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Getting an e-ink reader is the reason I've had a similar boost in reading hours, also over the last few years.

The thing's fantastic. I don't even mind the low dpi, or the delayed responsiveness (it's not slower than turning a paper page). I bring it with me and read anywhere. It does not have the attention seeking alerts nor the eye-straining of a back-lighted smartphone.

There's under a dozen simultaneous books I'm reading at any given time, spanning both fiction and non-fiction, and have already put 1500+ hours on it (the device has nifty time tracking stats!). To me it's about the niftiest piece of consumer tech the industry has put out the past two decades.

Smartphones are great for books, but you need an OLED screen (and hence no backlight). I was a very early adopter of eInk tech - got into it when Chinese started making the first affordable alternatives to the very first Kindle. It was great, but eventually, the smartphone won out of sheer convenience - it's always there in the pocket with me, so whenever I have to wait on the go, I can just whip it out and continue reading.

Yes, I recently got a Kobo Aura One. At 7.8" and high resolution screen it is not much different from reading a largish pocket book. Also being able to read in the dark without disturbing the wife, thanks to screen back light is also a big plus.

But even with bigger screen and higher resolution than most e-ink readers, it is still a bit small to read most magazines comfortably, which was a bit of a disappointment to me.

I read some ebooks on my phone before, but as you say, it does not compare. You have constant distractions and reading on a phone / tablet outside in daylight is no fun.

I have a Kobo Aura One too -- it's really a fantastic device. Waterproof (bathtime reading), large screen and "open" to all e-book formats. I used to have a Kindle but felt like I was reading a book on a postage stamp.

Yes - I wish I enjoyed my kindle paperwhite more because it is so incredibly useful. It's so useful because although I havnt touched it in months I'm sure it still has a 50%+ charge.

Battery life is mindblowing too! E-ink wastes so little electricity, that a single charge may last me two or three months.

I’m also reading more books than I ever have — and I have kids. Partly it’s because the library is a fun thing for us to do as a family, but also because it’s easier for me to wind down with a book than a screen when they go to bed.

I tend to check out more books than I’ll actually read, looking for the ones that really grab me; I read those through to completion. The ones that change me fundamentally, I buy a copy to hold on to.

I did the Marie Kondo discarding thing with books a couple of years back and it opened up a lot of shelf space; it’s very useful for keeping an always rotating stack of books from the library.

I just joined the library near me (Shout out for the incredible Harold Washington Library in Chicago!) and I've realized that It's a great way to test books out from authors I don't know about. It's also great for e books as you can check them out without even going to the library.

If I had to decide between keeping my iPhone and keeping ky paperwhite, I just might go paperwhite.

And I write iOS apps for a living.

I've got a venerable kobo touch. Rocking 2000 hours ;)

I don't read a lot because I have ADHD which makes it hard to focus. Do you also have that problem?

I had a problem focusing on reading until I started just listening to books on Audible while doing chores or taking walks. The physical activity occupies my mind enough to allow me to focus on the content.

Same here. I listen while driving, cleaning, and walking my dogs and am able to focus much better on the content of the book. I went from struggling to finish 3-5 paper books per year to completely finishing 20-30 audiobooks per year. I am often disappointed with the limited selection on Audible for things I am interested in, though.

I read epub and let my phone read them to me using TTS.

Are you happy with the voice? Would you be able to listen to it for 2-3 hours straight or would the computer voice become grating?

Try ivona tts kendra voice. It was available on play store but not anymore so you'll have to workaround to install it.

I use the Samsung voice. It's great. I don't really like the voice actin in audiobooks. I just want to hear the story. The google one is tolerable, but Samsung's is super nice.

I gradually stopped reading books over a period of years. I didn't really know why. Then I got progressive eyeglasses, and suddenly I was reading again.

Apparently, I had stopped reading because it was getting hard to see the words, a process so slow I didn't notice it.

I had this problem but it's ok now. Meditation or yoga before reading is helpful for me. It stops the constant flow of thought so it is easier to read after. And also, I don't force myself to read books I don't like

I've got ADD and have difficulties reading from time to time because of it. Do you have a meditation practice at all? I do 10 minutes every morning with an app called, "simply being" and 10 minutes at night. It's changed my life. It took the constantly running internal monologue and slowed it down and/or quieted it a bit for me. I'm able to focus in on things a little better now which has helped a lot.

I also know that it takes me a few pages to really get into a book. I read all of Lovecraft's works in college. I had to set aside 45 minutes for reading time. The first 5-10 I would struggle but then eventually something would click and I would be locked into the book. If I took a few days off it was harder to lock in. I think sometimes reading is like getting on board with someone else's internal monologue or at least the characters via the authors writing style and that can be difficult for people with ADD.