Does anyone else just like "real" books?

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DancingMaenid

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I like both, and I find that they have their own advantages depending on what I'm reading.

One of my main problems with my Kindle is that it can be harder for me to find specific passages or go back to an earlier point in the book. This is probably ironic, since the Kindle does have a search feature. And maybe it's easier on newer models (mine is one of the older ones with a keyboard). But it's so much quicker for me to flip through the pages of a book than search on my Kindle. And it I want to flip back or ahead, pushing the button over and over again takes longer than physically turning pages.

On the other hand, I find searching through PDFs and online copies of books pretty easy. When I was in school, there were a few books available online through the library or academic databases. When I needed to read portions of a book for a paper or presentation, it was nice to be able to search for a person's name or something to quickly find the passages that pertained to them.

I like ebooks for getting things that I'm not sure I'll want to reread much. The files don't take up as much space as physical books, so there's not as much pressure to decide if I want to hang onto stuff or not.

I love my Kindle, but I've been realizing lately that my use of it is limited. I don't take it with me places very often because I worry about it being damaged or stolen. And because the books aren't sitting on the shelf reminding me of their presence, I'm more prone to forgetting about stuff I purchase, and delaying reading it for longer than I would if I had paper copies. I recently discovered three ebooks that I'd forgotten I'd purchased. One of them, I have no memory of at all, though it does sound like something I would buy.
 

Latina Bunny

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I read both print and kindle/nook ebooks. Sometimes, I would even buy a print version and an ebook version if I really enjoyed a book, and if I can afford it.

Whenever I go to the bookstores, I would buy print books. For art books, manga, and comic books/graphic novels, I prefer print versions. :)

When my eyes get tired of looking at an ereader screen, or if I can't charge its batteries, then I would read print books.

However, for many reasons, I now prefer reading e-books (for novels). It's fast, convenient, and usually in stock. (Ugh, I hate going to the bookstore and not find what I want, and then I would have to order and wait for them to restock the books I wanted.)

I also can change the font size and paragraph/page formatting on my e-reader. I don't have to squint at small font or struggle with squished paragraphs anymore. :)

The e-books take up less physical space, of course. I'm getting to the point where I have to constantly exchange or sell my print books to buy new print books. (We all live together, and all of us buy novels, manga/comic books/graphic novels, art books, antique books, etc.)

Also, when it's late at night, I don't have to worry about waking anyone up with the lamp light. (My family lives altogether, and the kindle and nook lights don't bother them much.) I can surf the net, play games, look up internet for research, in between reading, wherever I go (as long as there's wifi and outlets).

Lastly, I can read e-books faster. They're not heavy, which is good for my arthritis bones. Fat print books used to put lots of strain on my arms and hands, and I would also get annoyed trying to keep them open. I don't feel intimidated or impatient with big books anymore, because, with e-books, I can make the font big, which means less words on each page, which equals faster page turning.

It's a psychological thing, I think. I would struggle to finish many big print books because I can visually see I have tons of pages left. I would feel like I'm not making any progress. Once I got the e-book versions, though, I read through much faster. :shrug:

Still, I would miss the feel of the print books, the experience of shopping at the bookstores, the variety of font, their non-electric natures (no charging), etc. :)
 
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WriterBN

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After selling a house, packing all our worldly possessions into a POD, moving halfway across the country, then doing the reverse...I've gained a new appreciation for e-books.
 

K.L. Bennett

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I prefer paper and ink (print) books; even worse, I prefer hardback or trade PB if I can't get hardback.

Now, I do have the Kindle for PC app on my computer and I do use it sometimes. But, you know, it irks me that I'm not really buying that ebook, I'm only licensing the right to read it on Kindle or Kindle for PC. That print book is mine, mine, mine until I say not. So, there's that.

All of that.

The only books I've read on an e-reader of any kind were Stacia Kane's Downside Ghost series, and that's only because I wanted to read a sample before picking it up from the library, but it was so good I couldn't stop reading. I ended up buying and reading all of them before I realized what had happened. :D
 

VeryFairy

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I prefer real books.
Perhaps it's because I have bad eyes, but I find it easier to read an actual book. Plus my hands get antsy when I can't turn pages.
 

M.S. Wiggins

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The scent of a book, that’s where I’m lost, and often found. It’s the one on an aged shelf. No, not that one…keep going. The one tucked farther back with a hundred dog-ears. I don’t even care what genre it is—that’s the book I want to hold in my hands and bring closer to my face.
 

BookmarkUnicorn

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I've seen news around tumblr about a line of perfume made to smell like old books. I guess if nothing else we can start to wear that in the future. Old paper copies only last so long it's true. (Most perfume makes me break out so I'll take a real book any day)
 
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AshleyEpidemic

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I prefer reading comics on my ipad and novels in physical form. I've never been able to finish a novel on my ipad. I don't want to splurge on a kindle to see if it will be better because it'd be a waste of money with no one to give it to if I don't like it.
 

C.bronco

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I like real books better. They still work when the power is out, and are easier to open. If you fall asleep and drop one, they are still okay, and it's easier to find post it notes and bookmarks.
 

BookmarkUnicorn

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I forgot to add, I have a kindle paperwhite now, but my first normal kindle got broken because the bottom of the screen got pressed on by something heavy. I'm not sure if it was a book, a foot or my laptop, but the very same thing that makes e-ink so nice also makes it very easily ruined. Once it gets pressed on wrong the 'ink' never goes away on that part of the screen. Just a heads up for everyone...
 

Anna Spargo-Ryan

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I prefer real books. Paperbacks only; I've never found a way to sit comfortably with a hardback.

But I also have a Kindle (Paperwhite) and love it. It's convenient, book shopping is instantaneous and I love that I can read in the dark.

I buy about 70/30 real books to e-books at the moment, I think.
 

cylemmulo

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For the most part I like reading actual books, and I read the few comics I keep up with on my kindle fire. Now and then though i like the kindle for books, especially since I can check out free ones.

But the ease of just being able to grab my book from the table, and turn to the page makes it easy. I don't have to worry about leaving it somewhere that my cats will destroy it.
 

gypsyscarlett

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I understand why some like and find Kindles and such convenient, but personally, I have no interest in them. I think there's a difference in loving to read (which one can do on many mediums) and loving physical books.

I love buying new books: the smell, the feel of the turning pages. I love buying used books and seeing old notes others have made in the margins. Receiving and giving books. Browsing bookstores and old dusty libraries.

yup. I love my books.
 

Filigree

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I love both. My Samsung Note has several different readers loaded, so formats are almost never a problem. I love changing brightness and text size, and it's revolutionized my magazine reading. WiFi is awesome: secure VPN tunneling even more so.

But I grew up with paper books, I have a godawful lot of them, and one of my art careers involves making one-of-a-kind books as art objects.

I do find ironic that 4500 years after Sumer, we are back to tablet and stylus.
 

DragonHeart

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Ebooks by far. The only physical books I still own are college textbooks (I keep them all for reference) and a small collection of novels that have sentimental (or in a couple of cases, actual monetary) value.

I used to have hundreds of paperbacks crammed into bookshelves but when I was younger we ended up moving something like 6 times in as many years and I developed a kind of enforced minimalist style. I was quick to hop on board with ebooks and haven't looked back since. Easy to buy, nearly guaranteed to have what I want and easy to transport my entire library around with me. And I can still bookmark all my favorite passages for easy reference later on instead of just remembering the page numbers.

Even the physical books I have kept, I have ebook copies of almost all of them.

I also read a lot more than I used to from having an ereader. We aren't all blessed with local bookstores and/or good selections, especially for a genre fan like myself. The last few times I was in a bookstore, their fantasy selections were depressing. Some of us read more than A Song of Ice and Fire and Dragonlance, you know?
 

Vito

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I prefer "real" books. Nothing against Kindle, Nook, etc.; I just really dislike looking at any kind of hand-held gadget for more than a few seconds.

Plus, regular ol' bound books have a lot of other functions besides reading. For example, a very thick book can serve as a booster chair for a small child at the dinner table. It can also be used as a doorstop, a paperweight, or a weapon. (You know, like, Miss Scarlet killed Colonel Mustard in the Library with the Big Fat Book).

One of the best ever ways to use a book: Getting bored in 10th grade English class, and propping your textbook up on the desk so the teacher can't see you. Then you quietly chat with a nearby classmate: "No way! 'Frampton Comes Alive' is a lot better than 'Kiss Alive'" or "So, where are the parties this Friday?" or "Bartleby the what?"

;)
 

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Only thing I buy print books for anymore is nonfiction reference books. All fiction is now on Kindle for me. I don't have an actual Kindle myself (though my daughter has a Kindle Fire HD) but I read using the Kindle App I downloaded on my smartphone and my Nexus 7 tablet. I can carry 60-100 books around on my phone and read it while I'm sitting in the Dr's waiting room or at my daughter's soccer practices. I read on the tablet when I'm on the stairmaster at the gym. I can't remember the last time I read a physical copy of a fiction book.
 

Shara

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I love books in all their formats. But I do object to the term 'real' books, as that suggests that e-books are not 'real' and I disagree with this.

I have been an avid reader of books since I first learned how to read - nearly 40 years ago. I spend nearly three hours a day travelling to or from work (commuting to London), and most of that time is spent reading. I get through, on average, a book a week.

I love my Kindle Paperwhite. It's so much more convenient to carry around than a paper book, and takes up less space in my bag. And if I finish my book on my journey into work, I don't have to carry around a second book to start on the journey home. I also love it for travelling. Hubby and I used to have to pack half a dozen books each for a two-week holiday. Now we just take a Kindle each, and we have more room in the suitcase for other things (like clothes, for instance).

But I still have a house full of books. When we moved into a four-bedroom house two years ago (there are two of us) we both got quite excited because there was space in it for us to finally have a library, and be able to have all of our books out at once instead of having to stash a lot of them in the attic. We have five floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, all of which are double-stacked with books and still we're running out of space. So I end up buying far more e-books these days, as I don't have to find space for them.

The main problem I have is I don't like getting rid of books. I like to have them to re-read in the future. With e-books you can buy as many books as you like, you don't have to find storage space and you can still have them stored there on your PC or in cyberspace to access again whenever you want (even with Kindle you can stash them on your hard drive).

My collection of paper books carries on expanding as I get books from conventions, buy them at signing sessions, and get them sent to me for review (I do reviews for a crime & mystery review site). Very rarely do I buy paper books these days - generally only if I'm at the author signing session.

I still believe one of the issues is this myth that it's 'either/or' with regard to paper or electronic books. People can love both. In fact sometimes it would be useful to have both. If I buy a signed copy of a brand new hardback, I want to read the book but that means taking it on the train with me to read going to work and it will get bashed about in my bag. But I don't like having to pay twice to get the same book in two formats.

I would like to see publishers offering the e-book version of a book free every time someone buys a hard back. The hard back can sit on the shelf, the e-book can be read on the commute and the hard back stays in pristine condition. You've bought the book so the author gets royalties - everyone wins.
 

rhymegirl

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I prefer "real" books. I won't buy a Kindle. Ever.
 

Putputt

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On a day to day basis, I prefer my Kindle hands down. While I love the physical look and feel of a real book, I am simply spoiled by the efficiency of the Kindle. I'm always doing other things with my hands while I read, such as putting on moisturizer, braiding my hair, or, more often than not, eating something. So I like being able to just have the Kindle in front of me. I don't have to put a hoof over it to make sure the pages stay open.

I've moved a lot in the past, and pre-Kindle, I always had to let go of some of my books, which is fucking painful. I hatehatehate having to get rid of books, even if I hate them. But ever since I got my Kindle, my library is here to stay. Wherever I go, it comes with me.

I still buy paper books at times, though. I have a soft spot for picture books. I love collecting them. I guess I like to imagine reading those books with a wee hippette one day, and I think e-picture books aren't as special somehow. I want us to be able to open the pages together and smell that wonderful dusty book scent.

The same goes with giving and receiving books. Having the books wrapped up all nicely, with a personalized note on the inside cover...I love that. So much more special than an e-book.

So I guess I love them both. Each one fulfils a different need of mine.

ETA: Although...I have to add, ever since I decided to stop buying books from Amazon for various reasons, buying books now takes a few more steps than I'd like. :D I guess I've been really spoiled by the Buy Now option that the Kindle offers. Now I have to physically connect the Kindle to my computer, buy the book from a different website, download it, and sync it with the Kindle. Ah well. Still, since I live in Indonesia and English-language books are twice the price they sell for in the US, having an e-reader is way more cost effective.
 
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Marlys

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Both. I was a late convert to e-reading, but I came around. At first I loved how handy my Kindle was for traveling--instead of schlepping 4-5 books with me, I only had to deal with the weight of one Kindle. I also loved the instant gratification of finishing a novel with a cliffhanger late at night when the bookstores were closed, and being able to one-click the next book in the series.

Also, when we spent six months in Finland, my Kindle was invaluable. English-language books are very expensive there, so having an alternative source saved me tons of money.

Now I have two Kindles, an old text-based one that I still use for reading sometimes and a Kindle Fire that I play games and watch video on (it sucks for reading--the glare is awful). I mostly use the Kindle app on my phone, though, which means I always have hundreds of books stored in my purse.

But I also still read paper books, which are often cheaper than e-books. Even if I do find myself occasionally tapping the page and wondering why it doesn't turn itself.
 

Vito

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But I also still read paper books, which are often cheaper than e-books. Even if I do find myself occasionally tapping the page and wondering why it doesn't turn itself.

:ROFL:
 

Myrealana

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If you fall asleep and drop one, they are still okay.
Actually, this is one of the reasons I love my Kindle - or more to the point why my husband loves it.

When I fall asleep reading the latest 1000 page epic and the book falls on his head in the middle of the night, the Kindle doesn't leave a bruise.

Also, as far as being OK to drop, I've damaged the spine of more than one hardback book by dropping it from the bedside table, while my Kindle has taken many a spill and is still in tip-top condition.
 
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