So, the response to my first bookish question of the week was fabulous ~ thanks for sharing your thoughts on your favourite genre!
This week I want to chat about e-readers. I have a confession. Just like before I had three daughters I vowed and declared I would NEVER let my children play with Barbie dolls, when e-readers first came on the scene, I turned up my literary nose at such things. You can’t get a better reading experience than the feel of a glossy cover, the aroma of inked paper, and the solid and comforting feel of a real book as you snuggle under the covers and escape to a different world, right?
Well, you know I’m going to say I had to eat my words on both fronts! My girls had a box full of Barbies and accessories and when I was generously gifted with a Kindle, I fell completely in love with it and now take it everywhere ~ I’m like a toddler with their special teddy bear! Don’t get me wrong – I still adore the real deal – I’ll never let go of my shelves full of physical books that I love sharing with my friends and family but I now have more love to share with my Kindle 😉
I’d love your thoughts on this week’s question, whether you have an e-reader or not.
What is your preference ~ a physical book or an e-reader, and why?
June 25, 2013 at 6:40 pm
I have a kindle and I love it! It was so much easier to take on my recent trip to the States. Also in the past almost 7 months with a bad wrist its so much easier to handle than a book. I still love books but I wouldn’t give up the kindle for anything now. It also makes accessing books easier as I can get some books that don’t make it to Australia and also with being in the country and not getting to the city often it cuts out postage charges.
June 25, 2013 at 8:59 pm
I have one on my laptop but to be honest I don’t use it that much. (And there’s about 9 books in there.) If had the portable one then I think I`d make use of an e-reader more often.. but for now, bring on the paperbacks!
(I’ll try to find the time to read some of the e-books I have this summer. 🙂
June 26, 2013 at 4:07 pm
Ganise » If you had a portable e-reader, you’d be hooked. Just sayin’ 😉
June 25, 2013 at 9:57 pm
I have a Kindle and love it — the portability, the immense storage, the cheap books ;). But my first preference is a “real” book. I read a book cover to cover from the copyright info through the dedication right on to the afterword. (My husband laughs at me about that!) That is harder to do with an ebook. Not impossible, but just not as easy. I also miss seeing the cover on the book when reading an ebook. The cover really makes an impression in my reading. For book club books I almost always pick the e-version. But I will never give up the wonderful experience of a physical book.
June 26, 2013 at 4:06 pm
Beckie B. » Oh, Beckie – you are not alone. Whenever I get a new book, even if I’m not about to start reading it, I’ll open it and read through the dedication and acknowledgements – love that!!! It’s funny though, I find the hard copy book much better for book club discussions. It’s so much easier to flick through and find the quote or passage you’re after when you are in the midst of a heated discussion – LOL!
June 25, 2013 at 10:35 pm
I agree – I love love love my Kindle. It’s perfect because I travel a lot and I don’t have to use half my carry on for reading material & and with the paperwhite, I can read at night for a while in bed without having all the lights on (I’m not a fan of the clip light). I still have all my books and I still buy my favorites, but the Kindle has opened the world to so many new authors too!
June 26, 2013 at 4:04 pm
Jamie » Ah, I did not know that about the Paperwhite – how does the “light” work?
June 27, 2013 at 3:33 am
It’s fantastic! The whole screen lights up and you change it depending on whether you’re inside or outside. I upgrading as soon as I found out about it!
June 25, 2013 at 10:36 pm
I’m with you, Rel; I still love physical books (and I don’t think they’ll ever be fully “extinct”), but I sure do love my Kindle and all the free and super-priced books I’ve gotten to read on it.
June 26, 2013 at 4:03 pm
Caitlin » Hey Caitlin – thanks for chipping in 🙂 The value with a Kindle is pretty unmatched, I think.
June 25, 2013 at 10:48 pm
Physical books! No contest.
Books need to be held, pages turned, bookmarks put in, flicking back to see if you’ve missed something, the smell of a new book, scanning the shelves to find the one you want to read again, sharing your favourites with your friends and family …
I’ve had books ever since I was a baby. I can’t imagine life without them and wouldn’t want to.
June 26, 2013 at 4:01 pm
Beth » 😉 I hear you, Beth! Scanning shelves, holding books, sharing…yep, all things I wouldn’t want to give up.
June 26, 2013 at 12:09 am
I love both (I’m a librarian, so I don’t know as I could ever give up real “physical” books …) There’s something about the feel and the smell of paper and ink. 🙂 I do love my ereader though for the portability and ease of carrying multiple titles at once. I had an iPad (passed it on to my husband) and now have a Kindle Fire HD … I prefer the iPad and may at some point get another. Part of the reason I like the iPad better is that you have more options on where you get your books.
June 26, 2013 at 4:00 pm
Katrina Gormley » Hi Katrina – well, a librarian could never say they preferred e-books, right?! My sister in law purchased a Kobo for that same reason – she’s not limited to Amazon for books.
June 26, 2013 at 12:37 am
I prefer a “real” book that I can hold and love going to the library, but I did just get a Kindle Fire and finally got to read a book on it (after my family stopped playing Angry Birds so much) and I did enjoy the experience. The free books and the portability are a nice feature, as others have mentioned.
June 26, 2013 at 3:36 pm
Virginia » Hehe! Glad you got to enjoy it eventually, Virginia!
June 26, 2013 at 1:04 am
I have a Kindle, second generation, and I still love it. But I still read paper books too. I love both. I don’t think I could go all Kindle or all paper. I love that buying books on a Kindle means that my money goes farther and lets me buy more and try more authors. But if a favorite author isn’t on sale, then I might just go buy the paper book somewhere. 🙂
June 26, 2013 at 1:12 am
I’ll never give up physical books (I love bookstores and libraries too much) but the convenience of my Kindle Fire HD is wonderful. Taking a whole shelf full of books with me everywhere I go and being able to get books on the cheap is hard to pass up. I also like the ability to adjust the font and I’m able to read books faster because of it.
I have to laugh at your Barbie comment. I decided I would never let my girls have them either. Then one of my SIL’s gave one of the girls a Barbie for a birthday present. So what’s a mom to do…I couldn’t just take their present away, could I?
June 26, 2013 at 3:34 pm
Jenny » Hey Jenny – love that we had the same Barbie idea – hehe! So, tell me about the Fire – why do you love it so much, other than the things you listed. One thing I haven’t mentioned is the text to voice feature – I drive at least an hour everyday to work so I listen to books as well. Helps me get through the reading…of course, you have to get used to the funny digital voice 😉
July 2, 2013 at 2:14 am
I’m still ‘learning’ new things on the Fire – haven’t ventured much into the video or music areas yet. I do like the text to speech feature – and yes, I’ve had to get used to the digital voice. I can hop on my treadmill and not have to worry about keeping a hold of a book and turning pages – and I can move a little faster. 😉
I like the free cloud storage. I had over 600 books (mostly freebies & cheapies) on my Kindle for PC and they don’t take up any space on my Fire.
Another plus – I can take it with me and if I can get WiFi (lots of businesses offer it free), I can still do things online.
I also like having the “Kindle Free Time” for my little miss. I can put things on there for her and she knows that that is her “space”.
One of the few things I don’t like about it – the carousel. I prefer the icons that my hubby has on his IPhone.
Do you have a Fire – and if you do, do you have any pointers?
July 3, 2013 at 1:39 pm
Jenny » Nope, I have the lovely older kindle with the keyboard. I’m very attached!! Thanks for the info – always interested in learning more about new technology.
June 26, 2013 at 1:29 am
Yup, I understand completely, Rel! I said for a long while that I’d never go the ereader route. But I succumbed. 😉 What actually pushed me over the edge happened a couple years ago. I was planning a week and a half trip to see my family. While packing, I was struggling to find room for all the books I wanted to take with me. You know I had to have several books when I was going to be gone that long!! While moving things about, the thought finally occurred that I could probably make use of an ereader in such a situation. Well, that started the idea and it wouldn’t leave. Once I was back home, I downloaded the Kindle app to try it out. That led to finally getting an actual Kindle that Christmas. And I haven’t looked back since! 😀
I love that it’s portable and that I always have access to well over a hundred books wherever I am (I never leave home without it. It even has a special pocket in my purse! ;). I love finding the good deals and freebies. I love having easy access to review copies that way. But I especially love that when I travel, I will always have loads of books available to me and there’s no more struggling to fit them all in my suitcase. Because I travel at least once or twice a year to visit my parents who live several states away from me.
Now that all being said, I still love my actual print books. I don’t ever plan to go fully digital. There is definitely still something about holding an actual book in my hands! But I appreciate being able to have both. 🙂
And wow! Sorry for the lengthy comment.
June 26, 2013 at 3:30 pm
Kara » You made me laugh – I know exactly what you mean about packing for a trip and it’s a no brainer that you’d forgo socks and the woolly jumper for more book space – ha! Love your long comment and completely agree that there is just something about holding an actual book in my hand!
June 26, 2013 at 1:51 am
Unless someone hands me one for free (or print books vanish from the market), I’ll never have a Kindle or any other hand-held e-reader. However, I do have Kindle for PC, because I find it easier to read while riding the stationary bike looking at the laptop screen than trying to hold a book (and sweaty hands damage books–ick). But for any other reading I prefer a printed book. I want the book in my hands, with all its individual detail, its front and back cover immediately visible, its individual weight, its individual textures. I can’t seem to get past that, and the sense that every story deserves to be its own physical entity, separate from every other book, between its own covers, with its own space on a shelf. And now I feel totally weird for having articulated that for the first time. 🙂
June 26, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Lori Benton » Ah, Lori, we’ve found a purist! Good on you 🙂 And don’t feel weird, I know exactly what you mean – the physical entity, space on the shelf, etc. I was the same – never, ever thought I would be converted! That said, I use my Kindle to my advantage but still desire the books for my shelves and for sharing with others!
June 26, 2013 at 3:05 am
You sure do love to ask the hard questions ; ) I’ve really enjoyed my the portability of my kindle. It is so convenient to carry around while running errands or traveling, especially since I also have the kindle app on my phone. However, I still prefer physical books. If I read a story on the kindle that I really love, I will end up buying it in hardcopy form. There’s just something about holding a book in your hand and the smell of the paper pages. Plus, I always read ahead and that is hard to do on a kindle. It’s hard to to skim back to check an earlier point on a kindle.
June 26, 2013 at 3:25 pm
Brittaney » Read ahead?!?! Oh, no!!!!! LOL! I’ve managed to break a couple of friends of that habit, Brittaney, so look out! I love how the Kindle keeps your page – no more scanning through to find my page. I’m hopeless when it comes to bookmarks with my physical books – always just find where I last read to “manually”, so to speak!
June 26, 2013 at 4:19 am
I used to have the same opinion that you did about ereaders and ebooks-no way! But then I started to read some classics on my iPod touch as well as a few review books that I received in ebook form, and though I still wasn’t sold I began to appreciate ebooks a little more. And then I won a Kindle Fire in a giveaway and I love reading on it now especially in the car. We live out in the boonies and it’s at least a 20 minute drive anywhere we go so there is a lot of car reading time and I’ve discovered that it’s much easier to stay concentrated on my kindle in the car then a physical copy. Also you can’t beat all the free kindle books out there! There have been so many books/authors I’ve wanted to try (but didn’t want to spend money on something I didn’t know if I’d like or not) and I was able to get their book free on kindle! That being said physical copies are still by far my favorite and whenever given a choice they will always win. Also if I like a book I read on my kindle I will usually end up getting it in physical form just to have it on my shelf. So in summary I find ebooks amazingly convenient and my wallet definitely appreciates them but nothing beats a physical book!
June 26, 2013 at 3:23 pm
Abbi Hart » Ah, Abbi – again we are in sync! Yes, the free books are a HUGE bonus to an e-reader owner, no question. So tell me, what else do you use the Fire for? Or do you just read with it?
June 26, 2013 at 3:52 pm
I use it for a lot! My iPod’s been acting up and crashing apps so I play most of my games on the Fire especially all the “with friends” games. I also like using for quick web searches when I’m not at my laptop and I occasionally use it to browse pinterest. I also take it with me babysitting and I use the kindle free time and let the kids play games.
June 26, 2013 at 5:16 am
I have the Kindle app on my iPad and honestly, I tend not to use it much at all. I have heaps of great freebies there, but I just don’t look at them. I find that I take in information much better if what I am reading is printed on paper. This is the case with what I need to read for Uni as well, so I have probably spent hundreds dollars on printer ink for the privilege of being able to hold paper and turn pages. What can I say? I’m an old fashioned girl!
Would I use an eReader? I guess if one was given to me. I’m sure it is a different scenario to using the iPad app. Would it be my first choice for delivery of my reading material? Absolutely not.
June 26, 2013 at 3:21 pm
Tracy » Like I said to Ian above, I think the iPad is too heavy and a bit large for ease of reading for long periods of time. I can hold the kindle in one hand and not tire. It weighs less than many books – LOL! And I love that I can put it on a stand and read while I cook, hands free – hehe! Now, that has to appeal to the chef in you 😉
June 26, 2013 at 6:15 am
I don’t have an e-reader, other than my computer, at this point. I still love to hold a book. I think part of the reason is I do my editing totally on the computer, so reading a book keeps it separate from the editing work. I am toying with getting something for the convenience’s sake, but like most here I will never give up the real deal, as my library attests.
June 26, 2013 at 3:20 pm
Aaron McCarver » I will never give up the real deal either, Aaron but the convenience and ease of the Kindle is second to none. And if you like all your paperback nice and shiny like I do, the Kindle can be tossed here, there, and everywhere without any wrinkled pages or worn corners 😉
June 26, 2013 at 4:34 pm
I am getting close to getting something. I do like my paperbacks like new always, which my OCD helps with. 🙂 I confess the thing I like best is having my book in another format to reach as many people as possible.
June 26, 2013 at 8:24 am
I love both. E-reader is portable, looks up dictionary references for me, means I don’t have to go to the shop at all but can be reading the latest book in minutes – seconds even! Paper books smell great, feel great, have shiny covers and look great on the shelf.
June 26, 2013 at 3:18 pm
Amanda Deed » Agree 100% on all of that, Amanda 🙂 How long have you had your e-reader? Is it a Kindle or some other device?
June 26, 2013 at 4:42 pm
I’ve had my reader for over two years now. It’s a Sony e-reader.
June 26, 2013 at 8:53 am
Rel, I use the Kindle app on my iPad and am gradually beginning to enjoy it.
However, I’m still an avid book fan and I expect will be forever. But for travelling and such, the Kindle works very well.
June 26, 2013 at 3:16 pm
Ian » I think the iPad would be quite a bit more unwieldy than the Kindle. I think you would enjoy the experience more with a compact Kindle. We are fans together of books, that I know!
June 26, 2013 at 9:11 am
I do both physical books and e-reader. Like you, I originally did not want a kindle at all. But then some of the ladies in my small group at church got them, and I really liked them. Then amazon came out with the kindle fire, and I consider that $200 to be just about the best $200 I’ve ever spent. Love it for travelling. I can have thousands of books at my finger tips when I travel now. In fact, I read 4 over my last holiday weekend. It was great.
June 26, 2013 at 3:15 pm
Michelle C. » I have an old Kindle that I love – I’ve heard mixed reports about the Kindle Fire but I take it you’re a fan 🙂 It is excellent for travelling, I agree. Thanks for sharing, Michelle.
June 26, 2013 at 3:21 pm
I have a Kibo Glo and love it for ease of carrying when I am out..books are slightly cheaper and sometimes much cheaper…However…. I still love the feel of turning a page, seeing how much of the book I have read and how far I have to go, lending them out to others who perhaps can’t afford them and being able to underline and write comments on pages I that mean something to me or really toucj my heart or prompt a pondering thought to be explored later….I guess it depends on the book and whether I would like to keep it and go over parts of it again..
June 26, 2013 at 9:07 pm
Marg » Hi Marg ~ sounds good 🙂 I like that you are brave enough to underline your books – something I can’t bring myself to do – LOL!
June 26, 2013 at 9:50 pm
Love this discussion. About book club books — about half our members now have Kindles now. It’s good and bad — less expense, but less likely to read the book if the physical copy has not been bought and paid for and sitting there waiting a week before our meeting.
June 26, 2013 at 9:58 pm
My preference is a real book — and I think it will always be a real book.
But then I say, “Why choose?” I have both literal and virtual To Be Read piles, thanks to my real books and my Kindle. And yes, my kiddos have the real things and e-readers too. Even when I travel, you’ll probably find a real book (or 2) stashed right along with my e-reader. There’s nothing like the sensory experience of a real book — and studies show we retain more when we read those!
June 26, 2013 at 11:55 pm
I didn’t want an ereader either, until I was packing to visit my missionary daughter in Germany and my husband surprised me with a Kindle. While I will always enjoy physical books, I find it so much easier to read on the Kindle – sharper print, being able to adjust the font size, etc. And I’d always want an eink screen. It’s also great for doing book reviews because I can highlight, then pull all my highlights up when I’m ready to write, or even transfer them to my computer if needed. The search feature is also great.
June 27, 2013 at 12:02 am
I have the basic Kindle which I use occasionally. I have a bunch of books on it but will pick up a print book much quicker. The Kindle is nice to take when I go to doctor appts., etc to be able to read while waiting. I usually get the free e-books or the inexpensively priced ones.
I have so many on Kindle that it is like looking at my bookshelves. I know I’ll never get around to reading them, especially since I don’t read that much or that fast but they are there when I want them.
June 27, 2013 at 12:04 am
I felt the same way you did, Rel! E-reader–no way! I love physical (“real”) books! The feel, the smell, the ability to flip back and re-read, etc. But I got tired of dragging my laptop and a pile of books around when I travel, so I splurged on an iPad and downloaded the free Kindle app. (iPads have lots of other cool apps, too. Plus you can go through airport security–at least in the US–without having to take it out of your carry-on.) Anyway, all that said, I read maybe one book out of four on the Kindle app. I have a cover for the iPad that folds into a stand, so I can rest the device in my lap, or stand it up when reading at a table (like when I eat lunch 🙂 )
Long.answer! Overall, I prefer “real” books, but e-readers do serve a purpose. Plus as someone else said, I enjoy the opportunity to get free books– not just novels, but old, out-of-print books that I need for research.
Great question!
June 27, 2013 at 5:01 am
I wasn’t sure if I’d be the sole person who exclaims this, but after reading Beth’s comment and a few others, I feel it’s okay to post a response that defies logic and stands by traditional reading! I personally cannot read anything online for long periods of time, as it affects my eyes, which is one reason I appreciate blogs, as you can read them in your leisure and although its quick reading, its a moment in time that I readily enjoy! My eyes never feel strained or iffy. There is a question in my mind though about auto retention and long term enjoyment considerations where ebooks and ereaders are concerned. I have quite a few friends who have ereaders and more than one has lamented to me that due to the enormity of choice with those gadgets and the frequency of acquiring the books — they most oft do not retain half of what they read. Whereas when they are purchasing traditional books either by way of a book shoppe, used book sale or store, or borrowing through their local libraries they find they have a longer attachment to the story and the characters.
I’ll never totally say that ereaders do not have their place, because for children and adults who learn and process information differently, I do support alternative means of reading. The same way I support audio books and books in braille for the hearing and vision challenged readers. Perhaps, ereaders will have their place in our lives, but to say that I’m attracted to holding a screened gadget and could get properly transmorphed into a different setting and place isn’t something that I will yield too.
Reading for me involves good old fashioned books – hardbacks, softcovers, compact editions, and everything in-between. I like the fact I can turn the book over in my hands, noting the coverart, the endflap and sideflap descriptions, the extra pages that might be included that lay pause before proceeding into the heart of the story, and the very texture of the paper itself fused with the typecast of the words placed on the page. Reading is viscerally stimulating and its co-dependant on a book in hand. At least for me.
As a sidenote: One thing that does irk me, if your into serial fiction, is that more times than naught backstories or pre-sequels are being published in strict ebook format ONLY without consideration for a printed POD/or/EBM copy to be offered for those of us who prefer the printed word over the electronic. If you look up the EBM {Espresso Book Machine} one of the lovely things this revolution of publishing is doing is to at some point off-set the inability to read ebooks by offering those through EBM on a POD availability! Now that is something I can support! I also like the fact that backlists of authors you adore are slowly being added to the EBM catalog, as much as titles that might already be out of print by other authors. Now, if I only lived *closer!* to a bookshoppe that has one!! Laughs. Although, I did read that you can purchase EBM books via those bookshoppes by way of mail order.
June 27, 2013 at 5:14 am
I am curious, as I was re-reading over more of the commentary, if free books is something that is of keen interest to most that are writing in, how come no one has mentioned the ability to borrow books through their local library? At no personal cost? I have been using a library since I could walk practically, and as an adult, what I love doing is utilizing the ILL service whereupon you can borrow books outside your library’s district, outside your actual state {this applies to the USA}, and even at times, outside your own country.* (*this refers to libraries I’ve spoken with that offer this service, my present library currently doesn’t receive outside the States)
The only restrictions I have come across (and this is quite broad and current for most libraries; again in the USA I cannot speak on libraries abroad) is that the book has to be six months out from publication or you have to put in a purchase request, which I have noted generally goes through. Therefore, if you need to conduct research, what better way to do that then to use your local library and/or drive to your closest University and get a community patron card to utilize their resources as well!? Universities typically have a broader reach and do get books from overseas.
Am I missing something here!?
June 27, 2013 at 5:38 am
Definitely print books.
I’ve chatted with lots of people who own e-readers even though I don’t and while it sounds like a nice thing to have, I don’t foresee e-books taking the place of print novels in my opinion. Sadly, I think that is the way of the future so perhaps I am just bucking the inevitable and holding out because of that. My family is getting ever so closer to purchasing a Kindle, and where once I didn’t, I do see some pros that would benefit my reading.
If I am going to read e-books, I want to read them on a reader as opposed to laptop which now is my only option.
Since I don’t travel, that advantage means nothing.
Bottom line; I love actually HOLDING a book in my hand, seeing the gorgeous design, flipping to the back cover and re-reading the synopsis’ if I need a quick reminder about something or reading the author’s note. While I know you can do that with an e-book also… somehow it just doesn’t seem the same.
June 27, 2013 at 5:56 am
Your comment made me smile! It’s nearly word for word the sentiments that I expressed myself! 🙂 Rock on!
June 28, 2013 at 12:47 am
Hey, Jorie! It’s nice, in this world that is modernizing at an alarming speed to find people who still agree that the “old” way is nicer. 🙂 Lovely to know there are still some of us who like print books. While I do think the future will bring more e-books than print, I am a bit reluctant to join that.
June 28, 2013 at 4:31 am
Physical books!!! It’s weird because I’m a teenager, but I just don’t like e-readers! I can stare at a computer screen for forever, but not an e-reader. Plus, I love looking at the cover over and over again. In the long run an e-reader might save you money, but I still like holding my books.
July 3, 2013 at 1:45 pm
Marissa » Not weird at all, Marissa – loved reading your thoughts. There is nothing like holding a book, I agree!