Audiobooks, e-Books, Paper, etc.?
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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.
@kadu @ArmoredCavalry To be honest, the main thing that bothers me about eBooks is that it doesn’t support my local bookstore. I tend to buy eBooks from Amazon because it is convenient (yes, I know there are other options, but I admit to laziness here). Local, independent bookstores are a precious resource and I will be mad at myself when they are gone. I will look at the hundreds of books on my Kindle and feel guilty.
That’s a really good point, I love any visit to local bookstores (especially when visiting new areas). I should really get into the habit of making some form of purchase whenever I visit one. If nothing else, just to help keep them afloat!
@ArmoredCavalry Amen!
Once they are gone, they aren’t coming back. My best friend works in our local bookstore and I rarely need a book right away…but I’m embarrassed to say that I give into the temptation of convenience far too often and order from Amazon. That bookstore has been there all my life and it would be a big loss to the community if it went away.
I prefer physical books for the most part but I have a hard time justifying their cost when I own an ereader.
I like listening to audiobooks when I’m out and about but I find I’ll occasionally miss the odd sentence when I get distracted or forget to pause when I take my headphones off which leads to me skipping around trying to find where I was at.
Audiobooks are good for doing yard work and for the books that I want to check out but find to be a bit of a slog. There are also some great narrators who really bring something extra to the story.
e-books for the last 10 years or so. Some books can be large and/or thick and are a hassle to cart around. My e-reader is slim and lightweight - very easy to take with me when I’m out and about. Also like being able to tap a word and have a definition popup. E-books are also cheaper and have great sales regularly.
Never liked jacketed books, they are silly things.
Do you have any favorite narrators? I enjoy most things by Tim Gerard Reynolds!
I really enjoyed Ray Porter narrating the Bobiverse series and am looking forward to the new book and audiobook release.
Currently listening to and really liking William Dufris narrating the Old Man’s War series.
Of a similar vein but not exactly audiobooks, I really like the old BBC radio dramas where they have a full voice acting cast doing things like Sherlock Holmes and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
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. 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.
Nice, thick, heavy hardcover, thick, textured pages, no jacket.
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.
Honestly, ebooks, and for me specifically purchased via Kobo. I’ve come to realize that as nice as a real book feels in the hand, I actually prefer being able to get the exact font, weight, etc that I want out of an eInk device. I also really like being able to sync to my iPhone to read on the go every now and then.
Paper, softcover, thin rough pages.
Hardback is hard to hold on to, and I hate those book jackets they come with yet it pains me to just throw them away
I prefer ebooks for reasons others already stated, including:
- can carry a huge collection of books in a single portable device, such as one’s phone
- can customize the text’s formatting
- can customize ereader’s appearance
- can easily save quotes
I wanted to highlight accessibility, which is most important to me. I struggle to focus while reading, and listening to a screen reader narrate a digital text while looking at the written words helps me push through. With use of a screen reader comes the ability to adjust the speed, pitch and/or voice for faster or slower reading, and it’s extremely useful when there are no existing audiobooks for said material. The consistency of a synthesized voice allows me to increase the speed and still understand, while audiobooks will contain pauses and emphases at the discretion of the narrator.
In some cases, ebooks can be shared more easily with people who are not physically nearby. I also frequently use full-text search for specific terms.
I enjoy paperbacks sometimes but the convenience of ebooks wins me over. I also read in other languages so having easy dictionary or translation lookup is fantastic.
I read more books as audiobooks than other medium, but I enjoy and interact with ebooks/paper more thoroughly. Audiobooks have the convenience factor of being able to read while doing other things, which I love. Ebooks take the win over paper mainly because our local library has an amazing digital library!
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.
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.
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!
And the wrong narrator just makes a great read a slog and a half.
