Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows question

I love real books, but my bookshelves are overflowing. Unless I buy a bigger house and a lot more bookshelves, ebooks are the way to go.

Besides, I'm not getting any younger. My eyesight likes the bigger print on my kindle. And it's a matter of storage, too. I still cling to books I bought 45 years ago. What happens if I have to downsize when I retire? What happens if I ever have to go into a nursing home? (Yeah eventually it could happen, though I hope not for a long time yet.) I'd never be able to take all my physical books with me, but my kindle can hold a whole library.

What I would like to see is a new publishing model whereby if you buy the real print book, you get the ebook files for a little bit extra if bought as a bundle. It adds value to the sale, giving more profit to both author and publisher alike, and gives the reader the choice of which format to read it in.

Sure, in that model the ebook sale is ridiculously cheap, but given that there's no cost per item to an ebook once it's been formatted for sale, the publisher is selling the same thing twice to the same person. What's not to like?

And yes I do have all my ebook files backed up on my computer so I can change reading devices if I wish to at some stage. Thank you 'Calibre.'

Since I bought my Kindle almost 2 years ago, I rarely buy 'real' books anymore. The only ones I've bought have been either to complete or continue an ongoing series. I don't have the room to continue storing ohysical books and I already rent a storage unit that is filled with tubs of books.

I used to be one of the 'I'll only read REAL books' people and then in 2003-4 I found Ebook publishers. I completely changed my mind. How can you not? At any hour of the day or night I can buy a book and read it instantly. On release days I have the book on my Kindle by no later than 11:59pm the day before. I don't have to wait until the store is open or take a chance they don't have the book. It just makes life ones step easier.

I like ebooks because they are a lot more convenient, and cheaper as well, but there is something about a paperback book that I just love :)

Although I agree that Ebooks are more convenient and green, I still like paper books better because it's more traditional (which is kind of ironic because I'm still young). And it shows how much you've read in your life. I'm really proud of my books, they're my most treasured possession other than my Harry Potter wand. :)

I have a kindle and love it because of the space issue. I'm moving house into a smaller house so we have to get rid of two of our bigger bookshelves out of the five we currently have. The problem is every bookshelf had two rows of books on each shelf and I still have stacks of books under my desk so we've had to give loads away to a charity. It's sorta heart-breaking giving away that much:( however I have 250 books on kindle that I don't have to get rid of.
Also my disabled mother has been able to read a lot more because she found a conventional book hard to hold and she has poor eyesight so she struggled to find books she could read easily.

I think I am very old fashion :)
i love the smell of the book, I love being able to touch it and feel it, it's real... ebooks are way too impersonal for me and lack the whole magic and mystery of the real book. As an author I know I should not take a side but I believe a book, physical book, is my favorite, even though I have to admit an ebook can be a lot cheaper - especially if what really matters is the story and not also "collecting" the book.

I too was adamant that there was only one way to read & that was with a real book but I have so many books I have now where to stash them, they are piled up along the wall, on my table & I hate parting with them. At Christmas time I decided I would get a kobo. Now I am hooked on ebooks. They ae wonderful I can carry my whole library around in my handbag. I can also make the print as large as I want YEH no more eye strain I can now read for longer. Absolutley no down side. I love my Kobo! I have bought one for both of my parents & they love it too. I have also introduced many of my colleagues to the joy of ebooks.

I personally prefer real books. Sure, the Kindle is good, but there's something nice about actually turning a book page, and of course the smell of paper and the cover. (Call me weird.)

NOOOO!!

Perhaps I should explain.

I think that a major part of the experience of reading a book is the actual physical manifestation of the book: its smell (there are some book-smells that make me instantly think of specific books), the feel of the paper (thin pages, thick pages, smooth pages, textured pages), the cover art, hardback/paperback, even the font. For instance, my copy of The Lord of the Rings has a really old-fashioned, irregular typeface, and reading editions that have a more modern typeface makes the book a completely different experience for me. And books can hold so many memories - a leaf that fell in when you were reading in the garden last year, that time you spilt your tea, sand from the beach...

Oh, and modern paper can last almost for ever, whereas data files are easily corrupted.

A book is more than the words on the page. And that is why I will never have an e-reader.

I love real books, but since i didnt have more space for them on my bookshelves, i had to start to read ebooks and i simply love it!!!! Its more practical and its delicious to add more and more books on the list and dont have to worry abt space! ;) hihihi

I love real books and nothing can replace those, but I must say, I'm loving ebooks too. Especially the free ones ;)

I think I'd prefer real books, but I love downloading books from indie authors.

I'm also one of those people with a house overflowing with books. In fact, I just looked around me and counted 12 books just within arm's reach of where I happen to be sitting (and we don't even have a book shelf in this room), lol. And I'm ALWAYS going to prefer the feel of a real book...BUT...

Ebooks are just so damn convenient! I love having access to all my books at the same time in case I get a sudden urge to read something else. And I love that my iPad is so much lighter than a typical book (especially since I prefer hardcover).

Oh, and I don't have to worry about the paper getting damaged or anything, either! I still remember one of my worst days ever. In was in 7th grade and I had recently gotten one of those big all-in-one volumes of The Lord of the Rings. (This one, with the nazgul on the cover: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52...). I absolutely loved that book, cherished it. Unfortunately, I got bullied a lot in school and one day, I walked away from my desk and made the mistake of leaving my book out on my desk. I came back and found that someone -- never found out who -- had ripped 3 pages out of my book. I could have cried right then and there.

But, no one can rip pages out of an iPad! :)

And my favorite part about reading on my iPad: Nighttime reading. I live with my boyfriend, so I try as hard as I can not to disturb him while he sleeps. With a real book, this can get kind of difficult. The page-flipping makes noise (not a lot, but in a silent room, it's pretty noticeable), I sometimes drop the book trying to get a comfortable grip on it, and the little clip-on light I have is more than irritating. It never sits right on my book and I always end up accidentally shining it at him, and it's obnoxiously bright.

But, with my iPad, there's no page-flipping, so it's completely silent. It's light and easy to hold, so it's easy to get into a comfortable position and just stay there. And it's backlit, so I don't have to worry about my stupid reading light going all over the place. Plus, the light is adjustable, so I can make it as bright or dim as I want.

In many ways, reading an ebook just doesn't feel the same to me...but, the pros are really starting to outweigh the cons for me.

Though, if I read an ebook version of a book that I end up really liking, I WILL still go out and get the real thing. If I like a book that much, I HAVE to actually own it, even if it only sits on my shelf and never actually gets opened. :)

I love ebooks. ebooks are compact and green, and I can carry scores & read a few simultaneously. With a backlit screen I can read in the dark. I'll never have to pack, move, shelve or dust them. And my goodreads bookshelves satisfy my desire to keep track of how many, when & my reaction.

i love reading books,escaping to new worlds away from those people around me,but in my country there are never the books i need,so i have to read ebooks,an i quite got used to it. but when i finish reading the book,i always want to have it on my bookshelf,i want to own it

I'm getting a Kindle for Christmas so I can't comment much either way but, for me, it'll be more for space. I live in a tiny place and don't have space for a bunch of books. Plus, I can be sure and have plenty of books wherever I go. I will always keep a few of my favorites in hard copy. I may even buy the hard copy first and then if I think I'll read it again, buy the ebook to keep.

I love my real books and enjoy the ability to carry all of them in my iPad, too. When I'm home, I always read the real thing, but when I travel, I read the ebook version.

I agree with Jordan, I simply love the feel of real books, but I do have a lot more ebooks than real books. Ebooks are simply more conveinent and easier to access for me, but I would always prefer a real book over an ebook.

I just don't like ebooks. It feels unnatural. I like the feeling of real pages on my fingers. Also I can watch my books fill up my shelves and it gives me a feeling of satisfaction seeing everything I've read