In this digital age, books are much more accessible online than on a physical copy nowadays. They’re cheaper and you don’t need to lug around some heavy book all the time. However, physical print books are still better than one on your screen because they’re much more engaging, they’re much more aesthetically pleasing, and you can share them with whoever you want.

When I have a physical book, I’m able to get engaged and really absorb the content. With a big slab of pages sitting in front of me, I’m reminded to get back to reading compared to a phone screen with a million different things to do on it. With so many distractions on your device, it’s easy to click off or check a notification while reading. Digital books are unable to compete in this aspect making them easy to forget about, especially if you don’t like the book.

Physical books are also a kind of collectible. As physical items, they’re valuable in which they can be used as decoration after reading and are just pleasing to the eye. Many book covers or versions are hard to come across, making them feel special to fans of the series.

When you’re done with a book, you have the option to share it with other people or even donate it to a library to share with the community. This system allows one to recycle a physical book helping the people around them who might not be able to afford books. It also allows people to go looking in libraries for books they may not have ever seen, read, or enjoyed.

Although digital books allow people to read anywhere for free with just the click of a button, it fails for the first time reader. In a digital landscape, it’s hard for a smaller book to stand out even if it’s free. In a library full of books, there will be thousands of books from many different genres, allowing people to find new books they may like without a paywall.

Overall, when it comes to choosing between both, the benefits of physical ones outweigh the accessibility of digital ones. They are able to be shared, they have more value than just something to read, and they’re more engaging. Sometimes, it’s better to put down the bright screen once in a while and let your eyes rest in a nice physical book.