My e-reader primarily has a practical meaning for me. It is a digital and an analog device at the same time.

It is analog in the way that it presents the printed word. Unlike screens from TVs, cellphones, or tablets, the surface of this type of device reflects the incoming light and is thereby less tiring on a reader’s eyes.

As a digital device, my e-reader provides all the amenities: It helps organize my stuff but is also lightweight. When I was a student, I built up a huge wall of shame consisting of books organized on shelves, including many books I never touched and some that I would never read more than once. Having an e-reader these days saves me from cluttering my home and lets me carry around my whole library. So when commuting or on vacation, I don’t have to decide beforehand which books I want to read. In addition, it makes it feasible to carry more than one or two books with me and still have space in my bag. Another nice feature is the bookmark tool, which helps keep me on track to finish weighty tomes, whereas I would probably lose the analog type of bookmark.

In my view, e-book readers make daily life easier. I don’t ever want to be without one.