E-Readers Read More

If your New Year’s resolution was to read more, you might want to buy an e-reader. About 40% of e-reader owners say they read more than they used to, according to a new study. On average, they say, they finish 2.6 books a month compared to a traditional book reader's 1.9. E-reader owners buy more books, too: 51% increased their e-book purchases in the past year, and Amazon says Kindle purchasers buy 3.3 times more books than a non-e-reading customer, the Wall Street Journal reports.

E-reader owners can read almost anywhere, even in the middle of a fishing trip (thanks, waterproof covers!). But there are still problems: E-book readers tend to read more slowly; missing page numbers can create confusion; it’s difficult to lend books to friends—and you have to turn your book off when your airplane is taking off or landing. “That guy may have had access to 10,000 books,” says one traditional reader of a recent seatmate, “but I was the one who was able to keep reading.” (Plus, who wants to eventually run into ads in books?)