Fun fact: It takes TWICE the amount of time for me to commute within Singapore from Yio Chu Kang to Changi (25km away) compared to someone commuting from New Jersey to Manhattan (67 km away). I know, it really defies the laws of Physics.
Anyways, I love the fact that it takes me 1.5 hours to get to work in the mornings because it gives me a long, uninterrupted stretch to read. Other than doing the gungnam style in the middle of a crowded subway and embarrassing my friends, reading is one of my favorite hobbies in the world. And it’s way better than playing angry birds or watching Korean dramas.
Another fun fact: Reading can make you rich. The average person reads one book a year, while the average millionaire reads two books a week (Though their reading lists probably consist of titles other than Harry Potter).
The only problem with reading? Physical, paper books are crazy expensive, especially in Singapore where book prices are marked up to ludicrous levels. Libraries help to get around this issue, but popular books are usually almost always loaned out, and it’s a pain to refer back to them once you’ve returned them. When I first started work, I used to go to Borders to browse through entire books over the course of several months. I know, I know, Borders is bankrupt because of people like me.
E-Readers for Voracious Readers on a Budget
And then I discovered the Amazon Kindle. I wasn’t the first to jump on the Kindle bandwagon – I had my reservations about e-readers too – but buying a Kindle two years ago pretty much changed my life. Since then, I’ve quadrupled my reading from 1 book every 2 months to 2 books a month, spending an average of less than $8 on each of them.
Price
My Kindle has saved me hundreds of dollars on reading. Ebooks are way cheaper to produce than physical books – there are no printing, distribution and storage costs, so cost savings are passed on to consumers.
I did the math: A Kindle device costs between $69 – $139 USD, depending on which version you get. In 2 years, I’ve downloaded 49 books for an average price of $8. Assuming that I bought those same physical books for $25 retail at a bookstore (pretty conservative considering some books can go up to $50-$70), that works out to savings of $833 over 2 years. Amazon also regularly promotes good-quality books for free (yes, free!!) or for a nominal price like $0.99.
Convenience
The Kindle weighs lighter than a paperback, and is even smaller in size. This, in addition to being helluva sexy, has the advantage of allowing you to bring your books everywhere.
The only time I really get to read is when I commute, so I like having my books with me all the time. This also allows me to devour a book bit by bit in those annoying pockets of time when I’m traveling short distances, like a 10-min bus ride.
Common Objections to Getting an E-Reader:
“But I really like the ‘feel’ of a real book”
Okay you’re not buying a G-string here, why are you feeling up your book for, you perv? E-Readers are more like real books than you think – they use a technology called E-Ink, which looks and reads just like real paper and doesn’t hurt your eyes when you read.
Besides, the “feel” of a book is overrated – After reading a Kindle for 2 years, I can honestly say that I don’t even miss physical books anymore. And is the enjoyment of turning a page really worth $400 a year?
“But I already have an iPad”
Zomg. Every time I hear someone say that, I feel like running into an Apple store, stripping myself naked and yelling, “YOU CAN’T COMPARE AN IPAD TO A KINDLE!!!!” The two devices are made for very different purposes: the iPad is made for media – videos, internet, games, and pictures, while the Kindle is made for reading. Period. You try reading the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy on an iPad with a backlit screen and tell me if you don’t go blind in the process.
So how do I get one?
If you’re in anywhere in the world besides Singapore most countries, getting a Kindle and downloading books from amazon.com should be pretty straightforward.
If you live in Singapore, getting and using a Kindle is a little more complicated, but it can be done. Jeffery’s blog provides excellent instructions on how Singaporean users can obtain one and download books (scroll down to the section on “How to get a Kindle in Singapore”)
Also, you could totally go with other e-readers besides the Kindle (Eg Barnes and Nobles’ Nook is a good choice), but I just picked Amazon because it has the best selection by far.
Happy Reading! 
