What did you do with your paper books?

[Paul]

I keep some, and sell the rest on eBay.

[Lord Nouda]

If books weren't so expensive relative to local income I'd gladly donate them to a local library, but we don't have any decent ones that I can trust to take good care of my books...so, it's either the secondhand shop or friends/family. Reading isn't a favorite pastime of the locals.

[Leslie]

I gave them to teens that I know who like to read.

[Georgia]

Trade some on www.paperbackswap.com Somehow you can switch to kindle version?

Also www.book.ooch.com

[Georgia]

Www.bookmooch.com

[sonya]

I finally put up my bookcase of books.

[Ani]

I keep them! I love them!

[Darlene]

I kept the paper books that were most important to me - a lot of them are old out of print books. I still buy paper books, but only if they are very special to me and of course I pay books for my 3 year old granddaughter. She loves to read as much as I do. The rest of my reading is on my Kindle - great for travelling and easy on the eyes. I donated all the paper books I no longer wanted to charity.

[Gerard]

There are books in my attic that I bought 30 years ago. They are probably being consumed by book worms and various other mites, but I'm keeping them. Maybe, one day in the future, somebody else will take them down and read them. I doubt anyone will be saying that about their Kindle downloads in 30 years.

[Paul]

Gerard wrote: "There are books in my attic that I bought 30 years ago. They are probably being consumed by book worms and various other mites, but I'm keeping them. Maybe, one day in the future, somebody else wil..."

Well, at least you have some well read/fed literate worms ...

[Maria]

I love my Kindle, but nothing could replace an actual book. There's nothing that will compare to the actual turning of the page, the breaking of the spine, the fresh smell of the book after you just bought it, and the weight of your bag after you just went shopping at the bookstore. But I live in a flat abroad and I haven't got all the space in the world to store my books and I don't want to put them all in boxes and check them in when I do go home. Besides, Kindle books are cheaper!

[Gerard]

Paul wrote: "Gerard wrote: "There are books in my attic that I bought 30 years ago. They are probably being consumed by book worms and various other mites, but I'm keeping them. Maybe, one day in the future, so..."

There are some bats up there too, Paul (Pipistrelles, I think). Who knows what fiendish literary mutations are evolving above my head - inspiration for a shocker?

[Rob]

I used to think that very thing, that nothing could replace my books. (And. honestly, there are some physical books that cannot be replaced.) However, after divorces, cross country moves (4 times), different apartments/houses, etc.... my obsessive retention of physical books has dropped to an all time low. I have given away over 2/3rds of my physical books, the rest in a little library in my basement.

The creation of digital books and the ecosystems around them allow me freedoms I never had before. I travel for work a lot, for instance, and loading up my kindle and tablet with not only what I am currently reading, but also with my favorite books (moby dick, Sherlock, hitchhikers guide, kitchen confidential, to name a few) is a wonderous joy.

It's the words that matter, folks, not the objects.

[Magnus]

This Christmas I reviewed most of my books and about 200 books where sorted out that I gave away.....

Like spotify has changed the way I handle music I think in the next years I will see the same with books. Still I prefer reading paper books...

[Alissa]

I can't bear to part with all my old favourites that still have pride of place on my dusty bookshelf but now find am collecting all the titles from my must-read authors on Kindle:)

[Linda]

I donated to the library

[Renee]

As I read my paperbacks, I pack them up and donate them to the library. Some I do keep. I have really slowed down on buying paperbacks, unless the price is really great. I've purged boxes of books, my bookshelves are looking better. I do have some collections by favorite authors, but others I donate. Most of our bookstores are on the other side of town, so that helps. Lol...I shop online more now with Barnes &noble and amazon.

[Syahira]

These days I read everything on ebooks and just buy books if its unavailable in book form (like non-English books) or when I really want to read it in either format or if I've read it and truly love it.

I don't go spring cleaning my bookshelves... I have too many books anyway.

[Shan]

I kept all of my books. I still enjoy reading an actual book, and I do about 50/50 in Kindle reading and real book reading. While I love my Kindle, I couldn't give up the satisfaction of finishing a real book. I find myself going through periods where all I will read is my Kindle or actual books. I don't usually buy books though, I live in Chicago, so we have a great library, which is where I get most of my reading material both in Kindle form and book form.

[Magnus]

But don't are taste change over time --> all old books are not so interesting ?!?!

I also live in a small apartment and I feel that having bookshelfs all over is not the best way of living compared to have just electronic books plus books you love...

Regarding music and spotify I can see no advantages that I no longer have any records at home ...

[Sofia]

I kept all of my books too for several reasons. First of all I'm portuguese and kindle doesn't have much in the way of portuguese literature, so I'm keeping those and buying new ones sometimes.

I also find that some older books are near impossible to get in kindle version at the moment, so also holding on to those. Also keeping children's books and some non-fiction.

That does leave me a decent stack of literature in english that I can give away though... :)

[✿Claire✿]

I kept all my books and only got a few of the free classics in kindle format as well. Everything else has been new books that I haven't got.

[Andrew]

I'm finally giving away my first paper book - I took advantage of the Christmas offer on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Four Parts, and am giving my paper copy to a friend who needs to be educated.

It's the exception rather than the norm, though.

[Suzanne]

I still have many paperbacks. I belong to paperbackswap.com and bookmooch.com. Sending books to someone who really wants to read the books makes more sense than giving them away. During Christas time, I donated a few books to the soldiers overseas.
I have several FREE books on my Kindle thanks to Pixel of Ink. I switch from reading on the Kindle and actually reading my paperbacks.

[Robert]

When I got a kindle I wondered how it would affect my reading habits, and it turns out I've settled into the practice of shifting between kindle and paperback. I'm in paperback mode at the moment, but that's mainly because I'm (slowly) working through the pile of books I got for Christmas.

[Travis]

Problem is there are still alot of books not available on kindle

[Suzanne]

Robert wrote: "When I got a kindle I wondered how it would affect my reading habits, and it turns out I've settled into the practice of shifting between kindle and paperback. I'm in paperback mode at the moment, ..."

I switch back and forth also. The last book I read was paperback; now it's the Kindle. And some of the paperbacks are cheaper than the Kindle version.

[Thea]

Travis, it is changing all the time. Even old books are now available. More by the day means less paper books to buy.

[Annabel]

currently I have my paper books in the attic and on the book shelves (but I possible should sale or give to charity got so many)

[Travis]

Except for a couple of series that I will hold on to I periodically list some in my goodreads groups and give them away to whomever wants them. It does cost me a couple dollars for shipping but I don't mind sending them to someone who has a use for them besides collecting dust.

[Ben]

I replace each of my paper books with a Kindle e-book. Once I have the e-book, I throw away the paper book. I do place the book in the recycling bin. My shelf is getting smaller and smaller. I believe we simple have to much and need to reduce what we own. Books are just one more item that could be eliminated from the home and replaced with an e-book, it is the future.

[Robin]

I still read book /books. I know a couple of people who don 't like / have ereaders so still read the 'real ' thing. They collect a pile of nooks they 've read then give them to me.
When I 'm done with them I give them to an assisted living community.
Problem is I've gotten so used to the print size option on my kindle I've found I can 't read some book/books.
I read a book a day.....quite a habit.

[✿Claire✿]

When I'm looking for a book I really want, I'll always check the price in hard copy and Kindle, if it;s cheaper or not much more expensive in hard copy, I'll buy that instead.

Another thing for me is that, when I do first aid cover, some of the duties can get quite boring if you have nothing to do (certain regular duties tend to either be non-stop casualties or nothing at all for 6 hours). For those, I'd rather take a paperback book that is easily replaceable if it gets covered in blood or something nasty rather than the kindle which would be very expensive to replace!

[Tylee]

I still have paper books but if I have a certain book I love, I'll buy it to highlight and bookmark.

[Valerie]

I have a lot of paper books, although I'm getting more and more e-books as time goes on. But I can't make myself pay 9.99 for a kindle book when I can get the paperback for $1.00.

Most books I do not plan to re-read - my TBR pile is already way too long! So, once I read a book, it goes in the pile to take to Half Price Books. If they don't want them, then they're donated to charity.

[A.L.]

I have a few in paperback and kindle, some I may keep as both some I might give away in paperback.

[Michael]

I keep all of my regular books and when I started a series with real books I usually keep buying the real book. New books I almost only buy for my Kindle or my Sony ereader as my book shelfs are very full and I don't know where to put another shelf. Besides ebooks are very handy and I also like reading with the Kindle iphone app in case I don't have the Kindle at hand and continue on my Kindle later on. However there are still authors who don't publish ebooks another reason to buy books as well as ebooks. I like ereaders a lot. I am only worried if I loose some of my ebooks later on because of technical reasons..so very important books I buy in paper to be sure.

[Melissa]

I didn't replace and have no intention of replacing my books with ebooks. I use my kindle more to get the harder to find books. I don't live close to a large bookstore so I am limited on some of the books I want that are not really popular or NY best selling books that I want to buy. Those I tend to get on the Kindle.

[Rhonda]

While I love the inherent convenience of picking up my loaded Kindle and spending a few lovely hours, my bookshelves remain perfectly in tact for various reasons. First, when I want to locate a passage or an idea from a book on my shelf, it's a relatively easy thing.... assuming I can locate the book in all the clutter, but I digress.
Having moved several times in my life, I have become acutely aware of the difficulty with owning books: they, like any other accumulation, begin to own you. Thus I have made it a rule to only purchase those which I cannot borrow or otherwise read. While it sounded like a very good rule at the time, it was much harder to keep than it was to first postulate.
When I was in school last, one of my professors, probably in his early 60's, suggested that there came a time when one ought to think of getting rid of books rather than accumulating more. Again, the idea was much easier to posit than it was to follow, even though the Kindle has helped enormously in the last few years. I read a great deal in specialty areas and sometimes it's just necessary to have a book in your hand. I love flipping through the pages and discovering things I had forgotten. Yes I write notes on the Kindle, but they are harder to follow and pick through.
In truth, I most like the books on my shelves because it is like having my friends in the same room with me. It isn't quite security as much as it is the camaraderie we have shared together. Their physical presence allows me to think about complex issues and beautiful representations for which they alone remain responsible. In turn, this makes me smile at the rich and varied life I have led because of these men and women with whom I have shared the world. It's glorious to experience all the places one has been with each of them.

[Angie]

I have kept some of my favourite paper books since getting my kindle - the ones I know I will want to read again, but on the whole my books were given to my local charity shop.
I didn't have room for them all in my house anyway, so that sort of helped with my decision!

[Tabitha]

Shirley wrote: "I donated mines to the Good Will store and sold some of the back to Amazon. I have some PDF books on my Kindle but I had a hard time getting the font the right size. Help!!"

If you download Calibre (a free download) you can convert your pdfs to mobi files and then on your kindle you will be able to change the font size just as you can do for Amazon books.

[Marko]

I still own paper books and will continue to buy paper copies of great works that I want to _own_.

You don't actually own any Kindle books that you purchase from Amazon. They are merely licensed and when you die, your children will not inherit them.

[Shaina]

I read everything on my kindle, I'm hopeful that by the time I have kids to inherit my books some of those issues will have been worked out by the current lawsuits.

[[deleted user]]

I give my thriller DTB's to the local VA Hospital.

[Thomas]

My paper books are either on shelves or boxed up in the garage. My wife got me my first Kindle because we were out of room for any more books. I still look at and thumb through my analog books, but I think my wrist has gotten too weak to hold up anything heavier than my Kindle long enough to read :)

[Angel]

most of my new books i get from the library or borrow from digital library for my kindle. i do have a library at home with books that i have brought and the ones i love i collect. the others i give to the library when they have a book sale. but when i finish a book and nothing is open i will have to buy the next of the series on my kindle. i have also won a few books on goodreads giveaways, one signed, so i must keep them. i love my little library. plus my 1000+ books on my kindle.

[Diane]

Thomas wrote: "My paper books are either on shelves or boxed up in the garage. My wife got me my first Kindle because we were out of room for any more books. I still look at and thumb through my analog books, but..."

Hi Thomas, I volunteer for the book sale at our local library, and handle the donations that come in. I have to tell you that the books that come in that have been stored in boxes in basements and garages are usually very musty and smelly and often are put in the recycling bin. I am disappointed to do that, as people think they are doing us a favor by giving up their books, but the truth is that people don't want to buy the musty books. If you haven't read them in years, chances are you won't be reading them again, and you might as well donate them before they become nested with spiders and mold. The ones inside the house should be fine, but think about removing the ones that are being stored in your garage. I speak from experience!

[Steph]

Some of my Kindle books are paperbacks that I used to own. Books were my first friends, so I can't give my paperbacks up, even though my vision is so bad now that I can't read them.

[Arkonyte]

I do both kindle and paperbacks. I use book mooch to trade books/buy used to get some series and others I buy on my kindle. I can't afford to buy every book on my Kindle but I'm not a regular library goer because of gas/late fines I'm never on time.

[Angie]

I kept my favourites and gave the rest to a local charity shop!