Quirky Question - What Type of Reading Material Do You Prefer?

[Deborah]

What type of reading material do you prefer - ebook, book, audio?

I'm a book person all the way. I do have books on my iPad but rarely use it for reading. It has come in handy a few times while being in a hotel with poor lighting. In general, I'm almost always using an actual book.

[Renee, Moderator]

I think of myself as a book person, too. I AM a book person in my heart... But ebooks and audiobooks are so amazingly convenient!
I do still dream of afternoons with the luxury of time to sit and turn pages, but keeping reading in my life means I'm an audio and ebook person... For now. ;-)

[Leni]

I can't stand audio books for the most part. I guess I would like to have audio of, say Shakespeare, but only if I also have the written word to read along with the audio.

I still have a preference for paper books, but I am slowly getting converted to kindle. It is just so marvellously convenient to have both dictionary, foot notes, wiki articles and what not, quite literally at my fingertips! And that x-ray function where I can tap on a character's name and see where else they've been in the text. So great for keeping track of minor characters and who said what.

[Everyman]

Leni wrote: "And that x-ray function where I can tap on a character's name and see where else they've been in the text. So great for keeping track of minor characters and who said what. .."

that must be a feature of the latest iteration of Kindles. My older Kindles don't have that. Maybe it's time to upgrade?

I will read (or with audiobooks "read") all three formats. I still love my p-books and will never give them up. I am gradually converting the cheap paperbacks that is all I could afford in my early days with nicer, often second-hand hardback books as I re-read.

But I also love being able to download classics from Gutenberg for only the cost of an occasional donation (I hope all users donate a bit here and there to keep the site going) so I have the books right away and at no cost and without the need to keep building more and more bookshelves (shelving well in excess of 10,000 books is a bit of a challenge). And to be able to take my Kindle or Nook to the doctor's or dentist and have a selection of books to read to suit my mood without lugging a heavy books is really nice (not to mention having dozens of books in one little gadget for when I travel).

And now I can also download books from the library for free -- books I want to read but don't want to own, and don't need to physically get to the library in town and hope nobody else has them out.

I also love audiobooks for light reading while I'm taking my daily walk (we live on a dead end road and unless I drive somewhere to a park or forest land, it's the same walk day after day after day, and frankly it gets a bit boring). I can't listen to serious books, but I love listening to mysteries, light fiction like the Amelia Peabody books and M.C. Beaton where if I miss something while I'm watching an eagle being chased by crows it really doesn't matter.

So for me all three have different places in my life and different strengths, and all three have their places in my life.

[Leni]

Everyman wrote: "that must be a feature of the latest iteration of Kindles. My older Kindles don't have that. Maybe it's time to upgrade?"

I have a Kindle Paperwhite from 2015, though I believe it's available on other Kindles too (Fire, Touch, etc). The XRay function doesn't work with all books. Your Gutenberg classics, for instance, won't be XRay enabled. With some books you can trace characters and place names, other books also have information on major concepts and themes in the book. XRay is implemented in the free Kindle app as well (though the layout is a bit different). So you could always download the app and test a few of your books there to see what it's like.

(Crows chasing an eagle? And you say your daily walk gets boring?!)

[Lily]

I am glad the multiplicity of formats is in my life. I may have stretches where one or another is a preference -- for reasons I don't bother figuring out. But much of the time, all three are at play -- and audio at least comes in four versions in my life right now -- original Sony CD player (I have worn two out and can't find a replacement with the same flexibility), I-phone alone, I-phone with portable blue-tooth speaker (most used these days), and I-phone connected to car radio speaker system (most recent addition, still gaining flexibility in usage, but basically easy). I do also still need to get some ear plugs to use for walking -- anyone have a suggestion for comfort?

[Lily]

My Kindle software upgrade includes the XRay feature, although I haven't learned how to make use of it. (I like Leni's hint -- to track a character.) My device is a fairly early, if not the original, touch-sensitive one -- I have not gone to a paperwhite. May go on my wish list this year.