Poll

I used to prefer paperbacks... Then got hooked on eBooks, but then felt like I missed the actual book smell, if you know what I mean. But this year, I have gotten hooked on audiobooks. Most likely b/c I can listen to my book, and do my housework at the same time. Of my 7 books read in 2017, 6 have been audio books. Fascinating and entertaining!

Paperbacks, I just wish they would come out at the same time as the hardcovers. :| Sometimes it takes a year or longer for a paperback to be released. :|

Hardbacks for the aesthetic and duration of my collection.

I wish the options were audio, digital or just plain book. I don't care if they are hardback or paperback, but I much prefer an actual book.

To buy, hardbacks and nice paperbacks. From the library, whatever they have is good with me.

Hardcover, but without the stupid removable cover/sheet around it. Those Are so unpractical!
I was very mad when there suddenly wasn't a hardcover book to be found in a bookstore (or very few at least) until I found out people actually like paperback better xD
I thought everybody loved hardcover...

Nothing beats listening to an audiobook, read by the author, during a long Atlanta commute!

Paperbacks, though I will read paperback, hardback or Ebook. It's all reading but I do love the feel of a paperback most. :)

I prefer classic paperbacks with great drawed covers. I rarely like todays cover artwork. In most occasions I would say, that artwork is absent.

Depends. I love (and voted for) hardcover but floppy paperbacks are better. They have to be *floppy* though, mind. Those mass produced pocketbooks are just ugly and hard to read.

To be specific, mass market paperbacks. I dislike trade paperback (paying double cost for only a slightly larger book).

where's the "all of the above" option??

I get 99% of my books from my local library which is fabulous. I am very lucky in this regard and if they don't have it they are part of an interlibrary loan system and I've gotten books from across the US.

E-Books & Audio books for me. I no longer have the space to hold physical books.

I love the look of hardback, but I actually prefer mass market paperbacks.

Paperbacks!! The bigger the better. :D The only issue I have with paperbacks is keeping them nice. The covers and the corners tend to get a bit banged up.

E-books are growing on me, but I can't commit 100% to them because I really like having a book in my hands.

I'm surprised paperback is the top actually because I meet all these people who prefer hardcover, but I just hate their bulk. The only books I buy are pretty much all paperback (And used at that) unless they are new books.
Also, I tried e-books and I just could not get into them, not for long novels. I read some of the Sherlock Holmes stories on one, but for a longer novel I don't think I could, I get distracted and disinterested.

I really like paperbacks, but the the bigger sized ones. There is something so comforting about them. But then I also enjoy hardbacks, started collecting the Barnes and Noble, penguin cloth bound, Knickerbocker classics.. ebooks are handy for traveling but it will never be my thing. Recently started listening to audiobooks, which to me is quite hit or miss. Not everyone has a pleasant voice to listen to.

Hardbacks for the aesthetic too. Though I mostly use ebooks because they are more convenient and cheaper.

I prefer e-book, but paperback is the type of book I read more often. I read my nook less than reading paper books because I don't want to forget the intimate touch and smell of physical books.

I like ebooks and physical books (leaning toward paperbacks). Nothing can replace the feel of a real book in my hands, but then… nothing can beat carrying most of my library with me wherever I go!

Hardbacks- even if I can only ever usually afford paperbacks!

Hardback, paperback, e-book. They're all good. I can't get into audiobooks though. I'd much rather read it myself.

Emmeline Joy wrote: "where's the "all of the above" option??"

I wish I could like this comment!
You need to make that feature Goodreads!

I LOVE that audio is taking over from ebook in the world. At one point audio seemed reserved for the dwindling elderly market but now (as a former bookseller) I'm enjoying watching audio become more and more popular.
Myself? I prefer paper and print - Hardback or paperback, basically however novels come for me in print to read, I'll take 'em!
It all comes down to how you learn - are you a visual/reader or aural? Me? Visual/reader all the way. When I listen to a book I'm put right to sleep as I was when I was a child. And I prefer my brain to imagine the voice of the book, not have it dictated by someone else reading it. You also miss the lovely tricky and often beautiful visual effects that some authors create with their print books. I can't imagine Eleanor Catton's 'The Luminaries' without being able to see the astral charts and how the chapters are cleverly constructed.
As for ebook? I stare at a computer screen when I work and write, I cannot bear to do that for longer than I have to so why would I also read that way?

I prefer paperbacks because they are cheaper in India. We need to generally import the hardcovers and thus have to pay the extra price. But yes, Hardcovers look more pretty, but its hard to carry them everywhere and they are heavy. So I definitely prefer paperbacks.

Tony wrote: "I used to prefer paperbacks... Then got hooked on eBooks, but then felt like I missed the actual book smell, if you know what I mean. But this year, I have gotten hooked on audiobooks. Most likely ..."

Tony wrote: "I used to prefer paperbacks... Then got hooked on eBooks, but then felt like I missed the actual book smell, if you know what I mean. But this year, I have gotten hooked on audiobooks. Most likely ..."

I really love hardbacks,but paperbacks are easier to travel with. I do not use ebooks. I love the feel of turning the page of a book when needed... it is so satisfying.

I used to prefer paperback, because of the nice standard size, which means they look better on the shelf.
But hardbacks are so much more solid. You don't have to crack the spine. I just wish there was one standard size for hardbacks.

B-Format Trade Paperbacks. That's almost entirely what I go for. If the format isn't available, I tend to not buy the book at all or go ebook if the price is comfortable enough.

Can't stand Mass Market Paperbacks, they get battered too easily and spines break quickly as well. B-Formats fit just so neatly on my shelf rows, how could I resist there.

Hardcover- I really enjoy the sturtyness and powerfull feel of a hardcover. However, if I can I usually take off the dust jacket. As for the reson? I can't stand listening to audio books, if im going to read a book I'd much rather have something phisical with pages (Same goes for e-books). Don't get me wrong I still do try to read in new ways. As for the paperback there okey, but I do prefer when books don't bend while I'm reading them.

i usually Read what ever is the cheapest version of the book i can get.

I prefer ebooks as paperbacks get torn and battered so quickly (especially my collection of Star Trek The Next Generation/ Voyager books- those covers are really flimsy!) I'm currently looking for some strong and durable book protectors to try and save their covers.

I have so many favourite paperbacks from my teenage years (K.A. Applegate's Making Out and Making Waves series, The Babysitter's Club series by Ann.M. Martin or Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley High/ SVU series). I want to keep those in as good a condition as possible. I have seen The BSC and SVH/ SVU books as ebooks, but there are so many and I need to keep space on my iPad.

I do find paperbacks take up space in a room and ebooks and audiobooks do not. I prefer ebooks as it is easy to change font style/size and I use them with VoiceOver. This makes for a really relaxing read. I wish the Making Out series were remastered as ebooks!

Those books are quite light and short so do not take up room.

Audiobooks are great but only if the author is pleasant to listen to, and if they are not adridged/ adapted.

I have many Star Trek The Next Generation books that are abridged. I downloaded them as I like the story and have the paperback format too, so can read the complete version as well.

Hardbacks are fine for signed/ first ed copies, but are heavy, cumbersome and take up a lot of space. I have Jodi Picoult's Small Great Things and The Storyteller as signed first editions in pride of place but also read the eARC of Small Great Things before the release of the physical book.

Paperbacks... but if I could afford hardbacks I'd prefer those. I'm also not fond of trade paperbacks - I find the size unwieldy and can't justify the increased cost.

I'm also a big audiobook fan, but only for fiction.

I love all of the options that come with the ebook - easy word lookup, bookmarking, highlighting, notes. Plus, while I do envy all of those beautiful home libraries I see on Pinterest, I simply don't have the space.

The premium feel of a hardcover book covered by a folded paper and nice smelling pages is incomparable. It's ultimate dope!

Hardcover books are my favorite because the covering protects the pages so that they do not tear or get bent. It also feels like a bigger book when you hold it, nd if you hold it above your head when reading, it doesn't bend and twist and fall on your head. Plus they smell good.

For YA I (generally) prefer e-books as they feel more "authentic" to me in that medium.

For a novel, I love a well constructed hardcover with high quality thick and edged pages & a good font. Nothing beats it. But a hardcover with lower quality paper used for the pages feels like a waste to me and in that case I'd prefer a paperback since it's lighter and easier to bring around.

However, my absolute favourite book format is the Europa edition versions of Elena Ferrante's neapolitan novels. The spines don't crease, the page/paper, font & layout are gorgeous, they look great on a shelf & they have the portability of a paperback. Super durable too.

I wish this poll had an "all of the above/no preference" option, because I read across all formats: paper, e-text, and audio. Audiobooks are great for long drives (I find I generally stay awake better following the thread of an argument or the plot of a novel than when listening to music) and for walking/running around my neighborhood. I also listen to them while doing puzzles in the paper. But I also have plain paper books — I don't care whether it's hardcover or paperback so long as it's bound well — for reading during the day, and I have e-books for nighttime reading in bed, because my e-reader has a built in adjustable light for its screen. Thus I always have at least three books going at once.

I tend to use my ereader only for publisher ARC (Net Galley and First to Read.) I miss the feel of the books and looking at the cover each time I start to read.

I am a huge audible user and often listen to books that I have already read - gives a book a very different feel sometimes. I don't however, consider these to be books I have read. Audible books are a very different category for me - listening versus reading are 2 distinct activities for me.

My preference for paperbacks versus hardcover is immaterial. Most of the books at the library are hard cover and i tend to buy to buy mostly paperbacks.

Go figure!

I prefer paperbacks because I love the feel of a book, but a hardcover is too big and heavy to throw in my purse. I love having a book with me at all times, so paperbacks make it easier. Except the big bulky ones.

The hardcovers are nicer looking and keep pages safe, but they're too bulky for use in everyday life. I do like book jackets on hardcovers, though. They serve as a good bookmark :)

I think I will always adore hardcovers. I like the feel of them when I read, especially if it's a nicely made hardcover that can lie almost completely flat.

I tend to buy paperbacks though, as there aren't many hardcovers to be found in bookstores and bigw. (they're also cheaper, so I have the opportunity to buy more in one day)

I tape up the corners so they don't fray (transparent tape, not the magic tape). I hate when that happens and you can see the white paper edges. I also tape on the dust jackets on hardcovers.

Terri wrote: "I get 99% of my books from my local library which is fabulous. I am very lucky in this regard and if they don't have it they are part of an interlibrary loan system and I've gotten books from acros..."

I get interlibrary loans, too, but just within the state (Search Ohio). I think there may be fees if I use a different way.

I picked hardcover but I also like trade paperback and mass-market paperback. I get used books from the library sale so there are lots of good hardcovers and they have less wear to them (usually) than the paperbacks. I also get books from the bargain book catalog (Edward Hamilton Bookseller).

I just got a smart phone this year so I have lots of free e-books to read and also review copies. I just got started with Audible since I had codes for free books. I also love Playaways from the library and have books on C.D. and still have books-on-tape. Right now I'm in an audio mood but usually don't do them too much. It comes and goes.

Terri wrote: "I get 99% of my books from my local library which is fabulous. I am very lucky in this regard and if they don't have it they are part of an interlibrary loan system and I've gotten books from acros..."
I do the same Terri. I get quite a bit of use outta our library interloan!