Paper or Pixel: How do you read?

[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.

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.

[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.

[Shorty]

I'm stingy and I torrent.

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

THEN WHO WAS SALE?!

Also Naughty words

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

And also most airlines are doing away with or have done away with that regulation and focus mostly on cellphones now FAA allowing most electronic device use throughout flights - CNN.com

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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:



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. When I got my Kindle it smelled so delicious straight from the box 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.