A new Kindle might just be the reading slump cure I've been needing

Summary

I’ve drifted away from my Kindle as a result of various personal changes, and having less use for one given modern phones and tablets.
A new Kindle might help me de-stress at night while still providing some mental stimulation.
Some barriers include my attention span and the cost of a color e-reader.

It’s almost tough to remember now, but a little over a decade ago, most people didn’t want to read on smartphones or (conventional) tablets. Many phones — like the iPhone 4s — were still under the six-inch mark, which left little room for a page of text, never mind an illustration in a graphic novel. It was possible to fix that by buying a tablet, but iPads were still relatively thick and heavy, and even the Nexus 7 still had the problem of burning your eyes out in a dim room.

That’s how the Amazon Kindle and other e-ink devices became successful. I owned one myself — the original Kindle Paperwhite from 2012. But over the years, I started using it less and less, and now I’m not even sure where I last put it. You’d think that would be the end of my interest in e-readers. Somehow, though, I’m finding myself tempted by them once again.

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Why I first drifted away from my Kindle

Personal and technological shifts

The most direct reason is that my reading habits changed. As a tech journalist, I spend a lot of my workday reading news articles, social media, and source documents, so at the end of the day, reading even more can be unappealing. Frequently, I’d rather play a game or watch videos. In 2013, I took a serious interest in weightlifting, to the point that the hobby now consumes several hours per week. Time has become a precious commodity, especially with a wife and kid in the picture.

The most direct reason, honestly, is that my reading habits changed.

Technological evolution played a part, too. While early iPads were too heavy for long reading sessions, later models became increasingly thin and light, making them acceptable substitutes for a Kindle, if not a true replacement. When I got an iPhone 13 in 2021, its 6.1-inch OLED display solved any issues I had with portability or reading in dim lighting. OLED may not be as pleasant on the eyes as e-ink, but it’s not as searing in the dark as an LCD.

In retrospect, I may also have been coping with ADHD, which can sometimes make it tough to focus on conversations, let alone a novel. I only recently learned that I might have the condition — we’ll see how that pans out.

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Why I might return to the Kindle fold

Better habits, new tech

Kindle Colorsoft on yellow and blue background.

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If it turns out that I do have ADHD, treatment could make books appealing once again. Before my mid-20s, my attention span was slightly better — I’d read books on lunch breaks, everything from Star Wars novels to Carl Sagan and Edgar Allan Poe. It’s been years since I’ve finished something cover-to-cover, and that thought gnaws at me sometimes.

I’ve been meaning to dip into Kurt Vonnegut’s classics for ages.

Without or without attention problems, I feel like an e-reader would be a healthier way to wind down at night. It’s something quiet I could do in the company of my family, and it would stimulate my mind while helping me de-stress for better sleep. At the moment, I get some of that mental activity from my Steam Deck, but it may not be all that relaxing.

I feel like an e-reader would be a healthier way to wind down at night.

Modern Kindles are also more appealing than anything I had in 2012. They’re bigger, brighter, and sharper, and Amazon finally released a color model recently in the form of the Kindle Colorsoft. That device had some initial quality control problems — and it’s still unavailable here in Canada — but it would give me an excuse to read more comic books and graphic novels. I’m not much of a comics fan, but I do follow Marvel characters like Punisher and Daredevil, and authors like Alan Moore.

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Should I really buy another Kindle?

Some final thoughts

The Boox Stylus sits on the Note Air4 C tablet with a handwritten note on the display.

There’s no guarantee I’ll actually get another Kindle. A Kindle Colorsoft is $280, which is a lot to spend on something that’s only useful for reading. That cost might be mitigated by mostly downloading free books, say from a local library, but still — $280 would go a long way towards a new phone or OLED tablet.

I’m thinking that waiting a little longer might pay off.

There are other color e-readers out there, too, from brands like Kobo and Boox. Indeed, I’d rather not give more money to Amazon, given its anti-labor practices and its dominant position in the book industry. I’m just realistic — I already own a few Kindle titles, and I know that if I choose Amazon, I’ll be able to read just about anything.

I’m thinking that waiting a little longer might pay off. Color e-ink is bound to get better, and it’s increasingly common for e-readers to double as note-taking and web browsing devices. It might be easier to justify one if I can use it to brainstorm new writing projects without the temptation of games and social media being a few taps away.