you can’t live without outside the house.

Travelling with books? Forget about it. I never take more than a small suitcase, no matter where I go, and since I can’t wear books… I think you see where I’m going with this. My Kindle on the other hand is super light, and has all my reading material on it. What more could I ask for?

Even if I don’t need to leave the house, they still need to be stored somewhere. I’m currently at a stage where everything is shelves. Even the floor.

#They are expensive
Unless you buy used books or borrow them from the library, printed books cost more than their digital versions. I was born cute, not rich.

#I can’t read them in the dark
If you like reading well into the night, chances are, you will need to turn on the light at one point. In case your other half is skilled enough to be able to sleep through even a zombie apocalypse, or you don’t share your room with anyone, this is likely not an issue. I’m a very light sleeper, need almost complete darkness, and near silence, so I’m very mindful of not disturbing anyone else either. The light on my Kindle is strong enough for me to see, but I can keep it under my blankie and not illuminate the whole room with it. That rustling noise when you turn the pages? Yeah, that kind of sounds like the creeping doom in the dead of the night.

#When bookmarks are scarce,everything is bookmarks…
Have you ever had a conversation where you were asked why do you have a pair of panties sticking out from your book? I’d love to say nor had I…

#Notes… notes everywhere
I used to write notes about books on notepads, stickies and scraps of papers, up to the point where my room resembled a serial killer’s den with all those post-its and scribbles covering everything. Not a great look if you’re trying to maintain an image of being a sane person.

So I dropped the notes, and started marking pages where I wanted to remember some quotes or other super important things. Only to forget about them instantly, and then a week later wonder what the hell was I thinking. 99On my kindle I can just highlight whatever I want, add a few words, or a lot if I feel like, and all my notes will be saved in one place, in the cloud.1

Of course, the other side has some great arguments too! Here’s what some fellow readers said in favour of physical books.

#But that book smell…
Ew. No, really. Ew. Moving on…tumblr_nwa0saFrQj1r2kjqxo2_400

#I love seeing the progress I make as I turn the pages
Me too! But I can actually have all sorts of stats on my e-books too! I love the option that I can see my progress in percentage, number of pages read, or time left in the book or chapter. With a printed book I never know if the next chapter will be a long one or a short one.

#But I love the covers, they are so pretty!
Some of them really are! There are plenty more though that aren’t.

#A good, old-school paper back feels so nostalgic
No doubt, no doubt! But wait 50 years, when you can download books directly into your consciousness (although I might be getting into sci-fi territory here), and Kindle will be super retro as well.

#Reading a printed book is a much more personal experience
I might not be a person… There were rumours that I’m an android. They might be true.

#But I just love those chunky books and can’t wait to sink my teeth into them!
I have the same sentiment towards doughnuts.

That said, after two years of being completely digital, I recently bought a few printed books from the local charity shops, because they were cheaper than the digital version, and also picked up a few new releases, purely because they were so pretty, and I wanted them on the shelf… or floor, or whatever. Don’t ask.

Whether you prefer the nostalgic experience of reading a paperback, or gravitate more towards the digital experience, I think we can agree that books are amazeballs, and bookworms rock!

Read on!

What are your bookish struggles? I’d love to hear them!
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118 Comments

  1. I love reading both but I have a paperback phase now after reading more than a 100 books on my (last) ereader. I do like looking at my library though from where I’m sitting and admiring actually seeing the spines of some of my favorite reads. I’m actually quite proud too if someone visits and looks at my physical library :-). Great post! You had me worried there for a moment with your blog post title 😉

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    1. 😂
      Yea, you see, you got a point there. Bookshelves can be so pretty to look at. For me it’s time to upgrade because the current situation is a disaster… i can’t even see properly what’s on the shelf and just the other day i found some forgotten books in the back of my wardrobe…

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    1. Sometimes i think back on the times when there were only printed books. I did survive somehow, but damn, it’s so easy to get used to convenient stuff! I have moved 10 times in the past 10 years, and keeping only my favourite books was the best decision ever… last month i started buying printed books again, and all of a sudden the flat is taken over by them 😀

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  3. Hiya, I am now completely digital for all the reasons you mentioned.Previously my house was looking like it should have been on an episode of hoarders, special book episode. I have literally thousands of books on my tablet (I am a sucker for freebies and sign up 3 sites that email me book links every day) and I have my audible app on my tablet too so I always have a book to suit my mood/ needs. Also I can sit in the doctors surgery waiting room and read whatever I want and not get odd looks. We also have 6 cats, 2 dogs and 2 Degu so I really have no room for books.

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    1. 6 cats!!! ❤ ❤ Aww!
      I know what you mean about freebies… once i downloaded 20 books in one sitting. Still wondering why, because now I just keeping putting them aside and not sure why i even wanted to read them in the first place… 😀

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    1. Haha, tell me about it… one time i got Mr. Mercedes as hardback, because i just need to have Stephen King’s books. But when it came to reading, i also bought the digital one, cuz i didn’t want to carry the book around 😀

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  6. haha I actually relate to this post! I love how you can get anything at anytime on kindle. And it’s great for travelling 😀 And yes they’re so much cheaper! And I love how easy it is to take notes (and I gotta admit to loving the percentage of progress 😉 ) Awesome post!

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    1. ❤
      You know what's funny tho? I started a series / trilogy thing 2 years ago, and the first 2 books were available on kindle, but the 3rd one isn't. It only got released as paperback or hardback.
      Bizarre!!

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  8. Love this post! I really like reading both ebooks and traditional books. It just depends on my mood and on it’s convenience. If I’m out and about or want to read in the dark, my kindle is the way to go! If I wake up in the morning, still huddled in my blankets, a traditional book is right for me. Haha

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    1. I wake up super early every morning and i always have issues with light. I don’t like the overhead light cuz it’s too bright and shines into my flatmate’s room, so if i’m reading a printed book, i’m sitting there with my cellphone’s flashlight, wrestling the pages 😀

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  9. Hahahahahaha. I loved this post so much, your GIF choices are amazing and… yes, I love doughnuts as well hahahaha.
    I have to admit, I’m more of a physical books kind of reader. I will have all the arguments you mentioned in your second part, I like smelling books, I love holding books, I like filled bookshelves and I don’t know. There’s something, this feelin about getting a physical book, that I don’t have whenever I get a digital copy.
    Don’t get me wrong, though, I do love e-books as well, I have a e-reader and often buy and read books on here. I love how practical it is and easy it is to carry a thousand books with you. Something that kind of annoys me, though, is how expensive some e-books are; i can sometime get the paperback for the same price and… I’d rather get a physical copy then, since I love these so much, hahaha.
    Lovely post!! ❤ ❤ ❤

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    1. ❤
      I noticed recently that e-book prices have gone up. Hence my recent trips to charity shops where i can get them for £1-2. They even have some of the latest stuff sometimes, in pristine conditions! I usually schedule reading the printed books for the weekend, so it's less of a struggle, hehe 😀

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  10. Another fabulous topic. I was slow to the digital world when it comes to reading, though I tried and tried (mistake #1 was starting out with a 1st edition Nook). I was convinced that e-readers just weren’t for me until I got a Kindle Voyage. Life changing. Then I started getting e-galleys, and I had even more impetus to read digitally. I still have tons of print books, but I mostly buy e-books at this point. And I agree with all of your points, as well. I’d also like to point out that it is much easier to read one-handed with an e-reader, and then your other hand is free for snacks and drinks and petting cats. 😉

    In regards to “all the pretty covers though”, I’m a visual person myself, and that plays a big part when I’m trying to find a book I’m in the mood for. The beauty of Kindle books is you don’t have to have a Kindle to read them because apps (for phone, tablet, etc.). Though I rarely use those devices for reading (glare! Agh!), they do offer the book covers in color, so I peruse my collection that way, and then go to my Kindle Oasis (yes, I have multiple Kindles!) to read it. Or, I go poke around my Goodreads shelves, which also happen to have the covers in color. 😀

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    1. Oh yes!!! The snack hand! Forgot about that. My cat is quite an introvert, haha, doesn’t even like being petted so much, so i’m sure if it was up to him i’d be enforced reading massive tomes that occupies both hands.

      Mmmyea, i do love pretty covers. Every now and then just open my cloud reader or table app and stare at them 😀

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  11. I do end up reading a variety of ebooks and print depending on what I can get from my library. I tend to read print books in the house and then take my kindle out with me all due to the weight issue. The only thing that the print book is better than the kindle is for reading in the bath, as reading with a kindle makes me nervous. On the other hand if you have spashed out on the waterproof ereader then that is no longer the issue. Fab post btw.

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    1. Good strategy!
      I’m a shower kind of person, so reading in the bath is not something i do, but i could defo see myself floating in a pool somewhere nice, reading. My kindle is not waterproof, so i’d probably risk a paper book there 😀

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        1. Savages, eh? I see his books floating around in charity shops all the time. I keep telling myself that their previous owner probably just got a different edition for a nicer cover or something… 😀

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  13. I can’t believe you actually used EXCLUSIVELY 99 GIFs in this post!! That is so awesome 😀 LIKE I CAN’T EVEN!
    But anyway. I agree with your points 🙂 I also always worry about telling people I kind of actually prefer my kindle, cause it’s SO superior. Plus, I am international, so I only ever get eARCs too. But that’s okay cause seriously. Ebooks are awesome.
    My latest passion though, is text to speech! I have this one app that reads my ARCs back to me. Saves so much time and my eyes are better rested. And think of all the chores! Surprisingly, it’s not mechanic at all. Quite natural, even. I really enjoy reading in that way too.

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    1. Oh, nice i have to try text to speech! I’m incapable of listening to audio books, but if i could read it the same time, it would be probably great!

      P.S. your comment was flagged as spam for some reason, so i only saw it now. Sorry about this. Should be ok from now on tho! 🙂

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  14. SO MUCH LOVE FOR ALL THE BROOKLYN 9-9 APPRECIATION HERE I MAY JUST SAY. (Especially Gina who is a gift to this world.😂) Ah ahhah. Ahem. Anyway YES. Books are awful and out to annoy us tbh. Also when you want a sequel and it’s not even written by the author yet?! Rude. Whatever did we do to deserve this trauma.

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    1. Oh yes, that too!
      Just saw the other day that the sequel for a book i read last november will be out this october and i was like “surely i will forget everything by then, what were you thinking??” 😀

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  16. I love how you used the Brooklyn Nine Nine perfectly. I love both paper and digital books but I should accept that the digital ones have been replacing the paper ones rapidly. BUT I love showing off my book shelves. I know, I cannot choose just one!

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  18. Up until last year I would have absolutely agreed with you: I’d been reading books on my phone for many years. However, last year I bought a house, and I indent to get two big bookcases into the living room, and I’ll need to fill them with something… So I’ve started to buy paper books. Even though they are umconfortable to hold open. But books look so good on a shelf.

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    1. Oh, yes that’s true. 🙂 About 10 years ago i used to have a massive shelf that covered one side of the living room. I had around 700-800 books. It was glorious to look at!

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  20. I love REAL books but let’s face it… Seven of us (2 adults, 5 kids from 12years to 9 months) all in a 3 bed house… I’d be delighted to have a real paper library but I’d probably have to give up the lounge and my bedroom. I’m on my 17th book of 2018… can you imagine how much space they would take up?

    I bought myself a Kindle Voyage the day after Boxing Day and I’m in love… I’ve got 100s of books waiting to be read thanks to BookBub and it takes up less space than my iPad!!! Ingenious!!! Even better, I can read in bed without disturbing my husband and the babies. 🙂

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  22. Enjoyed reading this post! I am more of a physical book kind of person tho I have my kindle too, like what you mentioned above, we need them when we are travelling, so ofc we can’t bring a baggage full of books, thank G for kindles! ❤

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    1. I have my kindle app installed on all my devices, so the concern that my “book” switches off mid sentence is no longer a valid concern either 😀

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    1. I was using my cellphone flash light the other day while i was reading, but i didn’t know where to put it. So i put between my pillows so it was kinda shining over my shoulder, but it kept moving and slipping… so much effort! 😀 😀

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    1. Thank you! ❤
      And yes, most of the time i just can't justify the amount of money a hardback cost… the latest book i wanted to get was £20 as a hardback… that's easily half a week worth of groceries 😀

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  25. I don’t mind print books. I agree with you about the price compared to ebooks, and I also love having a Kindle so that I can carry 100’s of books with me, where as putting one paperback book in my handbag hurts my shoulder if I’ve been carrying it for a while. However, I still like them. I also like finding random objects to use as bookmarks – makes my kids giggle.

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  26. Yay, finally someone else! 🙂 I always feel like a minority amongst book worms as I read mostly digital. 🙂 I really, really liked your thoughtful summary of your reasons. I resonate with a lot of them.
    My tiny home could not accommodate my book reading pace and neither can my local, very limited selection-wise, library. There are so many upsides to switching to eBooks. The environmental impact, my minimalistic lifestyle, travelling light as well as the money saving are my main ones. 🙂
    Great post!

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  27. Oh my gosh I absolutely loved this! Hilarious 🙂 And, as much as I love how pretty physical books are and how they make my shelf look, I do 98% of my reading on my Kindle. Often, I buy a physical book because it looks pretty and end up buying the same book on my Kindle to…well, you know…read 🙂

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    1. I noticed i’ve read double the amount of books since i got my kindle, because i can read any time, anywhere, so i’m blindly in love with it, i must say 😀

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  29. I just got a kindle and I love it. I might make the switch to all e-books (unless I just need to have it in book form.) Kindle books are so much less expensive and I feel like I read so much faster on my kindle. Maybe this is because I feel like it’s way less rude to whip out my kindle than it is to get out a book so I get it out more often. However, the downside to this is that people feel more comfortable interrupting you when you’re reading on a kindle.

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    1. i read faster on kindle too… it’s smaller than a book so my eyes don’t start to wander… like with books i noticed sometimes I’m having sneak peeks on the opposite page…. very distracting

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  30. lol Awesome (and hilarious) post. 😛 I think I pretty much like physical copies of books and e-books the same these days. They both have their perks, and I definitely agree with the points you made that were pro e-books. Having your kindle for when you’re out and about is great. You get to carry around a whole library around in a tiny little package. What’s not to love?? 😀 And reading in the dark is definitely a bonus.

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    1. Recently saw some books that i think won’t work well on kindle cuz they have pictures but might still look on tablet… coincidentally the price of the hard copy is the same, so I’m really torn 😂

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  31. Haha! I’ve been completely digital for a few years now as well. I tried to pick up a ‘real’ book to read but found myself tapping the pages to turn them. LOL Seriously though, I only read on my Kindle. The sick person in me does still buy the occasional book to sit on my many shelves – usually only AFTER I’ve read it already on my Kindle and LOVED it. Some books are friends that you want to gaze at indefinitely.

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  35. Oh my god, your writing style is absolutely hilarious! Had me cackling a good bit of the post. While I prefer physical books over e-books, that might only happen because I don’t own a Kindle yet and have to read my e-books using some not-so-pleasant-on-the-eyes apps… especially for reading in the night, which I do tend to do.
    I completely agree with some of these though, haha ❤
    Great post!

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    1. Oh, yes, it’s defo more comfortable on the kindle. I used to read them on my phone at one point and it was way too tiny.
      Getting physical copies result in nice looking shelves so at least you have that going for you! 🙂

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      1. Agh, that’s exactly my problem with reading on my phone! And yeah, I guess you’re right 💛 still wanna try to declutter my room though…

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  36. Pingback: Monthly wrap-up – February 2018

  38. Books are so expensive! Shipping is quite expensive also. That’s why I borrow books from the library, but sometimes libraries don’t have the books I want to read. Sometimes I get books from markets or secondhand stalls but they never really have any current books.

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    1. I haven’t been to the library for years. It would be good though, for those books i don’t necessarily want to keep for future reference.

      I think i got lucky with second hand stuff. Managed to get some new-ish books recently 🙂

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  40. I had never even thought about not reading “real” books, carrying around heavy tomes all over the world, just in case. And then I moved to Africa, and everything changed. So now I’m happily reading whenever, wherever I want and more important, as soon as I hear about a book I just buy it instead of writing the title down and forgetting about it. The only problem is when the battery decides to give up somewhere I can’t charge it…

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    1. Yeah, been there… i have a tablet now, since christmas, so i have back up kindle 😀 I have it on my phone too, but that’s not very comfortable. Although… desperate times = desperate measures 😀

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      1. Geez, I’ve tried the phone, but no thanks. Am right now reading through your book reviews – excellent, insightful and funny! Will get back to it tonight, have to rush to school -yup. Am a teacher, sighs.

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  41. Omg, first things first, you’re hilarious. I was legit laughing out loud reading this list. I have to tell you, it’s so strange but I love paper copies. I think it’s because I am a literature teacher and it just seems so, I don’t know, correct? With that being said, I’ve had my e-reader since 2011. I read my first e-book on it last month! I’ve read five on there since, all thanks to Netgalley. I’m starting to enjoy it because it is really convienient and now I getting to read all these great ARCs! Also, the other night, I couldn’t sleep and I got to read for an hour without waking up the boyfriend with a light and I didn’t have to leave bed and go read on the couch! It was a great feeling. I’m being converted lol.

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    1. Haha, there’s nothing wrong with paper books and enjoying paper based reading 🙂 It’s a bit cool actually. I mean, i see these people walking around with cool books and it’s nice.

      I love reading during the night so the kindle is really handy. Although i developed insomnia recently and my doctor said to read paper books in the evening and not stare at a screen. I cried a little bit on the inside when she said that… 😀 Like “dude, you realise you are ruining this for me??”

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  43. Your post just motivated me to read all the e-books I’ve been ignoring because I’m so caught up with the new paperbacks that I bought hahah. You have such an amazing sense of humour!! I love the way that you’ve used the B99 GIFs and photo sets!

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    1. Thank you 🙂 ❤ B99 rules!!
      I read two paper books over the weekend and i find myself super reluctant to start doing the reviews because i put all sorts of flags on pages and now i have no idea why 😀

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  45. Reblogged this on Wonderwall and commented:
    I do not have a kindle. I’am becoming more aware of advantages but not convinced yet! Here I examine Norrie a kindle readers arguments against books.

    #When it comes to lifting heavy objects, I prefer the gym
    Ok I get that. They do add to luggage weight. Reading a heavy book is not good for wrists.

    # need to be stored somewhere.

    I’m happy to donate most books to my sister to read then to charity shops so that limits books I have. Still when I moved, I did overhear removers comment ‘ergh it’s another box of books’.

    #They are expensive
    I buy lots from charity, so real that is just giving to charity then getting a book in return. Then lots of them end up back with a charity.

    Sunday times is £2.50 now. Magazines can be £3 or £4. You can buy 3 books for £10 on Amazon and books last longer then magazines and can be kept afterwards or donated to raise funds for charities.

    #I can’t read them in the dark
    If you like reading well into the night, chances are, you will need to turn on the light at one point. In case your other half is skilled enough to be able to sleep through even a zombie apocalypse, or you don’t share your room with anyone, this is likely not an issue.

    Yes I generally sleep alone so not an issue.

    #When bookmarks are scarce,everything is bookmarks…
    Have you ever had a conversation where you were asked why do you have a pair of panties sticking out from your book? I’d love to say nor had I…

    Lol never had that conversation but, I’am always losing my bookmark.

    #Notes… notes everywhere
    Don’t write notes do not an issue.

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    1. Ah, i just love my kindle for the convenience ❤️
      But i do agree on charity shop books. Most printed books i actually own are from there 😃
      I’m a real light sleeper so I’m always freaking out that i would accidentally keep someone awake. My bed people seem to be able to sleep through anything tho. I mean the bf and the bestie… when i travel with her we usually share a bed

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