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# The Art of Slow Reading, Revisited: Why I Changed My Mind About E-Readers
- URL: https://www.grafjen.com/the-art-of-slow-reading-revisited/
- Published: 2026-11-10T22:52:46.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-10T23:06:57.000Z
- Description: Yes, I have changed my mind! After a few years of slow reading on my Kindle, I now feel that technology can actually enhance the experience of slow reading rather than diminishing it.
- Author: grafjen
- Tags: Reading Life

A few years ago I wrote a post titled [The Art of Slow Reading](https://www.grafjen.com/the-art-of-slow-reading/).

In that post there is a section called "Get a physical copy of the book" where I suggest that using an e-reader does not give you the full experience of the art of slow reading. 

I have since changed my mind. 

Yes, I still think there is a unique and special quietness that descends when you are reading a physical book. 

And yes, I still believe the journey is more visceral in the sense that a physical book has a unique and sheer physicality to it.

![Screenshot from my original essay, The Art of Slow Reading, recommending physical books over e-readers and explaining the tactile experience of reading a printed book.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/Screenshot-2026-11-10-at-10.30.09---AM.png)

![Screenshot from my original essay, The Art of Slow Reading, recommending physical books over e-readers and explaining the tactile experience of reading a printed book.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/Screenshot-2026-11-10-at-10.31.03---AM.png)

Images of that section from the original post. 

And again, yes, I still think you do leave a bit of yourself behind in a physical copy with your handwriting, marginalia, and the changes to the book itself as you carry with you and read it.

These wonderful things about slow reading a physical book *add* to the experience of slow reading but these things are not what makes it a "full" experience. 

#### Slow reading on an e-reader.

Since writing that post in January of 2024 I have struggled with Dante's *Divine Comedy* on my Kindle, *Moby Dick*, spent many, *many* months reading *Don Quixote* by Cervantes, and this year, read one of my now favorite novels of all time: Susanna Clarke's *Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell*. 

![Kindle displaying the cover of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, translated by John Ciardi.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_8735.jpeg)

![Kindle displaying Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, translated by Edith Grossman, on a wooden table.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/17F0C70C-2CC7-41FF-B5AD-75992574AEDC.JPEG)

![Kindle displaying the cover of Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell beside a brown leather notebook on a wooden table.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/4913B070-BAB8-4D6F-BF39-6DFA91D89565.JPEG)

Slow reading on my Kindle really started with Dante’s Divine Comedy while doing my [Epic, Epic, Poetry Project](https://www.grafjen.com/the-epic-epic-poetry-project/) . It was so hard to get the feel of what I was reading because I constantly had to flip to the back (interrupting my flow) to read notes as well as find out who these historical figures were from Dante’s time. 

Finally, I broke down and got a kindle version. It was so much easier and seamless. Dante is already a struggle. But it took away some of that friction and I was only left with the good struggle. 

![Everyman's Library edition of Dante's The Divine Comedy, translated by Allen Mandelbaum, resting on a tote bag and planner.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_7585.jpg)

![Kindle displaying the cover of Dante's The Divine Comedy, translated by John Ciardi.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_8735-1.jpg)

![Physical copy of The Divine Comedy beside a Kindle displaying a page of Dante's poetry.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_8865.jpg)

![Kindle displaying a highlighted passage from The Divine Comedy with a personal note open.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/Screenshot-2026-11-10-at-12.15.19---PM.png)

![Screenshot of my July 2024 post describing how Kindle footnotes made reading Dante less disruptive, with a photo of my physical and digital editions.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0400.jpg)

![Kindle displaying an expanded footnote explaining a historical reference to Fiesole in Dante's Divine Comedy.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0408.JPG)

I still love my Everyman's Library edition of **The Divine Comedy.* But Ciardi's Kindle version was awesome. These images show my journey between the two.

By the time I got to *Moby-Dick*, I was primed for slow reading on my Kindle. Starting with a paperback I'd picked up years ago, I quickly switched to the Kindle. This time I got the Norton Critical Edition, which had tons of great information accessible with a single touch rather than having to search online. Later, I found a cute copy at an independent bookstore and ended up reading back and forth between the two.

![Instagram story showing my paperback and Kindle editions of Moby-Dick, with handwritten reading commentary.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_2724.jpg)

![Instagram story featuring my newly purchased illustrated hardcover of Moby-Dick.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/D17F7A2B-7141-42A6-AB0C-478E04FC45C3-2.JPG)

![Screenshot of my post praising the Norton Critical Edition of Moby-Dick on Kindle for its notes and historical illustrations.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0401.jpg)

![Kindle displaying the glossary of nautical terms from the Norton Critical Edition of Moby-Dick.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0409.JPG)

![Kindle displaying an annotated diagram of a whaling ship from Moby-Dick.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0410.jpg)

![Kindle displaying a historical illustration of a whale destroying a boat, accompanied by explanatory text.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0411.jpg)

![Kindle displaying an illustration titled “Cutting-In,” explaining how whale blubber was removed.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0412.jpg)

![Kindle displaying a footnote translating the French phrase tic douloureux in Moby-Dick.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0413.JPG)

![Kindle displaying the cover of the Norton Critical Edition of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0414.JPG)

Images from my social media on Moby Dick as well as showing that the extras are just as wonderful in the kindle version. Loved this Norton Critical Edition on Kindle!

*Don Quixote* took a long time to read. I started with the book I'd been gifted but ended up switching to my Kindle after grabbing the digital version during a one-day sale for $1.99\. The print in the paperback was so tiny, and with the Kindle I could resize the text, plus it was also easier to hold during long reading sessions.

![Kindle displaying the cover of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, translated by Edith Grossman.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/17F0C70C-2CC7-41FF-B5AD-75992574AEDC-2.JPEG)

![Physical paperback copy of Don Quixote, translated by Edith Grossman, resting on a wooden table.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/DQforPost.jpeg)

![Kindle displaying Don Quixote with enlarged text beside the physical paperback, showing the difference in font size between the two editions.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0415.JPG)

It is a huge book. I went back and forth for a while but for most of the last half of the book I read the Kindle version.

*Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell* was the first slow read I did entirely on my Kindle, without switching back and forth between formats. (And yes, I grabbed this one during a one-day sale for $1.99, too.) I cannot tell you how much I loved this novel. I couldn't read anything else for an entire week after finishing it. I do love that the Kindle edition includes all the illustrations.

I've never been a "book trophy" kind of person. Physical books are meant for reading, not just sitting pretty on a shelf. But I loved this novel so much that I wanted a physical copy to have and to hold. If I read it again, and I just might, I'll read the physical copy. 

![Kindle displaying the cover of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke beside a brown leather notebook.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/4913B070-BAB8-4D6F-BF39-6DFA91D89565-3.JPEG)

![Kindle displaying the opening illustration for Volume I, “Mr Norrell,” depicting a man seated and reading.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0403.JPG)

![Kindle displaying a black-and-white illustration of a street scene from Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0402.JPG)

I read this entirely on my Kindle. I love that the illustrations are also in the Kindle version.

Currently, at the time of writing this, I am embarking on reading *Les Misérables* by Victor Hugo. I started this one a while back in a very old copy of the book I picked up at the used bookstore and stopped. Then I got another version again at the used bookstore. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_6715.jpg)

![Thick hardcover edition of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, featuring a portrait of the author on the cover.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/82CBF37F-E7A5-40B2-A6CE-5661CCA8ECD4-2.JPEG)

The vintage copy of *Les* **Misérables* that I found at the used bookstore and initially started reading in along with a Modern Library edition.

But ultimately, when I began reading it with my brother this fall, I decided to go with the Kindle version. The endnotes in this digital penguin version have been invaluable.

![Kindle displaying the Penguin Classics cover of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables on a wooden table.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/B4D668B5-08F1-42E9-8DB4-ADF77A9DDB4F.JPEG)

![Kindle displaying a passage from Les Misérables about the year 1817, with numerous numbered references and endnotes throughout the text.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0407.JPG)

The Kindle version was especially great for the chapter that dives into the year 1817 all that was going on that year. Notice the copious amount of notes in that 4th image.

Reading on an e-reader (for me that is the Kindle) there are also things that uniquely add to the full experience of slow reading. Here are a few:

#### **Less Disruptive.**

While reading Dante, Cervantes, or Hugo (and even some nonfiction), I'm often encountering unfamiliar historical references, people, languages, cultural contexts, and philosophical concepts.

The ability to view footnotes and endnotes, look up unfamiliar words, translate phrases, or investigate something with a single touch makes slow reading less disruptive and more immersive.

With a physical book, I have to stop reading, put the book down, and grab a dictionary, my phone, or computer to look things up. With the Kindle, I can do all that without leaving the text. (Also, the Kindle remembers the words I've looked up and where I read them, so I can study them later.)

![Open book showing a handwritten list of unfamiliar words and page numbers collected while reading The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/IMG_0398.jpg)

When I take the time to look up a word, I always write it in the back of my book. These are the words I looked up while reading **The Brothers Karamazov.*

Still, remember to turn off the timer settings at the bottom of your e-reader for the best slow reading experience. 

### Reasons an e-reader makes for a great slow reading experience:

#### **Portability.**

Many of the books that I slow read are big books. Some over 1000 pages. That is a lot of book to haul around. (Nevertheless, it can definitely be done.) The e-reader? So portable. You can throw in your bag and read anywhere. 

#### **Notes and highlights are easy.**

This is a big one for me. With physical books, I sometimes find myself searching for a pencil or flipping through pages to find something I've highlighted. With my Kindle, taking notes and highlighting is easy, and so is finding them again.

Kindle also allows me to open the app on my computer and access all those notes and highlights. Finding a particular passage in a lengthy book is much easier, and I can often search for it. Plus, when I copy and paste a passage for reference while writing about a book, Kindle automatically includes the reference. I love it. Even when I slow read a physical book, I'll often borrow or purchase a digital copy just for this feature.

#### Remembering what you read.

I've read about studies suggesting that people comprehend and remember more when reading physical books rather than digital ones. Of course, the research is more nuanced than that, but I always came away with the impression that physical books were better for retention

Yet this year, I read *Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell* with a friend. I read it on my Kindle while she read a physical copy. We both absolutely loved this novel. When we met to discuss it, she commented on how much I remembered certain small moments and details that she didn’t. It's anecdotal, of course, but interesting to me, and it's what prompted me to write this post to amend my earlier commentary on slow reading with an e-reader.

### **Slow reading is a practice, not a format.**

The experience of slow reading isn’t determined by whether you are holding a physical book or an e-reading device. Those add unique features to your experience, but don’t determine it.

I think deeply engaging with a book is simply a matter of the text itself and not the format it is in. Sometimes the Kindle makes it easier.

We sometimes treat convenience as though it cheapens an experience, as if something being easier automatically makes it less meaningful. But sometimes removing obstacles that interrupt attentive reading can make slow reading a better experience.

So choose that challenging book, read a little every day, take your time, and enjoy the journey. Whether it's on paper or a screen doesn't really matter.

#### **Future Kindle Slow Reads**

A few books I'm looking forward to tackling on my Kindle:

*Infinite Jest* by David Foster Wallace, *Middlemarch* by George Eliot, and *War and Peace* by Leo Tolstoy.

![Screenshot of my Kindle library showing the covers of three future slow reads: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, and Middlemarch by George Eliot.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/71/cb/71cb8618-301b-4d17-8361-8bf65bf4a240/content/images/2026/11/Screenshot-2026-11-10-at-4.09.30---PM.png)

They are ready and waiting to be read! 📖

If you'd like to follow along with my reading adventures, subscribe! At this time, I can't promise how often I'll write, but then again, this is slow reading. 😉