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Ereader v Book
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Dominic
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Jan 17, 2014 05:43AM
I have had my kindle for 10 months and have been using it all the time I thought this was the future. Then I read a book last week. The feel of the pages and the weight of the book was special. Which wins? Ereader or book? Any thoughts anyone?
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I like both but, like you, I like the feel and smell of a book. But if I want to keep a book, e-book is the best option as storage space is not unlimited in my house!
Yes on storage the kindle has an advantage but then again I quite liked rearranging the books in different orders alphabetical by author, date of purchase, genre but that's a whole different subject!
Mod
BUT it will never completely replace the wonders of a lovely paperback book. I actually splurged out £1.50 today on a copy of Mansfield Park, even though it is on my kindle, because I just really fancy reading "the book" of it, especially as it is a classic, it just felt right.
I always said I would never get a Kindle as I love books so much but when I decided to read at least 50 books this year I thought it would be a good idea to buy one as we don't really have room for another 50 books on the shelves. So far I absolutely love it, I like having a choice of things to read wherever I am and it is so easy to read which is a bonus for someone whose eyes are as bad as mine are (especially in the evenings).
I still love the feel of a 'physical' book, but the kindle has doubled my reading pleasure.
I love my Kindle and I've always been an avid reader with tonnes of paperbacks. The problem is there is no room in my house, and I find that paperbacks I've had for years haven't lasted well. My Kindle is just so convenient, especially as I use it in conjunction with my phone and ipad.Main downsides to Kindle - not being able to easily flick back and forth, and the risk of getting it wet in the bath.
A little gripe I have on the kindle is that you cannit tell when the book is about to end on a couple of books the book ended with the percentage read at 95%. The last 5% was taken up with tasters on other books and publishing blurb.
My husband found this on a book he's just finished reading. It ended at 90%, with a handful of photos and a massive index at the back.
Mod
I love my Kindle and it is so useful but it has none of the romance and intrigue of a book. I like to have an actual book on the go regularly as I think it's important for my sons to see we are not just staring at screens all the time!
I don't get what people say about the smell of books, though. A lot of the library books I get reek, and not in a good way! :)
Mod
I think the smell of a brand new book is one of the best smells there is. I agree some library books smell so bad it actually puts me off borrowing them. Fried food and stale cigarettes put me right off. And dubious stains. Luckily I haven't come across a bad one for a while.
Yes I still buy CDs and I suppose I do love my kindle
Mod
I've gotten a kindle because of my eyesight, books with very fine print being too hard to read anymore, but i always buy proper books for cookbooks and picture books, I love looking at the glossy photos. I also love old dog-eared books with highlights and markings that look like they got caught in the rain and were carried in someone's pocket.
Looking forward to tomorrow going to Waterstones and browse for a couple of hours real books
Mod
Sounds like my kind of shopping trip
I love what I fondly think of as 'proper' books, and bought my first Kindle solely for commuting, holidays etc. However, when we moved overseas I had to limit myself to two bookcases-worth of books, which necessitated a mega book-cull. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever done having not parted from any of my beloved books since my early teens. Amazingly though, having forced myself to do it I find I feel better - less encumbered somehow, and I've even streamlined the books I brought with me. In the meantime I've become devoted to my Kindle, which, inevitably I suppose, is groaning under the weight of TBRs! I still find bookshops irresistible though and love a good rootle when the opportunity arises. Agree with all the minor moans about e-readers - though many of them have been ironed out with the Kindle Fire - and yes, Jazzy, cookery books, craft, sewing, interior design - all that stuff still needs to be in hard copy - I've a number of cookery books on the Kindle and they drive me mad!
PS ... no, haven't bought a CD for years.
I am 100% with you Susan. I had between 3000 and 4000 books mostly in boxes, unseen and unread. I rarely re-read books but I loved having them around me. In 2011 my friend and I were going to New Zealand and I couldn't afford the weight that my reading material would take up and so I bought a Kindle. I've not looked back. I have a Kindle groaning under the weight of TBRs have discovered a lot of new authors and read books that I wouldn't normally have read because it was free.
Having undertaken a move from the south of England to Scotland I felt it was time to have a clear out and I managed to cull my books by 75% or more. I have kept some old favourites, some book series, travel books, cookery, craft books and biographies in hard copy but everything else was passed on to others. They have enjoyed them and passed them on and on and I have been told that they will find their way to a charity shop or retirement home so I don't feel so bad for giving them up.
Don't get me wrong that if I had the space and the money I would love a home with a dedicated library but for now this is not to be.
With my Kindle I can take my library with me and if I don't fancy the book I am reading I can easily find something else. I can't see a time when I will be without a Kindle.
Just finished the millennium trilogy in paperback - good to read something I could touch. Glad to be reading the guts on the kindle now. A good balance.
It's really no contest. Some books I want to keep or pass on to family members who have no Kindle, I buy in hard or paperback. Others I get on Kindle. My husband loves the Kindle ereader, the adjustable print and all the classics that are free are wonderful to catch up on. He is reading The Idiot which was free on Amazon as are many, many classics. I have to say the ereaders we both have are a real addition to our lives. It's a plus, not an either or. My daughter who is teaching in Taiwan reads on her android phone with the Kindle app and is really happy to be able to get English language books so easily. I just read Tevye in the Promised Land which was free and just great...definitely love some of the great authors I have discovered from looking at free and low priced ebooks from Bookbub.com etc. The Sisterhood was another great discovery. I highly recommend the daily free and low priced emails that list books free or low priced for many different ereaders.
I love my kindle but still buy books. I recently had a £100 book tokens and spent 3 hours in the shop plus a call to my best friend to review my basket. I love seeing books on my shelf but am discerning about what goes on them these days do have criteria: Either,
I love the book so much that I can't get rid even if I never reread
I know I will reread
They are special editions
I love being able read my kindle in the dark but I love reading my books in the bath.
They are in a happy relationship of supplementing each other.
I love my books. I love them. I tried to stick to the Kindle for a while because it is a lot cheaper, but it just wasn't the same. I like to be able to hold the book and turn pages and Kindles don't smell as good as old books. But, the Kindle is still there for me if I need it. I just prefer not to need it and get a hard copy.
I prefer my kindle. I never re read books with some exeptions so for me buying books and then storing them somewhere for them to never be read just seemed a waste. I do but the odd secondhand book to read in the bath! lol.
Ive had my kindle for 4 years now and if it broke I would buy another one straight away :)
It has to be books everytime! Firstly for the smell of the book, and for the feel of it. I love turning the pages and being able to see how far through you are on your journey of reading it. Then there's the excitement of finding a great secondhand book and not only enjoying the story but thinking about who read it before you - what did they think of the book, and who are they, what are their life stories?!Lastly, a book doesn't run out of battery it's always there, most importantly in a power-cut!
(Plus some sensible arguments about the decline of the publishing industry, bookshops (though I know Amazon is a big contributor to that one) and things you maybe don't tend to think about like typography)
Real books without a doubt. I do buy a lot of Kindle books mainly because they're such a good bargain but nothing will ever beat the smell and feel of a real book for me. I love having a house full of crammed bookshelves! I buy mostly horror novels, crime novels and public domain freebies on my Kindle, everything else is real books.
I am strictly a real book person now, but admittedly I've never tried reading an e-book because I just didn't think I'd like it. I do love bookstores, the feel of a book, cover illustrations, and I love my old cardstock, snow scene bookmark I've had for years!Now thinking I want the convenience, portability, and e-book purchase price advantage of e-reader.
So my question to you e-readers: which is the best buy, Kindle or Nook and which version of them? And can font be changed? (Font style is very important to me).
I have a basic Kindle, and a Kindle Fire. My husband has a Kindle Paperwhite. You can change the font and font size on all of them. I find the basic kindle is the best for reading books on, although it isn't a touch screen. And it does have an anti-glare screen so no problems in sunlight.
The Kindle Fire doesn't have an anti-glare screen, so you would have problems reading in sunlight, but it is excellent for its other uses.
My husband prefers his paperwhite because it is back-lit which means he doesn't need a book light to read in the dark.
I also have a Kobo Mini which is touchscreen, small and basic, but means that when you buy books you are not tied to one particular site like you are with the Kindle. I find the Sainsbury's ebooks website is often cheaper than Kobo for books, but Amazon seems to have more book sales.
Another advantage to the Kobo is that you can borrow ebooks from the library, whereas you can't on the Kindle.
Hope someone else can explain Nooks :)
If you are lucky enough to have an iPad then it covers all of these and more. I have an old, first edition, Kindle. I love it because it's light and easy to use. When I turn a page, although it's not the same action, it feels like turning the page of a book. Big disadvantage is can't read in the dark thus I use my iPad for this. A bit heavier tho and not as tactile, IMHO.
It's hard to choose! I prefer the feel of real books, and I find it easier to flick back if I wanted to confirm a detail, and I like seeing how much I've read, because you never really get a sense of that with percentage. But I love how the Kindle keeps my place no matter how many books I have on the go and how easy storage is (I'm another one that has no more room on her bookshelves) but also how I can get a book instantly. I have a Kindle keyboard and have for three years now. It doesn't have a backlight and I have a cover with a light on it so I can read it anywhere.
I could not pick just one or the other.
For me, there's no choice - books always win! I'm actually dead set against getting a Kindle, I just don't think it could ever replace the feeling of reading a book.Funnily enough, in an English Literature lecture I had a few years ago, the lecturer spent the whole hour talking about the wonders of proper books, and violently urged us to stay away from the 'evil' that is the Kindle!
Mod
Mod
I think that it's up to each person whether they want to use an e-reader or not but for an English lecturer to speak out against something that is encouraging some people to read more seems a bit iffy to me.
Bought a Kindle Paperwhite this week and reading my 1st e-book. I love it!I didn't think I could ever read anything but a real book. I too said: "I just love the feel of the book, the smell of a book, turning actual paper pages", etc. Those things are wonderful, but I realized that the true joy of reading, for me, occurs in my mind. If I'm reading a good book I get lost in the story and those physical, sensual things about a "real book" don't really matter.
I have been using Kindles for a couple years now and at first ,it was a struggle to get used to not holding a book, not feeling the pages, etc ,but once you get used to it ,I like my Kindle best. Very lightweight, handy dandy gadget .
Now when I read a paper book ( hardback especially,) it feels really heavy and clunky .
Now when I read a paper book ( hardback especially,) it feels really heavy and clunky .
I prefer reading actual books, but sometimes e-books are just more practical, especially when travelling back and forth between uni and my home (a 1.5h train ride). Not having my backpack stuffed with books and thus being a lot lighter is quite nice.
I''ll always love the feel of a book,the smell,the cover,turning actual pages but i have to admit,being a proud owner of a Kindle for about a year now that there's no way to carry with me whatever book i'd like.Also,i rarely have time to actually sit and read at home so most of my books i've read on the subway.
I'm a complete Kindle convert, but for the first time in a while I settled down with an old-fashioned hard-copy, picked up in a jumble sale, and I must admit it felt good!
Dominic wrote: "I have had my kindle for 10 months and have been using it all the time I thought this was the future. Then I read a book last week. The feel of the pages and the weight of the book was special. Whi..."Oh, I love books and they are definitely my favorite way to read. I find Kindles a bit distracting and not as comfortable. I use my Kindle for free books and arcs, don't feel right spending more than two dollars, etc., on an electronic file like that for some reason. I do have over 2,000 books on my shelves I love and have tons to read still that way.
Bssh I agree. Thats my experience too. I do buy books for Kindle, if cheaper than proper books but, upon reflection, I tend to refer back to them less than books.
For ages I was a staunch supporter of the actual physical book. I was recently gifted a Kobo though, and found that an eReader has merit. I like the fact that you can carry hundreds of books at once, and in such a lightweight form. Generally I prefer tangible books, but when travelling, I will opt for an eReader.
