Paper or Pixel: How do you read?

[Shorty]

http://www.zcorum.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/tablet.jpg

In the current digital age, e-readers are popping up every which way we look! How do you prefer to read - with the convenience of a tablet, or the sentiment of flipping pages between your fingers?

[Ayen]

When I'm reading a book I prefer to have the actual book in my hands flipping the pages. I can't read a full novel on a computer screen.

[Loony BoB]

I prefer books to e-readers, mostly because I can't afford an e-reader (or, rather, I can't justify the cost for how rarely I read novels).

[Pike]

I never understood the attachment to physical mediums. I read the story, not the book and/or e-reader itself.

I feel that both have their pros and cons. A book will never run out of batteries, for example. And you can read it when the plane is taking off without getting dirty looks from the flight attendants.

But on the other hand, you also can't download a new story to your paperback book-- whilst you're lying in bed-- with the press of a button. (That last bit is a pretty big plus and my Kindle is the best thing that has ever happened just because of that)

P.S. I understand the sentiment behind not wanting to read on a computer screen but e-reader screens look just like paper and it's pretty fantastic.

[Madame Adequate]

There is one advantage physical books have over electronic: If it's shit, you can throw it across the room quite safely.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I like reading. It doesn't matter what form the book is in, really. I like physical copies just for the sake of collecting, but that doesn't really matter when it comes to actually reading. In the end I just go with whichever is cheapest.

[Jessweeee♪]

I go with a physical copy, only because if I use anything electronic I'll get distracted by other doodads and won't actually read. I won't sit and just read if I'm not doing plain paper.

[Rantz]

I agree with Pike, although I've never actually tried an e-reader (it's on my wish list!) so I can't say for sure how I'd feel about it when I'm actually holding one.

[Sephex]

Both are fine, but I never used anything electronic to read a full book or whatever. I just wouldn't be opposed to it if I had the option.

[Shauna]

I love having physical copies of things. It looks nice on my shelf.

I love having like 100 books in a device that weighs less than any singular book.

I will buy physical copies of books I really want, although, will probably look into a way to have an e-reader copy as well, to save myself carrying it around. :3

[Jess]

I like a book, but I absolutely love my Kindle. It's convenient, and e-books tend to be much cheaper than the actual paperback/hardback versions. I like taking my kindle everywhere I go. Where as with a paperback, I wouldn't - extra weight and also because I wouldn't want it to get all crumpled and ruined in my bag.

Also, once I've read something, I don't usually re-read it. So once I finish with an actual book, it just sits on a shelf gathering dust until I donate it to charity or give it to a friend.

[Jiro]

I love physical books. The weight of them is comforting, the smell of new and old books is incredible, and the sound as I turn each page is incredibly calming. But I've moved house twice in the past six months and dragging stacks of books around is not the most pleasant thing in the world.

I still buy physical copies of books, but having an eReader is excellent. I wouldn't say it's perfect -- I find the navigation a bit clumsy at times -- but I took thirty odd books with me on my trip to Adelaide, as opposed to the one or two I could fit in a bag whenever I went anywhere else.

[Mirage]

When I'm reading a book I prefer to have the actual book in my hands flipping the pages. I can't read a full novel on a computer screen.

Reading on a e-paper is actually completely different than reading on a regular backlit computer screen.

I like actual books because they don't rely on a power source. Well, except daylight but whatever.

[Ayen]

When I'm reading a book I prefer to have the actual book in my hands flipping the pages. I can't read a full novel on a computer screen.

Reading on a e-paper is actually completely different than reading on a regular backlit computer screen.

Nice to know. Still not the least bit interested in them.

[Jiro]

Plus you got shitloads of books for free on Project Gutenberg. And if you're stingy then you can torrent books. :monster: I'm pretty sure some people offer free chapters and stuff as a trial/demo too.

[Shorty]

I'm stingy and I torrent.

I haven't paid for any books since December :shobon: And before then, I was reading them all on best-library.net.

[Freya]

I have this problem about remembering to charge things.

I prefer physical books because of this.

[blackmage_nuke]

I like to read books on my phone so I can read in the dark in bed then just put the phone aside when I want to go to sleep instead of having to get up and turn the light off. Also so I can search words in the book.

The only physical fiction books I have/read is Harry Potter

[Skyblade]

I sell both books and e-readers for a living (and I'm disappointed to see everyone going with the product of our competitors, le sigh).

I come from a family of readers, and my parents have more books than any other group of people I know. We all also have e-readers.

Most readers are apprehensive about reading on an electronic device. But, if you can get past the first half hour or so, you tend to forget that you're reading that way with an e-Ink screen.

Since their introduction, the devices have gotten incredibly smooth, and have an absolute ton of functionality, most of which is designed to make things easier on readers. Font, line spacing, margins, and text size are all adjustable. There are built in dictionaries. There are tons of ways to flip through pages from chapter jumps to bookmarking pages to searching for lines and passages.

Books still do have advantages. You can pick it up and open to a random page. You can read it without having to charge it. You can feel the pages flipping through your fingers.

Nevertheless, e-readers also have their perks. Books are usually substantially cheaper (textbooks and technical books aside), you can store more in a single location or pack them for a vacation without having to choose which ones to take or filling three suitcases.

If we're buying a book that we know we want, we'll get a physical copy. When Skin Games comes out, I'm going to pick it up in hardcover, because I want that physical copy, and I think it's worth the extra investment. But if there's a book that catches my attention and I think "oh, that might be worth a try", or if it's a book that my mom wants for her book club, why not get it on the e-reader?

I don't really see why it has to be an either-or situation. Are you forced to buy a collector's edition of every video game that comes out? Or do you pick some up from the used games rack or after price drops? Or do you download some of them? Hardcover, paperback, e-book. It's the same question.

[Calliope]

I've given my rationale on this several times, but give me paper books or give me death.

EDIT: Future librarian in training with several eBook devices and an internet addiction, if anyone cares.

[Psychotic]

I prefer paper and don't own an e-reader, but I do make use of sites like Best Library.

[Pike]

I sell both books and e-readers for a living (and I'm disappointed to see everyone going with the product of our competitors, le sigh).

I actually own more than one e-Reader, but Kindle is my favorite because of Amazon's absolutely enormous library.

[Ayen]

If you gave them a chance you might like them. I was totally against them, but then my mom got one. I got one myself and I ended up LOVING it.

The advantage is if you buy books, after the initial investment of the e-reader itself, they're all cheaper.


Plus you got troutloads of books for free on Project Gutenberg. And if you're stingy then you can torrent books. :monster: I'm pretty sure some people offer free chapters and stuff as a trial/demo too.

Sorry, guys, I may be 24 and look 18 when shaven, but I have the spirit of a 60+ year old man who's stuck in his ways. I need to be able to feel the smooth/hard surface (depending on hardback or paperback) of the cover underneath my fingertips when I have the book in my lap. The soft feel of the pages doomed to age over time and the sound of them turning as I read. I like to feel the text of the book's title on the cover as well. I still go to the library, grab a book off the shelf and checkout to take home to read when there's actually something I want to read. Can you do all that with an e-reader? If the answer is no then I'm not interested.

[Miss Mae]

I was going to say things, but everything I wanted to say has pretty much been covered. All the same...

I see the pros and cons of each. I will always prefer reading physical copies of books. I tend to scribble in my books in pencil (which I know purists will hate me for, but the literary critic in me just can't help myself) and while I know some ereaders allow for note-taking and highlighting, I miss the tactile sensation and seeing my words up the margins.

That being said, ereaders are excellent for taking on a holiday so there is always something to read or for reading demos of books to see whether or not I want to go out and buy the hardcopy. Also putting your textbooks on an ereader making going to university a significantly lighter experience.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I can say that I prefer physical versions of books for things that I am likely to write notes in the margins. Honestly, I only do this for books I'm teaching/studying in a class. I do not like typing on a touch screen. Even things with physical keys I don't like typing on unless it's a full sized keyboard. It's much easier for me to just get out a pencil and write in the margins.

I don't do this for books I'm just reading for pleasure despite the fact that I'm still thinking about the book like a literary critic, haha.

[Calliope]

A friend of mine recently posted on FaceBook to say:

Okay I was reading an actual real life book at lunch and literally put my finger on the paper to scroll down so I could read more.

:hat:

[Shorty]

Something I forgot to add about e-readers: comics. ComicRack is the greatest thing ever invented. I have Batman, Fables, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Locke & Key, Scott Pilgrim, Sin City, The Maxx, The Sandman, The Walking Dead, V for Vendetta and Watchmen all on my kindle with room for millions more and it is a thing of beauty.

[Miss Mae]

A friend of mine recently posted on FaceBook to say:

Okay I was reading an actual real life book at lunch and literally put my finger on the paper to scroll down so I could read more.

:hat:
That's terrifying. Is that what our world has become? :|

[Flaming Ice]

Easier to remember things by paper and you don't murder your eyes~!

[Leeza]

I didn't think that I could ever read from an e-reader, but on a whim I went and bought myself one anyway and I surprised myself. I really do like it. It's great for traveling, reading in bed, reading anywhere actually because you don't have to hold the page open. All you do is hold it in one hand or just lay it down and your page is always there, unlike paperbacks that just do not stay open unless you have something holding them. However, there are a few things about it that I don't like. It's more difficult to go back to a page that you would like to reread, and the books for my e-reader are not much different in price than going out and buying the physical book at Costco. I also do not mind at all reading used books and you can get plenty of those at any garage sale or thrift store, but you can't get used books for e-readers.

[Madame Adequate]

I'm stingy and I torrent.

I haven't paid for any books since December :shobon: And before then, I was reading them all on best-library.net.

THEN WHO WAS SALE?!

Also http://i.imgur.com/iJMiz.jpg

[Skyblade]

The fourth option failed to take into account that those who can't read couldn't read what the options say.

[Shorty]

I'm stingy and I torrent.

I haven't paid for any books since December :shobon: And before then, I was reading them all on best-library.net.

THEN WHO WAS SALE?!

Also http://i.imgur.com/iJMiz.jpg

I don't read on flights because of motion sickness so that regulation has no impact on me whatsoever :shobon:

And also most airlines are doing away with or have done away with that regulation and focus mostly on cellphones now :shobon: FAA allowing most electronic device use throughout flights - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/31/travel/faa-portable-electronic-devices/)

[Shiny]

For some reason when I try to read digitally I always end up forgetting where I'm at or what page I'm on.

[Jiro]

For some reason when I try to read digitally I always end up forgetting where I'm at or what page I'm on.

My eReader solves that by saving where I am. Also there are ones that apparently highlight where you were up to?

ToriJ I get what you mean about the physical copies and I share those same sentiments but this is a sometimes thing for me in the same way the Cookie Monster has cookies as a sometimes food. It's just not possible for me to manage having insane libraries full of books. The physical artefact is something well worth preserving but I refuse to sacrifice my ability to read a good book because I am physically unable to bring it with me.

[Pike]

The physical aspect has never been quite so important to me on a personal level but I think that's sort of how I grew up-- much in the same way that I'm fine with having 300 games on Steam rather than 300 "collectible" physical copies of games. When I was a tiny tyke in the mid-80s everything was copied. Dozens and dozens of games copied onto nondescript floppy disks. Dozens and dozens of cartoons taped onto blank VHS tapes. Mishmashes of songs recorded onto a cassette tape. I just never formed the attachment to "the packaging" that I think other people did, and that's probably why I have no real issues with collecting books on an e-reader.

That said ultimately I don't prefer one format over the other. I still buy physical books too if I happen to see one I want. I guess I just don't have a preference. :p

[Parker]

I love my kindle, especially for thick books I read.

It's not so great for textbooks, sometimes diagrams don't "translate" to the format very well, and of course there is the lack of colour. And of course, certain pretty books like those published by Phaidon I would want physical copies of.

[Ayen]

ToriJ I get what you mean about the physical copies and I share those same sentiments but this is a sometimes thing for me in the same way the Cookie Monster has cookies as a sometimes food. It's just not possible for me to manage having insane libraries full of books. The physical artefact is something well worth preserving but I refuse to sacrifice my ability to read a good book because I am physically unable to bring it with me.

Then don't? I'm not saying people shouldn't have e-readers. I'm just not interested in acquiring one at this time. I don't have a lot of books nor do I travel so carrying them isn't an issue. My mom has more books than I do so I'd suggest one for her but she's likely to feel the same way I do.

[Mirage]

Easier to remember things by paper and you don't murder your eyes~!

In what way do e-readers murder your eyes? Please elaborate.

[Carl the Llama]

I prefer physical books myself, I like the feel of the paper, the smell you get when you enter a second hand book shop... to few second hand book shops are left around these days, but I am quite lucky to have one near the place I do my weekly shopping, I go in there every week, just for that smell. Plus I like my small library of books, having owned over 40 books signed by the various authors I have met (Raymond E Feist and George RR Martin being the most prominent of these) and I like the way my books are pleasing to the eye:

http://i.imgur.com/4d6FMjB.jpg

Not mine, but you get the point, it's like painting a picture filled with your favourite things... just one of the many things you cant reciprocate with an e-reader.

[Pike]

Am I the only person who doesn't like the smell of books? Older ones get an overpowering musty scent which I'm not fond of.

New magazines smell much nicer. :3: When I got my Kindle it smelled so delicious straight from the box :drool: I loooove the smell of new electronics.

[Shorty]

You've never noticed how freshly printed paper smells amazing?

I just got a new book earlier this week and it smells wonderful. The first thing I was asked was "how does it smell".

[Shlup]

The phases of conversion:

1) I just love books! I love turning the pages! I love the smell of them!
2) Oh, an ereader for my birthday? Thanks, I guess. I don't smell anything.
3) Look at all the books I'm reading!
4) Ereaders 4 lief!

Happens every time a bookworm touches an ereader. Every time.

[Pike]

I was actually super excited to get an e-reader right from the start. But then again, I am a robot, so I am biased.

[Shlup]

I was actually super excited to get an e-reader right from the start. But then again, I am a robot, so I am biased.
Same. I love it.


There are two major downfalls for me for e-readers:

1. For whatever reason, sometimes my e-readers spazzes out on me and just starts zooming ahead, and I have to page back to where I was.
2. I have an obsessive compulsive reading system that I can't do on my e-reader...I have to read it the "normal" way, and so it's kind of grating, especially if I've been reading physical books.
1. Weird.
2. Elaborate. I'm intrigued.

[Parker]

You're insane is why you need that system

[Shlup]

What is even the purpose of that??

[Formalhaut]

That's pretty interesting... I do admit to bookmarking the next chapter ahead in a physical book so I know how many pages I have left to go to get to the next chapter. Sort of a way to keep me going, because I lose attention very easily when reading a book.

My boyfriend has a kindle paperwhite and he reads it all the damn time. Seriously. We'll be in the University lounge/cafe area, and he'd be reading happily along. I ask him a question or something, and he doesn't notice me. It takes repeated attempts for him to pick down and notice! He is really into his books though, so I guess it's understandable.

I just prefer my books in paper format. I've used his kindle before, just to see what it does and stuff. It's okay, but I tried reading a book on it and just couldn't connect with it. I lost attention too easily and just didn't find the screen agreeable, even though, it being a paperwhite, it has the latest technology revolving around e-paper.

[Shiny]

I love fresh book smell almost as much as I love new shoe smell.

[Sephiroth]

A book. I hate the idea of reading an E-Book and while tablets are convenient they annoy me at the same time.

[Jiro]

1. I think because it's about 4 years old now, and dust has collected underneath it and sometimes it triggers the pages forewards. :gator:

2. Okay, well it will sound loopy, but here it is:

First, I take all the pages, and split them in half. Then I split them in half again. So, I more or less split the book in to quarters. I place a bookmark there. Then I read the book in blocks of 20 pages at a time. If my bookmarked page is less than 20 pages I read until there (example: my bookmarked pages is 109, so I go from page 100 to 109 instead of 120. I would have 9 pages to read in that block, and then 11 pages to read in my next block). Every time I hit my bookmark, I quarter it again, but by the pages remaining...so not actually an exact quarter of the book itself. I keep doing that until I finish the book.

I'm not sure why/how/when I developed that system, but since I have, I can't read books in any other way.

that is really smurfing fascinating

EDIT: no I'm not being sarcastic I think that is really interesting and weird as hell but you rock it girl do your weird thing

[Carl the Llama]

I mean, I read faster than anyone I know, even when I'm working/schooling/busy. I've already finished 44 books this year.

From my perspective, I feel sorry for you, I love to savour a good book. If I read like you did I would have no time to reflect on what I have read, to take it all in and form my opinion on what happened, for example it took me a good month to finish Magicians End.

Not that I am judging you for reading so fast, I just like to take it easy. My Mum (who is also a book worm) reads books like there is no tomorrow.

[Calliope]

Reading is reading, it's not a competition. No one gets a gold star for reading the most books, or the most literary books, or the most popular books, or for using bookmarks, or having a massive bookshelf full of first edition hardbacks with dustjackets, or the most state of the art eReader souped up with Zinio, OverDrive, or whatever. Maybe you like zipping through books quickly, maybe you like pausing every other page to write down a particularly compelling phrase, or to look up a word. Who cares? Just read, frequent your library or independent bookstore, and if you thought the book was that great, recommend it, or give it to someone on their birthday.

[Pike]

I often feel like a slow reader. Not because I cannot read fast when I want to, but because when I read, I hear everything in my head in a normal and conversational speed and tone. I like picturing the book as a movie in my mind, and I will even mouth the words sometimes, or pause for a few minutes during intense moments.

This means that even if I read every day, I usually only manage about one book a month. Honestly I used to think everyone read like I did, and was surprised how "slow" I was compared to everyone else! Guess it's just me :)