Rachel Grate, over at Mic.com, has a nice summary about how reading physical books influences the brain.
Apparently the sensory (mainly tactile) feedback you get from holding and handling a physical, paper book activates muscle and sensory memory areas, making it easier to remember the content, while when reading online, or on an electronic device, we tend to skim, which decreases our ability to read linearly.
Linky: Science Has Great News for People Who Read Actual Books
