Books

Nice, thick, heavy hardcover, thick, textured pages, no jacket.

I think all formats complete one another. I do most of my reading on an e-reader because it's practical. I live in a developing country where it's so difficult to get books I want unless I pay a lot in shipping and taxes. I am so grateful for e-books for allowing me to access books I otherwise wouldn't dream of reading

eBooks for sure.

Don't get me wrong - absolutely nothing beats the feeling of paper. But if I have my Kindle, I read everyday. If I need to worry about carrying and taking care of a physical book... I read sometimes.

I'm also spoiled by having quick dictionary access, saving quotes, etc.

If it's a very special book I'll buy the physical edition though, just for having it on my shelf.

eBooks because the device is lighter and I can read in the dark room while my wife & 1year old daughter sleep in the same room.

When I'm at home I prefer physical books, they simply make me happy. Also, buying them on my Kindle is really not much cheaper than buying the actual book, especially when I have a huge and amazing used bookstore a couple blocks away from my house where I can get them for the cheapest!

When I'm traveling, I prefer my Kindle because it's light and takes up very little space in my suitcase. Also, I can have multiple books on me during a trip which is great because sometimes I like to read multiple books at the same time and I'll pick up whichever one I'm in the mood for. When I'm traveling, I'm certainly not going to bring two or three different physical books with me. One other area that the e-reader is superior in has to do with all the wonderful classics that are public domain and free!

I've tried audio books two or three times but I just can't get into them. I don't feel the same level of engagement when I'm listening that I do when I'm reading and I don't feel that I experience them the same way, so I just don't bother with audio books anymore.

For many years it's been ebook mainly because of limited space and aging eyes.

But strangely I just picked up a trade paperback at Barnes & Noble that I'm liking reading very much, not just for the story but for the tactile nature of it. I've read my whole life and never thought I'd ever trim my library. But having kids and getting older abused me of that notion. 🙂

I'm still going to use my Kindle for most books, but it's been nice to have a physical book again.

I started listening to audiobooks for my commute, and that's mostly what I stick to these days. The right narrator can make all the difference though!

I want to like audiobooks, but there are two me-problems holding me back:

1. I feel like a lot of eBooks are distributed at a very low bitrate. Somewhere around 64kbps I think is pretty common, which I know is enough for voice-only, but to me I think most sound pretty bad.
2. I cannot stop my brain from wandering off and doing other things...

So I tend to prefer reading with my eyes instead of my ears, with a preference towards eBooks due to form factor and the ability to change fonts, font size, margins, etc. if I don't like the publisher's choices. Though from time to time, I'll get a book from the library, a second hand store, or will buy one I really liked which I read digitally. I also have a much easier time choosing a book to read from the library or a second-hand store, probably since there are relatively fewer choices, and having a physical thing to pick up.

I only read e-books anymore. However; when I find something I love I buy the hardback to have on hand to loan to friends and family that wouldn't want to buy before reading.

I usually read on my Kobo (epub format) but I like buying pretty paper editions (hardcover or not) to show them off in my room!

When I was younger…well, there were only Palm Pilots back then, so it’s a bit unfair, but I’d prefer physical books, and if I were doing active reading then it’d usually be with a physical book.

Reading digital books now requires using a device that often has access to Youtube or something else that’s shorter and snappier and yet pulls hours upon hours out of my life.

And as I’ve gotten older…I haven’t read read a book in years. Is it a lack of attention span? Yes, which makes me feel sad and ashamed and so fucking frustrated because I could, I could read long books as a kid and now…I can’t.

It’s also that I have more to do: laundry, cleaning, work, cooking, errands, exercise… So there’s less time to sit down and read, or if I do, it feels increasingly hedonistic and therefore wrong to just do one thing at once. If I can multitask then shouldn’t I?

Audiobooks are both a godsend and a curse. I can actually consume books again! But I’m locked into the ease of it.

Actively choosing to doing just the one thing, for myself, is far harder than it ought to be.

Ebooks. Kindle has a nice display showing how much is left in the chapter. It has a warm light back light, and i can take multiple books with me on a trip (i have some unfinished books).

I can put down the kindle without losing the page, or having to bookmark it. And i can sideload the books for free.

Physical books are tempting too as i can get them free at a library and very cheap second hand, but i know i would still prefer to read it on kindle where i can choose the font size I like.

I prefer ebooks. I like to be able to carry my library around with me. Also, I rarely reread books so they end up collecting dust after I read them.