Reading - what is your style?

[Stanley]

Great thread! For myself, I am such an addict that I have to ration new books, as I will become completely asocial and nonproductive until it is finished; bad for work and family

But on the subject of ebooks vs real books, has anyone else noticed that they relate to the writing differently on screen than on a physical page? I have often read the same things in both formats, and I am much more drawn into the story and characters with a real book; I think there is just something more appealing and intimate about a book.

[Ginny]

You have your degree therefore you are a librarian- Welcome to the profession. I wonder if there are other librarians in this group?

I am a librarian as well. I work in a public library in NC, USA. I manage our library's nonfiction collection and oversee the library's public computing center. I love to read and my favorite fiction includes historical period fiction - Georgian and Regency periods in particular, but I read just about any historical fiction for any period prior to 1920.

[S.K.]

Nowadays I like the larger print setting available in e-books. And I enjoy the convenience of downloading a book to Kindle when I feel like reading it.

However, I find it almost impossible to do historical research with an e-book. I need to pick up the book, consult the index, flip around the pages, etc.

Ginny: I am an author and an English teacher, not a librarian. But my sister was once a children's librarian, and she really formed my reading tastes when I was young. Also, I love the Georgian and Regency periods too! I grew up reading Georgette Heyer, for instance.

[Alita]

When it comes to reading I love paperback but if I own a book and plan on having it for a long time, hard cover is best because I'll tear up the paperback very quickly! I'm bad at keeping things looking nice.

[Brooke]

I just love real books, but if it's a title not released (yet) where I live, or maybe it's just hard to get in paper-format, then I will go e-book. I find e-books really useful when travelling (don't take up much space or weight), but when I'm at home, nothing beats a real book!

[Ceri]

I never thought I'd take to an e-reader but I'm a complete convert. I can keep it in my bag as it's smaller and lighter than most books and the corners don't get creased! I don't have to agonise about whether to get rid of a book once I've finished it as it doesn't take up physical space in my house. I can carry round my entire library, I can get books really cheap or even free. If I can't sleep My ereader lights up so I can read in bed with the light off so I don't wake my husband. I no longer limit my time reading a big book because it's uncomfortable to hold, and I can drink a cuppa while reading because I can hold my kindle and turn the page with just one hand. I can highlight passages, which I'd never do in a real book as I'd hate to deface it. I can read books of questionable quality without people judging my book by its cover! However there are some ways that my ereader can't better a real book, I miss lovely cover art and the way a well-loved book will fall open at the best bits :)

[QNPoohBear]

Nice to meet other librarians and real book lovers. I do read a book on the iPad once in awhile, if it's free,and I use the iPad to look up a recipe because it's easier to search and keep the iPad on the table while I cook. I prefer real books for all the reasons mentioned. Plus, it doesn't need to be charged or get a signal to use it! You can use them to flatten things, as a stool, to hold other things. Books are my friends, I love them, cherish them and treat them nicely. Since becoming involved in special collections, I have a heart attack if anyone comes near me with a pen! I have some books that are unwanted and I pass them on to others who will appreciate them.

Thanks Rachel! Technically, I finished my MLIS in December 2011 but I finished my MA last May. I'm so glad to be done!

[Bookworm]

I collect, which is especially good since the libraries around me keep getting rid of the really good books; and if I get a paperback book, it's because I haven't found the hardcover one yet! I do read several books at a time on occasion, but prefer to dive into one at a time.. and I like stand-alone novels, by the same author. I do enjoy series, but there aren't many book series out there that tend to be really good. (exception to Betsy and Tacy books) So all in all, it's the stand-alone novel I like best. :)

[Abigail]

I like a book with good margins and leading between the lines; a nice rounded font, not too squidgy (say, Palatino Linotype, not Times New Roman); and a certain heft—350 pages feels comfortable to me. A book like that I can hold comfortably in my hand and feel that I’m reading something substantive, whatever the subject. It can be paperback or hardcover, have running heads or running feet, but they must be styled per The Chicago Manual of Style. I don’t yet own an e-reader.

[Debbie]

My kindle is nicely full with lots of the less well-known classics that would have taken ages to hunt down in second hand bookstores. I really enjoy hunting out old books at bookstores, markets and book fairs but since I had a kid, I don't have the time to have a proper look in shops anymore. Getting books from Amazon and Project Gutenberg is fantastic and it's made me really appreciate my kindle. My little boy's penchant for stealing bookmarks out of my books has also led to me reading a lot more on my kindle than I used to as well.

I still really love reading paperbacks though and being able to see my favourite books in my bookshelves. I wouldn't want to live in a home with not physical books to be seen.

[C.]

Paperback and Kindle ,are my favorite versions,and mostly one book at a time. I am a friend of my library,have been a patron since elementary school.Don't buy many books,because I have a 'fire-hazard' phobia,lol!

[Erin]

I love real books most of all. I love the way they smell. I have a habit of buying too many books and not reading them all fast enough. I don't care if they are hardcover or paperback or new or used. I am sure collecting books could be a hobby of mine, but I imagine that can get pretty pricey. I do have a Kindle touch (I can't stand white screens) and have been using that more often because I am running out of room in my apartment for books. I have started using the library again as well. I just start using the available e-books and audiobooks. I love it! I can only listen to audiobooks now and then. Most of the time they are too slow for me. I know I can read much faster than listening, so I have to be in a listening mood.

I read multiple books at a time. Usually a fiction or two and a few nonfiction books. That includes my book club book, an easy read of fiction, a memoir or biography of sorts, a psychology based book and I like reading a health/fitness/spiritual book as well. I read according to my mood of the day. I also go through times where I read a lot or when I struggle to sit down and read.

I enjoy stand alone and series. I can get totally addicted to series and that is problem if I have to wait for the next book. I loved Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels and I started reading them a while after they had been out. I read through them so fast. Waiting for the next book felt like an eternity and then I'd finished the book within a few days and have to wait another year for the next one. I honestly stay away from books that are series until a few books have come out. For instance, I haven't read Game of Thrones yet because Martin hasn't finished the series.

[Fadwa]

there is a lot of book that i read on my phone and with battery problem that smartphones has and it doesn't give me the feeling of real book so Paperback .... i'm lucky that we have a good bookstore in my city

[Tina]

Prefer new books. Hard cover but my budget and faves have me in paperback section quite often.

I'm a few-pages-at-a-time reader unless (unfortunately infrequent) it's a real page turner then I binge read as I want to know what happens next. Recent page turners were Girl On/Train and a Stuart Woods, Barrington book. Pages just seem to turn on their own.

[Isabel]

I like hardbacks best, but usually I read on kindle, or a paperback.

[S.K.]

I enjoy reading soft cover books. I am also a collector. I frequent book sales in my area in search for Pride & Prejudice books. My latest find was pub. in the 40's during the War. It's so soft. They were called pocket books.

[[deleted user]]

I used to buy a lot of paper books, read them and then, donate them.
Now I use ebook readers.

I much rather read one book at a time, and sometimes, if I really like the book I can't stop reading it till it is finished (which is not cool! I have so many other things to do, but I CAN'T STOP READING!).

About book series: I will probably not read the entire series and not read it in order. I do this also with tv series, which drive most of my friends crazy, because I "don't have respect for the authors" (according to one of this friends).

But really? It is supposed to be fun, not a chore... right?

I am over carefully to not spoil things for people, when I do a review or write a comment.

If I don't like a book, I'll drop it, but feel guilty about it.

[Monique]

I love, collect, and keep hardback and paperbacks. Someone once joked that my place looks like a mini Library of Congress...lol.
With that, I've recently bought a Kindle, and I love it! I already have over 80 titles on it - mostly romance and paranormal stuff.
I prefer to have the classics and more serious books in actual book form...a few titles I have in both formats though!

[Jennilee]

I love paper back and hardcover books. I tried to do the kindle, ebooks, etc. its not the same to me. I only read series if I love the author or topic. I tend to stick to 1800's and previous settings, and I love biographies. I also collect antique childrens books. I absolutely love old books (pre 1900's) my husband would disagree but that's only because Im turning our house into a library lol but "happy wife happy life" ;)

[QNPoohBear]

Jennilee wrote: "I love paper back and hardcover books. I tried to do the kindle, ebooks, etc. its not the same to me. I only read series if I love the author or topic. I tend to stick to 1800's and previous settings, and I love biographies. I also collect antique childrens books. I absolutely love old books (pre 1900's) "

We have a lot in common. I prefer print books to e-books and I love old books. I collect antique children's books too. Mostly Louisa May Alcott because she's a favorite and a local author. I have a few early 1900s girls' books and one 1860s children's book with hand-colored illustrations. Do you have a favorite in your collection? My favorite is an early 1900s edition of Eight Cousins that was well read and the previous owners wrote their names on the inside. Normally that's a no-no in book collecting but the signatures were so old that I found them charming and it showed the book was a favorite of several children over the last 100 years.

[Louise]

Megan wrote: "We all love to read or we wouldn't be here. But I am sure there are some differences -

Do you prefer hardcover books, paperbacks, a Kindle, Nook, iPad or an audiobook?

Are you a buyer/collector ..."

i prefer real books, but don't really mind if they are hardback or paperback, i prefer to own them rather than borrow them. I like listening to audiobooks while i am doing things like ironing etc, and also at night as they help me get to sleep.

[Katherine]

Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) wrote: "Joy wrote: "I shelve mine in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible to me; a sort of haphazard elegance. I have one of those bookshelves from Ikea that are a series of squares, so usually boo..."

Megan wrote: "We all love to read or we wouldn't be here. But I am sure there are some differences -

Do you prefer hardcover books, paperbacks, a Kindle, Nook, iPad or an audiobook?

Are you a buyer/collector ..."

I am someone who buys books. I prefer to have a book in my hands. I like to feel the pages. I love books so much!!!!

[Brit]

I read several books at a time until one hooks me completely so cannot put it down until it is finished. A real good book is worth re-reading, so I do find myself reading some of the classics. A classic novel is many times so captivating I read it too fast and I miss a lot. A second, third or fourth reading remedies that.

I have bought books that I have not yet read, so I am working my way through these books. These books are hardcover or paperback. I have an iPad and love reading on that, at night, when traveling and in general any time. I especially like the feature of being able to highlight a word and get the definition with just a click. That does not work very well in in paper versions! Also being able to download samples of books is handy. After all, not all books are worth reading. Many of the classics are free on iTunes and I make use of that quite frequently.

[Karen]

I am a kindle convert. My best task of 2016 was learning to join my local library for e-books. So exciting, and a better bargain than sales on kindle. I do tend to read more than one book at a time. I have all 6 Austen novels on Audible and listen or am reading one all the time. This is like comfort food when I am stressed. Listening to the novels along with rereading them has deepened my appreciation of her work. For awhile I would watch Austen movies a lot, but that altered my memory of her actual work. Now I focus more on reading her works and books about her life and times.

I work with veterans and try to read somebooks about war and combat. I always mix those with others and do not read these at night. And there is so much good fiction to get through. I read 75 books last year and was challenged to meet that number. I set the same 75 this year but am hoping to do more. Another piece I have added to my annual reading is to read all the novels of an author in that year. It so enhanced my understanding and love of Jane Austen, I decided to try to be more comprehensive that way. So far I read the Bronte sisters and LM Montgomery. This year I am reading all of Victor Hugo. I love reading and those who share my love.

[Brit]

Karen wrote: "...For awhile I would watch Austen movies a lot, but that altered my memory of her actual work. Now I focus more on reading her works and books about her life and times."

I hear you. There are good adaptations of Jane Austen and of other great works, but so much is lost in the movies. I find the they make the events more dramatic and they do not let you get inside the head and mind of the characters. I love seeing what makes the characters tick; i.e. The character development.

[Samantha]

Books are much better than movies because in the movies all runs too quickly. I like reading books but I prefer paperbacks. I don't like e-books first of all because I find it difficult reading through a screen and then because I like smelling books

[[deleted user]]

I couldn't possibly read on an iPad or even on my computer. I just love the smell of old books too much.
I prefer hardcover.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

I will read any way the book comes, but I prefer smaller paperbacks. My least favourite way is on my laptop, followed by on my smartphone. I've never tried audio as I wasn't fond of being read to when younger.

I usually read one book at a time in fiction, but non fiction I have a fiction on the go as well.

I've had a tidy up of my bookshelves & even got rid of some - mainly cookbooks that I don't use. The books in our living room are mostly my husband's or the few I don't mind lending out. The books I treasure are in my office. I even have a physical to read shelf but I keep getting sidetracked.

Is girlebooks still good & virus free?

[Lariela]

No electronic books for me. I'm waiting for the holodeck.

[Nora]

I never bought a large amount of books until recent years. But I deeeefinitely have the syndrome of "Have 10,000 books on TBR, buy 5 more new books, re-read Harry Potter anyways" trope lol. I prefer hardcovers but a lot of the times I'm trying to save what I can so end up getting paperback. Though with series I especially love I'll put the money down without a second though.

I had an e-reader for a while but I really couldn't read very much either due to quick eye strain, or falling asleep (screens do that too me. I don't know why). So nowadays I avoid them if I can..

One thing I just cannot seem to get into so far are audiobooks. Not that I consider them bad in any way, shape, or form. In fact I love many audio book voice actors. I just zone out so easily with audio that I don't retain the narrative AT ALL. It's depressing. I end up having to listen like -- 2 or 3 times. I pray for the day for when I find an audio book I both really enjoy, and get really immersed into.

Anyways I only really lend of books to close friends or family members. I've had too many instances of favorite getting damaged or never being returned that now I'm just like NOPE.

And I can only really read one book/series at a time. Not only do I seem to read faster when I do so, but I have trouble retaining multiple narratives in my head at once so to avoid confusion and mixing up books, I just make it easier for myself.

[QNPoohBear]

Nora - I too fall asleep or zone out with e-books and audio books. E-books always take me longer to read because I can't tear through them the way I can with a print book. I like audio books for long car rides but I tend to fall asleep. I always have to go back and start parts over again.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Nora wrote: "Anyways I only really lend of books to close friends or family members. I've had too many instances of favorite getting damaged or never being returned that now I'm just like NOPE.


I've just had a sister-in-law return a book after 20 years! I guess some hope that she might return the book I really treasured that my husband loaned her. :/