I still love a good physical book, and for some books, you really can't replace it with something digital, but this device is super convenient for bringing a lot of books with you at once, or to be able to acquire more books while you're on a trip, and it works to borrow ebooks from your library.
As of 2020, the Paperwhites are all waterproof (bonus for reading in the bath or by the pool), and in 2021 they released the first Paperwhite with adjustable warm light, which I am * so* excited about as a side-sleeper/side-reader who gets annoyed trying to keep my blue-blocking glasses on properly while I’m reading.
I now have the kids version because it’s the top rec from Wirecutter (in part because it’s basically the same as the adult version but comes with a case) and was on sale.
Not only does it have a decent warm light, but it allows you to swap the dominant color so that the page is black and the words are ~ivory, which is pretty excellent for nighttime reading.
It’s also an amazing tool for aging eyes — you don’t have to purchase “large print books” for your parents, because with an ebook, the font size is adjustable!
🎁 If anyone has found a good solution for gifting ebooks, I’d be really interested. My family loves to read and books are a common gift, but as with digital music, it’s not clear to me how to wrap something up for them at Christmas other than getting a giftcard and including the title you’d want them to purchase with it.