Real (physical) books or e-books?

[AmandaVT]

My DH bought me a kindle maybe 5 years ago for Christmas and I was polite, but was secretly convinced I'd hate it. I was a pretty quick convert and most of my reading is now on the kindle. I have a Fire at the moment, but I only ever use it for reading and am thinking of getting the Voyage when I've saved up enough of my fun money. :-) I think the fire causes a bit more eyestrain than the original kindle did and the voyage looks closer to the original (but better?).

 

I still keep physical books around to read, but at the moment, most of them are in storage as our house is up for sale. Decluttering our bookshelves was one of the first things we did and it's nice having all my kindle books at my fingertips with no added clutter!

 

Also, I love waking up to a new book that I've pre-ordered. It's so nice! :-) 

[Mom22ns]

I've read over 60 books this year alone. There is no way I could store all of those physical books were I to buy them. I can't get to the library often enough to keep up with my reading pace, so I use a kindle. I read more now than I did before I had it. 

 

This. I read all the time and listen to audio books too. I could never own enough books to feed my habit, nor could I get to the library often enough. Ebooks from the library have been revolutionary for me. I do read physical books if the book I want isn't available digitally, but it is never my first choice anymore.

 

My kids do some of each. I don't think they have a strong preference. They don't read as much as I do though. 

[Butter]

Most of my ebooks were "bought" for free.  I can't even do that at a library stuff your bad sale (best so far: 4 cents/book).  I occasionally buy a deal of the day for $1.99.  I rarely even do the $2.99 ones because they are just too expensive lol  The only expensive ebooks I buy are new releases and I would buy the paper book brand new as well if I didn't have a Kindle.  ebooks are usually at least a couple dollars cheaper for those and then we all can read at the same time instead of trying to share around a book (or having to buy more than one).  I was surprised to discover that in practice ebooks ended up cheaper overall for me.

[happypamama]

DD prefers the basic Kindle for some things and paper for others. My son will somewhat reluctantly read things on a device if that's the only option but prefers paper. DH prefers paper.

 

I'll read either. I like the Kindle app on my iPad because I can get books instantly, plus I can read in the dark, plus no late fees. But I like paper as well and will still check out paper books. I still prefer paper for things I want to browse, like cookbooks.

 

The one place where reading on the iPad absolutely wins for me is when I'm reading novels to the children, especially with the baby on my lap. I have very small hands, and holding a paper book open with one hand while wrangling a toddler with the other is difficult and makes my hand hurt. The tablet makes that so much easier! Also, I love that I always have a book available, so if we get stuck somewhere, I can always read a chapter to the children.

[redsquirrel]

I use both. I prefer physical books, but do I love checking out digital library books at 2am.

 

 

I want to add, I LOVE the kindle for reading long form journalism (get recs from longreads.com and longform.org).  

And *cough* fanfiction. 

You can just add a "send this to my kindle' button on your browser which makes it easy.

 

I had no idea you could do that!  I just installed the button.  THANK YOU!

 

And, btw, I love good fanfic. I have read some amazing stuff, mostly written by stressed out grad MFA grad students, lol. A good writer is a good writer, and it's fun to read what they write when they are writing to amuse themselves.

[texasmama]

Cold dead hands, baby.

[Jenny in Florida]

For actual reading, physical books all the way for every member of my family. None of us own e-readers. None of us want one. I actually unsubscribed from Barnes & Noble's e-mail promotional list because I got so tired of receiving multiple e-mails a week trying to entice me to buy a Nook. I exchanged e-mails with their customer service department and finally made a phone call (extremely rare for me, because I hate talking on the phone) begging them to let me opt out of Nook-related e-mails but keep receiving coupons and other offers, but they said it wasn't possible.

 

I do listen to a fair number of audiobooks while walking the dog, driving and doing household stuff, but those do not replace actual reading.

 

 

[TrixieB]

I love my Kindle, especially for reading novels from the library, or the few books that I buy - no more thick heavy books with small print.

 

But I prefer paper knitting/crochet or any kind of "how to" books.  They aren't the same on my e-ink Kindle.

 

My kids hate e-readers with a passion.  They're paper-all-the-way.  One of their cousins goes to a school where all books are supplied on an iPad.  My dd said, "You could never make me go there.  I'd mutiny."

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I still love physical books. I love the tactile experience, the smell, the fact that I can read longer before I have to be distracted by the act of turning a page (or, in the case of my Kindle, touching the screen). However, I hate fiddling with a reading light, so having the backlit Paperwhite is really wonderful for reading in bed. I also like having a good selection of reading material at my fingertips at all times, no matter where I happen to be. For example, we'll be on a cruise ship soon, and I hope to get a good amount of reading in. Rather than bringing three or four big books, I can just bring my Kindle (and so can my kids). I love that between our library's huge selection of borrowable ebooks and Amazon's instant access, I can almost always achieve instant reading gratification. And since I tend to fall asleep reading, the Kindle hurts a lot less when it eventually hits me in the face. I've taken some major shots to the bridge of my nose. Hardcovers are heavy!

 

I still love books, and they comprise a good percentage of the books we read here. But I was surprised to find how quickly I adapted to using my Paperwhite. I really didn't think I'd be able to transition, but it only took a few days before I was hooked. 

[mommaduck]

As much as I love real books, they take up a lot of room and can suffer damage. We do both, but more and more we use e-books.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

My kids hate e-readers with a passion.  They're paper-all-the-way.  One of their cousins goes to a school where all books are supplied on an iPad.  My dd said, "You could never make me go there.  I'd mutiny."

 

Oh, no. That would never work for me. I hate hate hate reading on an iPad. And if I'm going to highlight/take notes/annotate, I need a real book. Even though the Kindle makes it easy to highlight and make notes digitally, I always end up transcribing them in the end!

[Lizzie in Ma]

I love books more than just about anything.  But my eyes have such trouble anymore that I am pretty much an ereader only these days.  I adore my new Kindle Voyage, it was a gift when my ancient Kindle keyboard died.  I actually have been known to spritz the cover with my Paperback book perfume from Demeter fragrance, one we all wear and love.  Both the kids have ereaders as well, though they prefer actual books still, they love having a library in their hand.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I voted "Other?". It depends on the kind of book. I love ebooks, except neither my old Kindle nor my Note II are very good for dealing with pictures/diagrams/tables etc. So, for fiction, I mostly prefer ebooks, and for non-fiction, I mostly prefer physical books. Also, for books to read to the kids, I mostly prefer physical books, but B did read some Bob Books that I got the kindle version for cheap for on my phone. So, anyway... it depends on the book.

 

I use my Kindle Fire for history books and such with diagrams and maps as well as cookbooks.  It's in full color

 

[Lizzie in Ma]

I want to own the book, not have a license to read it that may or may not be mine in the future depending upon the whim of the licenser.  I want resale value if I decide I no longer want to own the book.  I want to buy used copies to save myself more money.

 

As long as ebooks are as expensive as they are, I'll buy used and/or buy the physical copy.  I'm more likely to check an ebook out from the library than I am to buy an ebook to read, but I still check out paper books from the library, too.

 

When it comes to school, we're mostly a hard copy kind of family (again for the resale value), with the exception of something I might need to reuse/photocopy.  So, I buy the WWE workbooks, History Pockets, HO, RSO, etc in ebook.  Then I can print to my heart's content.

 

I agree, I have a huge issue with DRM.  I use Calibre to strip it off books I purchase, so they are mine, permanently.

[marbel]

I use both. I prefer physical books, but do I love checking out digital library books at 2am.

 

 

I want to add, I LOVE the kindle for reading long form journalism (get recs from longreads.com and longform.org).  

And *cough* fanfiction. 

You can just add a "send this to my kindle' button on your browser which makes it easy.

 

Ah... thanks.  I think... I've just spent a fun hour or so browsing and setting up the "send to kindle" button.   :-)

 

[Word Nerd]

I read both and listen to audiobooks as well. DH would prefer to read ebooks exclusively now, but he still buys used books because some of the sci-fi series he likes are out of print and not available as ebooks.

[LuvToRead]

I still prefer real books, but I read a lot of ebooks.  My local library is pretty small, so not much of a selection, but they are a member of 2 different ebook libraries. Instead of ordering so many books ILL, it is just more convenient to check out the ebook.  I still order quite a few real books, too.  I, too, can remember so much more when I read a real book.

[TeacherZee]

I use both. I prefer physical books, but do I love checking out digital library books at 2am.

 

 

I want to add, I LOVE the kindle for reading long form journalism (get recs from longreads.com and longform.org).  

And *cough* fanfiction. 

You can just add a "send this to my kindle' button on your browser which makes it easy.

 

Thanks for the rec!

[PrairieSong]

I agree, I have a huge issue with DRM. I use Calibre to strip it off books I purchase, so they are mine, permanently.

How does this work, if you don't mind explaining? Would it be difficult for a non-techie person (me) to figure out?

[Word Nerd]

How does this work, if you don't mind explaining? Would it be difficult for a non-techie person (me) to figure out?

There are multiple steps involved, but it's not difficult IME. Just follow the instructions for your machine/OS and ereader. You can watch a demo at http://calibre-ebook.com/demo.

[Guest]

Both. I refuse to buy brand new books...I'm way too cheap. I like picking up a few at the thrift stores if I find them. But I also like grabbing my nook when I go out fishing or something with dh so I can choose which book to read without having to carry a bunch of them.

[poppy]

I had no idea you could do that!  I just installed the button.  THANK YOU!

 

And, btw, I love good fanfic. I have read some amazing stuff, mostly written by stressed out grad MFA grad students, lol. A good writer is a good writer, and it's fun to read what they write when they are writing to amuse themselves.

 

I'm new to fanfic but I'm enjoying it. I just downloaded a story that is about the experiences of Neville and Dumbledore's Army while Harry was off collecting Deathly Hallows....500 pages, gets great reviews, fun.  And free!

[Orthodox6]

Most of my ebooks were "bought" for free. I can't even do that at a library stuff your bad sale (best so far: 4 cents/book). I occasionally buy a deal of the day for $1.99. I rarely even do the $2.99 ones because they are just too expensive lol The only expensive ebooks I buy are new releases and I would buy the paper book brand new as well if I didn't have a Kindle. ebooks are usually at least a couple dollars cheaper for those and then we all can read at the same time instead of trying to share around a book (or having to buy more than one). I was surprised to discover that in practice ebooks ended up cheaper overall for me.

The ONLY books on my Kindle and on those of two children are free, public domain titles. That's it!

[mommaduck]

There are plenty of free books, including texts, online. Also, Amazon and Barnes & Noble will rotate books on a free list to try to hook you to a series. Some series, if you are patient, they will rotate the entire series and you can get the whole series for free. My Calibre library has over 15k files. Most are books of various genres, fiction and non-fiction, school texts and printables, and then there are a few documents and patterns.

[poppy]

The ONLY books on my Kindle and on those of two children are free, public domain titles. That's it!

 

Try library books.  If your own library doesn't have it, see if you can get a free overdrive account in the big city library in your state.  There don't have all titles, but they have a LOT, including current bestsellers. 

 

I requested the new Stephen King book 3 weeks after it came out-- both in the real library and the digital one.  Less than a week later, I had a digital copy, and was still #87 in line for a physical copy.  (Finders Keeprs, which came out early June..... haven't started it yet).