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I just got a few books in the mail. Physical books. Made out of dead tree. They aren’t the most convenient thing to be hauling around, but I think there’s a nice sense of completion when you finish a real book and get to put it up on your bookcase, all the while deluding yourself that visitors will glance in that direction and have several nice thoughts about how smart and well-read you are.
There are plenty of alternatives out there. When it comes to non-tome formats, I’m a big fan of the audiobook, but eReaders are all the rage if the people I see on the train are any indication of the populous at large. So how about you? eBook on an eReader, eBook on a phone, audiobook, paperback, hardcover, scroll, cave painting, meticulous arrangement of toenail clippings, what’s your go-to format in these high-tech times?
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Sort of a mix, for me. If I buy a new book it will be on my kindle. I travel fairly often and I like reading with a kindle. However I also shop regularly in charity shops and I like to pick up old military history books.
Proper books for me.
I’ve tried the Kindle app on my S2 but just can’t get with it.
It’s best for reading stuff in short bursts when i have a few minutes to kill, not getting properly immersed in something complicated.
Not surprising. Try an e-book reader in store sometime.
Both.
Kindle and iBooks on my iPad are my main reading source.
But a lot of books I like aren’t available electronically, and I read in the bath.
However, reading on an electronic device is less immersive.
I look up things (which I don’t when reading) and then get distracted, check the news and then come back 10 minutes later.
Wouldn’t mind getting a kindle – type – device for my studying, as i quite often use 2 or 3 books at the same time. One as a PDF on screen, and one or two physical, which, as you can imagine, gets a little irritating, as im usually trying to construct an essay at the same time.
For novelia though, i will always prefer paper, i suppose its like people who prefer vinyl.
i agree theres a certain something about reading a real book, but i have a habit of carrying them about a lot in backpacks as well as reading them on buses etc so my slight gripe with real books is that they get utterly destroyed so i have being going digital a bit more there.
oddly not with books as i seem to be fine with those getting trashed up a bit but i like my comics to stay nice and new looking, so i have a tendency to read the physical copy once then its filed away on the shelf and i grab a digital copy to read for any second read throughs, ive bought the originals so i dont feel bad at all about downloading a copy, i never actually read my real copies of walking dead, i just download them on my touchpad while the real issues go into a folder having often never had a page turned
I got back into reading when I got an Android phone and downloaded the Kindle app to see what the fuss was about. I’d fallen out of touch with books for the most part, partly because I tended to play games more at home and also because most of my books were still packed away after a move. Suddenly I could have nearly any book on my phone, which I’d always have on me. I’ve never minded reading on LCD displays so don’t suffer from any ailments when doing so for a long while.
When I’ve discussed this with friends who still prefer books, they seem to be mostly in favour of the experience of reading a book – holding it, the weight, the smell, turning pages and seeing how much is left. I don’t dislike any of those things, but I always saw that as just a means of getting words into my head. I don’t miss any of that with ebooks because I’m getting exactly what I want from them.
That said, there is one part I miss a little. I was telling a friend about a book I had read and though he might enjoy. He asked if he could borrow it, but I was unable to oblige. I’ve also not been able to foist books I’ve enjoyed on other friends once I’m done with them, unless I were to buy a Kindle specifically for lending to people. But as it means I’m reading more often than not, I think it’s better for me this way.
My Kindle is far better for reading than a bright laptop or tablet screen, the electronic ink is much easier on the eye. I have read more books since getting it than I have in many years.
I have experienced several podcasts and audio books but prefer to read than listen.
For me it’s mainly my kindle, the only exception being if I want to read a book I already have or one not available as an e-book.
Personally I have no attachment to ‘real’ books, I just see them as an incredibly inefficient form of data storage.
Book every time, I have tried using a kindle and just found the experience to be soulless. I find a book to be more of a joy to read through.
I’ve done a lot of iPad reading, mostly if I start a new series and i’m in the mood to start it immediately, i’ll buy the ipad version, unless its unreasonably pricy. Until they start making it worthwhile to buy a digital copy instead of a physical one, i’d always rather have the physical one, so there’s no need for the device if i’m in a bind or break it.
I don’t read books
It shows
Charming.
I read on my kindle almost exclusively, but I have the app on my phone and Nexus 7 as well for when I’ve got a few minutes to kill and dont have the kindle on me.
Kindle. Just can’t get over how handy it is compared to books. Both the size/weight and the seemingly infinite battery life makes it so much easier for me.
I like both, but physical hardbacks/paperbacks win for me by a mile. There is a joy in holding a book and caressing it.
e-book on iphone. I do like the idea of a proper sized e-reader but loathe the thought of carrying another device around with me… Maybe the Galaxy Note would be a perfect alternative… hmmm
Kindle, but sometimes a book I want to read is not available in which case I go back to dead trees.