Books vs. e-Books
Decatur Metro | May 18, 2011Are you old-timey or newfangled?
Are you old-timey or newfangled?
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A year ago, I’d probably have said the former. Now I’m more of a latter man.
Talk about an overnight revolution.
(Isn’t answering your own questions a sign of insanity?)
Both. Some of what I read is still only available via paper, and others are available electronically. With my iPad2, I have access to both the Amazon Kindle library and the Apple book store.
Also, I still use the library, so regular old books are still important to me.
I like both, but prefer books…you can’t get that parchment-y “library smell” from an e-book. Plus, I just like the heftiness of real books…
I like the e-books more than I thought I would- I’m curious to see where I’ll be at in another year or two between the mediums. I got a Kindle from my sister, and waited a while before using, but now more of my recent purchases have been e-form. It is so great to finish a book, and immediately pick up its sequal or same author. I also like turning the page one handed. I’m still in love with actual books, with fantasy of a real library room at home some day still intact. Maybe it will be considered an antique by then?!
Are you spending more on books than you did in a pre-kindle world? I am.
yes!
Both – I have a Kindle and prefer reading with it because I can make the font larger and don’t have to actually carry the books around. But, usually if I like a book that I’ve read in e form, I’ll buy the actual book as well. There’s just something about having the book too, especially if I want to reference it or re-read it years later when the electronic version might be gone/inaccessible.
Ebooks, and I’m a librarian! I’ll be brutally honest & admit that I have not read a traditional, paper book since I got my Kindle for Christmas about 5 months ago. Also, I have read 3 times as many books on Kindle since December than I did during the same time period last year. My Kindle is always with me & when I finish a book I can immediately start on the next one.
I’ll admit that I was skeptical of the allure of the Kindle, but I was immediately hooked as soon as I read the first paragraph on the Kindle.
Oh yeah, someone mentioned liking the “heft” of a real book. I will counter that by saying that the Kindle doesn’t hurt nearly as much as a hard-bound Harry Potter book when you fall asleep reading and the book conks you on the head!
Fiction/Popular – EBook
Scholarly/Art – Book
you need a book if you want to make notes or look at big colorful pictures in large format.
I love books and resisted the Kindle when it first came out even as my husband kept suggesting it and offering to buy me one. He was hoping a Kindle would cut down on all of our overstuffed bookcases with stacks of books on the floor in front of said bookcases. After a friend got one as a gift and I read part of a book on hers, I told my husband it didn’t seem so bad and I was quickly the owner of a Kindle. I am reading even more, spending less and he is happy staring at the visible carpet in front of our bookcases. I do still purchase a few “real” books here and there by my favorite authors but I’m a functioning addict now.
Books. However, I want a Nook because it runs Android apps and behaves as a less-expensive tablet (which I have a real need for).
Kindle. Love being able to get horizontal and preview everything that looks intriguing and buy whatever I want. Also, the light weight and the “form factor” are easier on my hands. I still have one big honkin’ paperback that is really too bulky for that kind of binding, and it’s physically such a chore to read it, I can’t bring myself to finish it. I don’t miss the dust and the mustiness of old books. Would love to see color and beautiful book jacket artwork on the Kindle.
Boy, do I feel out of date. I guess I’m the last person on earth to not own some kind of electronic book device. Question: What about the beach, the bathroom, the woods, cross-country skiing (ok that’s far-fetched), etc.? I hesitate to bring a camera, never mind an expensive mini-computer.
I think the Kindle is better for all of those places, and they can be had for only $114. They’re pretty tough. I would agree if you were talking about an iPad, but I don’t think the iPad is good for reading. Too heavy and shiny for that application. Book vs iPad…book wins. Book vs Kindle…Kindle wins.
I have brought my ebook reader to all those places and more. When cross-country skiing I left the ereader in the car as I don’t normally stop and read while skiing but it was great for the car ride.
Mostly e-books, via the Kindle app on an iPad 2. I can highlight, make notes, and look up words I don’t know.
I’m not killing as many trees, and there’s more space in the house (the last time we moved, we had 30 boxes of books–AFTER we gave more than 20 boxes to charity).
My Kindle is crack. It is just too easy to press that button for the next book. But I always blew too much money on books, so it’s not really new, it just requires no effort at all. Which is good.
e-books! I’ve been hooked for 5+ years (I started reading them on my laptop, moved on to a palm pilot type ereader and I now have a Sony ereader). I still have a library of books but I find they are too heavy and bulky and take 2 hands to read so they are not as pleasant or as usable as my ereader. Atlanta-Fulton library system has digital books for checkout.
Covet a Kindle, but not the money I’d spend keeping it stocked. The library is free, and having to wait in line for books I want to read encourages me to sample others I’d never try, otherwise.
BTW, according to the NYT about a year ago, e-readers are not necessarily greener.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E7D61F38F937A35757C0A9669D8B63&scp=1&sq=how+green+is+e-reader&st=nyt
Some library systems have huge ebook collections. I moved here from Seattle and I use my dad’s account to check out ebooks from their very large collection. I only buy 5-10 books a year as I have have also always been a library user. Other library systems will often let you buy a yearly access to their collections (including ebook collections). I know some NY systems have large collections and pay access. The Cleveland library system has the largest ebook collection in the country but I don’t know if they have pay access to an out of town library card.
I’ve not tried an e-reader seriously, although I had the opportunity to look briefly at friends’ Kindles, Nooks and ipads. It’s complicated for me. I take books from the library more than I buy them, and the e-readers don’t support that. (I’m militantly pro-library.) On the other hand, I’m 57 years old (as of yesterday) and my vision is not what it once was. The idea of bumping up the font is very appealing. Large print books are usually crappy editions of books that are not current.
Lately I’ve turned to audio books. I don’t know if the appeal is a return to the infantile pleasure of being read to, or simply the reduction of eye strain.
What I do know is if an e-reader could return to me the voracious appetite for reading that I had as a sixteen year old, the thing that makes you stay up all night with your book, I would be grateful for it.
So, among you e-readers, do you prefer the backlit screen or the more book like non-illuminated device?
Happy Birthday Parker Cross.
I prefer the Kindle – easy to read in the sun with no glare. I also got a little case for mine that has a light. When I wakeup in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, I get out the Kindle and use the little light on the case to read – the Hubbs does not wake up and it is plenty of light for reading. Highly recommend getting one.
Thank you Nubbs.
Hmmm. One can read without annoying bedmate? That might sell me! I crave reading myself to sleep but have pretty much given it up because I haven’t found a book light that works for both me and significant other. This might be marriage saving…..
iPad’s White text on Black background feature is also good for that sorta reading.
One thing that had me wary of e-book was spending even more time in front of a screen (tired eyes, work-like task). But the non-illuminated Kindle is very similar to book reading, and my eyes are very happy. And I also agree w/ all those mentioning travel benefit- so wish I had the K on my overseas trip last summer. Looking forward to never running out of reading on a trip again!
I like both. When I switched to an eInk screen I wasn’t sure I would like it but my case has a good light on it. With a book your light has to illuminate two pages with an ereader it only has to illuminate 1 page so I think it works better. When I used my laptop to read I reversed the colors of the text to white or yellow text on a black background instead of the usual black text on white background. This greatly reduced eyestrain (especially for nighttime reading) and reduced the amount of ambient light that may disturb my partner at night (it also conserved battery time). I don’t know if this is possible with all ereader programs on backlit devices.
I like the more book like non-illuminated screen of the Kindle. Also, it is way easier to travel with than the stack of books I use to carry to the beach, long car rides, flights, etc. And there are a lot of free books and games on the Kindle. I never played computer games but downloaded Scrabble, Every Word and Shuffled Row and they are a great way to clear my mind in the evenings before I go to sleep. I also love the free sample feature so I can see if I like a writer’s style before I buy a book.
Both. I have a kindle and its great. Plus it saves me $ – a LOT of $$. I buy between 3-5 books a month and save at LEAST $5 if not $10 per eBook. and i don’t get the readers “claw” i get with heavy books. And the space. o and i can read trashy books easier. and heavy books. O yes, other great feature, book samples. I will take the sunday Times review, and send a sample of all books that seem of interest; this way i remember i want to try it and if i don’t like the first chapter i don’t have to buy it.
Having said that, I LOVE my bookstores. So I make a promise to myself that at least every 3rd book is from a local bookstore. I like talking to the store folks and getting ideas.
do i buy more books because of my ebook, no. I get same amount for less.
Kindle. Samples. Fonts. Apps.
(what they said)
Both here, too. I didn’t expect to like my Nook. (Was a gift from my mom, who loves hers.) But, I really like it. It’s light and easy to read. I love the easy bookmarking and note capabilities. It makes it especially good for book group selections because I can easily refer to the pages and notes I made.
I like that I can download ‘how to’ and light reading books that I really don’t want to keep and they don’t end up cluttering up my bookshelves. (I also check the library, first, but they don’t always have the titles I want.)
It is very easy to buy more books and I find myself reading more than I would have without it. Not always quality literature, mind you, so not sure if this is a good thing. Definitely a good marketing move by the big booksellers.
I’m still not happy about the digital rights issues that are occurring between Kindle books versus Nook books and other proprietary formats, and that sometimes the eBook version costs *more* than a new hardcover version. There’s no justification for that. And, even if it’s a title I want, I won’t buy it under those circumstances, on principal.
Aargh!! Should read “on principle” instead of “principal.”
thats interesting, i’ve not had the instance where an ebook is more expensive. Do you have an example?
I read my first eBook on an iPad recently and I loved the experience. However, I tried reading FlipBoard (magazine app) at the pool the other day but it was nearly impossible in bright sunlight.
The only thing i don’t like about the eBook is that i cannot easily give it to a friend afterward to read.
Question: Is it possible to share an e-book with a friend? If so, do they have to have the same type of device that you do (Kindle, Nook, whatever)?
i can only talk from a kindle perspective… but you can “loan” books (up to 15 days i think) and also you can give someone access to your accout – for example, i have a friend that has the kindle app on her ipad (i have the actual kindle)…i have her device registered to my kindle account so she can read my books (i think you can have 5 different devices associated to an account). If she had a kindle it would be a process of de-registering/re-registering.
You can “loan” some books to other Kindle users through Amazon. I bought a KIndle recently after using the Kindle iPhone app for quite a while, and I love it! Works just fine in the bathtub (my favorite reading place).
I tend to go both ways. I didn’t think I would like dressers, but I got an ipad a year ago and now I am hooked. But i still love the feel of the pages, but since I am a book junkie trying to figure out what to do with all of by real books that I will never reread, I am trying to only use the iPad as much as possible.
I also bought a case and light for my Kindle and can now read with the husband in bed and not disturb him at all.
Both, but the Kindle is preferred, excellent for travel. I also love the Kindle reading in bed, light, and you can assume any reading position and read with one hand. We still have books in boxes in our garage from our last move—five years ago! Still go to the library, cheapest way to read. Also, no germs in the Kindle, vs what may be on every library book.
Also, no germs in the Kindle, vs what may be on every library book.
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The BIG downside of library books. Last summer I turned a page, and I swear a quarter of an Oreo fell out (as pulverized crumbs). I wish the library would at least shake the books before re-shelving them.
Both. I have real books mostly but I always keep books I can walk away and pick up again easily loaded on the readers on my phone- usually rock and roll bio!
The other advantage to an ebook is that you can read slightly, or very, embarrassing titles and no one knows what you’re reading. Although I find that I can’t remember titles of books as well, because I never see the cover of the book, so it doesn’t stick with me.
Ditto to the cover with the light for the Kindle. I no longer worry about keeping my husband up late at night.
Ok, I can see all the advantages of electronic books now and cannot wait to get something I can read in bed without ruining marriage. But it’s unfair to books to worry about germs on them. I’m not saying that there aren’t any but paper is really not a great vehicle for disease transmission. Does anyone know of a book-borne outbreak of anything?