Years ago, I purchased a Kindle Paperwhite from Best Buy during one of my trips to the United States. I was hoping to get back into the habit of reading. It didn’t work. I was not carrying it with me everywhere and I found it cumbersome to buy books on Kindle (with a non-US credit card) or download and upload PDF copies of what I wanted to read. I eventually sold it.

Years later, I’ve found the joy of reading again. Nothing trumps the proper feeling of opening a printed book and smelling it as you turn the pages. But let’s be realistic here: I’m not an avid book reader and in order to actually finish reading a book. I had to be practical.

I had to use something to read the book that I’d carry with me all the time. I had to have access to the book when I was unexpectedly stuck in traffic, waiting at the doctor’s office, or simply bored. The one thing that I knew I’d always have with me, the one thing that I’d remember first to bring with me no matter where I went, was the iPhone.