Book freaks discussion
E-Readers & Technology
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Do you prefer reading with an e-reader or reading a paper and glue book?
I prefer old fashioned paper and glue because when I buy something I like to be able to hold it in my hands and because it doesn't feel the same, I love the feeling of a book in my hands!
By far the Kindle DX outweighs books for me. The text is uniform, the cataloging is easier, purchasing is much faster and in most cases cheaper and the platform is just much more comfortable than some bulky hardback or a poorly bound paperback. It also does a far better job on older pdf (Google/freebooks) than reading on a laptop. Remembering page numbers is a setback but only a minor one.
Paper and glue because then you do not really have to rely on a power source to charge up a e-reader. and the e-reader might have some faults. with paper and glue you only have worry about is if there is a page missing and you can read it anywhere at anytime.
I perefer a paper and glue book. :DI can, and have read, from my laptop and so, but I don't like it much - I do it by necessity - if I just can't wait to get the book on paper or something.
Computer kills my eyes, too. (Not that reading from paper doesn't, but still.)
I love seeing what I read, holding the book on my hands and leafing through it.
exactly, i hate reading from my laptop too. i enjoy holding a book in my hands & going through it.
I agree: the smell and feel and look and full dimensions of the paper book will never, for me, be replaced by convenience. In fact, I spend my whole day in front of a computer so why would I want to do that when I read fiction as well?? I'm a bit worried that the likes of the Kindle will replace paper books as it's just too uniform/no 'personality'.
Yeah. I'm pretty much afraid of it, too. But reading from kindle... this just isn't it. But sadly, it looks like, Kindle is gaining popularity.Btw, what about audiobooks?
I occasionally try to listen to them. But then I fall (usually) asleep and that's it. Or when I reach the ending hours and everything's so hyped up, I crack and find a way to read it - audiobooks are just so much slower than actual reading.
So that's why I don't understand why people find listening to a book a better way to read books they have for school or something. It ends up taking a lot more time. (Although I know one girl who can multitask while listening to a book - do her Maths' homework, chat with people on MSN, write a story or so on.)
I've tried reading on kindles but I feel that holding a real book with a beautiful cover and smell, feeling etc. as mentioned above, is a really big part of the whole experience. It's something that can never be replaced by flipping digital pages.
i agree. reading from a paper and glue book is one of a kind. it cant be replaced by e-books or whatever.after all if its saved in ur laptop, u need 2 power it up to open and read it and u also waste power in the process. books beat e-books anyday!!
Sille wrote: "Yeah. I'm pretty much afraid of it, too. But reading from kindle... this just isn't it. But sadly, it looks like, Kindle is gaining popularity.
Btw, what about audiobooks?
I occasionally try to li..."
I quite like audio-books, but seldom actually listen. I think because like you, when 'reading' in bed I then fall asleep and struggle to find where I left off. In my imagination, audio books is something I find time for when I retire, or when my daughter grows older, and I have free Sunday afternoons, walking in a park, listening to stories.
Btw, what about audiobooks?
I occasionally try to li..."
I quite like audio-books, but seldom actually listen. I think because like you, when 'reading' in bed I then fall asleep and struggle to find where I left off. In my imagination, audio books is something I find time for when I retire, or when my daughter grows older, and I have free Sunday afternoons, walking in a park, listening to stories.
i like books i like the smell and the originality of it
I absolutely love reading paper and glue books just because I get to hold them and feel them.
While I agree with many of you that they physical feeling of holding a book, and the smell of a book is pleasant the benefits of an e-reader are undeniable. I have a smallish house and a smallish bookshelf. I do not have a smallish reading appetite. E-readers allow you to store multiple books in an itty bitty space. Then there's portability. It's a lot easier to carry around my Iphone than the last book in the Harry Potter Series. Finally there's convenience, if I were to finish book 2 in a series (Dragonfly in Amber) at 2:00 in the morning, I can jump on the Kindle and buy Book 3 (Voyager) and be reading by 2:10 AM. Reading devices are the future of books, just like MP3 files are the future of music. Very few people buy CD's anymore. As to the other question Audio Books are great. I commute 45 minutes to work every day and audio books keep it interesting. That being said, I would definately prefer to read a book than to listen to one.
I got my Kindle about a year ago and I love it. It's easy to read from, easy to browse/buy more books and very convienent to carry around. It goes with me everywhere so now if I'm stuck in line at the grocery store I don't get frustrated, I just pull out my ebook and read a few more pages. I also love all the freebie books that I can find through Kindle. There are many writers I would have never found if not for a free title they offered. That being said, it will never replace my love for the feel of a paper book. Many of my favorite titles have been purchased in ebook so I can have a back-up copy. And there have been new titles I've read on Kindle that I went out and purchased a hard-copy so that I would always have it no matter what.
I think/hope that the ebooks will change things the way the introduction of the printing press did.... more books everywhere and for everyone.
I prefer my eReader for the conveinence, however I would never purchase another Kobo. I have has so many issues with my and I have had it less than a year. That being said, I would never completely swear off books simply because there are some books you just cannot find as an ePub just yet, and maybe never at all..?
I prefer books. Reading something electronically gives me a headache.
Erin (M) wrote: "I prefer my eReader for the conveinence, however I would never purchase another Kobo. I have has so many issues with my and I have had it less than a year. That being said, I would never complete..."I think some of the older, classic books may never be turned into E books. Kind of like the really old, classic movies never made it from Video tape to DVD
I bought a kindle for the convenience and availability of English literature at a moments notice. Here in Slovakia where I study there is a lack of literature in English and also many of the titles I'm interested in are not sold in bookstores at home in Norway. Otherwise I still prefer to read a paperback due to the better contrast and the feel. Also the part about kindle not showing actual page numbers annoys me slightly. Amazon have supposedly released an update that allows you to see page numbers, but I haven't installed it yet as a friend had problems when trying to update his kindle.
E-books are a no-no! I can't focus if I read from a machine, ergo I need the old school book with paper that smells like book and the older the book the better the smell. My favorite smell is John Grisham's "The partner".
Nicolas wrote: "E-books are a no-no! I can't focus if I read from a machine, ergo I need the old school book with paper that smells like book and the older the book the better the smell. My favorite smell is John ..."Do you suppose that certain books have distinct smells? Like mysteries smell different from fantasies? Or am I just crazy?
Love good old fashioned paper books for me. Something more special about them.
Nicolas wrote: "E-books are a no-no! I can't focus if I read from a machine, ergo I need the old school book with paper that smells like book and the older the book the better the smell. My favorite smell is John ..."I wonder if someone will invent a silicone sleeve for eReaders with the scent choices of: "Library", "Used bookstore", "well loved book", "new book" ect. I don't know if I would find that tacky or a delightful novelty.
A Pseudonym wrote: "Love good old fashioned paper books for me. Something more special about them."I like the sygnificance of a book that has been purchased for me personally and I think that the rise of eBooks has done away with this. However, Kobo books has made this possible, and people can purchase individual books and email them to people, but without a personalised inscription this does not seem to be quite as personal.
I love the feel of holding a book and flipping the pages. Also I adore the look of having shelves of books!
As was said above, I have a huge love of books, and husband is growing tired of having to build me new bookshelves to hold them all! I just bought my first Kindle after being e-published for over 2 years...and I'm thrilled by the convenience and the huge variety of eBooks available! I've bought quite a few from tiny indy publishers who don't offer PODs, only eBooks. I have enjoyed most of them, and would feel diminished if I had to continue to limit my choices to what "New York" publishers think the readers of the world want to read. They have no imagination, wanting "more of the same" until you are ready to puke at "one more vampire romance"! I'm not sad to see them suffering. Go indy!
I have had a Kindle for over a year and I love it! I actually purchased an ebook of a title I already owned because I wanted to read it on my Kindle. I was able to download Kindle to my computer and my Blackberry so my kiddos can read from it to. My daughter is actually interested in reading now.
I have a question for you kindle and ebook lovers. I know how you guys like the kindle and that it is convenient. But do you guys not feel as though there is no personal feel to it? Or is it the same as if you had a paperback in your hand? I kind of want a kindle for things like textbooks and newspapers. However, for my personal use I am pretty sure I would really hate it.
I read lots of books that have illustrations not sure how they would be as ebooks.
I bought a cover that opens like a book, so it gives that same "feel" to it that holding a book has...but infinitely lighter and holds tons more books!
I'm old fashioned. I prefer actually holding the book in my hand and turning the pages as I complete each page. I love the smell of books, the paper, etc. I love the feel of a book in my hand as I walk.
Ashley wrote: "I'm old fashioned. I prefer actually holding the book in my hand and turning the pages as I complete each page. I love the smell of books, the paper, etc. I love the feel of a book in my hand as I ..."Couldn't have said it better.
I love my Kindle. It is so convenient to just carry it in my purse wherever I go. When I put paperback books in my purse they always get ruined and end up looking like I kicked them around for a while.
I like reading paper book. The e-reader and kindle i know there nice and all i want one but its not like have a book u can hold feel and have forever (well not forever, till it falls apart anyway) but nevermind that ill reading paper books over anything else! :)
Ashley wrote: "I'm old fashioned. I prefer actually holding the book in my hand and turning the pages as I complete each page. I love the smell of books, the paper, etc. I love the feel of a book in my hand as I ..."It's the same for me.
Brenda wrote: "I read lots of books that have illustrations not sure how they would be as ebooks."The nook colour and some other eReaders support picture books, it's just a matter of researching it.
Anne wrote: "I love my Kindle. It is so convenient to just carry it in my purse wherever I go. When I put paperback books in my purse they always get ruined and end up looking like I kicked them around for a ..."I agree, just make sure you have some sort of protective cover. I told myself for the longest time that I could gentle enough that my Kobo would never get scratched and now the screen has a terrible scratch right down the middle.
Sille wrote: "I perefer a paper and glue book. :DI can, and have read, from my laptop and so, but I don't like it much - I do it by necessity - if I just can't wait to get the book on paper or something.
Comput..."
The Kindle is front lit- no light- so easy on the eyes. Background is a light green-gray.
Hmm.Didn't know it. :D I guess I'll take your word on it, that it really is easier... :D I have watched them on the stores and even read... I guess it was Oliver Twist from it, but... not my thing. At all. :D
Out of my family, I am the only one that does not have a Kindle. I have read on one, on my ipod, on my laptop, but nothing can compare to the feeling of a book. Nothing can compare to the weight in your hands, the texture of the pages, the smell, the cover art. Real, physical, paper and glue books will always win out over e-books, or even, for that matter, audio books. For me, at the very least.
Paper and glue!! :) Maybe if I'd grown up with ebooks I wouldn't mind them... but I didn't, so I don't think I'll ever get used to them. The only books I read online are books I want to read but not enough to make me want to buy them. Otherwise I always buy the books I read because I like to own them and collect them and keep them and love them. Did I mention I was a nerd? The ones I don't like I just ship off to some stranger on ebay!
Nevena wrote: "I love the feel of holding a book and flipping the pages. Also I adore the look of having shelves of books!"I know! I also love to go to my shelves, read the spines, hold the books, read the backs, leaf through them and start the process over with the next shelf.
Also, I love the comments on the smells of the books. No one understands that better than a fellow book freak like us!
Becca wrote: "Out of my family, I am the only one that does not have a Kindle. I have read on one, on my ipod, on my laptop, but nothing can compare to the feeling of a book. Nothing can compare to the weight in..."Cover Art is a set-back on Kindle. I am reading through the Sharpe's Series and the original cover art was quite well done. Kindle is just a title. But still $12.99 vs $5.99 is an easy trade.
Since my parents are threatning to throw out any more books I buy for lack of room for them, I am currently looking for an e-reader so I can continue reading without worrying about shelf space. I am a paper and glue loving reader as well and really hate the thought of reading a book on an electronic. I am looking into getting a Kindle or Nook Color but I am not sure which one I want. Does anyone know if there is a discount for the Nook Color if you are a Barnes and Nobles Member? That would help my decision if I knew. Thanks
I love both :)The feel of a book is very diff but i own a kindle presently n its fun imagining u hv loads of books in the size of one :)
@Ear00987616 : You so should try kindle its amazing....
I agree- I tried all the others and found Kindle the better one (I have the larger DX as it feels more like a book but pretty pricey). It comes down for whether you would like a back light (laptop screen) or front lit (no light so easier on the eyes). I do admit that Amazon's automatic link up works very well and setting up an account is good (ask your friends for Amazon gift cards so you can buy the books you want in one click).
I love both as well. I've been a book collector since I was a child, and I have several old old books that belonged to my grandmother. And although I do love the feel of a nice hefty book in my hand, I'm not as attached to newer books, and often donate them to the library or pass them on anyway, unless they are really special. So I have a Kobo for my portable reading and totally love it--so lightweight, and if I finish a book while I'm out, I have a choice of what to start next right with me, without carrying around a bunch of heavy books.
I have been alternating between an e-reader and paper books for quite some time now, and really don't have a preference. Although it is easier to manage the Kindle while I am trying to read while eating breakfast. LOL I do have some hardbound books that I treasure. Some I have been collecting for years and would never part with.
Jennifer wrote: "I love both as well. I've been a book collector since I was a child, and I have several old old books that belonged to my grandmother. And although I do love the feel of a nice hefty book in my h..."Exactly, not only that but when I am hankering to read a "chunkster" I don't have to put my Kobo down when my wrist pain flairs up, or my shoulder hurts (old hiking accident)
and it is easier to snuggle under a blanket and read with the Kobo, when reading a book I have to layer up with sweaters, ect to read comfortably on cold nights.
Book freaks
Books mentioned in this topic
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Which do you prefer and why?