Since I got my second Kindle 18 months ago, I haven't read much outside of it. The thing is, I kind of miss reading good old paper books. Which got me thinking about what made me switch. The demise of BookDepository was a definite turning point. I always had a book with me, and the rest came from bookshop visits. And since I moved my office to the middle of nowhere (literally an office building next to the motorway), there's no chance of popping in at lunchtime and picking up a random read.
My biggest problem with the Kindle is that as soon as I finish something, it disappears into the infinite void of digital space. For some books that's fine - a terrible thing to admit, but true. For others, I find that I miss the tactile experience of holding a physical book in my hands. Standing next to my bookshelves, I can easily turn the pages. While my Kindle offers the same functionality - in theory - I've found that I never revisit highlights or bookmarks.
And there's no getting away from the fact that the Kindle, however convenient, comes at a price. And not a monetary one. With Kindle and Audible, I feel like I'm trapped in the Amazon universe. I don't think one company is better than the other. And small bookshops are becoming a thing of the past, but I still want the (probably false) feeling that I have a choice.
So I am committing myself to reading paper books again - at least for the foreseeable future. It won't stop me from reading e-books altogether, but it shouldn't be such an overwhelming majority.