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Print vs. Ebook: Which Do You Use?
I consume books in all three formats - print, ebooks on my Kindle, and audiobooks on my iPod. Although I continue to like print best, more and more of my reading these days is on the Kindle and audiobooks.
I read anything, but mostly on an Android tablet app. I usually read by venue - Audiobooks at work, Kindle in the bedroom and tablet most everywhere else.
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Ereader are so comfortable, almost all classucs can be found on line in english - oh how was complicated to find english books in Italy up to some years ago! - and you never run the risk of remaining without a book to read - I was in Cuba and a spell of bad weather put me in dispair:where to find something ti read, italian or english???
You need to check the battery level, and don't be afraid to use the reset, but I'm totally converted!
I now only buy "paper books" worth keeping, one every 30/40 books I read
Mod
I always thought I'd never go to ebooks but I the fact that swayed me was how much cheaper books can be on there. When I got mine I was just about to finish uni and had no job prospects or anything so buying books was something that wasn't going to be on my list of priorities but with classics being free and other great deals and savings available it seemed like a good choice (particularly as getting the kindle as a gift meant I didn't have to pay out for the ebook reader itself :P haha) and it's been great for getting books I might not have got in print as they were too expensive.However I still love a paperback and I'm usually reading maybe one print book and one or two on the kindle at any given time.
Mod
I have to confess that I am one of those sick persons who has both, ebooks on my Kobo which is always in my backpack, and paperbacks next to the bed. So I preferentially read paper, but if I happen to be waiting for something during the day (dentist appointment, occasional train etc) I read a couple of chapter of the same book. I see the advantage of the ebooks of course, and probably since my relocation to London I'll use them much more (long tube rides vs. typycal Dutch biking). But still, I LOVE the printed pages SOOOO MUCH!And I am really fond of audiobook, even if lately I haven't used them much. Next year I'm gonna allow myself to start all the Dorothy Dunnett series on audiobook again though (third time!)
Mod
I use both equally probably. I like my Kindle for travelling and for really big, fat books that are hard to hold. I read a lot of contemporary romances that are only available on the Kindle, so it's handy for that too. If I really liked a book on Kindle (e.g. Divergent and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, among others) then I also buy it on paperback. I don't really prefer one over the other, I see no difference. I would rather be one of those 'e-reader people' (as some people I know in real life call us haha!) than be one of those people who never buy a book and always obtain illegal, free copies from the internet on their computer. At least I'm still supporting authors that way.
Elisa wrote: "And I am really fond of audiobook, even if lately I haven't used them much. Next year I'm gonna allow myself to start all the Dorothy Dunnett series on audiobook again though (third time!)..."Who narrates these? I have them all in paperback but might be interested in acquiring the audiobooks...
I read both, paperback and ebooks on my kindle. I think I have bought the kindle for the same reasons as Laura: it is impossibile to find English or German books in Italy and if you find them, you must pay the full prize and it is very expensive (at least for me). Classics are usually free to download and with the kindle I now can also read books that have never been translated into Italian.With the kindle I can also read ebooks by new writers that haven't published their book on paper.
But I read also a lot of printed books because I use to buy books only in the second hand bookshop and they are really very very cheap. I can't refrain from buying them!
Leslie wrote: "Elisa wrote: "And I am really fond of audiobook, even if lately I haven't used them much. Next year I'm gonna allow myself to start all the Dorothy Dunnett series on audiobook again though (third t..."Samuel Gilles, Andrew Napier, Christopher Kay among others... They were not easy to find at all, somehow they were recorded on audiocassettes years ago, and never transfered on cd/mp3. I managed to find them after a lot of googling in an online american store of audiobooks. So now I have the Italian paperback version, the English ebook version, and the English audiobook version. Next step, acquire the English printed version as well :-P
Like a lot of people have already said, I tend to read a mix of print and ebooks, and generally have at least one of each on the go.Before I got a Kindle, I hadn't really warmed to the idea of ebooks, thinking that it was always better to own an actual, physical book. Since getting one for Christmas though, I've changed my mind.
Some of my housemates knew what I was getting for Christmas, and apparently they were really worried that I was going to really hate the gift, as I'd always seemed so against the idea of ebooks, but I think the fact that you can get hold of so many great books for free, or dirt cheap, and start reading them straight away has been a big winner!
I read both print and ebooks. My library has a website where you can borrow ebooks online for two weeks and you can either read them on the computer or on your android tablet online. The website is http://reads.lib.overdrive.com and all you do is u sign in with the name of your local library and your library card # and you can check out 15 books. When you are done with them, you can return them before they expire and go back to the bookshelf. I've done this for a lot of the books I check out on the online catalog that is not in the regular library like The Hellbound Heartwas on the r.e.a.d.s. catalog for my local library online and I got to read it online through the overdrive version. So I do that when I can't find any inside the library. I also buy print books too. I also listen to an audiobook too which is Edgar Allan Poe and other horror short stories called Doug Bradley's Spinechillers and this volumeDoug Bradley's Spinechillers, Vol. 6I received this audiobook Cd from a friend for Christmas in the mail one year.
@Amber - Just a heads up that the link you gave is only good for people who live in Tennessee. My local library also uses Overdrive but we have a 5 book limit - 15 is quite a lot to read in 2 weeks!
Yep and sorry about that. I don't know what the link is for the other r.e.a.d.s. program is for other libraries just the TN one. Sorry about that Leslie and if u check out one, it counts the number of checkouts left and when u return it, it goes back to 15. I do one ebook at a time on that online library catalog.
I am usually reading one book on my Kindle and one physical book. I go the library frequently, and most library books tend to be hardcovers. My library also has a great selection of Kindle books available (Overdrive, 4 book limit). I always plan to read the ~75 unread books I have at home, but the library hold list prevents me from getting to those. I probably have just as many unread books on my Kindle, too. It was a goal of mine to stop buying books (in both formats) during 2013, and I've done pretty well. I will make exceptions, like I've pre-ordered the latest Margaret Atwood book in hardcover since I have signed copies of the first two in the trilogy. When I first heard of Kindle, I was dead set against any ereader, but now that I've come around to it I can't imagine life without one.
Kristi wrote: "...I always plan to read the ~75 unread books I have at home, but the library hold list prevents me from getting to those. I probably have just as many unread books on my Kindle, too..."LOL! Sounds like my world :P
I have a Nook but have also downloaded Kindle so I am not limited as to format of download. I read EBooks about once or twice a month I mainly use the Library since I moved there is one within two miles of my house! I read about 4 to 5 books a week so it saves me a lot of money. If I cannot find a book at the library or online then I will buy it through Amazon or half.com. I have to admit the "instant satisfaction" of buying a book and downloading it on my Nook is great!
Paige wrote: "I have a Nook but have also downloaded Kindle so I am not limited as to format of download. I read EBooks about once or twice a month I mainly use the Library since I moved there is one within two ..."I think that "instant satisfaction" is one of the most dangerous attributes of the ebook experience - luckily for me, I have been reading lots of classics which are in the public domain & so are free!
Mod
It is exactly what I think! Saint Public Domain!!!
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Alannah wrote: "Lately I have been edging towards my kindle simply because you can get so many classics for free."Yes, that's the big appeal, I really appreciate all the free classic books! I love seeing the books on my shelves though, which you don't get with a kindle.
Mod
Yes, that's the big appeal, I really appreciate all the free classic books! I lov..."
Yes, especially with classics I love to see them on my bookshelves!
I read both printed books and ebooks. I do prefer printed books to ebooks, but sometimes reading stuff on my ereader can be more practical, for example: I have to read a lot of stories for my studies and putting them on my ereader is a lot easier than printing them and having to drag them around, probably losing them at some point (because I am that chaotic).
I think that there's a place for all kinds of book formats. I wish there were more academic ebooks when I was a student. It would have made life a LOT easier! Generally though, I still love a printed book when I'm reading fiction. Any book that I genuinely love I always buy a physical copy. Only last week I got the Little House on the Prairie collection in hardback.
Mod
I'm reading those books one at a time: I don't want to finish them too soon!!! And I'm thinking of buying them on paer as well, as I've done with the serie of Anne of Green Gables
For sure! I'm collecting all of the great ones bit by bit. I only have the Anne of Green Gables so far. I have to collect the other titles in the series. You've got great taste LauraT :)
Mod
;)
Anne's books are great! I reread them every now and then, when a need a cheer up!
Oddly enough, I always return to the classics too when I need cheering up. There's something very soothing about being able to go back to a mental familiar place.
Mod
I do totally agree!!!!
Alannah wrote: "I have tried some audiobook, while they prove useful for example, I can do my uni work while listening to them, they do prove quite costly."Hi Alannah,
The library is great for audiobooks. I'm in Cardiff at the moment and can access them online via my phone.
Now I don't know if this service is available in good old Norn Ire but I do know that Carrickfergus library (for example) is always great ordering in audiobooks when I ask. I imagine Bangor will be similarly helpful (if not, get yourself a boat and paddle real fast across the lough ;-)
Mod
I agree with Maggie. Plus I like that I can be bored at 2 AM and just buy a book if I feel like reading. Anything that I love I buy in paper back.
Callie wrote: "I agree with Maggie. Plus I like that I can be bored at 2 AM and just buy a book if I feel like reading. Anything that I love I buy in paper back."Hahaha! That 2 AM purchasing power is dangerous!
@Maggie - Do you find that the samples have been good indicators? I have not tried them but have been wondering if they were actually representative of the book as a whole.
Mod
Hahaha! That 2 AM purchasing power is dangerous!"
I'm of the same mind! Thanks God I usually slepp at that time of night!
I've boght my third ereader these days - it arrive two days ago! I'm definitly converted to ebooks, even if I still read paper books every now and then - like at the moment with As I Lay Dying or Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic. But I'm so engrossed with ebooks that I've convinced the whole of my family - that's the excuse for the three ereaders!!!
Mod
Hi Alannah,
The library is great for..."
When I went to the Bangor Library last week the librarian showed me the app where I can listen to audiobooks even when I'm at university. I haven't tried it yet.
Leslie wrote: "Callie wrote: "I agree with Maggie. Plus I like that I can be bored at 2 AM and just buy a book if I feel like reading. Anything that I love I buy in paper back."Hahaha! That 2 AM purchasing pow..."
@ Leslie. I find that many book samples are indicative of the book as a whole.
Callie wrote: "@ Leslie. I find that many book samples are indicative of the book as a whole. .."Thanks- that is good to know!
What I also like about ebooks is that so many great writers are being discovered. I think if J.K Rowling had the opportunity to publish an ebook she would have fared much better, much sooner.
I was really skeptical of eBooks at first, but ever since I bought my tablet I have been reading more and more form the Kindle app and an Android app. I have to admit it has it's advantages: eco-friendly, offers a wide collection of inexpensive books, and it's pretty handy. However, I still favor print; the reason is because I love the "feel" of the pages in my hand as well as the smell. By using both I have now a richer reading experience. As for audibooks, I have never tried them. It's simply because I think searching your imagination for a character's voice is one of the many pleasures of reading.
I understand where you're coming from Charbel, but does that also mean that you never watch a film or TV adaptation of a novel? If you have your own imagined voice for a character, don't you also have your own imagined image of what they look like?I think there is room for all.
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Jean wrote: "I understand where you're coming from Charbel, but does that also mean that you never watch a film or TV adaptation of a novel? If you have your own imagined voice for a character, don't you also h..."You do have a point there Jean, and I'll probably listen to an audiobook at some point. I do watch adaptations, and I enjoy some of them a great deal, but that's not the same as having someone read a book to you. I suppose the only time I would listen to an audiobook would be when I'm driving or when I'm on the bus, but that's when I listen to my music. I'm sure audiobooks have their advantages, but I won't experience them until I give them a try. Next time I come across an interesting audiobook, I'll keep that in mind!
It's just a different take on a novel, I think. If I'm to see a film I do like to have read the book first. The advantage with a complete audio book is that you have the author's narrative and language, which a film can only partially include. So personally I think an audio book (as long as it is not abridged) is much more similar to a hard copy - whether paper or ebook.
Jean wrote: "It's just a different take on a novel, I think. If I'm to see a film I do like to have read the book first. The advantage with a complete audio book is that you have the author's narrative and la..."
Very well put!
Mod
LauraT wrote: "I hate abridge books, audio or not!!! They're like waterd wine!!!"Ha ha, brilliant analogy, Laura!
All About Books
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How many of you use an e-reader of some kind & which one do you use? Or are you a firm devotee of print books? What about audiobooks, do you listen to them?