Thanks to the rise of tablets and e-readers like Amazon's Kindle, traditional booksellers have been hurting over the last few years. And while the popularity of the ebook and digital publications has eaten away at book sales, Nielsen BookScan -- which tracks what readers are buying -- found that paper book sales actually increased 2.4-percent last year. This figure includes sales of books through Amazon and other bookstores.

GreekWire writer Frank Catalano dove deeper into this increase and considers some of the not-so-obvious reasons for the paper book's sudden resurgence.For starters, Catalano noted that numerous studies have been conducted that prove we read text differently when it’s printed on a page, compared to on a screen. On websites, text is often skimmed. And, studies have shown that the same is true when it comes to the text of ebooks. As a result, readers tend to have far better comprehension when they're reading from a physical book.

Additionally, when it comes to making highlights, annotations, or just bookmarking a page, tablets and e-readers have some amazing tools. However, studies have shown that many of these added tools and virtual sticky notes are often too complicated to use. Different platforms also have different menus, icons, and conventions, often making them less user-friendly than simply grabbing a pen or highlighter and marking up a page.The author notes other factors as well, such as the general feel and smell of a book that gets lost when they’re in digital form. Many studies have suggested that using backlit screens can also interfere with sleep.

Personally, I love the convenience of digital books. They’re usually less expensive and I can download a new book in a matter of seconds. But there’s something about reading a paper book that is definitely more enjoyable. As this article says, "real" books also have a UI and UX that benefits from centuries of refinement.