reading only e-books for a week to compare them to 'real books'

1-week experiment: reading exclusively on an e-reader

• The creator (Leoni) is a “physical book” lover who dislikes reading on screens (iPad). She buys an e-reader for a week to compare the experience to real books.
• She spends the week reading primarily fantasy and tracks how the device changes her habits, comfort, and reading speed.

Setup & book choices

• Downloads/starts Two Twisted Crowns (Rachel Gillig) in the morning.
• Notes pricing comparison: e-book cost feels close to physical, sometimes only a small difference.
• Frames the e-book as part of a fantasy series obsession:
  • Series premise: a girl with a monster inside; a town with evil mist.
• Mentions The Starless Sea (Erin Morgenstern) as the later physical-book comparison pick.

Lifestyle / reading habits she changes

More morning reading

• Weekend morning routine:
  • café playlist
  • plate of food
  • warm tea
  • reading as sunlight fills the room
• She reports reading longer in the mornings after switching to an e-reader.

Reads more easily in small/awkward lighting

• Physical books create annoying shadows from her window/lamp setup.
• On the e-reader, she can adjust brightness and read from different angles more comfortably.

Takes the e-reader to social/out-of-home settings

• Brings it to a writing-group performance (keeps it in a small bag).
• A “new hobby”: sitting in cute cafés with a latte/pastry and reading on the e-reader—easier than holding a hard physical book while eating.

Health / comfort considerations (indirect, but recurring)

Reduced “reader anxiety”

• She likes being able to hide page count and show only remaining time (hours left), which can feel less confronting.
• She can also fully turn off progress/page indicators, so she doesn’t feel “slow reading” pressure.

Easier multitasking

• She emphasizes the convenience of needing fewer hands, letting her read while eating.

Interface & navigation pros/cons

• Major gripe: navigating the e-reader UI—especially table of contents—and flipping to items like fantasy maps/terms/glossaries is “very annoying” compared to flipping physical pages.

• Big usability win: reading feels simple and smooth:

  • single taps to turn pages/advance
  • comfortable adjustable text sizing
  • a “pleasing” reading experience due to streamlined interaction

Battery & charging behavior

• She realizes she doesn’t remember the last time she charged it.
• Battery lasts weeks; when she finally checks it at 12%, it charges quickly (reaches 100% in a few hours).

Reading speed & outcomes of the experiment

Finishes Two Twisted Crowns in one week

• She’s surprised by finishing a ~500-page book that fast.
• She suspects it was partly because she loved the book—not only due to the e-reader.

Recommends the duology for

• dark, misty, forest atmosphere
• approachable fantasy with fewer characters (in her preference)
• a romance plot that stays enjoyable (no overly annoying conflict)
• emotional intensity (“emotional pain” over characters)

Physical vs e-book comparison attempt: The Starless Sea

• She reads The Starless Sea physically for weeks and is only around page 150 after two weeks.
• She plans to read it on e-reader later, but then concludes:
  • the faster reading earlier was 100% due to loving Two Twisted Crowns, not necessarily the device
  • however, switching to the e-reader lowered the “barrier to entry,” making it easier to keep reading once she starts

E-reader choice criteria (what she looked for)

• Reasons she chose the Kindle Paperwhite:
  • screen not too small (cheaper readers often have tiny screens)
  • warm/adjustable light for reading before bed (less blue light)
  • long battery life
• She warns: the best device depends on your needs and where you want to buy ebooks.

Platform / library / shop implications

• She dislikes being locked into certain ebook ecosystems:

  • Owning a Kindle means she largely buys from Amazon.

• Strategy she considers to reduce “double-paying” and still support physical bookstores:

  1. get ebooks from the library
  2. buy physical copies only for books she genuinely loves (avoid paying twice)

• She rarely uses libraries otherwise because of limited ebook availability in her country/language:

  • She checked Dutch online library access for her comparison book.
  • The Dutch library only had Night Circus (for her purposes), but she still buys The Starless Sea ebook for the video comparison.

• Indie-author availability as a deciding factor:

  • She chose Kindle partly to access certain indie authors available via Amazon exclusivity in her region.

Pros & cons roundup (as stated)

Pros

• Convenience
  • fewer hands needed
  • can read while eating/doing other things
  • works in any lighting; great for being “on the go”
• Pleasing reading experience
  • single-tap/page-turn interaction
  • smoother reading
  • adjustable font size/comfort
• Less forgetting + easier pick-up
  • lower barrier to continue reading after picking up
  • she also values the discreteness (others can’t easily see what you’re reading)
• Sharing some practical benefits
  • ebooks are more “discreet” and she speculates they might be better for reading in a bath (though she doesn’t have a bath)

Cons

• Physical “charm” is missing
  • can’t flip/smell/hold pages
• You forget what you own/read
  • no physical shelf reminder; she finds that a downside versus having physical copies
• Fantasy-specific inconvenience
  • hard to flip back and forth through maps/glossaries/terms
• Supporting bookstores
  • ebook purchases don’t support brick-and-mortar shops (library ebooks help, but not shops)

Notable moments & personal highlights

• Valentine’s Day: gets adorable roses from Nina; feels very appreciated.
• Performs a short story on stage for a writing group:
  • intentionally accepts shaking nerves and reads anyway.
• Styling/clothing for a reading outing:
  • debates wearing something she feels “girly/juvenile” in; prefers a more comfortable look.
• In cafés, she feels emotionally “safe” about not crying in public:
  • relieved she managed to hold it together while reading.
• Ends with a verdict:
  • she’ll keep physical book collecting, but will read more ebooks after the experiment
  • thanks Patreon supporters, noting the Patreon book club selection is The Starless Sea

Notable locations, products, or speakers (end)

Locations

• her small room
• a “cute little café”
• bookshops near her
• Edinburgh trip (mentioned as a prior travel reference)
• writing group stage

Products / platforms

• Kindle Paperwhite (her e-reader)
• Kindle Store / Amazon ebook ecosystem
• iPad (mentioned as the source of her screen-reading dislike)

Books

• Two Twisted Crowns (Rachel Gillig)
• One Dark Window (series prequel referenced)
• The Starless Sea (Erin Morgenstern)
• Night Circus (Dutch library mention)

People / speakers

• Leoni
• Nina (Valentine’s roses)
• Rachel Gillig
• Erin Morgenstern
• Carissa Broadbent (indie author mentioned)
• “Writer Guide to the Galaxy” writing group
• Patreon “Elite hidden Library members”