When eBook readers first came out, I was quick to judge them as a useless waste of money. Maybe it’s my inner Jean-Luc Picard, but something about a bound, physical book has always appealed to me. This is, until recently. One of the rituals I have committed myself to this year is to spend some time reading before I go to bed each night. Easy enough, you say, but not for a college student who goes to bed past midnight every night and wakes up at 7:30 or 8 AM. Needless to say, brain exhaustion is a strong force on a college campuses and I nod off reading on most nights.

What this has allowed me to do, however, is to assess a few of the perceived shortcomings of the paper-bound book. They’re awkward to hold and difficult to properly illuminate with the overhead fluorescent dorm lights. This is not to say that books are terrible, but reading for pleasure in college is not necessarily comfortable. On top of this, add the price of books, and one need not even wonder why students spend all their time playing video games and watching TV.

The eBook readers may be able to change this. Now, I have never used an eBook reader so have nothing to say about the actual usability or operating system of any currently on the market, but what intrigues me is their size and shape. Unlike books, when you read a Kindle, it is flat. You do not need to worry about different parts of the device casting shadows. While you don’t get the smell of the paper of the book (marketable add-on maybe?), the prospect of powering through a book with limited interruptions seems like it would be worth a try.

Maybe this is just college corrupting me though. Reading hundreds of pages of books in a week has led me to analyze how i can make the experience more enjoyable. I have already purchased a book stand so I don’t have to hunch over all the time. Could an eBook reader be the next step?