So I’m a fan of books. Big books, little books, readable books and even the obscenely-difficult-at-least-for-me books (I’ve never read more than 50 pages of Infinite Jest, it’s a BEAST), having books around is… comforting. Digital books have been a wonderful addition, and carrying around a library with me has both brought down my reading costs and any closet space for those pesky “clothes” I’ve heard so much about.
But last year, Amazon announced that you wouldn’t be able to download your books to your computer anymore, which was the way the average person could make sure they didn’t lose their digital purchases. Anything purchased after that, or if you didn’t back up your purchases in time, and they were just a “license” to read. And as someone that loves some full shelves, that simply doesn’t sit right with me. When I bought them, I assumed that meant I would always have them, like a physical book. I’ve been in that ecosystem for around 15 years after buying my first Kindle Fire tablet in 2011, so I had a solid library built up that I could “lose my licenses” to read from.
So, I backed up my purchases on my computer before the deadline, and decided to retire my various Kindle models. Reading on my smartphone was never as satisfying, so I’ve read less since I stopped carrying an e-ink device with me. It took a year, but I’ve finally found the replacement that works for me.
