Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

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ARCHIVES > Do you buy the same book in different formats?

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message 1: by D.A. (last edited Apr 04, 2018 06:52AM) (new)

D.A. McGrath | 9 comments I've just been thinking about the variety of formats that you can buy books in these days. Personally I only have more than one copy of a book by accident (usually buying a book that I've forgotten I already own and ending up with two copies!). But having read some discussion feeds in this group I wondered, do people buy multiple copies of books (for personal use) on purpose? e.g. buying the hardback and paperback copies or a written copy and an audio version. And if you do, what are your reasons for doing so?

A curious mind wants to know!


message 2: by Jemima (new)

Jemima Pett | 1492 comments Mod
Very rarely and mostly by accident. I have ordered the 10th in a series when it’s released next month in paperback (or is it hardback) but I’d forgotten. I jumped at the chance of an ARC from Net-galley. So I have both...
But there are some I’ve had as ebooks free or cheap,and then decided I’d like the paperback. Just one or two, mind.


message 3: by Cindy (new)

Cindy Wise | 32 comments usually by accident for me...
There are times when i have a kindle version-mostly teacher books and I wish I had a real copy so I can show it to others or loan it or access it to make copies of a page...
but mostly its by accident.


message 4: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca Douglass (rdouglass) | 1680 comments Mod
I'm trying to avoid buying books, especially in paper. Once in a while I have gotten a paperback, and at least once I've also ended up buying the ebook in order to read it while traveling. But I usually avoid it. I do get paper and audio from the library at times, though.


message 5: by Michelle (new)

Michelle Kobus (rainbowsunset) I've replaced a few bulky, hardcover epic fantasy novels with paperback versions. I've been treated for carpal tunnel syndrome several times over the years and it still acts up quite a bit, so holding a book the weight of a cinder block for a long time is agitating. I tend to buy hardcovers when I'm blinded by a fantastic deal or it's a new book I've been anticipating, but I go right for the mass market paperbacks otherwise. I did also buy an audiobook version of a paperback I'm reading so I can listen while I work and switch to the paperback when I'm not otherwise preoccupied. I switch it up because, without keeping my eyes busy, my mind eventually wanders during audiobooks if I listen more than an hour or so at a time.(I'm weird.)


message 6: by C.J. (new)

C.J. Milbrandt (cjmilbrandt) | 274 comments Mod
Many publishers put the digital edition of the first book in a series on sale right before they release a fresh installment. I'll often nab those for my e-reader. And if I'm favorably impressed, I'll then purchase the print editions for my home shelf.


message 7: by Paula (new)

Paula S (paula_s) I sometimes buys multiples by mistake, but when it is on purpose it is usually because a family member wants to read the story and doesn't like my choice of format or language. I prefer to read books in the original language if it is a language I can read, so I have a lot of foreign language books that only I can read.


message 8: by Manybooks (new)

Manybooks | 380 comments I sometimes buy both a kindle and a paper copy, especially if the book is hefty and I want to read it on the go (and when I read a non fiction book or a literary or language criticism book and need to make notes, I often buy one book to underline and one to keep pristine, not to mention that at least for me, academic books on Kindle even if they are handy and easy to carry along are sometimes a real pain to deal with if one actually has to use them academically as I still think that making notes and flipping back and forth is easier with paper copies).


message 9: by Jemima (last edited Apr 15, 2018 03:12PM) (new)

Jemima Pett | 1492 comments Mod
Manybooks wrote: "I sometimes buy both a kindle and a paper copy, especially if the book is hefty and I want to read it on the go (and when I read a non fiction book or a literary or language criticism book and need..."

I agree with you about checking back, although I do find the highlighting and notes with a kindle book very useful - even more so if using the iPad Kindle App, as you can look at multiple pages at once (as I found by accident)! But being able to enlarge the font on the kindle is a definite plus over paperbacks.


message 10: by Manybooks (new)

Manybooks | 380 comments Jemima wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "I sometimes buy both a kindle and a paper copy, especially if the book is hefty and I want to read it on the go (and when I read a non fiction book or a literary or language criti..."

I am getting more used to it.


message 11: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca Douglass (rdouglass) | 1680 comments Mod
I haven't really mastered any highlighting or note-taking on the Kindle, maybe because I use the simplest form (at least my new one has a touch screen).

I do greatly appreciate being able to enlarge the text, especially when reading by headlamp in a tent.


message 12: by Cheryl (new)

Cheryl (bookswithcheryl) I only buy ebooks or hardcover, and not usually the same book. Most hardcovers I buy are books I first checked out from the library and loved. I think I'd have to REALLY love a book to buy the hardcover if I already owned it in another format.

I could see the other way around though. If I owned a big, fat hardcover but I wanted to read it on vacation or something, then I might buy the ebook. I've never done that, but I can see why someone would.

Also, on the topic of highlights in kindle, I just started doing this and I love it! I hate that it shows up on Goodreads automatically though. The highlights are private unless set to be public, but still, I think it's bizarre that it's there at all.


message 13: by Ben (new)

Ben Langhinrichs (blanghinrichs) | 24 comments I don't read many ebooks these days, so I mostly read in paperback or brand new books in hardcover. I also mostly read middle grade books (for research and because they're so much fun), so when I find a book I really like, I wind up buying more copies to give away or donate to the school across the street. But usually they are all the same format, or the paperback to give away of a hardcover I own.


message 14: by [deleted user] (new)

I would buy a physical copy of a book if I read it on my kindle and loved it and then wanted to own a copy to put on my bookshelf.

I have bought a paperback non fiction book that was on my kindle as it had diagrams to the side and I wanted a physical copy to make reading it easier.


message 15: by Bonni (new)

Bonni Goldberg | 8 comments I only buy a book in one format: either ebook or paperback. I love having both types of books to choose from. Why I choose one over the other includes that physical space is scarce in my world and sometimes the cost of the book is a factor. Looking at my elibrary, I don't discriminate between fiction and non-fiction.


message 16: by Manybooks (new)

Manybooks | 380 comments I have different reasons for purchasing ebooks or paper copies. Although I generally still prefer the feel of a paper book, I do find reading in bed much easier with my iPad. And I certainly do LOVE that so many classic authors from many countries now have ridiculously cheap Kindle downloads of often ALL their works (not to mention that I have been able to download classic German children's literature that would usually as hardbacks cost a lot of money).


message 17: by Jemima (new)

Jemima Pett | 1492 comments Mod
Crikey - highlights and notes on here??? I'd better check some books...


message 18: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca Douglass (rdouglass) | 1680 comments Mod
Jemima wrote: "Crikey - highlights and notes on here??? I'd better check some books..."
I'm hoping this can't happen with my Kindle, which usually isn't even connected to the internet. But if that's part of syncing...geez. You'd think they'd at least ask if you want it.

It also occurs to me to wonder how my kindle could, since I use a different log-in here than on Amazon. Just how interconnected are these things??


message 19: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca Douglass (rdouglass) | 1680 comments Mod
I may be buying some old favorites as ebooks in order to keep them handy for re-reading, as I'm clearing out bookshelves.


message 20: by Jemima (last edited Apr 20, 2018 06:54AM) (new)

Jemima Pett | 1492 comments Mod
Rebecca wrote: "Jemima wrote: "Crikey - highlights and notes on here??? I'd better check some books..."
I'm hoping this can't happen with my Kindle, which usually isn't even connected to the internet. But if that'..."


Well I checked on a recent book I reviewed on GR earlier today (I think - I'm a little skewed at present having been up all night) where I'd made copious comments in case the author wanted feedback. AFAIK those comments aren't visible. I suspect you have to alter settings one way or the other, and I haven't looked at settings since I bought it!

An interesting thought, though... I had two paperbacks on the go, but because I was sitting up with a sick person, it was SO much easier to read something else on the kindle to pass the time during the night (and dim the contrast, too).

I think I have a Kindle Paperwhite, btw.


message 21: by Cheryl (new)

Cheryl (bookswithcheryl) Rebecca wrote: "Jemima wrote: "Crikey - highlights and notes on here??? I'd better check some books..."
I'm hoping this can't happen with my Kindle, which usually isn't even connected to the internet. But if that'..."


If you're curious, for me it shows up on the drop down menu here on Goodreads, right between Reading Challenge and Quotes. It says "Kindle Notes and Highlights." I never signed up for it and the weird thing is I use my husband's Amazon account to get books for my kindle. I don't know how the two accounts linked! It isn't public unless I chose to make it so, but still.


message 22: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca Douglass (rdouglass) | 1680 comments Mod
I just looked, and it's there--but it tells me I have to take action to link the two. So I'm safe :)


message 23: by Natalia (new)

Natalia Heaney | 5 comments Goodreads has got A LOT more connected to Kindle in the past few years, ever since Amazon bought out this site. Even so, I'm sure you'd have to click something to link your Kindle to your account here. Maybe people are linking them without realising it when they sign up for a GR account...?

In the early 2010s there was a massive exodus from here to Book Likes because of the Amazon/Goodreads link, but I find BL pretty unusable, and their database is tiny. I got sick of having to upload books myself!


message 24: by Natalia (new)

Natalia Heaney | 5 comments As for buying multiple copies and formats: I do sometimes. About 90% of the books I read are review copies, so I have everything in ebook format, but I always buy another copy if I really like a book. Sometimes that's as an ebook, and sometimes a paper version.


message 25: by MartinInAMask (new)

MartinInAMask | 15 comments D.A. wrote: "I've just been thinking about the variety of formats that you can buy books in these days. Personally I only have more than one copy of a book by accident (usually buying a book that I've forgotten..."

If a love a book I may buy 2 (usually a paperback and hardback) or if I'm feeling good I might even pick up a physical copy along with a digital copy. What's even better is when you can buy a physical copy and it has a code or something to redeem a free digital copy, but I understand why you wouldn't do that though.


message 26: by Sandy (new)

Sandy | 15 comments I am a school teacher and I generally buy a book in paperback and if I absolutely love it I will purchase it in hardcover to keep in my home library and keep the paperback in my classroom.


message 27: by Alba (new)

Alba Arango | 30 comments I do have a few books in both paperback and eBook format (mainly books I really love). I like to read on my phone (Kindle app) while I travel, especially if I'm eating out by myself, I like to pull up a book and read, and I don't want to start a new book because I have too many other things to do on my travels.

Also, if I see a good deal on the Kindle version of a book I love, I'll buy it. :)


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